Two Firms, No Team: City College Faces a Marketing Gap
With no dedicated marketing department, the organization depends on two external agencies to tell its story and attract students
by Juliana Parente
parente.juliana@gmail.com
City College finds itself at a crossroads. With no internal marketing team, the college has enlisted the help of two external firms — ASIR Visual Marketing for enrollment campaigns and Voler Strategic Advisors for public relations and storytelling. While this arrangement provides some coverage, the broader implications of this patchwork strategy highlight both opportunities and systemic challenges.
“Currently, the College engages a marketing firm, but there are no internal staff resources exclusively assigned to marketing efforts,” Interim Chancellor Mitchell Bailey explained. “We’ve been working with ASIR for a few semesters to focus on enrollment campaigns, while Voler assists with media relations and storytelling. Their roles are distinct, but both are critical in supporting our goals”.
A Two-Pronged Attack
Data from the college’s Strategic Enrollment Management Plan (SEMP) shows yearly enrollment increases from 2022-23 for both credit and non-credit courses. For 2023-24, the college recorded a headcount of 27,315 for credit students and 13,314 for non-credit students, a modest but positive growth trend from pandemic lows.
“Since working with ASIR, we’ve seen enrollment increases every semester. While it’s not the only reason, it’s clear their work contributes positively,” said Dr. Lisa Cooper-Wilkins, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. While ASIR has contributed to this growth through targeted campaigns, the college still grapples with fundamental issues. The SEMP identifies high school students, justice-impacted individuals, and older adults as key populations for outreach. However, the lack of internal marketing capacity limits the college’s ability to implement long-term strategies.
Voler, on the other hand, seeks to reshape public perceptions by highlighting success stories and key events. Recent initiatives include promoting the Free City program, which provides free tuition for San Francisco residents, and preparing for the college’s 90th-anniversary celebrations.
Home-Team Advantage
The college’s reliance on external firms underscores deeper issues. A 2023 task force recommended creating an internal marketing department to provide consistent messaging and more efficient coordination. However, budget constraints have delayed action.
“We’re exploring what that might look like,” the Chancellor said. “It’s about figuring out the scope of the role, its sustainability, and the resources required. These conversations take time,” the Chancellor said. “We still need to figure out what a marketing director role would look like and whether it’s financially sustainable.”
The SEMP also highlights external pressures, such as rising costs and the expiration of state funding provisions, which create an uncertain fiscal environment. These factors exacerbate the college’s challenge of balancing immediate needs, such as enrollment campaigns, with long-term strategic planning.
The college currently has an open position for a Director of Public Affairs. According to the chancellor, the role will serve as the College’s public information officer (PIO) and be the main point of contact for media relations, government relations and community relations.
However, there are some concerns about the college’s budgetary priorities.
“For some areas, we don’t need more marketing—we need more teachers to teach more classes,” said Robin Pugh, vice president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) 2121. The union’s analysis identified bottlenecks in critical pipeline classes, including English 1A and Chemistry 32, and noted a 1,000-student waitlist for non-credit ESL courses.
The union also raised concerns about the reliance on external firms. “If we can get real stories from students and alumni out there, the college will speak for itself. But this requires careful and consistent effort, which is harder to achieve without internal staff,” Pugh said.
Where Paths Intertwine
The college’s SEMP outlines a vision for more integrated marketing and enrollment strategies. Proposed initiatives include developing a multi-year strategic marketing plan and issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for long-term marketing support. The plan also calls for better alignment between external marketing campaigns and internal communication to ensure consistency across audiences.
Moreover, it needs to be aligned with the college’s broader needs, according to the vice president of AFT 2121. “Marketing can’t be isolated from the realities on the ground,” Pugh said.
“The value of marketing is in its consistency,” Dr. Cooper-Wilkins said. “We need sustained efforts, not just one-off campaigns. It’s about building awareness and trust over time.”