On the surface, milestones look like a perfect opportunity to share a historical perspective of an event that happened 50, 100 or even 200 years ago. A business might recognize the day it was founded, or the year an iconic product was launched, for example. And it would be logical for those recognitions to be historic in nature.
They may turn to you, but only if they know you’re there for them.
By now, you’ve probably formed opinions on millennials as a consumer group. (As you may know, it’s one of the most researched consumer groups in history.) I won’t attempt to guess what those opinions might be, but I wonder when they were last updated?
We have a theory that consumer purchasing behavior in the food category is evolving more rapidly than most people thought. While it’s certainly not a complete surprise, few people envisioned the growth of online grocery sales in the U.S. reaching an estimated $17.5 billion annually in 2018. That’s four times the amount purchased only six years ago.
The question isn’t new to university marketing professionals. In fact, universities across the country have been trying to answer this question for decades. How do you effectively incorporate a highly acclaimed college, school or department into a comprehensive university brand?
According to Charity Navigator, charitable giving in the U.S. increased in 2017 for the third year in a row, and experts predict the trend will continue this year. For the first time, giving exceeded the $400 billion mark, with giving by individuals accounting for 70% of the total. There are a number of theories to explain the increase in charitable giving, but one of the most intriguing explanations is the impact of the current news cycle.
As funding decreases for many state-supported universities, philanthropy becomes a top priority. The gap that exists when state funding is reduced can only be closed by the generosity of those who support the university. There was a day when most higher education fundraising was about making a case to advance the college or university’s mission. Today, fundraising is as much about maintaining as it is advancing.