Stephen Ferst lists advertising channels and message repetition for study abroad
Ferst says CSI uses every outlet available, including Instagram, Facebook, mailers, posters, fairs, email, EAB Navigate, and text systems. He says they aim to tell students 15 times in 10 different ways that they can study abroad, competing against commercial advertising while keeping academics central.
I can answer for my campus.
If there's an outlet, we're using it.
Instagram, Facebook, MySpace.
We're using Muse.
We're using, you know, we're using mailers.
We're using posters.
We're using fairs on campus.
We're using email.
We're using EAB Navigate.
We're using Rave if they let it.
Let's use the text system.
You name it, we will use it.
We are of the opinion, you know, the old adage was what you had to tell somebody something five times in three different ways.
We go for 15 in 10 different ways, right?
We feel that our students need to constantly hear this message and hear it from the beginning.
And hear it from day one or even before that, that they hear that they can do this.
And that's our message.
You can do this.
One of the things that's always interesting about advertising and study abroad is you're competing against Coca-Cola and Sprite and the latest movie, and you're competing against Flash, and you're competing against things.
But you're trying to sell an academic program.
You have to sell it both as exciting and fun.
But you have to make sure that you hold dear to the academics on it.
And that makes it tricky.
It's maybe a little bait and switch.
Get a student super interested in going to an exciting place, and then when they get there, make them study.
And they can find Coca-Cola and Sprite abroad, too.
That's what we say.
I hope you say that.