Ball State University

Ball State wanted to court new media after receiving one of its largest grants in history from Lilly Endowment for $20 million. The grant offered an opportunity to tell a new story about this emerging digital media leader. Nearly 60 niche media lists targeted more than 1,200 business writers from the top 50 markets. The fine-tuned approach created top-tier placements, including The Wall Street Journal, BBC, New Media Age, CBS MarketWatch, Interactive TV Today, Chicago Tribune, Health Data Management magazine, and more. An 11-month media blitz resulted in 225 media clips (print, radio, TV and online), including several international placements. The premier Chronicle of Higher Education also ran key full-length features on Ball State programs, both in its hard copy and online versions.

Results: The grant was renewed for another $20 million at its expiration. The University’s return on investment for media saturation was $422,532. Do the math.