American Jewish University
Content Creation and Digital Strategy for a Major University
Situation
American Jewish University is a leading institution of Jewish knowledge and a focal point of Jewish community in Los Angeles. AJU equips students, faculty, campers, and learners of all ages with the tools to create the ideas, build the structures, and develop the programs to advance Jewish wisdom and elevate our world.
AJU approached Miller Ink for counsel in adapting its message and approach for a changing audience. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020, AJU sought new ways to engage the Jewish community through digital platforms and initiatives.
Approach
Miller Ink began its work with AJU by hosting a series of visioning conversations with university stakeholders to better understand its history, mission, and messages. Miller Ink developed a comprehensive set of messages that both captured its ethos and recalibrated its approach to reach new audiences. We developed additional messaging architectures unique to each of AJU’s academic programs, including its School of Enterprise Management, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, and School for Jewish Education and Leadership.
When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered in-person programming, Miller Ink spearheaded the development of B’Yachad Together, an online platform that would host hundreds of compelling conversations between AJU staff and thought leaders relevant to the Jewish community—from influential journalists and writers to Israeli and Emirati diplomats to entertainers and cultural critics.
We complemented the launch of B’Yachad Together with a robust press strategy, bringing media to the conversations and securing feature pieces that highlighted AJU’s indispensable role in the LA Jewish community. We drafted and placed op-eds from AJU leadership that elaborated on these themes, reiterated AJU’s messaging, and inserted the university into timely conversations in the Jewish discourse.
Impact
Miller Ink secured feature stories about AJU and B’Yachad Together in major outlets that resonate with the Jewish community, including the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, JNS, Jewish Business News, the Brentwood News, and more. B’Yachad Together’s programming reached more than 60,000 registrants, with viewers from all 50 states and more than 40 countries. On average, nearly 600 participants tuned into each B’Yachad event.