Does this campaign work? Hofstra University uses actual students and faculty from different disciplines to pique interest in its many offerings - First Look

University Business, Feb, 2003 by Nicole Rivard

BEST FEATURES

* Targeting different disciplines and programs (Engineering, English, MBA) is smart. Targeted readers of each ad will be drawn into the copy, and the strong areas of concentration will impress readers simply scanning the campaign.

* The continuity of a campaign--rather than a collection of ads--will pay dividends.

* The graphics are clear and precise and the colors help to hold the campaign together. Overall, the campaign has a well-designed, clean, and open look to it.

* The most eye-catching element of the ads is the bold and exciting font used for the academic discipline. In addition, the body text is quite readable.

* Using images of people rather than campus shots increases human interest. And the use of actual students and faculty is a big plus because readers can identify more easily with real people than with models.

* Highlighting the success of the Hofstra graduates (in captions) helps the reader to visualize his own potential for success.

* The ad copy is full of information would-be students want to know: What kinds of programs are available? What are class sizes like? How qualified are the instructors?

* The school's logo, address, and--most important!--800 number are clearly visible, surrounded by friendly white space in the lower right-hand corner of the ad.

NEEDS WORK

* The execution of the campaign is not quite right. This campaign, in some form, has been around for a while. Reinventing by concentrating on different disciplines may help somewhat, but I think it needs some work.

* The campaign lacks an apparent brand promise. An integrated campaign requires more than graphic continuity; it requires a unifying brand promise that is apparent in all communications. After reading these ads, I have no idea what that brand promise might be.

* The emphasis on two speakers, especially in the MBA ad, is confusing and distracting. To have both a former student and a professor highlighted dilutes the message. Pick one, as was done in the English ad.

* The ads need a headline. To place the institutional name as a label where a reader-involving headline should appear is a missed opportunity to increase readership.

* The lead sentence in the English ad contains 41 words. Not only will this suppress readership, but such a wordy sentence might actually be a turnoff for potential English-major applicants!

* The body of the ad copy needs some pizzazz, it sounds as though an academic penned it, and that doesn't necessarily make for scintillating copy.

* If these were broadcast ads, the uses of the anagram-only 1-800-HOFSTRA might be forgivable. But, in print, it's always better to include both the anagram and the actual phone number. Also, in selecting anagrams ("vanity numbers"), it is best not to select one with an "0." Responders don't know if they are to touch the "MNO" key or the "0" key.

SUGGESTIONS

* Strengthen the ads by plating the discipline (Engineering, English, etc.) at the top of the ad. The word, in its dynamic font, will draw the eye in and make the reader wonder what's going on. Readers who aren't necessarily interested in Hofstra may bypass the campaign if "Hofstra University" is the first element they see. The job of the campaign is to make readers took, even if they do not have a current interest in Hofstra.

* Unify the campaign. If one ad has a quote from a student that "made good," then all should. If one has a quote from a professor, all should. If one is illustrating the resources of the university, all disciplines should get the opportunity to show off. This should also be done in the body text.

* Add more information about the college itself.

* If Hofstra provides "an undergraduate engineering education in a liberal arts setting," search for an unpredictable way to visualize this benefit. The photo in the Engineering ad is too posed and predictable--right down to the logo on the student's shirt.

* Experiment with segmenting the information in a more bulleted fashion, highlighting courses and programs here, professorial quality there, maybe even adding some ranking, class size, or "underground" student-generated information--as tong as it's a selling point. There is too much information crammed into those lines of text in the running copy.

* The use of the word "you" instead of "students" in the copy would make it more personally relevant.

* The Web URL should be connected to the other contact information, and not treated as an additional body-copy thought. That site is important, and should be effectively "marketed" in this campaign, as well. After art, that's where prospective students can take a virtual tour, pore over course descriptions, maybe even "chat" with current students in the programs of interest.

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Yvette Christofilis works in advertising, sales promotion, and graphics services, most recently for Young and Rubicam and WPP Group PLC. She is also an editor for Fordham University Press, where she copyedits and proofreads books for scholarly and academic use.