The world’s trading routes have been crafted over centuries and yet remain in a constant state of flux. The Made on Earth series, produced by the BBC, looks at eight everyday products – from bicycles to whisky, spices to semiconductors – and explores the people, countries and intricate global networks that go into making and bringing these goods to market. Given our ongoing and frequent use of paper, the edition focused on the paper industry is especially informative. Albeit, not quite as stimulating as the one on whisky.
Navigating Enrollment Challenges
Nathan Grawe’s book Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education is an excellent read for administrators and trustees who are responsible for recruitment, admissions, student support, tenure practices, facilities construction, and strategic planning. He details his view of a looming demographic storm – in 2026, when the front edge of a birth dearth reaches college campuses, the number of college-aged students will drop almost 15 percent in just 5 years. Analyzing demand forecasts by institution type and rank while disaggregating by demographic groups, Grawe provides separate forecasts for two-year colleges, elite institutions, and everything in between. The future demand for college attendance, he argues, depends critically on institution type. While many schools face painful contractions, for example, demand for elite schools is expected to grow by more than 15 percent in future years.
A Digital Year
2018 was a banner year for email newsletters that we’ve developed and mailed for various clients including the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins Medicine. In each case, these have been highly targeted (both audience and content) and therefore are producing strong results. Whether directed at donors, patients, staff, or parents, these have grown to become a vital part of the media mix for clients looking to engage an audience on a more regular basis – particularly where video can add an new element to supplement our print magazines that continue to reach the same audience. Let us know if we can help enhance your digital reach or recommend new ways to create a print and digital balance. 
On the Move
Without wishing to add something that smacks of business to your vacation plans…if travels take you to the London area this year, we’d highly recommend a visit to The Museum of Brands. It’s a terrific collection of products, packaging and marketing materials from the Victorian era to the present. It’s like flying through history with the eyes of a consumer or marketer. Be sure to check if any of the excellent talks or masterclasses are going on during your visit.
Rams Takes On Design
In this interesting article, Gary Hustwit talks about his new documentary “Rams” – as legendary industrial designer Dieter Rams indicts the world he helped to create. The official trailer is in the article and definitely whets the appetite. There’s a link at the end for premiere events prior to release to digital platforms in December.
Journalism and Storytelling
Pop-Up Magazine is inspired by a magazine but is performed onstage, creating an immersive experience that uniquely blends journalism and storytelling with music and other mediums. Here’s an excellent review of how its co-founders have learned to engage with an expanding audience.
Social Media Insights from Sprout’s Social Index
Figuring out a social strategy that’s right for a specific organization’s mission, audience, and goals can be tricky. Thankfully, companies like Sprout Social have done loads of research and were kind enough to share it with our friends at Maven Communications. Here are some of the most important takeaways from Sprout’s Social Index for social media marketers.
The Power of Penn
Our long-time client, the University of Pennsylvania, recently announced “The Power of Penn: Advancing Knowledge for Good,” a $4.1 billion fundraising and engagement campaign. Broad campaign initiatives include expanded student opportunities, pioneering work in healthcare, driving energy solutions, incubating innovation and entrepreneurship, and enhancing research across disciplines.
VC Trends
PitchBook has released their latest report showcasing what went on in the US venture capital industry during the third quarter of 2017. A couple of key takeaways:
- As of the end of the third quarter, this year is set to reach a decade-high in terms of total VC investment—but deal activity is on pace to decline sharply for the second year in a row.
- Software is the most popular industry for VC investors, a trend that’s remained unchanged as the years have gone by. Other industries are maintaining historical figures, too.
- The West Coast has been home to the lion’s share of completed deals and deal value, followed by the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes New York. A visual summary and link to the full download is here:
Following the Founder
For over eight years, we’ve served the University of Pennsylvania developing key print and digital communications programs for fundraising, admissions and alumni relations. Our recent work for Penn Engineering’s annual giving fund shows how the School has taken founder Benjamin Franklin’s words to heart by continuing to change, adapt and innovate. The campaign features large images and brief text describing recent advances including adding 165,000 square feet of engineering space, increasing tenure track faculty size by 30 percent, and significantly increasing course offerings to connect resources with talent. Results? Fundraising and application numbers are both record-breaking.
