Is What You See What You Get?

I was recently at a conference, and one of the presenters shared a high-production-quality video that showcases the journey of a young Black woman pondering what she wanted to become, and then starting her journey at their school. The main players in the video were all actors. At the end of the screening, the group applauded, while I was left scratching my head. Wasn’t anyone concerned about using actors instead of real students? Should the video at least have a disclaimer? How is this piece authentically representing the student body when it doesn’t even cast its own student body?

This isn’t the only time I have been conflicted about representation in school communications. My studio has been part of RFP processes where one of the goals is to build a more diverse student body. Unfortunately, in looking at their current communications, the answer is to overrepresent the desired demographic. And in looking at dozens of schools’ communications that my eldest received, I glazed over at the sameness of everything.

I agree that it is important to strive to be inclusive. But when I look at a school’s communications and they disproportionately represent a demographic, there is an issue. Students, parents, and even alumni should feel as if they have landed at the right place when they arrive. As institutions aspire to build their community, it is essential that they authentically represent themselves and what makes them distinct. It is the role of the communications to ensure that happens.

Why Authenticity is Important

One of the biggest challenges for schools is emerging from all the noise that students are hearing. In the age of information with a vast array of places to connect (social media channels, email, snail mail) standing out and being distinct is a challenge. In addition, Gina Ohstad, vice president for communications at Whitman College, notes, “Gen Z is a skeptical group, and they demand authenticity. They’re used to being marketed to, they’re used to interacting with colleges, and, more broadly, with different brands. And they’re skeptical about the content they’re being served. So, authenticity for this group is important.”

Who better to tell an authentic story than the current students? For years, students have been tour guides — a crucial role in the admission process. Knowing that a high percentage of students will apply after visiting campus, communicators need to get prospective students to that point in the cycle. Bringing student experiences into the communications is helping to make that happen. Three of the schools that received recognition for the 2024 CASE Circle of Excellence for Student Recruitment captured the authenticity of the student experience through stories: Northern Michigan University, “We Write the Story”; Whitman College, “Your Official Guide to Whitman”; and Brandeis College, “Brandeis and Beyond.”

Ohstad adds, “Trying to stand out and make yourself distinct from all these messages is a challenge. All we can do is actually be who we are. Be authentic to who we are and what happens here. When we thought about how to best tell that story, it’s through our students.”

Connecting with Students

Defining what makes a school unique and then casting students for those stories is one approach. Another is to collect stories from students throughout the year. This is the approach that Whitman College took. Instead of approaching students to ask if they would be part of the enrollment communications, they gathered stories more organically.

“We’re constantly talking to students. Students are blogging, we have student workers and recent alums on our communication staff. We didn’t want to approach the students and say, ‘We’re doing a viewbook, can you give us a quote?’ We wanted their quotes to reflect what they would say to their friends from high school while they’re talking about their college experience. So a lot of this is organic,” notes Ohstad. This gave the pieces a realness that wouldn’t have been represented as authentically if the students had been asked.

Other schools look to their campus partners, student workers, and faculty to tell them about students doing amazing work that aligns with the school’s differentiators. They are also looking to represent the distinct voices and experience on the campus.

Julia Mayhew, associate director of marketing & communications, office of admissions, at Brandeis, shares, “We really tried to think of diversity in all aspects, not just racial and ethnic diversity, but in terms of where students are from, what they’re majoring in, their gender identity, and so on. We put together a puzzle that we feel like best showcased all the opportunities at Brandeis in hopes that prospective students can see a little bit of themselves in at least one of the students we selected. It’s their words, but our ideals and aspirations.”

When asking students to participate, it is imperative to be transparent and honest about why their story is important. Students should never feel exploited or put in an uncomfortable position, which potentially is the case when someone approaches them from the communications team. What if they receive financial aid, which is confidential information that the communications team may not know? Heather Sullivan, former director of communications at Noble and Greenough School, notes, “That student’s story represents the future. Letting them know the importance of other students seeing them succeed helps them see themselves at the school.”

