Promotion of UA

[Zipsrifle]

I've seen the UA commercial that I believe aired during the Super Bowl a lot lately. I have to say, I think it is terrible. It is too busy, doesn't say or show anything. I think there are a LOT of amazing things going on at UA and the word JUST ISN'T GETTING OUT! I admit I am an NPR junkie, and frankly, I'm sick and tired of hearing about Can't State and Cleveland State. W.K.S.U. carries NPR and has many affiliate stations, so I can't really complain about this. I actually stopped listening to W.K.S.U. in favor of WCPN because, well, it's W.K.S.U. So as I listen to WCPN, all I hear about is CSU. Even when UA Professor John Green speaks at the Cleveland City Club, it isn't mentioned that he is a Professor at The University of Akron, or that the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics is an adjunct of the University of Akron Political Science Dept. Nope, he is just the Director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute. I see BGSU billboards all over the place in NE Ohio and IMO, CSU really is starting to get pushed by the powers that be in Cleveland. UA needs to do a better job of promoting itself.Lets face it, UA is on it's own. The City has a love-hate relationship with UA, and it seems to me they won't go out of their way to promote UA unless it helps them in some direct way. Proenza, IMO, has done a power grab in the city and pissed a lot of people off, so UA won't get any favors. The people in Akron don't seem to care about UA and just bash it as a 2nd rate school, which I don't feel it is and we all know how hard it is to get anyone in Cleveland to recognize anything in Akron. UA has been spending money to promote itself, but I think a better job could be done.To start, the TV commercials are just too busy. They try to cram too much into the commercials and the result is that nothing gets driven home. I think they should put something together that focuses on UA strengths, even if it is only in the region. For example, Science and Technology. Obviously, UA is world leader in polymers, but who outside of those at UA know this? They are doing some cool stuff in that giant mirror in the center of campus, let others know about it! The Student Engineering Organizations are some of the best in the country! Who outiide of UA knows this? Show a video of a Race Car doing a burnout or the baja car tearing through the mud! That will get a kid's attention! I know there are other great departments at UA, but even I don't know what they are!Can we try some cheaper ways to raise UA's profile? Put up a few billboards. No, not "Detroit Roo City" billboards in DETROIT, but billboards advertising UofA as a University in the major cities throughout Ohio! Lets put a few ads on the radio, and market to HS students in Ohio on the internet. As for athletics, what's the deal with the giant banner on the side of the field house that faces a road nobody drives down? Shell out the cash to get some billboards in Cleveland, Akron, and Canton advertising the Zips. We obviously can buy a couple billboards in Detroit for the MACC and MCB, but trust me, nobody in Detroit had the slightest clue what they were for.Finally, word of mouth. Everyone that knows me knows about UA. As with all of our sports, we are the best envoys for UA in general. This is just something that has been getting under my skin since I've moved back to the area. We want UA to continue growing but we aren't doing a very good job of promoting UA.

[Zipmeister]

