NMCC slogan sparks marketing campaign

PRESQUE ISLE -- Northern Maine Community College took a well-known Maine phrase and turned it on its head.

As part of a $35,000 marketing campaign meant to spark eye-catching interest among potential students, the college's new catchphrase is: "You can get there from here."

It appears on new publications and will be featured prominently in advertising. It was unveiled Thursday at NMCC.

"It says, no matter where you are or where you want to go, we can help you get there," said Jason Parent, director of development and college relations.

Officials want the slogan and the new look that goes with it to help attract a new generation of students as well as define the distinctive role the institution plays.

Admissions officials will use the marketing tools, including view books, course catalogs, folders, posters, T-shirts and display boards, in their recruitment efforts, starting this fall.

William Casavant, the college's admissions director, said NMCC faces tough competition when it comes to college recruiting, especially as it seeks students who come not just from Aroostook County but throughout New England.

He said that the materials should help admissions officials catch the attention of high school students who are inundated with college information.

"Kids today are visual," Casavant said. "It's got to excite them."

Case in point is "the face of the campaign," Becky York, who came from Pennsylvania to attend NMCC. She is part of a promotional poster that touts some of the college's programs and the fact that it is located in Aroostook County, "Maine's four-season outdoor recreation destination."

Heidesign, a Fort Kent-based business owned and operated by Heidi Carter, created the slogan, took the photos, and designed the materials based in large part on the comments given during the spring by students, faculty and staff.

Others pieces of the marketing campaign will include academic brochures, a new ad campaign and a newly designed Web site.

"You're seeing the evolution of the community college," President Timothy Crowley said. "It's not enough for us to be as good as everyone else. ... Our goal is to stand out, to shine."