November 2007
If you have any misgivings concerning multimedia approaches to professional training and education, consider this: Harvard has partnered with iTunes "U" to offer video and audio podcasts of its presentations, lectures, and debates. Yale is following their lead, as is the Wharton School of Business. The same goes for hundreds of other respected schools and government organizations.
Thanks to the World Wide Web, the classroom is anywhere you need it to
be: cubicle, conference room, army base, airport, living room, or coffee
shop. In short, where there's a computer providing access to video and
audio content, there's a classroom.
Education and training, whether in the traditional classroom setting or multimedia venue, are big business. Companies, in both the private and public sector, look to professional training and development as a vehicle to enhance their businesses.
In the November issue of Brand News, we focus on professional development and pay the training and education industries their due as critical players throughout the business world.
Sincerely,
Len Johnson, President and CEO
JDG Communications
(703) 207-0933 x101
ljohnson@jdgcommunications.com
Going the Distance
It comes as no surprise that the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) estimates that U.S. organizations spend $109.25 billion on employee learning and development annually. Distance learning represents a major piece of that pie.
Distance learning—where the separation between student and instructor is bridged by technology—is a widespread and trusted method of teaching. Relied on by the federal government and vital to private-sector business, distance learning has become commonplace throughout academia and thus grown into a billion dollar industry.
JDG recently worked with the National Glass Association (NGA) to create
a multimedia campaign to build anticipation for the upcoming launch of
their online certification program. The multifaceted approach included a
tradeshow video, email campaign, logo redesign and web presence.
Auto glass technicians will save time and money by taking the exam online rather than traveling to designated testing centers—a clear-cut example of increased efficiency through a "distance learning" approach.
For more information about this project please click here.
Marketing the Classroom
Despite the increased use of multimedia teaching methods, the
traditional classroom setting remains vital. Just because the classroom
hasn't changed doesn't mean we can't revisit our approach to marketing
conventional training and education.
Recently the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) Graduate School of the National Institutes for Health (NIH) wanted to change the perception of its mostly classroom-based course offerings. Because a majority of the FAES curriculum is based in the biomedical field, many casual observers assume that its courses are entirely scientific in subject matter. In actuality, the curriculum covers a wide range of topics, including English-as-a-second-language (ESL) classes and foreign language studies.
JDG developed a campaign for FAES in order to reach a prospective student base that extended beyond those already working in the field of science. Rather than a traditional print-based approach, we produced a campaign using posters placed at the NIH Metro station and on trains in order to reach busy professionals.
As this case shows, it's always important to consider alternative avenues even when marketing traditional products.
Click here for the full case study.
New Staff
Krista Strum
Account Executive
Work experience usually falls under one of two categories: there's the
looks-good-on-a-resume type, which impresses prospective employers and
instills trust in clients, and there's the "that sounds cool"
variety, which initiates conversation and impresses friends.
Krista Strum brings a little bit of both to JDG. Falling under the "impressive resume" category, Krista was an account executive at Metia, Inc., a public relations firm in New York City serving the financial technology industry. Prior to that, Krista worked with heavy-hitter clients like American Banker and The Wall Street Journal, for the global public relations firm Ruder Finn.
Krista started her career with a "that sounds cool" job at NBC Universal, where she participated in the Page Program. During this time, she served as a public relations assistant in the Corporate Communications department, helping to coordinate press conferences, draft media releases and brief top-level executives on industry headlines. As if reporting to 30 Rockefeller Plaza (a.k.a. 30 Rock) everyday wasn't exciting enough, Krista was also a production assistant for several NBC mainstays such as Saturday Night Live, The Conan O'Brien Show, and Dateline NBC.
Judging from the barrage of questions we've asked her about this experience, it's safe to say this job was pretty cool.
Abby Berger
Account Executive
Abby Berger is JDG's newest Washington insider. She's familiar with D.C.'s culture, landscape and the inner workings of government agencies.
Abby came to JDG directly from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she worked as a contractor for the Office of Research and Development as a public affairs assistant, as well as writer and editor for several publications.
Prior to her EPA experience, Abby studied and worked in and around government and politics while earning a Master's degree in public communication from American University. Even before landing in Washington, Abby gained considerable experience in the political arena. As an undergraduate student at Ohio University, Abby contributed to media outreach and fundraising efforts for Terry Anderson's Ohio State Senate campaign.
Abby's strong government background makes her an ideal fit with JDG. Her new role finds her working in familiar territory as an account executive for projects with the U.S. House of Representatives, EPA and US Fish & Wildlife Service.
Although Abby hails from the suburbs of Chicago, we're already learning that she's most comfortable inside the Beltway.
JDG Offers Free Confidential Needs Analysis
JDG Communications is offering your company a free Integrated Brand Communications Confidential Needs Analysis. JDG staff will come to your office and conduct a one- or two-hour discovery meeting. Based on the information gathered at this meeting, JDG Communications will then prepare a Confidential Needs Analysis that outlines our recommendations for your company. Our staff will return to your office to present our findings and see how we might help you.
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