The parents of Gen Alpha are raising their children in a way that we haven’t seen before.

They are adaptive and open — protecting their children, yet preparing them for a shifting, confusing world well beyond their control. 

Inside the household, things aren’t what you might assume. Gen Alpha is growing up with agency. Kids as young as two have a voice and a vote in family matters. Even with many quick answers within shouting distance of a smart speaker, and younger generations’ knack for technology, these parents are still the go-to resource for questions. 

Of course, that’s just the beginning of what we discovered. Download the report and feel free to share it with your colleagues. We’d love to hear what else you might want to learn about connecting with parents. Reach out to us if you’re interested in talking more.

Is there a place for AI in higher education marketing campaigns?

The progress of the internet, data collection, and machine learning have been moving at lightning speed. In 2017, folks were swirling on Big Data. In 2020, people wanted to destroy the third-party cookie (that poor cookie). Now with the release of ChatGPT and other platforms, we’re reeling on artificial intelligence — contemplating how AI might impact our world and the roles we wake up to every day.

For most folks, nothing’s changed yet, at least not in any way with doom-and-gloom connotations (unless you’re a college student copying and pasting an essay explicitly written through AI software). 

But in our world of branding and marketing for higher education, AI is a tool we’ve been using for a long time. We’re pulling back the curtain and sharing some behind-the-scenes information on how our team uses AI to do the big work we do for our clients in the higher ed space.

Few people probably expect to find a beacon burning bright along the northern edge of Indiana, emitting a constant light on its surrounding communities through a kaleidoscope of stained glass. And yet, there it stands: Valparaiso University. A Lutheran institution with a commitment to awakening the light inside each of its nearly 4,500 students. 

The beacon? The light? Well, while Valpo students actually are Beacons; those are just metaphors, of course. But those metaphors couldn’t more perfectly describe the compassionate impact that emanates out from this university. And while those same metaphors might seem grandiose, the students and faculty are anything but — always unassuming, inquisitive, and service-minded. That much is immediately clear just from stepping onto the school’s 350-acre campus.  

In our work with Valpo, we started by immersing ourselves in the brand and its history so that we could better understand the university’s mission. This would inform a robust messaging strategy and a distinctive creative platform to help tell Valpo’s story.

What emerged was a clear view of what Valpo offers its students and its region:
leadership from service, curiosity that crosses disciplines, and above all, a penetrating joy. But this was only half the picture. The real key to arriving at the new brand platform was understanding that all of these things were firmly anchored — in community, in common values, and in faith. 

Joining those twin discoveries together, the platform became unmistakable: “Grounded, we radiate.”

The platform’s voice retains a core compassion and an inspiring tone, whether talking to prospective students or longtime alums. The graphic elements were inspired by details on campus, like the early morning light that swims across the floor of the Chapel of Resurrection, diffused through its towering stained glass windows. And an expanded color palette adds an iridescence and variance that reflects Valpo’s interdisciplinary pursuits and its community’s concern for all.

Valpo’s light is a special one. A sacred one. And we couldn’t be more excited to empower the university to share it with the world.