Loyola University Chicago Pushing the envelope. Challenge For years, Loyola University Chicago sent its enrollment materials to high school counselors using traditional flat envelopes and labels. Knowing there were more innovative ways to cut through the clutter on counselors' desks, Rider Dickerson suggested Loyola think beyond "business as usual" for this important mailing.
Solution The 700+ high school counselors on Loyola's list were a key audience in reaching prospective students, so Rider Dickerson recommended a total transformation of the counselor mailing into something truly breakthrough. A dimensional package was created for a more gift-like presentation, and included the use of a cleverly designed personalized outer wrapper and letter. The box also provided Loyola the opportunity to send copies of its student viewbook, a poster and other key enrollment communication pieces.
Result High school counselors responded enthusiastically by phone and email saying the mailing really stood out from among the hundreds of college mailings they receive. Loyola accomplished its goal of cutting through the clutter during the busy college application season for high school counselors.
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" | We rely on Rider Dickerson to help us stay on the forefront of marketing." |
Director of Enrollment Marketing Loyola University Chicago |
Perkins + Will Building for a lasting impression. Challenge Perkins + Will is a purpose-driven architectural firm that is never satisfied with the status quo. So it’s not surprising they chose to publish a 200+ page book instead of a standard brochure for marketing purposes. With no experience in self-publishing, Perkins + Will sought a collaborative partner that shared its values of creative problem-solving and unrelenting quality standards. That partner was Rider Dickerson.
Solution Rider Dickerson enabled Perkins + Will to achieve its creative vision for a book that evoked an emotional feel. Rider guided Perkins + Will through the nuances of printing choices such as embossing the front and back cover, printing on uncoated 100% recycled Mohawk Options stock, selecting a budget-friendly paper size and choosing the binding glue itself. To ensure the photo images would translate to the uncoated paper, Rider Dickerson ran press tests and made recommendations on color adjustments for final printing.
Result The book has won several graphics and publishing awards, including from Mohawk Paper and the Printing Industry of America. Most importantly, the book leaves a lasting impression of Perkins + Will’s sophisticated design sense and quality control among existing and prospective clients.
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" | They exceeded the high bar we set in quality, execution and service." |
Associate Principal Perkins + Will |
Robert Morris University Driving campaign performance with an online dashboard. Challenge Targeted letters and postcard mailings to prospective high school students served as a key component of Robert Morris University’s recruitment campaign. During a campaign planning session, RMU asked Rider Dickerson for ideas on how to increase the response rate and improve campaign ROI.
Solution Rider Dickerson consulted with Robert Morris University on how to target prospects by variables including degree preference, scholarship level (test scores), campus location and athletic talent. From this analysis, Rider Dickerson recommended a cross-media campaign that would invite prospective students to visit a personalized URL. An online dashboard would then track these page visits on a daily basis.
Result The ability to view responses on a daily basis allowed the enrollment management team to adjust campaign messages in successive rounds of communications. This targeted, flexible approach helped RMU increase its lead pool over the previous year’s campaign by 79%.
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" | Rider Dickerson provides analytics that helps us make targeted strategic decisions in the recruitment process." |
Vice President for Marketing Robert Morris University |
Faust Associates Showcasing interiors with a creative exterior. Challenge "What’s an unexpected way to package new interior design schemes?" That’s the question posed to Rider Dickerson by Faust Associates. The designer was seeking a high-end, multi-component piece that needed to capture the excitement of McDonald's new restaurant interiors and accurately represent the color themes. The small volume of the run and tight timelines added additional complexity to the project.
Solution Rider Dickerson partnered with Faust during the conceptual phase, contributing a range of material possibilities and processes including embossing, debossing, silkscreening, chipboard, and matte laminate. Each solution not only contributed to an arresting design, but color consistency and cost-effectiveness aided by the use of the Indigo press for the booklet pages. To gauge final production results, Rider Dickerson printed test sheets to ensure color accuracy.
Result A showstopper piece that delivered on budget and on time at the meeting that unveiled the new interiors, which were met with great enthusiasm among all stakeholders.
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" | Their creativity and desire to discover unique solutions is aligned with ours and is invaluable during the conceptual phase." |
Creative Director Faust Associates |
Ariel Investments Guaranteed return on timely reporting. Challenge For Ariel Investments, it is imperative that communications reach its constituents in a timely manner in order to hear the company’s perspectives on the market and their portfolios. Given the volume and quality controls needed for these communications, Ariel found it was unable to produce its "Turtle Thoughts" piece in-house. So they turned to Rider Dickerson.
Solution Rider Dickerson recommended traditional pre-printing of the common elements of the piece, including the cover and interior page tabs. The quarterly report content itself is digitally printed, and then collated with the pre-printed elements. This efficient production system supported Ariel's need for high volume with a quick turnaround, and where the economics still worked.
Result The mixture of traditional and digital print technologies and the pre-printed common elements allow Ariel to turn around a high quality report within three to five days.
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" | They're proactive in bringing us sophisticated perspectives on the latest technologies." |
Senior Vice President Ariel Investments |
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