I've seen the UA commercial that I believe aired during the Super Bowl a lot lately. I have to say, I think it is terrible. It is too busy, doesn't say or show anything. I think there are a LOT of amazing things going on at UA and the word JUST ISN'T GETTING OUT! I admit I am an NPR junkie, and frankly, I'm sick and tired of hearing about Can't State and Cleveland State. W.K.S.U. carries NPR and has many affiliate stations, so I can't really complain about this. I actually stopped listening to W.K.S.U. in favor of WCPN because, well, it's W.K.S.U. So as I listen to WCPN, all I hear about is CSU. Even when UA Professor John Green speaks at the Cleveland City Club, it isn't mentioned that he is a Professor at The University of Akron, or that the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics is an adjunct of the University of Akron Political Science Dept. Nope, he is just the Director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute. I see BGSU billboards all over the place in NE Ohio and IMO, CSU really is starting to get pushed by the powers that be in Cleveland. UA needs to do a better job of promoting itself.Lets face it, UA is on it's own. The City has a love-hate relationship with UA, and it seems to me they won't go out of their way to promote UA unless it helps them in some direct way. Proenza, IMO, has done a power grab in the city and pissed a lot of people off, so UA won't get any favors. The people in Akron don't seem to care about UA and just bash it as a 2nd rate school, which I don't feel it is and we all know how hard it is to get anyone in Cleveland to recognize anything in Akron. UA has been spending money to promote itself, but I think a better job could be done.To start, the TV commercials are just too busy. They try to cram too much into the commercials and the result is that nothing gets driven home. I think they should put something together that focuses on UA strengths, even if it is only in the region. For example, Science and Technology. Obviously, UA is world leader in polymers, but who outside of those at UA know this? They are doing some cool stuff in that giant mirror in the center of campus, let others know about it! The Student Engineering Organizations are some of the best in the country! Who outiide of UA knows this? Show a video of a Race Car doing a burnout or the baja car tearing through the mud! That will get a kid's attention! I know there are other great departments at UA, but even I don't know what they are!Can we try some cheaper ways to raise UA's profile? Put up a few billboards. No, not "Detroit Roo City" billboards in DETROIT, but billboards advertising UofA as a University in the major cities throughout Ohio! Lets put a few ads on the radio, and market to HS students in Ohio on the internet. As for athletics, what's the deal with the giant banner on the side of the field house that faces a road nobody drives down? Shell out the cash to get some billboards in Cleveland, Akron, and Canton advertising the Zips. We obviously can buy a couple billboards in Detroit for the MACC and MCB, but trust me, nobody in Detroit had the slightest clue what they were for.Finally, word of mouth. Everyone that knows me knows about UA. As with all of our sports, we are the best envoys for UA in general. This is just something that has been getting under my skin since I've moved back to the area. We want UA to continue growing but we aren't doing a very good job of promoting UA.

You are missing an obvious and inexpensive solution to your problem............................refrigerator magnets!!That's right, little brightly colored magnetic pieces with all the great things you want to say about the University printed right on them, and every time someone goes to the fridge to get a can of beer or what not, what do they see? Good things about the UofA, and since they are getting one of their basic needs (food) satisfied while reading the messages on the fridge magnets they will be unconsciously formulating a positive psychological bond between food and the UofA which will make the message on the magnets even more powerful than they would be without the psychological boost. This is definitely a win-win situation, and someone should get right on this before those bastards at CSU or K.E.N.T figure it out.

[zip-O-matic]

I'm all in favor of doing the commercials, but the one so far has sucked. Why? Here's my two cents: Dr. P made it about himself first and the university second. I'm a supporter of Dr. Proenza, but let's face it; he's drawn to the spotlight (and camera and microphone) like a moth to a flame.This was clearly a situation where he should not have put himself front and center but, rather, let the commercial focus on the university itself. I'm sure that I'll get ripped by those among his supporters who, if he beheaded a puppy on live television, would argue what great publicity it was for UofA. The man, however, has an ego and a love of the spotlight. In this instance, it got in the way of what was best for Akron.

[zen]

Dr. P made it about himself first and the university second.

I agree completely. He may not have even done it intentionally, I don't know, but the commercials for years have all done just about the same thing, if I remember. Him sitting on a stool narrating in front of a graphical smörgåsbord of moving video shots. Whether intentional or not, it makes him the center, and the university the backdrop.

[Big Zip]

Is this the first time you've noticed him as the center of the commercials? He has been the focus of the commercials since he got her in 2001. My guess is his ego is just that big. On the flip side it is hard to argue with the results. Attendance continues to go up so maybe they are doing something right. Maybe these commercials appeal to parents who are the people who usually foot the bill. I've got two neighbors who have both decided to go to Akron and it was based off of their visit to the campus. We live 25 minutes from campus and they visited most every college in Ohio and found Akron the most comfortable -- their parents were amazed at what they saw they had no idea until they went.

