I Want to Be a Phoenix

 
If you spend any time online, you've seen their banner ads everywhere. University of Phoenix has been pushing their online curriculum for a very long time.  But something interesting happened recently.....their ads actually made an emotional connection.

In their "I am a Phoenix" campaign, the University of Phoenix has tapped into one of the strongest motivators known to man - the desire to belong.

And that's not all, they also tapped into the powerful motivator of self identity.   My prediction is that this one-two punch will be very successful. 

Making an emotional connection and setting themselves apart

People are interested in getting a degree and what that degree can do for them and their job prospects.  But if you're going to compete on that level, why does it matter where you get the degree since a degree is a degree.  (If it happens to be from Harvard, that is a different story)  Most online programs appear very similar.  This kind of ad is typical of such programs:

So why not tap into something deeper - something traditional universities have known for a long time - the sense that where I get my degree says something about my self-identity.   

I truly love everything about this campaign.  It almost reminds me of an armed services ad.  (Talk about folks who understand self-identity and the need to belong.) 

There's a sense that "being a phoenix" means something.    What that something is may vary from person to person.  The website focuses on:

"...students who've overcome personal challenges to rise up and earn their degrees."

 Check out these videos from real students.

How can your company or brand tap into the need to belong and self-identity to create an emotional connection with your customers?

 

Comments

[Tom Wanek]

Love the congruency between the message and the imagery. Specifically, the confident faces. Should be an excellent campaign.

[Pixie Stevenson]

I think marketing has become more about attraction than promotion. These adds are emotionally "attractive". Nice post, Holly.

[Tiffany Jonas]

Love it! But to me, the symbol of the phoenix rising from the ashes (challenges) is even more powerful. It's a very self-empowering ad---perfect for women! Thanks for featuring it in your blog post, as I had not seen it before.

[External Hard Drive]

Hi,
The campaign started by the university of phoenix is really good and promising.By the way,I am surprised by the advertisement of online degree in 2 years.

[website design company]

Well i think this is a good move.In order to represent the Phoenix,i think you could have used more power depicting images.Thanks.

[Gary]

Yes If we spend some time online, we definitely get the banners ads of University of Phoenix on most of the sites.But all the sites on which these banners ads exists are related to education.

But I don't think such a reputed university like Phoenix requires this type of aggressive marketing campaign. Established in 1976, having more than 400,000 graduates and one of the largest university and still trying to spread the same words? Actions speak louder than words! They should be spending $$ on something more constructive and revenue generating.

What do you think??

Keep posting.....

[Lynn Baldwin-Rhoades]

Gary,

Phoenix absolutely needs an aggressive, super-effective campaign. Without it, where will those future graduates come from?

Since I began seeing these ads sometime ago, I've loved them. They truly tug at the heart, call us to be something or someONE better, and then give us a way to go about it.

Genius marketing, I'd say.