A new advertising campaign launched this past summer uses a multimedia approach to reach out to prospective students and their parents with messages about the benefits of choosing Conestoga, Ontario’s fastest growing college.
The campaign is focused on the theme: "What you do here…counts out there."
"The slogan works because it covers just about everything we do here at the college," said Paul Osborne, executive director of marketing at Conestoga. "Our many co-op and work placements give our students the skills to begin exciting new careers. Then, after entering the workforce, people use our Continuing Education programs to improve their careers and life in general."
The ads feature actual faculty members, current students and alumni, and promote Conestoga as a college that connects life and learning by preparing students with the practical knowledge and hands-on skills to succeed in the real world.
Candi Pusey and Leanna Boyd, who graduated from Conestoga's advertising program in May, saw that practical knowledge pay off recently, when they received first place honours for an advertising project they submitted to Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Canada’s largest trade and industry association.
Pusey, who appears in some of the ads, said: "What you do at Conestoga prepares you for life, your career, and even your relationships."
While prospective students aged 18 to 24 are the primary targets of the campaign, it is also geared toward the parents of prospective students, who Osborne described as "the greatest influencers in a student’s post-secondary decision."
The campaign, produced with the support of local media partners, includes TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, transit shelter, and social media advertisements. It covers Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, and surrounding areas, and is scheduled to run through the end of March 2012.
A series of eight TV commercials will air on CTV and several radio spots will be rotated on stations including CHYM-FM, KOOL-FM, The Beat FM, K-FUN FM, and CKGL-AM in the tri-cities, and MAGIC-FM and CJOY-AM in Guelph.
By using various radio stations, Osborne hopes to reach both of the campaign’s target audiences. "By advertising on The Beat, we are hitting the younger demographic, but while advertising on KOOL-FM or 570 News, we are hitting the parents."
Many of the ads also incorporate social media and feature the logos of popular websites including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Google+.
The bus shelter ads include a unique QR (Quick Response) code, which can be scanned by a mobile device and will direct you to a YouTube testimonial for the college.
To watch the campaign’s testimonials, or Connect with Conestoga on Facebook.
Story by Ryan Bowman, a first-year student in Conestoga’s Journalism-Print program.