Campus CEO

Making Campus CEO an Indispensable Tool for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Kaplan Publishing hired Rose Communications to promote its big winter title, Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur’s Guide to Launching a Multimillion Dollar Business. The book, authored by Randal Pinkett, winner of NBC’s The Apprentice, an academic superstar, and the CEO of a multimillion dollar business, empowers students to create and successfully grow their ventures.

Fresh Perspective

Google. Yahoo! YouTube. Facebook. The much-publicized list of successful businesses started by college students was growing exponentially. We noted, however, that there was a disconnect: While nearly two-thirds of college students said they intended to become entrepreneurs, research showed most of these would-be business builders had nowhere to turn for advice. Clearly the ground was fertile for the introduction of a reliable resource for aspiring entrepreneurs. With that in mind, we took a multifaceted, influencer-heavy approach to the campaign. In addition to showcasing his Apprentice win, we emphasized Pinkett’s early success as a student entrepreneur himself, his outstanding academic achievements (Rhodes Scholar, MBA/Ph.D. student at MIT, etc.) and his role as CEO of a multimillion dollar business.

Authentic Approach

To set the foundation for the story, we:

  • Leveraged Pinkett’s credibility as a thriving entrepreneur to validate the advice
  • Positioned him as a coach for burgeoning entrepreneurs
  • Capitalized on his existing celebrity
  • Earned support from influencers including high school teachers, entrepreneurship professors, bloggers, leaders of student entrepreneur groups and the media
  • Created a media campaign which put the book in the foreground on related topics/trends
  • Staged the “Most Promising Campus CEO” contest to engage audiences on campuses nationwide and inspire word of mouth
  • Organized a multi-city campus-focused author tour
Meaningful Impact

As a result of our efforts we:

  • Secured media coverage in over 200 outlets including Nightline, Entrepreneur Magazine, Ebony, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, satellite radio, and dozens of college papers
  • Garnered hundreds of positive blog mentions on the book and contest
  • Inspired action: Nearly 50,000 people voted for the “Most Promising Campus CEO”
  • Galvanized partners: Blurbs on the contest appeared on the Web sites of the key entrepreneurial organizations

SHOW AND TELL

Apprentice' winner went from CDs to CEO

The winners of the Campus CEO contest

Randal Pinkett (Video) on Business Week

“Randal Pinkett, the “Apprentice” winner in Season 4, has a new book, “Campus CEO.” An entrepreneur even as a child, Pinkett, 35, founded five businesses as a student. The book gives current college kids advice Pinkett might have used himself.”

FULL ARTICLE

“Randal Pinkett, who won the fourth season of Donald Trump’s reality show, ‘The Apprentice’, will be at Stanford University bookstore Thursday at 6 p.m. to talk about student entrepreneurship. No slouch at sales himself, Pinkett also will be signing copies of his recently released book, ‘Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur’s Guide to Launching a Multimillion Dollar Business.’”

FULL ARTICLE

“If you’ve got dreams of running your own business, you might start by reading Pinkett’s new book, “Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur’s Guide to Launching a Multimillion-Dollar Business” (Kaplan Publishing, $16.95). The book is the August selection for the Color of Money Book Club.”

FULL ARTICLE

“One of the great perks of being a blogger is that I get to talk to a lot of really interesting people.  A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by Randal Pinkett, last season’s winner of The Apprentice and author of the new book Campus CEO.  This book was written as an all-encompassing how-to guide for college student entrepreneurs so I was immediately interested in interviewing him. ”

FULL ARTICLE