In today’s diverse and ever-evolving educational landscape, institutions and individuals committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion deserve recognition and celebration. The UPCEA Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness in Marketing, Enrollment, and Student Success Award, which highlights institutions or departments dedicated to championing these values, is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on leaders in the field. The 2023 recipient of this prestigious award, Excellence in DEI Recruiting, is the Online Learning recruiting team at the University of Louisville, led by Brandy Chamberlain, online programs recruiter.

UPCEA Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness in Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success Award

The UPCEA (University Professional & Continuing Education Association) Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness in Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success Award is an accolade of the highest order in the field of education. It recognizes the dedicated and unwavering efforts of institutions, departments and teams that prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion across marketing, recruitment, communication, programming, student success and enrollment. Recipients of this award are institutions or individuals who have demonstrated increased and sustained success in recruiting and retaining underrepresented populations, based on their marketing, recruiting and/or student success initiatives.

Meet Brandy Chamberlain: A Catalyst in DEI Recruiting

Brandy Chamberlain has been leading the charge for recruiting online students at UofL Online. Her tireless efforts and innovative approaches have led our team being the standout recipient of the Excellence in DEI Recruiting Award for 2023.

Brandy’s and the marketing team’s work is a testament to the impact that purpose, focus and collaboration can have within an institution. The team’s approach to recruiting underrepresented populations and connecting them with valuable resources has not only showcased success but has also inspired others to follow suit.

Brandy’s leadership aligns with the University of Louisville’s steadfast commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. By prioritizing DEI in marketing, enrollment and student success, the University of Louisville Online Learning team has set a shining example for the educational community.

The Impact of the Excellence in DEI Recruiting Award

The UPCEA Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness in Marketing, Enrollment, and Student Success Award serves not only as recognition but also as a source of inspiration. It showcases the power of institutional commitment to creating a more equitable and inclusive education system.

As we celebrate this achievement, we also look to the future and recognize the many opportunities and work that remains to be done in the ongoing journey toward diversity, equity, and inclusion in education.

In the spirit of the UPCEA Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness in Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success Award, we continue to strive for a more inclusive educational landscape that truly represents and serves all members of our society.

Congratulations to Brandy Chamberlain and UofL Online for leading the way in 2023!

Visit UofL Online website for our online programs offerings.

The Online Learning marketing team at the University of Louisville (UofL) won the Silver Award (highest bestowed) in the Crisis Management marketing campaign category for 2021, with the “Thrive” broadcast commercial spot production that had to be completed virtually due to the pandemic.

The UPCEA marketing award recognized our team’s creativity based on available resources, ability to pivot strategically, and flexibility in implementation of new marketing plans during the pandemic. UofL Online won the highest distinction in this category, sharing the spotlight with other schools/units at Ryerson University, Berklee Online, University of Denver, and University of Toronto.

THE PIVOT
When UofL Online Learning marketing team initially started planning the FY21 commercial, we were under the hopeful impression that the world would be back to “normal” by the time we moved into production in the second half of 2020, early 2021.

As October 2020 rolled around, the team realized that hope was unfortunately fading and that we would need to re-evaluate our plan to create a new broadcast TV spot. We had a few key items to consider as we made this decision – we needed market research for past concepts and a new approach to completing the project in the restriction-loaded COVID-world.

We had to pivot from full on-site production done in the past to a virtual approach that allowed us to create an impactful TV campaign that met the following goals:
1. Feature messaging that resonates with future online students
2. Show the excellence of UofL Online education without professional video production
3. Keep our team and production crew safe while creating a visual that is authentic

We moved forward with producing a new commercial campaign that features all virtual interviews done in the safety of the student’s own home or environment, and uses animated scenes.

THE MESSAGE
We developed messaging that aligned with insights from our market research, written in a way that didn’t ignore the pandemic, but also didn’t remind viewers of the continuing situation in an overtly direct fashion, as research showed that pandemic fatigue was growing to an extreme at the end of 2020, early 2021 (as we all very well know!).

We interviewed students virtually — in the same environment they have been learning for the past months — capturing their unique stories and authentic input on their experience, and pieced together a creative concept that reflected their genuine and heartfelt responses.

UofL online students – enrolled in programs including business, engineering and public health, social work and organizational leadership & learning – shared how the University of Louisville helped them overcome hesitations and barriers to pursue education without deprioritizing the things that matter most in life.

The interviews resulted in a :30 spot called “Thrive” – a word that highlights the perseverance of online students as well as the value that online programs deliver to students: empowering them to achieve their goals without sacrificing their other priorities, both within and outside of our current global crisis.

THE CAMPAIGN
Our “Thrive” concept extended beyond the TV placement, with a key message “We Thrive Together” reflected in various creative and campaigns, marketing and promotional assets traversing all channels, from overall branding to web banner ads, website and social platforms’ look and feel.

AWARD CRITERIA
The award scoring rubric evaluated the “Thrive” campaign based on the following criteria:

• The concept is well integrated into the overall marketing approach and obviously supports the marketing message.
• Creativity is demonstrated across the marketing message based on the allocated market spend.
• The marketing message is very clear, concise, and represents a cohesive idea.
• The necessary information is being communicated easily.
• The pivot in marketing approach showed measurable impact and met the outlined objectives.

Our goal was to help future students identify themselves and their situation with the stories of those who participated in the production of this unique commercial spot, and get the inspiration and motivation to pursue their dreams and aspirations toward a brighter future, more fulfilling career and better life. We also wanted to give out students a platform and opportunity to share the great work the University of Louisville does through Online Learning to create a community of learners where we thrive together and support each other, and where each student can grow and succeed.

Thus far we have received all-around positive feedback that confirms our assumptions and shows us that we have accomplished our goal.

We hope that you enjoy watching our quick TV commercial spot “Thrive” and get inspired to encourage someone, or set bolder goals for yourself this year and take the steps necessary to reach them. To see online education options available for you at UofL, visit louisville.edu/online.