Early bird debuts

Our Great careers start here campaign has done the business with all September 2010 degree places filled.  The animated bird character from our campaign returns for our Autumn campaign in a  new guise. The re-named Early bird now tells applicants to apply early and not miss out on clearing whilst also flaging up our great graduate prospects record.  The campaign will run through to January 2011. Postgraduate and FE lead generation will have a different treatment for these specific markets.

TV spearheads clearing campaign

A new advert spearheads our 2010 clearing campaign. The animated, 30 second advert will run on Border TV, Channel 4 North and 40D from 13 to 21 August and aims to generate enquiries for degree courses starting in September 2010.  With a voice over done by acclaimed actor Joss Acland, the advert differentiates the University of Cumbria from competitors with its graduate prospects record. Broadcast times can be viewed here.

Indy provides plaform for clearing campaign

The Independent is the market leading newspaper for UCAS clearing so we will have a series of focused adverts in various editions starting 17 August. Our main ad is shown below focusing on our oustanding record in terms of graduate prospects.

Sounding off on Spotify

With over 8 million tracks and a growing audience, Spotify offers a good way to get our recruitment message to potential undergraduate students. You can listen to our audio advert here.

FE students feature in press adverts

Real students feature in our local press adverts launching August 2010. The adverts will generate enquiries for our vocational courses starting September 2010 at our Newton Rigg campus near Penrith. They will appear in the Cumberland News, News & Star, Star and the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald.

Facebook just the job for FE

The power of Facebook is assisting recruitment to FE courses at our Newton Rigg campus. The target prowess of the social media site is allowing us to target over 10,000 potential students within travelling distance of the campus.

What's Handel and Beethoven doing in our radio ad?

Check out our radio ad to find out. The ad runs for two weeks commencing 16 August 2010 on Rock FM, CFM Radio, The Bay Radio, Radio wave 96.5 FM and Lakeland Radioto and will help us fill undergraduate places still available of September 2010 start.  We have a variation on the advert for Lancashire stations that signposts our Lancaster campus.

Web site streamlines student information

The University of Cumbria's web team has changed the way it presents information for students joining us in September 2010 or hoping to secure a place with us through clearing in August 2010. Comprehensive information is neatly grouped for ease of navigation and is accessible via the home page.

Sport in the picture

University of Cumbria sport undergraduates feature in a new film launched today. The students talk about their experience of their time at the university's Carlise campus. The film will be used to grow course enquiries to the School of Sport's portfolio of courses.

Gearing up for clearing

We still have some UG places left for September 2010 and our clearing campaign aims to match applicants to courses. The integrated campaign uses an informal, quirky take to highlight our offer. Here's how it will work on our own web site.
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Times Higher win for Cumbria

The University of Cumbria's marketing team scooped a top award at this years Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards 2010. The team's In your Own Time campaign was voted Best Recruitment Campaign of the Year.

FE open day promotion

With the Newton Rigg campus' third and final open day of the academic year taking place on Saturday 12 June, the third in a series of adverts has been placed in the Cumberland News, the Whitehaven News, the Times and Star, the Westmorland Gazette, and the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald to promote the event.

£7k if you retrain to teach - SKE campaign

Our SKE (Subject Knowldege Enhancement)campaign seeks to influence career changers looking to teach Maths, Chemistry and Physics in secondary schools. The SKE courses is a first step. With fees paid and a bursary of up to £7,200, it's a compelling offer. The campaign is using Google Adwords a Facebook to target identified prospects.

Nice news that we have been shortlisted for the Times Higher Leadership and Management Awards 2010 in the Recruitment Campagn of the year. We were nominated for our part-time campaign.

Law promotion

Four of our current LLB students talked to camera about their experiences as students at the University of Cumbria. The videos will be used to promote the course via the website, being embedded in the course pages. Samples of the videos feature below.

Extra does the biz

Additional marketing through UCAS's Extra campaign generated close on 50 additional applications for undergraduate entry in September 2010. Campaigning continues to fill our vacancies with our clearing camapign starting in August 2010.

CPD programme url promulgated to NHS training managers

A third ezine has gone to NHS training managers to promote our health, medical sciences and social care CPD programme for 2010. Advanced Nurse Practitioner Barbara Tamburrini, from Dumfries and Gallowas NHS Trust, features once more, this time on video, as she explains why the trust chose the University of Cumbria for its training needs.

Part-time courses radio campaign

After our highly successful 2009 campaign, we've programmed in another set of radio ads with both CFM in Carlisle and The Bay in Lancaster. Seven current and former students have been interviewed and recorded for a series of 50 and 60 second infomercials that will be aired between eight and ten times a day starting today (19 April).
Photo shows one of the CFM recording sessions.

Extra students read our message

Over 4,000 students without an undergraduate place for September 2010 have viewed our latest eZine telling them why they should study with us. Excellent click thrus rates were achieved as well. Evaluation will continue allowing us to measure the cost of converting a prospect to confirmed student.

Physiotherapy open evening

We've designed and distributed an eZine to physiotherapy professionals across our area, inviting them to come along to an open evening being held at our Fusehill Street campus on Thursday 22 April. They will be able to chat to tutors about opportunities for postgraduate and CPD study as well as having the chance to tour our new facilities and try out a range of equipment used for research and rehabilitation. For details of all our physiotherapy programmes click here

Current student and graduate case studies

We've been gathering case studies for use in promoting our courses and now have quite a collection along with some great photos. Excerpts from some were used in the 2011 undergraduate prospectus and the rest are being published on the website.

Survey of postgrad pre-application info sources

We asked our postgraduate students how they found out about us and the courses we offer, resulting in an impressive 16% response rate. One of the clear messages underlined the continuing need for a printed prospectus alongside the website. For a copy of the full survey results contact julie.ratcliffe@cumbria.ac.uk

Extra push on undergraduate

We're giving an extra push to our undergraduate recruitment for Septmber 2010 by using UCAS's email marketing facility. Students without an offer in subjects where we still have some places will be receive our communication.

