Communications and marketing priorities update
27 Oct 2016
Priority actions from our Communications and Marketing Plan for 2015/16 and 2016/17.
Priorities for 2015/16
The University has made excellent progress against actions identified as priorities for 2015/16 in our Communications and Marketing Plan.
Some of these were self-contained projects, such as the successful relaunch of Uni Life as The University of Manchester Magazine, with a fresh, contemporary look and feel, newly defined external audience and interactive content via a visually appealing and user-friendly digital counterpart.
Many others have seen considerable achievements in areas that we will continue to progress, such as the promotion of our five research beacons, and the development of a named package to communicate the distinctiveness of our student experience and opportunities – Stellify.
We have also made progress against two of our five KPIs for reputation in the Plan after rising up the ranks of the QS World University Rankings and THE World Reputation Rankings.
Priorities for 2016/17
Our Communications and Marketing Leadership Team (CMLT) has identified new priorities from our Plan to focus our work for 2016/17.
Key actions include:
- Social responsibility – Deliver enhanced communications highlighting the social responsibility features of all our activities, our signature programmes and a major new 'hyperlocal' initiative to demonstrate the University’s positive impact in its neighbouring communities.
- Brand ambassador training – Develop and deliver a training programme (in person and online) to equip staff – particularly those travelling overseas – to become ambassadors for the brand, supported by a toolkit of resources, including an agreed set of high-level marketing messages.
- Social media hub – Bring together expertise from our leading social media practitioners to coordinate activity and share content, knowledge, skills and best practice.
- Proactive media relations – Identify media experts and campaigns focused on the five research beacons and create a new package of media training and support.
Find out more
A full list of priorities and further detail will be revealed at the upcoming Communications and Marketing Conference 2016 on Tuesday, 22 November.
Anyone not attending the conference can find out more from their CMLT representative.