Case Study: Jacksonville State University achieves national media reach and measurable PR results with Meltwater

Jacksonville State University - Customer Case Study

Jacksonville State University (JSU), a 9,000‑student public university in northeastern Alabama, found itself in the global media spotlight after athletic successes and the high-profile Masters win by former JSU golfer Danny Willett. The university’s PR team had been relying on a slow, print‑clipping workflow that produced outdated coverage, consumed staff hours, and left key metrics like reach, sentiment, and ROI unmeasured; they also lacked media contacts for targeted outreach beyond the county.

Meltwater delivered an all‑in‑one monitoring and analytics platform that tracks mentions across news, blogs, social media, and broadcasts in real time, and it generates monthly and ad‑hoc reports for trustees and administrators with metrics (mentions, reach, ad value, sentiment). Using Meltwater’s influencer database JSU built targeted journalist relationships outside Alabama, improved measurement of PR ROI, expanded national exposure, and created actionable leads for admissions and enrollment outreach.

Jacksonville State University

Buffy Lockette

Director of Public Relations