Yellow suits signal Walsh College's new innovative marketing plan

The Yellow Suits — 12 actors hired by Walsh College of Troy to sing and talk to the public — aren't your traditional college marketing team.

They wear yellow pinstripe suits that recall legal pads, a nod to the university's singular focus on business, and carry big black briefcases emblazoned with "Walsh College" in white. And though they bring cheer and song to the streets, they're not always welcome everywhere they go — hence a recent stunt at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, where they joined the procession for a few moments, before being asked to leave.

No, the Yellow Suits aren't traditional. But Walsh College's enrollment stats are up 8% for the past two years after a period without growth, proving that higher education marketing need not be stodgy.

Excerpt:

When Walsh Vice President John Lichtenberg was hired two years ago, he started with a traditional marketing campaign that was focused on telling the college's story because many people "really didn't know we were here."

"At some point, you have to go off the traditional," said Lichtenberg, the chief marketing and enrollment management officer at Walsh.

So, while much of the college's advertising promotes its key messages — that it is serious, is focused on business and provides opportunities for people who want a new career or to move up in their current jobs — the college tries to go about it in different, often humorous ways.

Read more about the Yellow Suits here.