[Valpo Zip]

Proenza doesn't decide what's in the commercial, we have producers directors and people from the marketing department who do that.Those people are asking him to be in the commercial and he's simply accepting. Other presidents wouldn't appear in the commercials either because they're not comfortable with their acting skills or because they think that their too good to do so.While i agree that seeing him in all our commercials is geting a little old and boring, it is not his fault. The marketing people should come up with new ideas.

[Quickzips]

Personally I've yet to see a commercial for a College or University that doesn't suck. They are all pretty much the same in my experience. Step one, have some narrator talk about all the great things the university has to offer. Step two, show some nice buildings and happy students. Optional step three show some of the more famous alumni. Step four repeat goofy catch slogan and beg people to come to school here. It's the same thing from every college and university from the big time BCS schools right down to the University of Phoenix Online.As for other advertising opportunities, well we definitley leave some to be desired there. It aggravates the hell out of me going down Market and seeing billboards for BG or seeing buses lined with Can't state logo's. Part of the problem is that in general the community just refuses to get behind this University. You aren't going to change that, at least not overnight. The other part of the problem is poor decision making in terms of where to allocate advertising dollars. I love the big "Roo Town" banner on the practice facility, but is that really helping us out more than a bunch of smaller billboards spread throughout NEOhio for the same amount of money would have? I think not. As far as LP taking the lead in some of the commercials, I have no problem with it. He's well spoken, passionate about the University and he doesn't look hideous on camera. I've seen and heard a lot worse from spokesmen.

[zip-O-matic]

I've seen some pretty good ones. The two that spring to mind are the Michigan commercial with the Apollo capsule orbiting the moon while playing Hail to the Victors and the Ohio State [ducks to avoid hurled bottles, rocks and tomatoes] commercial that featured an actor portraying a young Roy Lichtenstein dreaming about his future. Of course you have to have had an all-alumni moon mission or one of the most influential artists of the 20th century on your alumni lists to make those ideas work.My point, however, is that there are more catchy high-impact ways to advertise the university above and beyond putting the President in front of the camera to recite a quick couple of "points of pride." UA needs to think bigger. Think more like Leo Burnett and less like some local ad shop.

[zen]

UA needs to think bigger. Think more like Leo Burnett and less like some local ad shop.

The ironic thing is, you get some small marketing group, or even some students in marketing and advertising, and the first thing they do is try to emulate the big dog professionals. They get nifty editing gadgets like multilayer chroma animation and instead of coming up with a better way to get the message across, they slap the University president in front of a parallax montage of videos and think "see, we can make something that has professional looking effects and not cheesy like ed mullinax's car ads"

[Zipsrifle]

I guess I never put much thought into LP being on camera, but now that you mention it, he is the center of every commercial. I can't say if it is his ego or if it is the producers, but at least he is well spoken. I too think the Roo Town banner is awesome, but for it's size, it's not in a good location.

[zip-O-matic]

I guess I never put much thought into LP being on camera, but now that you mention it, he is the center of every commercial. I can't say if it is his ego or if it is the producers, but at least he is well spoken. I too think the Roo Town banner is awesome, but for it's size, it's not in a good location.

I agree that he's well spoken. He is, after all, a university president. My point is that for some 17 year old 30 ACT kid, there's no impact or connection in listening to Dr. P run down a couple of points of pride in a 30 second spot, regardless of any cool graphics that are utilized. Those Michigan and Ohio State spots that I mentioned above really drive home a message--come here and be something special! And they do it in very creative ways. What can Akron do to reach through the tv and grab the attention of some honors student who might not think of considering Akron and get him to take the next step and check out the university's website or wikipedia article or ask his counselor about the school.Who is our most famous alumnus? Who is our most prominent faculty member? These are things that should be highlighted. Now, I don't know if the current commercials are the result of Dr. P's ego or the result of the producers' lack of imagination. Just saying, we could do better.

[Quickzips]

I guess I never put much thought into LP being on camera, but now that you mention it, he is the center of every commercial. I can't say if it is his ego or if it is the producers, but at least he is well spoken. I too think the Roo Town banner is awesome, but for it's size, it's not in a good location.

