A Guide to AMA Higher Ed 2023
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Sure, the holidays are fast approaching—too fast actually. Or maybe spooky season or PSL season is your thing. For higher ed marketers, it’s feel-good season because we’ll soon get to be among our people.
The AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education, the largest single gathering of higher ed marketers, is November 12-15 in Chicago. First things first, register if you haven’t already.
Conference Highlight: For the Culture
I’m a conference committee alum, and the committee sets the bar higher and higher each year. What a great-looking agenda. I am especially looking forward to Marcus Collins’ keynote. Collins is a marketing professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and is also head of strategy at Wieden+Kennedy, New York. His new book, For the Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be, is an excellent read, complete with tales of running Beyoncé’s digital strategy.
A recent favorite piece by Collins is an insightful article on “How Deion Sanders Brings Wins, Revenue and Cultural Cachet to Colorado,” written before Colorado’s current losing skid when they were the talk of college football. (CU Boulder is on the short list for my high school senior son, so the Buffs are of particular interest. In fact, his first campus visit—and CU football game, pre-Coach Prime—was just before AMA Higher Ed 2021 in Denver.) Collins breaks down the “Prime Effect” with a specific example of Sanders’ trademark sunglasses—the ones he gifted to everyone on his team after the head coach of in-state rival Colorado State took exception to Sanders wearing them during interviews.
“Coach Prime has given these particular sunglasses—and the University of Colorado, for that matter—new meaning,” Collins explains. “And those who have decided to consume these glasses—and join the Colorado fandom—have done so as a strategy to pursue their own identity projects. That is to say, they use these branded products to signal the meaning they want to project about themselves—confidence—because the meaning associated with the brand is congruent with their ideal conception of self.”
Collins’ perspective on congruence resonates, not just because it’s analogous to coherence. It also offers meaningful food for thought for higher ed marketers. Think of the audiences that matter most to your institution. Do they find congruence between their own identity and the meaning that your campus experience creates for them—as well as between their own identity and the meaning that your marketing signals?
The Future of Integrating Marketing and Communications
Another highlight will be leading a session with Jeneane Beck and Kate Ledger during the Senior Leader Experience. Jeneane is Assistant Vice President for External Relations at the University of Iowa, and Kate is Associate Vice President for Marketing and Outreach for Old Dominion University’s Division of Digital Learning. Our presentation, “Collaboration, Conflation and Complexity: The Future of Integrating Marketing and Communications,” will take a deep dive into the organizational complexities of integrating these two functions and assess pros and cons of different organizational approaches.
Marcomm teams, or blended teams of marketing and communications professionals, are standard for most institutions. Many projects require integrating the expertise of both teams to reach audiences in a variety of ways. Given higher education budgets for marketing and communications, efficiency amongst marcomm teams is often required with many positions crossing traditional marketing and communications boundaries, and many leaders “doing it all” in small shops.
Intensifying external factors in recent years (COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, racial inequities), the proliferation of communications channels and other fast-moving challenges across our sector have placed unprecedented demands on strategic communications. Simply put, the increased workload and complexity of issues management, crisis communications and executive communications are taking their toll and threatening bandwidth.
Under this pressure, what are the implications for key marketing responsibilities such as brand-building, enrollment marketing and other priorities charged to marketing leaders? This pressing question is a consistent theme we encounter when RHB conducts a Future-Ready Organizational Capability Assessment of an institution’s marketing and communications.
Jeneane, Kate and I look forward to exploring innovative practices and discussing future directions of these functions in higher education.
Windy City Eats
The RHB team is not only full of expert advisors and practitioners. We have foodies too, and you can count on us for stellar recommendations for your conference dining.
My suggestion is Alla Vita, where I had a fabulous Italian dinner during the CASE District V Conference last winter—and where ricotta dumplings are always in season. When you’re delightfully stuffed and they ask if you’d like house-made gelato for dessert, just say yes. Alla Vita is part of the impressive Boka Restaurant Group, whose commitment to equity and inclusion is another reason to add a reservation here to your AMA itinerary.
Aimee Hosemann, Ph.D., Director of Qualitative Research
For variety and an opportunity to catch up with colleagues at a remove from the bustle of the conference, we recommend the Chicago French Market. Cuban, Vietnamese, sushi, smoked meats—you can get it all here. And if you’re missing your dog while you’re away, The Barking Spot Bakery is just the place to pick up a little gift for your good girl or boy.
Amanda Sale, Ph.D., Senior Consultant for Enrollment Management
If you are a fan of Top Chef and James Beard Award-winning restaurants, I would highly recommend Girl & The Goat, the brainchild of Chef Stephanie Izard. As Best Chef Great Lakes in 2013 and the season four Top Chef winner (and the first female Chef to win the honor!), Izard delivers innovative small plates and a welcoming atmosphere, making it a top choice for those seeking a memorable dining experience.
Ken Anselment, Vice President for Enrollment Management
Fans of The Bear can paint their palate with all the colors of the food palette featured in Chef Sydney’s inspiring food tour of Chicago in Season Two, Episode Three (“Sundae”), including Avec, Publican Quality Meats, Margie’s Candies, Giant, Lao Peng You, Pizza Lobo and Michelin-starred Kasama. (Oh, and if you’re looking for the restaurant that started it all, Mr. Beef in River North is the place to go.)
Rick Bailey, Principal
Don’t get me started here…the beautiful thing about conferences held in Chicago is that it is a foodie’s wonderland. I mention a few faves here, but call me and we can discuss scores of possibilities.
Right near the hotel in the Streeterville area are some classics. I love a great meat dive at The Purple Pig. It’s usually crowded so go early and get your name in. Beatrix is a great idea for lunch or dinner. If you have a minute to walk a little farther, treat all your senses to some time at Eataly, where you’ll be inspired by all things Italian. It’s like a market on steroids with a variety of restaurants that you’ll love. You can walk home with awesome bread, cheese, prosciutto and a bottle of wine. You could do a little shopping and head back to the Sheraton and be very happy.
I’m a fan of José Andrés, so I’ll direct you straight to two versions of his Bazaar properties. Bar Mar features wonderfully fresh seafood, while Bazaar Meat will thrill carnivores. Pace yourself. Order dessert for sure. And since Amanda Sale introduced you to Girl & The Goat, you should visit one of my favorite properties in that restaurant group, Cabra (Spanish for “goat”), a Peruvian restaurant with a tapas flair in the Fulton Market area (take Randolph west). Frankly, ask your Uber driver to drop you off at Fulton Market somewhere and you’ll walk into literally dozens of excellent options for dinner. Without reservations though, you may have to wait a while. Totally worth it. Have a blast. Delight your buds.
Sera Radovich, Client Success Manager
A great option for a quick bite, Parlor Pizza Bar in West Loop has both custom and craft pies. Truly delicious for folks who want to eat pizza in Chicago but are opposed to deep dish :). There’s a River North location a half-mile from the conference hotel.
(Another note from Rick: Pizza is a touchy topic in Chicago. It’s kind of a big deal and a signature dish in the city. So, while I fully support Sera’s recommendation, another great bet is Lou Malnati’s, where you will find pizza in all shapes and sizes. And great salads. Trust me, there’s one near you wherever you are in the city.)
