Getting to know DU’s undergraduates

When DU partnered with external agency Carnegie Dartlet last year to gain insights into our reputational standing and audience motivations and aid us in developing a revitalized reputation strategy for DU, we gained invaluable information and feedback from all of our audiences, with our undergraduate students at the top of the list.

The insights we learned from our students about their backgrounds, motivations, beliefs, attitudes, and emotional drivers were powerful. They will enable us to speak more directly to future DU students, connecting to them with authentic messages that will resonate. By combining a macro-view of our students’ demographics—social statistics such as age, income, and education—generated though surveys with the micro-view of their psychographics—psychological factors such as personality, emotional drivers, and desires—gained in focus group sessions, we are able to understand which individuals are attracted to DU and will ultimately thrive by finding their place here. From Carnegie Dartlet’s research, we have learned which demographic household clusters are most critical to DU’s enrollment pipeline, allowing us to further cultivate and connect with these populations for the purposes of recruitment and retention activities.

The four profiles and one of the primary drivers making up the persona include:

Adventure Seekers — Challenges and hands-on learning

Creative Advocates — Creating long-lasting impactful work

Academic Individualists — Intrinsically driven to academic success

Sociable Achievers — External validation from influencers

This information will enable us to begin shaping and implementing segmented communications flows and a targeted digital advertising strategy. As we increase the relevance of our connections, we multiply the opportunities for building relationships. All of this will lead to a strong brand with powerful, enduring messages and fulfillment for DU students in the generations to come.