Evidence-Based Innovation Blog

Around this time each year, we glance at our calendars and exclaim in surprise, “Where did the summer go?!?”  Although September arrives seemingly out of nowhere, you know it is just around the corner when yellow school buses are once again streaming down suburban streets and retail shelves are overflowing with back-to-school supplies.  For parents of school-aged children, this often signals that time to shop for new and bigger backpacks. With a dizzying array of colors, shapes and sizes, the choice becomes even more complex with the option of solar backpacks - underscoring just how connected our culture is today.

It was one of the biggest upsets of the 2012 Olympic Games and it came early.  Sixteen-time medalist Michael Phelps was defeated in the 400-meter individual medley by rival and teammate Ryan Lochte who took home the gold for Team USA. It was the first time Phelps didn’t win an Olympic medal since the 2000 Sydney Games and it didn’t take long for speculation to begin. Why did Phelps come in fourth? Did he not practice enough in the past two years? Perhaps his body was rebelling with age. Or, was he distracted by all interviews and attention since Beijing? 

July may be best associated with Independence Day parades and fireworks, but did you know that it also happens to be National Ice Cream Month?  The average American eats 48 pints of ice cream per year - more than any other nationality – and July tops the list for ice cream sales.  With record heat waves sweeping across the nation this summer, chances are consumption will be even higher this July.

It's the Triple Crown and they're off....

Amidst a spectacular parade of whimsical head wear, horse fans are cheering their favorites during each leg of the 2012 Triple Crown. 

Meanwhile, MBA admissions officers and MBA program directors are in a race of their own as they round the corner to the start of the academic year in September. The next few months can feel like a tight race to the finish line to meet enrollment targets, so what is your MBA marketing strategy in this home stretch?  

The most popular season for weddings has arrived. Specialty boutiques have moved their shimmery formal dresses to the front of the store, white tiered confectionary cakes are featured prominently in bakery displays, and florists are blooming with bridal bouquets. All of these happy matrimonial images remind me of one of my favorite wedding movies, Runaway Bride. 

For those who may not be familiar with film, this charming “chick-flick” is about a single woman who has more than a bit of trouble getting to the altar. No matter how many times this reluctant and jittery bride (played by Julia Roberts) walks down the aisle with a string of fiancés, she just can’t commit. In one scene, Julia Roberts nearly makes it to the altar but panics, turns around, and runs off in her wedding gown hitching a ride on the side of a FedEx truck. While three of her former fiancés give up on her, one handsome reporter (Richard Gere) stands by her side until she is ready.  (Warning: skip this next sentence if you don’t want to know the ending.) His constant presence and patience eventually pays off and they finally tie the knot in a delightful dénouement.

While one of those “feel good” films, the storyline also reminds me of some of the challenges of business school recruiting. Just when you find a top-notch candidate – “The One” – who is ready to apply, there can be some last minute reservations (due to time or financial concerns) that make the candidate run faster than Julia Roberts galloping away on a horse with her veil flying in the wind. What’s the secret to getting MBA prospects to say “I do?” This is where a business school lead nurturing program comes in. There are many lessons to be learned from the courtship process when it comes to MBA lead nurturing campaigns – and it all has to do with timing.