Developing multicultural marketing messages

Laura Morris, Associate Vice Chancellor, Marketing & Communications at Lone Star College System discusses the College's multicultural marketing strategy and the importance of crafting marketing messages that reinforce the College's purpose of preparing students for success in stable, growth demand career positions.

Robin: Hello, and welcome to this edition of Brandonomics, an inside look at top brands and their marketing strategies. I am Robin Tooms, VP of Strategy at Savage, and I’m here today again with Laura Morris, Associate Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications at Lone Star College System. Laura, welcome back to the show.

Laura: Thank you.

Robin: Well, wonderful. Well, last time you were talking about purpose, but today I want to know more about how you reach the diverse community here in Houston. So tell us about your multicultural marketing strategy and how that works.

Laura: Well, just like Houston has exploded in its ethnic population, so has Lone Star. We closely match the population of Houston. Our student population is now just over 30 percent Hispanic, and so it’s very important to reach out into that community in authentic ways. Part of how we do that is making sure that we are reaching the family, because if students – even if they want to go to college – don’t have support at home, it’s very difficult for them to be successful, and with our mission of student success, helping families understand the importance of a higher education and its role in future career options is really important. Communicating things like “close to home” and “affordability.” We’ve also reached out and are working very closely with Univision Radio and Television to be a part of the fabric of that community, in a way that has an endorsement that has value within that community.

Robin: Right. Well, reaching these audiences is key to having a better educated workforce here in Houston.

Laura: Absolutely.

Robin: So tell us more about that.

Laura: Well, the skills gap continues to grow. We have many employers in Houston who are – who have jobs and don’t have skilled workforce to pull from. We work very closely with Houston business in order to create curriculum that meets their future needs, and by future needs, I don’t mean in ten years – in two years, in three years – so, hand in hand, we’re building a curriculum that leads to immediate career options, and that’s where part of our messaging around things like “careers, not just jobs” comes from, because it provides a way to create a path that leads right into meaningful and stable and growth demand career positions.

Robin: Well, perfect. Well, thank you for sharing the importance of that multicultural marketing strategy.

Laura: Thank you.

Robin: Perfect. Well, this has been another edition of Brandonomics, an inside look at top brands and their marketing strategies. Join us next week. Thanks.

 

Lone Star College System, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area, is the fastest-growing community college in the nation. Its mission is to provide comprehensive educational opportunities and programs to enrich lives, focusing on establishing students in careers, not just jobs. https://lonestar.edu/

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Robin Tooms is a consultant for brand, marketing and communications strategies for B2B and service companies. Expertise includes corporate branding, investor communications, employee communications, social media, and marketing with emphasis on effective online marketing and use of technology.

Contact her at rtooms@savagebrands.com or reach her by phone at 713-522-1555.