Marketing is important, and I see a couple of opportunities for the University to create some entertaining advertisements.
In one such advertisement, a bunch of the school’s important figures are in a meeting, but the meeting is delayed because the school’s mascot is missing from the table. The commercial then turns to Rocky the Yellowjacket hovering over a spilled Pepsi on the sidewalk in front of Rush Rhees.This works in other ways as well because both UR and Pepsi are being advertised; everybody wins.
The next commercial features UR President Joel Seligman at his desk. He is filling out paperwork but is soon flustered by a bee floating
around his head. He hears a knock on the door, but doesn’t glance at the individual by the door until he brutally kills the bee that was flying around his head. He picks his face up to and sees Rocky, who then gives Seligman a blank stare and leaves the room.
One tactic businesses use to market their product is to acquire a celebrity endorsement. I think the best fit for the school is Lance Armstrong. The reason I say this is because I couldn’t think of any individual who better exemplifies the school’s motto, “Ever Better,” more than Lance Armstrong. The guy never lets the truth get to him, or get out of him.
Lastly, the school should host a human Iditarod race across campus. In other words, instead of having dogs pull humans,
humans pull a human on a sled. It should become a tradition at the school and should be treated as seriously as an Olympic events. Winners get their name engraved on the back of the George Eastman statue and are featured on the front page of the CT. A mandate will then make it required for every student to attend the race.
To strengthen the school’s image, the University should provide pamphlets for every student to give to their friends back home. Within the packet is one of those “find the differences in the picture” games but one photo is of the RIT logo and the other is the UR logo. This way, the school can emphasize that UR exists and it is not synonymous with RIT.
Horgan is a member of
the class of 2017.
