How DeVry University used direct mail to anchor an aggressive multimedia enrollment campaign.

DeVry Interview

In the midst of celebrating the 75th anniversary of DeVry University during the 2006-2007 school year, officials at the university took stock of its recent history and, while they found good cause to uncork the bubbly, they also found reasons for concern.

Chief among them was that, despite enrollment of more than 65,000 students at its 92 locations throughout the United States and Canada, Illinois-based DeVry still had something of an image problem: The school was combating the misconception that it is a technical/vocation school, rather than the fully accredited university it really is. DeVry also wanted to increase its market share within the high-stakes adult education space. “We’re competing against the 800-pound gorilla,” says Lisa Iannuzzelli, the DeVry University senior director of marketing, referring to the heavily marketed Arizona university noted for its online offerings. “Typically, they’re even more aggressive in their marketing than we are. Then there’s also competition from all the local state schools and colleges. (It’s) a challenge.”

In a bid to polish its image and promote its value, DeVry joined with a Chicago-based brand builder to craft a new, integrated marketing campaign complete with a punchy slogan – “We major in careers” – emphasizing the university’s competitive advantage. At the center of the campaign was DeVry’s “Real Stories” series – a string of testimonials from happily employed DeVry grads, students and faculty.

“We felt that the best way for people to learn about DeVry, and hear about how people can get careers, was from our students, alumni, employers and faculty.” Iannuzzelli says. “That has become a big focus, letting those people be our spokesperson and tell our story for us.”

A major player in direct marketing, the school refreshed its mail campaign considerable. First, the university printed branded mailing envelopes featuring the red/royal blue color scheme of the DeVry Web site. The mailings gave continuity to messages being transmitted online.

Next, the university whipped up standard format pitch letters that included an interactive questionnaire embossed with the school’s “We major in careers” tag line. The letter touted findings that suggest that the best-paying, fastest-growing jobs today are in business, engineering and applied sciences. “Just what we teach at DeVry,” the letter effused before delivering the facts about DeVry’s 90-percent grad employment rate.

The accompanying questionnaire posed four questions, including one that asked directly, “Would you like to make $30,000 to $46,000 right out of school?”

Explains Iannuzzelli: “Typically, we get consumers interested in learning more about DeVry, then we get them to provide us with contact information. Our recruiters will follow up with them, tell them more about our offerings, and work them through the admissions process if they’re interested.”

Though the pitch letters would be delivered to existing consumers in DeVry’s mailing database, the school also employed the assistance of an independent source. “We work with a list broker who selects the list for us,” says Iannuzzelli. “It’s various lists that we feel have our target audience.”

Once the pitch mailers were set to go, DeVry cast its net wide. The university launched a series of nationwide mailings in January 2008, with subsequent deliveries being implemented in February, April and June. By the arrival of summer 2008, DeVry had circulated more than 1.8 million pieces of direct mail. “We blanketed the country, but we heavily focused on areas where we have a physical location,” explains Iannuzzelli. Like the questionnaire, all the pieces were emblazoned with the “We major in careers” tag line.

But direct mail was just one piece of DeVry’s massive campaign puzzle. The university created five television ads, including a self-styled “anthem spot” featuring a Utopian variety of students discussing their DeVry experiences. Four additional TV spots showcased alumni talking up DeVry’s business, degree completion, game and simulation, and Web graphic design programs. “We had offers in our TV ads, like our ‘DeVry’s Guide to 49 Hot Careers’ booklet, that we gave out to prospective students,” Iannuzzelli says.

The university targeted young men by placing ads in edgy, male-oriented “lad books,” in eclectic music magazines and in computer publications. To lure older women, DeVry took out ads in lifestyle, health and fashion magazines.

For the print phase of the campaign, DeVry appealed to consumers across all kinds of demographic lines. In one ad, a 32-year-old female DeVry grad explains how her recent business administration degree eased her entry into a human resources management career. In another, a 38-yearold mother touts DeVry’s financial aid department, telling readers “even with five kids, you can afford to go to college.” Still another print piece features a 26-year-old man relating his experience in the school’s gaming and simulation program. “Womb to tomb, I’ll be a gamer ’til I die,” he gushes with convincing hip-hop bravado. In fine-print copy in all the ads, DeVry offers its grad employment stats and accreditation info.