Mongoose Research

“The medium is the message” means that the form of a medium embeds itself in the message, creating a symbiotic relationship by which the medium influences how the message is perceived. You might need to read that sentence a few times... I did.

The phrase was coined by Marshall McLuhan, an author, professor, and communications theorist in the 1960’s and 70s. This was a time where television had quickly become the pervasive and dominate medium in America.

Example: the message of a newscast about a heinous crime may be less about the individual news story itself — the content — and more about the change in public attitude towards crime that the newscast engenders by the fact that such crimes are in effect being brought into the home to watch on TV over dinner.

Jumping to higher-ed, 2010: the new / dominate pervasive medium is mobile, internet, and social networks (all working together)

Example: Let's assume that X institution sent a text messages to all progressive students and parents who have expressed interest in the institution (but have not yet completed a campus visit).  We will clearly let them know that next week is an ideal time to visit campus.  We will put them one-click away (on a mobile device) from registering for the visit.

Some might say the message is simply: “next week is an ideal time for a campus visit, and I can sign-up for the campus visit by taking the following action.”

While that is part of the message - and very important - the actual message that is received is:

- "next week would be an ideal time to visit campus"
- “I can sign up for the campus visit by clicking this link”
- "X institution resonates with me as a 'with it' / progressive institution"
- "when I do things associated with X institution, they are simple and easy"

The medium (text message on mobile device) provides that powerful positioning that can differentiate your institution from other competitive options.

Compare how the same note “next week is ideal for a campus visit, and here is how to register” would be received on other mediums: an email... or a printed letter.. or if it was just available on the Web site and was not “pushed” to the user.  All of these options are better than doing nothing… but – because of the medium – it is a lost opportunity to really make an impression on prospective students and parents.

Simply using text - a medium that is personal and convenient - shows that your school is also personal and convenient, which can help lead to higher conversion and yield rates.