OXFORD, Miss. –
The University of Mississippi is an established brand, one that carries
much significance for many people, and a new team is in place to
coordinate marketing and positioning for the school.
Wendy
Carmean, who served six years as assistant director for marketing and
membership at the UM Alumni Association, has been named to the newly
created position of director of brand marketing.
Carmean works
closely with Jim Ebel, UM’s new executive director of university brand
services. Her unit is the center of expertise for the Ole Miss brand.
“During
this infancy stage, we’re trying to assess what’s going on, what
messages are out there and what our constituency groups think. For
example, how does the outside world perceive us and how accurate is
that perception?” Carmean said. “Our vision for the department is to
eventually have brand managers – like an agency – who work closely with
campus department leaders to build the brand and provide marketing for
their departments and the university. The brand marketing department
will be able to service the campus and provide strategic direction so
everyone is moving forward with consistency.”
Ebel said he can think of no one more qualified than Carmean to help build a brand marketing team.
“She knows Ole Miss and certainly has a significant career at the university,” Ebel said. “Yet, she also brings entrepreneurial and classic advertising background to the job. That was important to me because she’ll be putting all those experiences to use as we create a strategic positioning that we hope will be nothing short of amazing.”
An Oxford native, Carmean – formerly Chambers – moved to Iuka during her junior year of high school. After graduating from UM in 1997, she went to work in Nashville at Endres and Wilson Advertising, focusing on research, media planning and client services.
“I knew I had to leave Oxford to get the experience I wanted,” Carmean said. “The ad agency that I became a part of was a close-knit group, and I had a fantastic mentor. It was a small, boutique agency, so I was able to learn both sides of the operation, account management and creative. My first job after graduation was truly a wonderful experience, and landing that job was a direct result of what this institution taught me as a student in and out of the classroom.”
She returned to Oxford in early 2001, eventually becoming assistant director of marketing and membership at the Alumni Association.
“I learned a lot about different areas on campus, which I think is a huge asset as we develop a brand marketing department,” Carmean said. “There are amazing things happening at Ole Miss, and we are going to tell those stories.”
Executive Director for Alumni Affairs Tim Walsh credits administrators for recognizing Carmean’s talent, saying they were smart to move her to work on brand marketing.
“From her first day with us, Wendy was innovative, creative and aggressive in her approach to marketing and memberships for the Alumni Association and the Inn at Ole Miss,” Walsh said. “We loved working with her, and (we) appreciate the many ways she helped our programs grow.”
Carmean said her favorite time to think is at 5 a.m., when she puts on an iPod and jogs across campus, getting ready to tackle the early part of her day with 3-year-old twin girls and her husband, Jay.
“The university makes Oxford unique, and I’ve been really fortunate to be a part of this place for three distinct periods of my life,” she said. “I experienced a wonderful childhood here – from attending university kindergarten when I was 5 years old to basketball games at the Tad Pad as a teenager.
“I earned a great college education, and now I have a career and a family here. The people I’ve met throughout my life because of Ole Miss have played a huge role in who I am. If I can play a role in positioning and branding this marvelous institution, then maybe I’m giving the rest of the world a shot at some of the happiness this place has given me.”