Advertising UND

[bincitysioux]

UND: Ads target new audience

Some North Dakota and Twin Cities readers may have run into UND where they didn't expect it last week: smack in the middle of Time magazine.

Beginning about 18 months ago, the school started running occasional full-page "image ads" advertisements touting the school's accomplishments in research funding and national rankings in North Dakota editions of several leading national magazines, including Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated and U.S. News and World Report.

Some were just discussing this subject yesterday in the UND President thread.

[bincitysioux]

This weekend, I saw a full page ad for UND in the Sept. 8 issue of Sports Illustrated. I don't know how that stuff works, if it was a truly national advertising campaign, or if SI breaks down its distribution to different regions so this maybe was just a "upper midwest" issue. Just thought it was kind of neat to see.

[LeftyZL]

This weekend, I saw a full page ad for UND in the Sept. 8 issue of Sports Illustrated. I don't know how that stuff works, if it was a truly national advertising campaign, or if SI breaks down its distribution to different regions so this maybe was just a "upper midwest" issue. Just thought it was kind of neat to see.

Where do you live? I live in Duluth, MN. I had to re-look through my issue and there wasn't an advertisement in mine about UND.

[The Sicatoka]

So who is this campaign targetted at?

Sorry, but I don't see many prospective students reading Time, Newsweek, and US News. (I'll give you SI.)

Why not target what prospective students read?

Wait. Do they read? Oh, ... yes, ... they read something.

So, how do you send out a massive text message campaign? :lol:

[siouxjoy]

So who is this campaign targetted at?

Sorry, but I don't see many prospective students reading Time, Newsweek, and US News. (I'll give you SI.)

Why not target what prospective students read?

Wait. Do they read? Oh, ... yes, ... they read something.

So, how do you send out a massive text message campaign? :lol:

Who was the target? Parents.

As far as the texting thing, I don't know if you remember hearing the ads, but there was a campaign using texting a couple years ago. Students could text something like "I belong@UND" to win a Nano.

I like the new print ads (at least the one that was in the insert to the GF Herald this weekend) but am not too fond of the TV ads. To me they look like they were made in-house. I am pretty sure they were done in house, but that doesn't mean they have to look like it. I think if UND is going to kick off their branding campaign (notice how many times you see certain words: "entrepreneurial", "spirited", "research faculty who teach"), I think they should spend the money and have something professionally done.

I hate how everything UND does has to be compared to NDSU, but one thing that is pretty noticable is the rediculous amount of money they have spent on advertising (not just in athletics). Compare their "Ask me" commercials to their "Impact" commercials. The "ask me", while still pretty sharp seem very "local" or amateur compared to the "Impact" commercials.

I know UND uses an outside advertising company for print ads, and I guess I just wish they would spend the dough for television ads, too. Particularly when we get advertising minutes during nationally televised games (I am thinking about the BC/UND hockey game on CSTV last year). There is a point where Studio One doesn't meet the university's needs.

Just my 2 cents, though.