The University of Colorado must do a better job of providing connective tissue between the university and Colorado citizens, according to a CU vice president.
Ken McConnellogue, vice president for communication, Office of the President, shared details of a new “All Four: Colorado” advertising campaign during the September Chancellor’s All-Campus Forum. He was joined by Martin Wood, vice chancellor, University Advancement, and Greg Hoye, director, University-wide Marketing, University Advancement. Hoye explained UCCS marketing efforts and the connection to broader CU efforts.
“We are all intimately familiar with the University of Colorado,” McConnellogue said. “Personally, I’m an alum, a parent, a staff member and a very grateful patient. From those perspectives, it’s hard to imagine that people don’t know the good things that CU does and the impact it has on lives. But many Coloradans don’t.”
McConnellogue highlighted the competitive environment in which CU competes for top students, faculty and staff and for the attention of donors. That environment, along with the results of focus groups and polls of Colorado citizens, led to the “All Four: Colorado” and the decision to use paid advertising to convey the university’s message.
Statewide, television advertising, billboards, and digital advertising will be used to highlight CU contributions and tie to campus-led efforts in Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver and Aurora. CU also recently announced a partnership to name the RTD FasTracks line between Union Station and Denver International Airport and to advertise on the Flatiron Flyer bus service on U.S. 36.
UCCS marketing efforts are focused on student recruitment, Wood and Hoye explained, and tie to the broader CU image efforts.
“We have to be smart, efficient and quick,” Wood said of UCCS marketing efforts. “We must also be integrated, cooperative and realize that all of us are marketers or ambassadors of the university.”
Hoye explained the different steps in marketing a student, tracing the process from awareness to application and emphasizing key messages of campus environment, academic quality, student life, value and student success. Last year, more than 11,000 applications became a 1,700 student freshman class, as students apply to multiple universities and chose one that best meets their needs.
Faculty and staff will soon have increased opportunities to participate in student recruitment efforts as the university seeks to make the experience more personal.
To see the new CU television commercial, visit
— Photos by Philip Denman, Video by CU System
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