University of Windsor goes national with ad campaign
Full page colour ads running in national newspapers combine fundraising with promotion
The University of Windsor has been running full page, full colour national advertisements in newspapers such as The Globe and Mail to try and increase its profile while also raising funds as part of its latest campaign.
While the stated goal of the campaign is to attract money from alumni and other potential donors, the University is also hoping that recruitment and enrolment get a boost from the glossy advertisements.
"It's the first time we've done a broad, really comprehensive [campaign]," said university president Alan Wildeman.
Branding between the fundraising campaign, dubbed "Place of Promise," is closely tied to the slogan used to directly target potential students. That branding, "Promise @ uwindsor.ca," is a familiar site on campus.
According to Wildeman, targeting publications and audiences outside of the student demographic is critical.
"If you're a parent, a decision-maker helping a young person decide where to go, I think you want to know that the university they're looking at has some really exciting things going on, " said Wildeman.
University administrators said the money and donations brought in by the marketing campaign exceed the costs to produce and place the advertisements. Vincent Georgie, a marketing professor with the university, echoes that.
Ads 'pay off on numerous fronts'
"Any university has to invest in its fundraising activities. There's no question at all. They pay off on numerous fronts. They pay off on fundraising fronts. They pay off in student enrolments and application. They pay off in partnership opportunities with different organizations, different institutions," said Georgie.
The university's budget documents for 2016-2017 indicate that the school projects the number of potential future students in the counties surrounding Windsor will go down in coming years. Part of the university's goal in advertising in national media is to make sure Windsor is kept in mind as a choice for those in areas with more young people.
According to Georgie, this is critical to keep in mind.
"In Southwestern Ontario, we're hearing so much about the University of Windsor and things that we're doing," said Georgie. "It's always important to make sure for so many of our alumni and future alumni in the GTA that they're reminded of what we're up to."
When targeting both current and potential future students directly, the university said it relies on digital advertisements and tactics such as advertising in movie trailers before summer blockbuster films, along with on campus billboards.