Client: heavy
Role: Content Strategy + Writing
heavy is a full-service content agency from Philadelphia with team members spread out nationwide. When it comes to higher ed marketing, they’re the crème de la crème.
In March 2020, I signed on to help bolster their internal content arsenal as they continue to churn out quality work for clients. This summer, I oversaw the creation of a Blog section on their website, which showcases original articles I wrote, as well as mini case studies that invite the audience behind-the-scenes on projects. During the fall of 2020, we expanded our scope to include work for heavy clients, most notably the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University at Buffalo, and Cobbs Creek Foundation.
Blogs
Welcome to heavy.
“When we started this agency just over a year ago, we did so with one goal: to shed the extra pounds – things like inflexible business contracts, high prices, more talk than strategy. The practices that create issues with employees and clients alike. That’s why our name is heavy, because we let the work carry the weight. As it should.
We believe in setting our own standards. We believe in being different. We believe in being partners. Mostly, we believe in talking less and doing more. So, let’s get to work.”
How we’re helping clients navigate COVID-19
“Higher education has never been quick to change, but we have. And that will never change.”
Doing good, together.
“As part of each engagement, we ask our clients to select a company or organization within their own community that could benefit from our services. Then, we work with them pro bono as a part of our commitment to both the clients we serve and the communities they serve…
Why? Because we believe in doing good within our community, as well as yours.
Because we know that giving back moves us all forward, together.”
Why content is key to recruiting the Class of 2025
“Recruiting the Class of 2025 will be a challenge unlike any other. COVID-19 has certainly made it more difficult, but it’s not impossible.
Without the traditional tools of your recruitment arsenal, finding new ways to connect with prospective students before, during, and after the admissions cycle is more important than ever. Here are a couple avenues to consider to make yours stand out from the crowd.”
Why a higher ed degree is still relevant with COVID
“In 2019, it was reported that just over half of Americans think a college degree is “very important.” Now that many campuses have pivoted to predominantly virtual models, enrollment among undergraduates is down by 4% across the board, while enrollment among first-year students is down by 16.1%. Some students and families have gone so far as to sue their schools for refunds, prompting many to ask is college still worth it? Is Higher Ed going to be relevant in the post-COVID era?
Yes.”
Maintaining alumni morale in the digital-first environment
“We’ve been in the midst of a “digital transformation” for decades. From Apple Pay and Venmo to Facebook dominating ad space and the very concept of eCommerce itself. COVID-19 has only accelerated it.
As the repercussions of coronavirus continue to trickle down across industries, companies and organizations are continuing to adapt to an increasingly digital-first environment. University advancement is certainly no exception, nor should it be.”
COVID-19 & the future of college athletics
“Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been helping clients navigate the chaos. COVID-19 has already had a profound impact on the 2021 admissions cycle, but the effects on college athletics have really only just begun. Here are a few things we can expect moving into 2021.”
Case studies
Your voice, your vote: New Voters
“Today’s highschoolers are the most ethnically diverse we’ve ever seen. As members of Gen Z, they make up half of the entire voting age population alongside Millennials. Their votes carry more weight than possibly ever before, so, how do we get them to register?
That’s where New Voters comes in.”
How amplifying student voices led to Rutgers’ largest endowment in a decade
“Here’s the secret to creating good content:
There is no secret.
When it comes to making good content – the kind of content that transcends race, class, and gender to resonate with the human in all of us – it’s simple: talk to people like they are people.”
Restoring glory: Cobbs Creek Golf Course
“When Cobbs Creek Golf Course opened in 1916, it quickly earned a nationwide reputation as the best public course in the country. Moreover, it was open to everyone. Race and gender didn’t matter. If you were a golfer, Cobbs Creek was for you.”
UNLTD: A wall-to-wall revamp
“Sports is never just about sports. It’s about hard work, pushing limits, and never giving up. It’s Michael Jordan getting rejected from the Varsity team as a sophomore and growing up to become the greatest basketball player of all time. It’s the Red Sox working for 86 years to reverse the Curse of the Bambino, and Alex Morgan scoring in the 123rd minute against Canada to take the US Women’s team on to the World Cup finals.
Sports is about people. It’s about developing human potential, and it starts young.
Enter: UNLTD Tennis Academy.”
For what it’s worth, it’s worth it: UW-Madison Online.
“While online degrees were new to UW-Madison, they weren’t new to many of their Land Grant peers. Changing student demographics, especially in the time of COVID-19, have rapidly increased demand for quality, accredited, online degrees. Our challenge was two-fold: 1. How do we make UW-Madison’s stand out? 2. How do we make it look, feel, and sound like Wisconsin?”
How Southeastern Community College turned their Graduation into a Walk for All.
“Few things compare to the feeling of walking across the stage for your diploma after years of hard work, or finally being able to move your tassel from right to left. It’s a moment that’s hard to recreate over video chat, or through a virtual celebration, but for many members of the Class of 2020, that was the only option.
The graduates at Southeastern Community College had a different idea.”
Client work
Cobbs Creek
Philadelphia native and architect Jim Wagner sketches a vision for Cobbs Creek restoration
“Jim Wagner is no stranger to Cobbs Creek. The Philadelphia native, now a longtime partner of Gil Hanse and Hanse Golf Design, was a Cobbs regular and, like so many others, watched as the course declined. As he noted in Golf Course Architecture, ‘Looking back on it I’m not sure whether it was true understanding of architecture or through osmosis but there was plenty to learn about architecture, golf and life playing a round at Cobbs Creek.’”
Harold Varner III ushers in new chapter at Cobbs Creek
“Over the years, Cobbs Creek has hosted PGA tour players and renowned golf pioneers like Arnold Palmer, Thelma Cowans, former boxer Joe Louis, Lucy Williams, and Charlie Sifford. As this historic renovation project continues to take shape, there is no doubt that the modern-day golf luminaries will support the Cobbs mission as well. In fact, PGA Tour player Harold Varner, who was just recently on the cover of Golf Digest Magazine, is fast becoming one of Cobbs greatest modern-day ambassadors.”
Cobbs Creek Annexed by U.S. Army at Height of the Korean War
“Since opening its doors in 1916, Cobbs Creek has undergone numerous changes. Its story has many authors, and they all brought us to where we are today.
Now, as we come together in hopes of writing a great new chapter in its historic legacy, we want to share a lesser-known chapter in the Cobbs Creek story.”
University at Buffalo
Helping People Live Healthier Lives
“At the University at Buffalo, we’re helping people live healthier lives. We have been for 175 years.
And our School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is renowned for leading the charge in transforming pharmacy from a profession to an engine for education and cutting-edge research. Today, it’s ranked 14th in the country and No. 1 in New York State.”
Arts and Culture
“Art’s never been just about art. It’s about telling stories and capturing moments. Using creativity to break down barriers, and, occasionally, spread a message - sometimes without us even knowing.”
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Continuing Studies program manager receives educational research award
“With COVID-19 forcing many academic courses online — some for the first time — quality, accessible online teaching has never been more important, both for students and instructors.
For conducting online education research on such an important topic, UW–Madison Division of Continuing Studies’ (DCS) Karen Skibba Ph.D., together with Maria Widmer of the UW–Madison School of Education, received the Robert J. Menges Award for Outstanding Research in Educational Development from the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network.”