IMC master’s student Jacquelyn Lawton is the program coordinator for Veteran & Military Services on the University of Mississippi campus. VMS recently completed its Welcome Home license plate campaign, and Lawton designed the logo used for it.
We asked Lawton about her job, major, campaign and the logo.
Jacquelyn Lawton
Q. Tell me a little about your job.
A. I am the program coordinator for Veteran & Military Services (VMS). The main function of our office is to assist students with the GI Bill and process their benefits. We also provide advice, guidance, advocacy, and outreach services for our military-connected student population. Veteran & Military Services works hard to take care of all members of this unique student population. I am lucky enough to be in a position to both ensure that students receive the money they deserve, produce content for marketing, and assist military-connected students face to face.
Q. What is the campaign, and how did it come about? What is its purpose?
A. We recently completed the “Welcome Home License Plate” campaign. Our goal with this campaign was to reach 300 pre-orders for the tag to have it produced by the state of Mississippi. Once produced, $37 of every tag ordered will be sent directly to the Welcome Home Fund via the Ole Miss Foundation. This is nearly 75% of the total cost for a specialty tag going straight towards helping student veterans. Now that the initial campaign is completed, vehicle owners across the state will get a chance to purchase the tag when they go to renew their registration.
At this time, money is going towards helping furnish the new Veterans Resource Center (VRC), which will be in George Street House. This Resource Center is a place for veterans to relax, study, or meet up. Currently, the VRC is located in the back of Yerby. It is difficult to get to and is not well equipped for our students (with disabilities). George Street House is located in the center of campus and is completely accessible; making it the perfect place for our new VRC downstairs, as well as VMS upstairs.
Q. Tell me about the tag? How did you come up with the design?
A. A stars and stripes Ole Miss is something that has been used on and off by various entities on campus. When I started at VMS in 2017, Andrew Newby (assistant director of VMS) was looking to rebrand the department. We decided that our office should own the stars and stripes Ole Miss logo and make it look great in the process. I then began creating a logo based on the idea as well as created other “rules” that our designs would follow. Most content we create has a white background to ensure that our designs remain simple. This is the idea that led to a white tag with the new and updated stars and stripes Ole Miss.
Q. Why did you choose to study IMC?
A. I graduated from Auburn University in 2013 with a B.A. in mass communications. I had trouble finding a job with this degree and ended up working retail for four years. The company I was working for went out of business, and I was suddenly without a job.
At this time, my father had just accepted a job at the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media, and I saw an opportunity to move with my parents from Auburn, Alabama to Oxford, Mississippi to seek a new path in life.
Not long after moving here, I met with Debora Wenger to discuss any options she might see for someone with my degree. While she pushed the journalism graduate school, as soon as she mentioned getting a master’s in IMC, I knew it was the path for me.
It seemed like a logical choice to enhance my degree in mass communications and make my self more marketable for future employment. I was fascinated by the idea of a customer-centric approach and about using all of my knowledge about communication towards something tangible. I have since found a passion, not only for the customer-centric approach of IMC, but for marketing strategy and hope to soon find a position in this area.
You can read more about the campaign by clicking this text.
This story was written by LaReeca Rucker.
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