So while I was sitting in the theater, waiting for Dark Knight to start this past weekend, I saw one of those static/slide show ads for a competitor school in town.
I looked at the text, which consisted of bullets that talked about:
- A place for you to belong
- A community of your peers
I realized that if you took away the school name at the bottom, a viewer wouldn't even know this ad referred to a college!
It's kind of like in higher ed, we dance around the meat of what we really are. We think people want to hear about a "community" and "belonging" when all they really want to know is "Do you have my major?" and "What are my job chances when I graduate?" and "How much in scholarships will you give me?"
Some times, writing to the obvious can be a powerful thing. Sure, it may not sound as pretty. But it gets the job done.
Posts
3 comments:
I was one of those billboard features in college. I should find that proof and scan it in. It was pretty ridiculous. :)
wow that observation was spot on. It's true though, most of the college ads will say a mouthful without really communicating much at all.
I tried to have that conversation with my boss on Friday -- why don't we just say what we obviously do and put something of real substance out there. I think I got gently shot down.
Post a Comment