I agree that he's well spoken. He is, after all, a university president. My point is that for some 17 year old 30 ACT kid, there's no impact or connection in listening to Dr. P run down a couple of points of pride in a 30 second spot, regardless of any cool graphics that are utilized. Those Michigan and Ohio State spots that I mentioned above really drive home a message--come here and be something special! And they do it in very creative ways. What can Akron do to reach through the tv and grab the attention of some honors student who might not think of considering Akron and get him to take the next step and check out the university's website or wikipedia article or ask his counselor about the school.Who is our most famous alumnus? Who is our most prominent faculty member? These are things that should be highlighted. Now, I don't know if the current commercials are the result of Dr. P's ego or the result of the producers' lack of imagination. Just saying, we could do better.

I think it's a little unrealistic to think that ANY 30 second spot is going to grab the attention of a 17 year old w/ a 30 on the ACT. The best spot in the country may only do enough for the kid to go online later and look up a little bit of information on the school. Which brings me to another point. Our website is a total joke. The mainpage hasn't changed other than the picture on the side in the 6 years since I was a 17 year old looking at colleges. The site is not user friendly by any means. Information is strewn about with no real logic or order and a lot of it is insufficient to describe what it is that someone is looking for. Above any other advertising campaign we might be able to do. Getting the University website at least on par with what a good site should look like would do wonders for this institution.

[Zipsrifle]

Yea, good point on the website. It hasn't changed in years! I agree, something more exciting should be put there, like an intro video or something. Then, if you want to skip that intro, just link to the next page.

[ZipAlumn]

Gee ... I kinda like that "refrigerator magnet idea". Maybe then we can really spend some money and go to yardsticks and and lighted pens. :rolleyes:

[gozips19]

Dr. Proenza, for better or worse is the face of the university. many schools could come up with better slogans but few have such a recognizable face as Akron does. As for the university showing new buildings and happy students......that is what most colleges do with their ads. i tend to think it was necessary for the university to show case how the campus has been transformed. many hadn't a clue that so much had changed and some still don't. and as for billboard's i see electric ads for the university all the time in ne ohio and see running ad's inside the Q during all cavs games. would i like to see more advertising by the university? sure, but what they are doing must be working as enrollment is increasing yearly while other state schools decrease. simply look back to 7-10 years ago and think to how the university was perceived and how much advertising there was and we can all agree how much the school has come in such a short time frame.

[zen]

I think it's a little unrealistic to think that ANY 30 second spot is going to grab the attention of a 17 year old w/ a 30 on the ACT.

I had a 29 on the ACT and have two degrees from UA. Does that count?I didn't go here because of ads though. Your point holds.

The best spot in the country may only do enough for the kid to go online later and look up a little bit of information on the school. Which brings me to another point. Our website is a total joke.

The website falls victim to the same mentality as the television ads; the bureaucratic in-the-box safety dance.As soon as someone sticks there neck out at a meeting and proposes something even slightly different, it gets knocked down. We don't want to........... take your pick........ it could be any of a million excuses. We don't want to.... make parents think we are not a serious school. We don't want to look like an unprofessional academic institution. We don't want to put off this demographic or that demographic. blah blah blah. So what you end up with is standard boiler-plate corporate tone-neutral output.

[zippyrifle32]

I think it's a little unrealistic to think that ANY 30 second spot is going to grab the attention of a 17 year old w/ a 30 on the ACT.

I had a 29 on the ACT and have two degrees from UA. Does that count?I didn't go here because of ads though. Your point holds.

and i had a 32... but the main draw for me was rifle and the honors college because we sure as hell don't get akron ads out west. as for the website, i really like our website. it may seem boring but it is easy to navigate. compared to other colleges, i'll take a less fancy easy to use site than something flushy that's also confusing. the pictures on the side do change and some are from just last year.

[zen]

lol, akrun haz smert pplz!

[Big Zip]

Are either of you high ACT grads available to spell check the rowdies signs next year?