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CCBC Uses Cutting-edge Technology to Reach Local Teens
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CCBC took a giant leap into the world of multimedia technology
with its newest recruitment campaign geared toward Baltimore
County high school students. Using the latest multimedia
technology developed by local firm Etelligent Technologies, CCBC
mailed all Baltimore County Public School juniors and seniors
interactive, multimedia EtelliCards (wallet/business card-sized
CD-ROMs) that drive the user to the CCBC Web site. This ensures
that the CD itself is not dated and the user always has access to
the most up-to-date information regarding CCBC academic programs
and activities.
What makes the EtelliCard unique is an interactive feature that
links it to the Web. Unlike most CDs where the information is
“burned” directly onto the product and remains the same throughout
the life of the CD, the information on the EtelliCard is
constantly changing because it’s Web driven. The information is
always fresh.
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“The EtelliCard is a great way to reach out to the tech-savvy high
school market,” said CCBC Chancellor Irving Pressley McPhail. “More and
more students are using the Internet to gather and search for
information. It just makes good sense to connect with students in a
manner that they prefer.”
The EtelliCard offers many benefits to high school students interested
in exploring their options at CCBC. It enables them to search
information that is relevant to them via self-selected links to the Web.
They can make direct contact with a CCBC admissions counselor to request
specific information or to schedule an appointment. They can bookmark
the college Web site or the EtelliCard itself for easy future access.
And they can forward the CCBC EtelliCard to a friend. Additionally, once
the card is forwarded or bookmarked, the user doesn’t need the actual CD.
Rowland Savage, Baltimore County Public Schools' coordinator of
Counseling and Guidance Services, saw a demonstration of the EtelliCard
and was quite impressed with its features. "I think it is a product that
high school students will really use," said Savage. "Unlike most college
information CDs I have seen, users have control over the options they
view. If a student is only interested in financial aid information, he
or she can make a direct Web link without wading through countless pages
of unrelated information. That feature is also a benefit to school
counselors. School counselors already possess a large amount of
information about CCBC. With this information tool, they can quickly
access up-to-date data on most any CCBC topic and pass that information
on to their students."
From a marketing perspective, the EtelliCard also has many advantages.
The product provides instant statistics regarding usage, which is
extremely helpful in determining the impact of the direct mail marketing
campaign. The product also opens the possibility for future e-mail
dialogue with students who express an interest in the college. The
college name also gets additional play when students wear the CCBC
lanyard that arrives attached to the EtelliCard packaging.
CCBC Marketing Director Lisa Hetrick is pleased with the product and its
marketing potential. “We are always looking for new and creative ways to
enhance our visibility with the high school market,” said Hetrick.
“Etelligent provided us with the technology to break ‘out of the box’
with a product that has punch and staying power.”
Etelligent Technologies is a Web development firm based in Towson, Md.
The technology used for the EtelliCard was a two-year creative process
that is now changing the way companies are promoting and marketing their
businesses. The applications for the product are virtually limitless and
cost effective when compared to the shelf life of traditional print
materials or CDs. This new technology is currently being used by a
community college in Texas and one of the largest real estate companies
in the mid-Atlantic region.
“We are excited that CCBC had the foresight and confidence in the
product to be one of the first to utilize this technology,” said
Etelligent Technology President Paul Ly. “This product is unique and not
offered anywhere else in the marketplace. It’s the wave of the future.”
The CCBC EtelliCard project was written by Mary De Luca, senior director
for Public Relations, and designed by Lisa Hetrick, director of
Marketing and Publications Design. F. Scott Black, chair, Speech,
Theatre and Mass Communications at CCBC Essex, selected and coached
students Lilly Hayes and Derek Daughton, who recorded the EtelliCard
script. JoAnn Rasmussen and Phil McCluskey, CCBC-TV, produced the
voiceover audio used on the CD. Vicki Lesko, Web master, Darlene Cockey
and the entire CCBC Web team tested the CD for functionality and
provided feedback and suggestions.
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