OERu/Planning/OERu marketing communications and partner engagement/16.05 Video production meeting

When: 11 May 2016, 1:00PM NZST (Click on link for local time.)
Where: OERu Zoom meeting room: https://zoom.us/j/926685​476

purpose

The purpose of this meeting is to:

• Meet the creative team working on the marketing, communications and fund development project
• Note the marketing plan
• Consider the development process and time lines for the video production
• Consider and review initial feedback on draft scripts and copy
• Note communication tools and protocols for this project.

Draft agenda

1. Introductions
   • Introducing the creative team:
     1. Helen Baxter, Mohawk Media
     2. Daniel Mills, Mohawk Media
     3. Jason Finnerty, Brandscaping.ca
     4. Marketing, communications and partner engagement working group.
     5. OERF Board members (David Porter, Jim Taylor and Wayne Mackintosh).
   • Introducing OERu participants attending the meeting.
2. Overview of the marketing plan - Jason Finnerty
   • Elevator pitch (Version 1.0)
3. Video animation project - Helen Baxter
   • Overview of the video design and production phases
   • Concept ideas for video script
   • Review of sound bites and barriers feedback
4. Liaison and integration between video production and marketing plan
5. Project management and communication tools
   • Marketing, communications and partner engagement planning page
   • Group list on groups.oeru.org
   • #oerumarketing channel on chat.oeru.org
   • Kanban board for Marketing, communications and fund development project
     1. If you don't have an Kanban account on plan.oeru.org please register one.

Summary of meeting and key decisions

1st meeting of the Marketing, communications and fund development project

1. Attendance: David Porter, Jim Taylor, Wayne Mackintosh, Dave Lane, Helen Baxter (Mohawk Media), Jason Finnerty (Brandscaping). Apology: Irwin DeVries.
2. Reviewed the marketing plan driving this project:
   • Emphasised the need for a conference presentation package for OERu advocates to reach out to target audiences and events to promote awareness and encourage new partners to join the family (eg: a few slides, brochures, posters).
   • Noted that the team will decide on Option A or Option B in the next fortnight for the student recruitment phase of the project.
3. Invited feedback on the draft elevator pitch.
4. Discussed ideas:
   • Agreed to avoid academic terminology - use accessible language for a diverse audience.
   • Suggested that we focus on the concrete manifestation of the OERu (product & implementation) rather than abstract descriptions.
   • Agreed to incorporate a focus on the OERu 1st year of study for students (i.e product focus) - easier to sell a concrete operation rather than an abstract concept.
   • Highlighted the importance of "branding" OERu as a network of like-minded institutions - an important point of difference of the OERu network.
   • Illustrated the comparison of the traditional university using a "revolving door" approach, where institutions let learners in, but large numbers of learners "revolve out" again without completing studies. The OERu provides an "open door" allowing learners to experience university studies and gain confidence at their own pace, without requiring significant up-front financial commitments and/or incurring debt.
   • Discussed the value of the OERu open business model canvas and its potential for integration into the marketing plan (Brochure, poster, info-graphic etc.)
5. Noted that the challenges associated with the sustainability of higher education will likely strike a chord with decision-makers.
6. Video animation project:
   • Confirmed that the project is working on initial scripts and framework for both videos.
   • Affirmed that the project is being designed for re-use and re-purposing of the video assets (eg: openly licensed, scenes and art work that can be re-used for multi-channel publishing.
   • Noted that OERu does not award degrees, but is an aggregator which attracts a new "market" of learners currently excluded from tertiary education to partner institutions.
   • Noted that project is being designed for partners to be able to incorporate their own branding requirements.
   • Acknowledged the need for a scene to succinctly explain the concept "open" drawing on feedback on the initial script.
   • Noted that the OERu is building a "parallel learning universe" to support and augment the offerings of our partners - we are not aiming to cannibalize existing students from partner institutions. The OERu is here to support partners in achieving their strategic objectives using open approaches.
7. Reviewed the open communication and planning tools used to support this project and instructed the team to register accounts on the respective technologies.
8. Agreed that all project communications will be posted on the working list on groups.oeru.org. Once you have registered an account on groups.oeru.org, you can email oeru-partner-engagement@groups.oeru.org to post on the list. You can also post using the web interface.

Action items

1. Next steps for video animation project:
   • Refine script - taking feedback, sound bites and barriers into account.
   • Produce a rough animatic to get the basic idea for identifying gaps and suggestions for refinements by adding markups on screen. (Helen will share the link.)
2. David Porter will share video links of the BC Learning Gateway for personal study. Done
3. Mohawk media and Brandscaping have agreed to meet and discuss coordination and opportunities for collaboration.
4. Commence discussions on choosing Option A or Option B for the student recruitment phase.
5. Ensure that key members of the team have accounts on groups.oeru.org, plan.oeru.org and chat.oeru.org.