Picture yourself here...!

The UCAS Fairs season is under way across the country, with thousands of prospective students coming through the doors. We have launched the design of innovative new stands and promotional materials, directly targeted at this audience. They've already proved hugely popular with the students and have ensured a busy and inviting stand. And they will continue to be used throughout the year for school visits, career events and open days.

To give you a flavour of what we've devised...

• large 'fairground-style' stands featuring cartoon characters from different career paths with appropriate 'head-holes'. Students can't wait to take photos of their friends on their mobile phones - guaranteeing continuing publicity for the university as they show them around


• postcards encouraging the students to sign up as VIPs on our website and upload their photos to Facebook - more publicity! The postcards again feature the same cartoon characters but this time there are holes for fingers - which become legs - great fun!


• A1-size foamboards - again with a head-hole - showing a graduate in a photo frame, encouraging students to 'Picture yourself here...'

But you really need to see it to appreciate it. Have a look at our Facebook page to get in on the action, or look at the fairs page on our website to see some of the characters.

Short business courses campaign

A campaign has been launched to promote our short business courses, being offered in Carlisle and Lancaster, designed to bring local business people up-to-date with the latest thinking and techniques to help their business grow in these competitive times.

Starting mid-April, the courses are Developing Websites, E-business and Professional Skills in ICT with ECDL. A variety of different methods have been employed to get the message across, including:

• eZines to local businesses, which include feedback from an existing student, David Mulgrew and a video of tutor Toby Weymouth explaining the benefits of the courses
• a direct mail-out to 4,000 businesses across our region
• adverts for two weeks in the Lancaster Guardian and Cumberland News
• prominent featuring of the courses on the homepage of our website.

The Face of 2011

Our student, Max Fox, who appears on the cover of the new 2011 undergraduate prospectus, is helping us to promote the university far and wide. A poster featuring Max has been produced and will soon be placed in libraries and secondary schools across our area. It encourages people thinking of applying to university to check out our website, become one of our VIPs, come to an open day - and have a look at a video of Max telling them about life at the University of Cumbria.

New undergraduate prospectus

Our latest undergraduate prospectus, for 2011 entry, is now available. A new size and shape, and courses arranged in 'family' groupings, heralds a move towards a more student-friendly format. Course descriptions are kept short and sweet to encourage prospective students to log on to our website for further information - and hopefully sign up as one of our VIPs at the same time! As an added benefit, this has reduced the publication from a weighty 300 pages to a sprightly 104, saving a few thousand trees in the process. An electronic version of the prospectus has also been produced and is available to view on our website.

Invitations to attend an HE Careers Advisers' Information Day at the Lancaster campus have been sent to all those in the education sector who advise, guide and support students towards higher education. Designed to inform about the latest developments, courses and services at the University of Cumbria, the free event is on Wednesday 12 May from and will offer a range of activities including:

• a programme of talks/workshops from course and faculty staff
• sessions on student finance, personal statements and interview techniques
• campus tours led by our student ambassadors
• latest developments and changes
• student Q&A panel.

Head Start event gives taste of uni life

Potential undergraduate students can get a taste of university life with our Head Start day at our Fusehill Street campus in Carlisle on 24 March 2010. Students who have expressed an interest in studying with us can talk to staff and students and find out why we are the number one new university in the North west for graduate prospects. Students were invited by personalised eZine.

More great value web courses for business launch

Short courses to help business exploit the power of the web continue in West Cumbria this Spring. The University of Cumbria Business School has just published details of it's great value, business focused courses all delivered at the Energus building at Lillyhall near Workington.

Students targeted through Extra

We still have some undergraduate course vacancies for September 2010 and we are using the UCAS Extra service to contact students nationwide. The communication is through email and means we can "talk" directly to over 5,000 students seeking that right university place. We will track the responses to evaluate the performance of the activity.

Business building courses launch at Energus

Short courses with business growth in mind will run February-April 2010 at the Energus building at Lillyhall in West Cumbria. Run by our Business School, the courses will be taught in the state of the art facility-the Blue Box.

Advice on FE courses at the University of Cumbria

If you want to talk to an expert about our FE courses, book a place on one of the open days or advice sessions taking place this week. For courses and apprenticeships at the Newton Rigg campus, Saturday's open day, 6 February between 10.00 and 2.00, is the place and time to find out everything you need to know, while courses at the Brampton Road campus will be explained in an advice session on Thursday 4 February. Remember, booking is essential so click here to register.

University FE courses offer an alternative to sixth form

Decision-making time is approaching for year 11 students at our local secondary schools: whether or not to stay on to sixth form is the issue. The university offers a viable and attractive alternative in its vocational courses at FE level. Either as a stepping stone to a degree or to gain the required skills for the workplace, our programme offers the chance to 16-year-olds to be treated as adults, mix with highly motivated degree-level students and share their first-class resources. Take a look at the variety of courses we have and the opportunities available to you. Here's a link to the ads appearing in local newspapers.

Spooky take on university

We're grateful to Cumbria Higher Learning for allowing us to use their series of short, animated films to assist our enquiry generation activities. Here is an example.

Working with children - early years provision

Here's a summary of our courses if you want to get qualified to work with young children.

Extra marketing as UCAS deadline extended

UCAS has extended the deadline for students completing their application for entry to full-time undergraduate courses in September 2010. Due to the bad weather, the cut off date has been extended by one week to 22 January 2010. We will use the extra few days to target more of our potential students to grow applications using social networking sites such as Bebo, Facebook and MSN which have worked well for us so far in this recruitment round.