AMA Symposium: Carnegie Mellon University 2.0 with a web redesign, viral videos, blogs, facebook application and the Pausch Effect

This session is presented by Marilyn Kail, AVP of Marketing and Communications and Jay Brown, Director of Marketing for Web Communications.

First, CMU started with web 1.0 by doing a homepage redesign with a content management implementation.

The old design was done in the mid-90’s and… it showed.
The new design breaks with the traditional horizontal photo banner format. Interesting take on the traditional higher ed university homepage.

Then, CMU moved into Web 2.0

They captured other users on Facebook, YouTube and iTunes U.
Very efficient channels that don’t cost a dime.

Being known as the “robotic” university, they decided to create viral edgy humorous videos: the RoboU videos made available on their website, Facebook and on their YouTube channel. They also pitched the big tech blogs.

The results of the RoboU initiative

85,000 views in 6 weeks (vs. 20,000 for West Coast main competitor)
4,000 hits on branded splash page
Featured on Gizmodo
Great feedback

Since the launch, 122,000 views for RoboU videos
On the channel, 70 million videos with more than 9 million views.

CMU also chose to use Web 2.0 technologies for their Capital campaign with a blog, a YouTube video and a Facebook application to support the campaign.

The Pausch Phenomenon

Dr Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University professor, found out that he was dying after he agreed to give a lecture as part of a series on campus. That lecture is now known as the last lecture. The lecture was recorded and made available as a YouTube video.

A DVD was also created, and CMU sold 60,000 copies since October 2007.
CMU also worked with Dr Pausch Book Publisher (4 million copies, translated in 20+ languages)
They also pushed the video to internal audiences, through their print publication Carnegoe Mellon Today, a partnership with PBS and an educational partnership with Disney.
The requests from the media poured and Dr. Rausch did as much as he could to push the CMU brand in the interviews he gave.

CMU also created the Randy Pausch Legacy Fund in Fall 2007.

What impact has the “Pausch effect” had?

CMU is working on a survey to measure the results on prospective students and yield.
Dr Pausch created the emotional connection to CMU.