Bringing Culture to the Curb

Last month I had the unique opportunity to speak at the EdSocial Media Summit in San Francisco. The event was thankfully well-sponsored by EdSocial Media and brought together seven top thought leaders in the area of social media. All of the speakers were extremely well-versed in the tools and application of social media for the education industry. I was as much of a student as a teacher on that day.

I did take a different approach in my talk, however. I am not a social media guru, but instead intrigued only by the power and application of it. Specifically, I see the set of social media tools as part of an expanding universe of relevant applications that allow us greater engagement with our school and college fans. They allow us to connect with our stakeholders in ways that have never been done before.

One of the greatest marketing communication challenges I see with colleges and schools is that they struggle conveying culture. Words and print media often fail to capture the unique culture of the campus community. But, the new confluence of viral video and talented, performing-oriented, tech-savvy students have created a new way to communicate to overcome this issue. In my short talk, I highlight three great case studies of viral video. They each are sure to get attention, but also communicate something more important along the way. Take a look at the YouTube link below and enjoy.