New Web, Marketing Contract Awarded to Idfive
August 27, 2009
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
A new five-year, $4 million contract for marketing and Web development services for the University of Baltimore has been awarded to idfive, a Baltimore-based advertising and web development agency. The University will retain idfive to provide online and traditional marketing, Web development and creative services.
A cross-campus committee at UB reviewed more than 30 proposals from local and national firms for this work, which is intended to further enhance UB's brand in local and regional higher education markets through a combination of innovative marketing and advertising via new and traditional platforms. Among the agency's tasks will be a redesign of the University's Web site—a primary vehicle for conveying messages about UB to prospective students.
"We look forward to telling the UB story to a new generation of college students," said Peter Toran, vice president of Planning and External Relations for the University. "Technology has changed and challenged traditional notions of marketing, and we need to embrace new ways of reaching our audience. Idfive's Sean Carton is a nationally recognized leader in higher education marketing—where it's been and where it's going—and he understands UB. We're excited about working with idfive because of their impressive accomplishments in higher education marketing, their innovative thinking and their understanding of how to use emerging media."
Carton, chief creative officer at idfive, added, "We are absolutely delighted to be working with one of the top up-and-coming universities in the region. Many of us here at idfive have been either students or teachers at UB. We're thrilled to apply our nationally-recognized expertise in higher education marketing to such an incredible institution."
UB staff and idfive will work to increase enrollment at the University of Baltimore with a target of 8,000 students (UB currently enrolls roughly 6,000) by elevating the awareness of the University's 4-year undergraduate programs as well as its numerous professional graduate offerings. Drawing on their expertise in lead generation at other institutions, idfive will develop an integrated marketing campaign that will include print, television, radio, out-of-home, online advertising, search marketing, and social media. Idfive will also utilize its own proprietary services to help the University to create a new Web site that both attracts prospective students and provides outstanding service to current students, faculty and staff at the University.
Idfive will partner with several other agencies, including Leap Frog Solutions, an Oakton, Va.-based Minority Business Enterprise agency for creative and strategic support; minority-owned Barb Clapp Advertising of Timonium, Md.; Green + Associates of Baltimore; and Moran Interactive of Baltimore, all for online and traditional media planning and buying services.
UB's contract with idfive was approved by the Maryland Board of Public Works at its regular meeting on Aug. 26.
Idfive, LLC, is a Baltimore-based advertising, web development, digital media, and brand consulting firm founded in 2005 by a seasoned group of online advertising, marketing, and web development firms. Concentrating mainly on higher education, not-for-profit, financial services, health care, and business-to-business verticals, idfive's "informed design" methodology allows the firm to design beautiful and effective solutions for their clients' marketing challenges. Their higher education clients include UMBC, the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, the Cornell College of Human Ecology, SUNY Potsdam, Kent State University, the Graduate Management Admission Council and the American Academic Leadership Institute.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Merrick School of Business.