UTPB: The Storybook Squad

Situation

As part of a new effort to focus recruitment on the local regional area, we helped UTPB establish a stronger brand presence beyond just the high school in each of the 30+ individual towns of the Permian Basin. To illustrate the opportunity, we selected Stanton, Texas (population 2,654), about 45 miles east of the university, to illustrate marketing and recruitment opportunities that went beyond the traditional standard techniques.

Solution

One of the most important community locations was the Martin County Library located in the heart of the town. We partnered with the library to create “The Storybook Squad,” a group of kids ranging in age from 9 to 15, to take part in creating a series of videos of book readings filmed from the library. Everyone in the videos was given UTPB apparel to wear, and we filmed the videos in different settings and combinations throughout the library. We used a formula for the videos, with the kids enthusiastically introducing the squad and the same reader narrating a book to the kids. We used children’s books ranging from classics (One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish) to modern hits (The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza) to lesser known gems (Eeek! There’s a Flea on Me! and Harry Hoyle’s Giant Jumping Bean). We filmed over a dozen stories and settings, and then worked with the library to post one a week to social media.

We also went around town and took pictures of the Storybook Squad at iconic and highly recognizable locations around town which we then distributed via social media to promote the Storybook Squad video postings.

Success

Collaborating closely with the library turned out to be a powerful way to engage with the city. This took place shortly after the covid pandemic started while cities and towns like Stanton were trying to recover and re-engage with the community. We were able to use initiatives like this one to benefit both our own recruitment efforts and the renaissance of the city. It also served as a concrete and powerful example to the recruitment and admissions team of innovative ways to build a brand presence in the cities of the region, the most important populations the university serves.