Integrated advertising campaign at Manitoba... and Minnesota
This Monday's Link of the Week email featured the 17 student and alumni blogs used as the destination point for a new fall branding campaign at the University of Manitoba. Pictures and introductions to those who blog are at http://www.itsmyfuture.ca/index.html
Yesterday Lori Yarchuk, marketing manager, public affairs at the University, wrote that images for the print, transit, and billboard advertising that supports the campaign are also online for your viewing pleasure. You'll find 3 transit ads, 3 billboard ads, and 4 print ads. Each one features a person who is also blogging on the website. See them at http://www.itsmyfuture.ca/campaign.html
What amazes me most about this is how rare it is. University of Minnesota was featured in a Link of the Week back in November 2006 for the "We Are All Search Engines" campaign. The components of that extraordinary program are available at http://www.brand.umn.edu/discover/howItUnfolds/index.php
But more typical than what Manitoba and Minnesota are doing are the full-page ads that I see in The NY Times Magazine on many Sundays.
- Colleges and universities pay rather large sums for placement in addition to creative (and maybe even a touch of research?) and then leave behind a URL to the front page of the website.
- Assuming that the print ad indeed has impact, how much better it would be to enhance it with a link to special content on the website that expands upon and reinforces the theme of the ad. And in that way, begin to measure the ROI of the expense.
No, it isn't absolutely necessary to do this. The print advertising itself might have an impact. But in this age of mixed media, it truly seems a shame that more people don't take the time and make the extra investment to plan a more intergrated effort.
Congratulations to Manitoba. And to Minnesota. And to anyone else who is thinking about a similar integrated campaign.