Thought Leadership Content for Higher Education
How Tendo helped Sodexo position itself as a global thought leader to expand relationships with existing and new university accounts
CHALLENGES
- No brand awareness and education around additional Sodexo services
- Lack of sales enablement content to engage customers
- No experience creating thought leadership content or a campaign at scale
RESULTS
- Creation of a high-value trend report generating immediate buzz
- Increase in sales with existing and new university customers
- Thought leadership content formatted for use across many channels
TENDO SERVICES PROVIDED
- Editorial strategy and content creation
- Campaign planning
- Social content development
About Sodexo
Sodexo Universities, a leader in campus dining and facilities management for public universities and private colleges, sought to engage its audience, university leadership, in a new way. Already well-known for its food services, Sodexo had an opportunity to share its point of view about its robust offering around a bundle of quality-of-life services for students and staff. The idea was to strengthen awareness of these solutions and connect with university leadership beyond food and facilities.
- Sodexo USA
- Gaithersburg, MD
- Food and facilities management services
- 47,449 Employees (2018)
The Challenge
To position itself as a thought leader on higher education and campus life, Sodexo wanted to create a global report on key trends affecting the student journey and campus experience. Tendo helped Sodexo refine its marketing goals, and uncovered the need for an anchor asset that would drive brand awareness, brand education, and sales enablement via an integrated content campaign spanning multiple channels.
The Solution
Tendo led a complex collaborative effort to:
• Create an Editorial Advisory Committee in tandem with the Sodexo Institute for Quality of Life, an in-house think tank, to identify and profile five global education trends.
• Interview 11 world-class education experts.
• Create a 32-page print and digital Sodexo University Trends Report.
• Translate the text into a wide range of content formats—blog posts, social posts, emails, videos, and infographics.
The Results
The report generated immediate buzz and helped Sodexo’s sales teams expand relationships with existing and new university accounts. Sodexo shined a light on major changes in higher education and universities’ role in preparing students for a complex world. And it continues to leverage this trend report in industry publications, conferences, trade shows, social media, and sales conversations.