Realistic Representation

Parents and students are not just looking at the school’s communications. They are reading reviews, looking at Niche and other rating companies, and following social media. Communications need to properly represent the demographics of the school. If not, people will know, and it can make a negative impression.

Jan Abernathy, chief communications officer at the Browning School, adds, “Most schools now will have an infographic showing the percentage of students of color. You have to balance that with your images—don’t try to hide anything. Because ultimately, once the person gets on your campus, they’re going to see what the percentage is anyway.

“I always ask schools to think: ‘Who are our Black and Brown teachers?’ and make sure all of those people are on your website. And can you feature them? That’s a place where, at least you can say, this is authentic. And you can say to them that you are trying to attract more professionals of color to the school.”

A picture is worth a thousand words

For the media-savvy Gen Z, showing the place in an authentic manner is essential. Brandeis University took this to heart, purchasing Polaroid cameras for the students profiled and asking them to capture their experiences and document them with captions. (Insight: This idea came from the university photographer.) Jessica Tanney (JT), senior graphic designer, then reviewed hundreds of images, curated a selection, and showcased them on the covers of the viewbooks.

Tufts University Chief Photographer Alonso Nichols captures authenticity every day he is on campus. Not only is he familiar with the campus, the students and faculty are familiar with him, so he is able to capture real day-in-the-life experiences. “In the age of Instagram and social media, more and more students, alumni, and other folks are following our visual presence. I’ll often introduce myself to students and they’ll say, ‘Oh, you’re that Alonso, the one who makes the pictures I see all around?’ I’m keenly aware that folks are paying attention. Our audiences respond to seeing themselves, their friends, and families photographed in a way that is real and conveys an energy and feeling that resonates with their experience on our campus.”

Don’t force connections between people. The days of “three and a tree” are behind us, hopefully. One photograph does not need to tell the entire story. Show students in true settings, don’t overrepresent, and be intentional. This can be done by spending time on campus and capturing students throughout their day.

The role of social media

Many schools are not producing viewbooks and instead are focused on digital and social media. The Browning School is one of those schools. “Communicators need to seek out everything that content creators are putting out about their school on social media, so that they are seeing a feedback loop. If you want to measure your authenticity as a marketer, what are folks saying about your product?

We think more about privacy than we did even a few years ago. For the first time, we’ve started having parents, particularly younger millennials, saying, ‘I don’t want to have my kids participate because I don’t want pictures of them on the internet.’ I think people are much more savvy about that than they were five years ago. The question is, what is that going to mean for us as marketers?” notes Abernathy.

Deborah Wieder, director of integrated design and Jessica Tanney, senior graphic designer, at Brandeis University worked with 43,000 Feet to develop their authentic approach. Part of the process included looking at social media and blogging as inspiration. “Often, on blogs and social media, people post their views on a certain topic, and then others engage by sharing their own perspectives. So, we wondered, what if each spread in the viewbook was geared towards a specific aspect of life at Brandeis, and then we had students give their genuine opinions through blurbs of text, like social media or blog comments? Real students sharing real opinions,” Elisha Rennert, Strategist and writer adds.

Conclusion

I think a lot about authentic representation in all of the work produced at my design firm. I have reflected back on some pieces with a critical eye. Did that student want to be in those shots? Was that photo selection the right one to fairly represent the student body? Was the photographer the right person for the shoot? What bias did they potentially bring to the shoot? I struggle with requests from clients who want to unfairly represent their communities. And I certainly take pause when a school that is 95 percent white wants to be perceived as more inclusive.

But then I think about the initiative launched in the town I live in: We Are Bethlehem, “a story-based initiative to build appreciation of diverse experiences and deepen a sense of community.” One of the profiles was a woman in my neighborhood. When I told her I enjoyed reading her story, she lightly laughed, feeling that representing 5 percent of the population was not a true reflection of diversity. Having lived in a much more diverse city before moving to a town that is 95 percent Caucasian, she feels like a minority.* I agreed but then shared that I appreciated the group’s goal to celebrate different experiences in hopes of becoming a more diverse community. I don’t think that the initiative is authentically representing my community, but the stories give me pause. I believe that communicators can be aspirational, and the way to do that is through telling the stories of people in their community.