Heather Lynch
In your commute to work or as you walk across campus, maybe you’ve noticed some striking recruitment ads. They are part of the University’s first-ever integrated advertising campaign for the recruitment of both undergraduate and graduate students.
While the University had previously undertaken undergraduate recruitment through advertisements, this is the first time it has tried an integrated approach that also targets graduate students. This new approach responds to the University’s objective of increasing its number of graduate student registrations by one third, as set out in Vision 2010.
The undergraduate campaign, which uses the tag line, “Here, I invest in myself” and “It Starts Here” for the graduate campaign presented a number of challenges,” said Marketing Service Director Paul Boult.
“First of all, we knew that key undergraduate recruitment material in circulation had an additional life span of one year, and consequently, we had to ensure that all new promotional material was in line with these products. Secondly, we had to create a consistent look and feel for the two campaigns," explained Boult. In addition, the campaign had to promote tailored messages for undergraduate audiences in various geographical locations,” said Boult.
“Most high school students are already looking beyond their undergraduate experience. They see themselves in graduate programs in their field of choice. Consequently from an
undergraduate recruitment perspective, promoting possibilities for graduate studies is a very wise strategy for the University,” added François Chapleau, associate vice-president of Strategic Enrollment Management and registrar.
Not only did this campaign require a great deal of creativity in its development but also in its delivery. With Montreal identified as a target market for potential graduate students, the University decided to concentrate its efforts in four subway stations, with particular attention paid to those with high-volume student traffic, McGill and Berri-UQAM. The Montreal campaign, which includes ceiling-high banners, floor panels, billboards and advertisements inside trains, will run until March.
Isabelle Légaré, Marketing Service's manager of advertising and media buying, viewed the recruitment posters in Montreal.
The University is also aggressively pushing to recruit graduate students through university newspapers in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. Additional means of promotion for both campaigns include radio, television, movie theatres, bus boards, bus shelters and Internet advertisements, as well as classroom posters.
“The University of Ottawa, a leading research university, offers its graduate students one of the best financial packages in all of Canada. This is unfortunately a well-kept secret, especially in Quebec where the tuition fee issue has a different history. It is time that we spread the news,” said Gary Slater, dean, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
With the objective of raising awareness of uOttawa as a premier destination for undergraduate and graduate students, this bold new campaign is only one key element in the complex execution of the University’s student recruitment strategy. The campaign was developed in close collaboration with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Strategic Enrollment Management.
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