Many universities are using the exposure from their football teams playing in bowl games to advertise their brands. Most universities have an ad spot highlighting the strengths of their campus programs. With these spots, they are attempting to present their brand identity to prospective students and contributors.
UC Berkeley showed this commercial at halftime of the 2009 Poinsettia Bowl between Cal and Utah. They do a good job and creating an impact that matches their identity.
As a prospective student or contributor, how would this video advertisement impact you?
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Tom,
I scanned over your writings and then watched the video, without noticing the name of the school was written above. As I watched the video, I thought to myself this seems to be an advertisement for a classic, well founded University that really believes that its foundation lies on education. When I saw the name of the school at the end of the video, I felt like my own personal perception of Berkley matched the video perfectly! I don’t know if this was an appropriate commercial to play during a football game but I do think that it does a create job of representing Berkley’s brand.
Kristen Simsek
Kristen,
Thank you for the comment! UC Berkeley does a fantastic job with accurately translating brand identity into brand image because they understand who they are. They position their strengths (reputation, results) and stay away from potential weaknesses (cost, politics).
Initially, I always thought these academic commercials didn’t fit the football game setting either. However, viewership of college football is extremely high (Rose Bowl garnered a 10% share on New Years Day) and college football is extremely popular among the coveted 18-49 group.
Tom Simpkins
It is also interesting how the NCAA advertises during collegiate sporting events to showcase that its’ BRAND is more than athletics. The common theme of the NCAA commercials is developing student athletes into workplace professionals. The ads end with some version of the phrase, “There are over 380,000 NCAA student-athletes and just about all of them will be going pro in something other than sports.”
Thanks Kevin.
I wish we would hear more individual stories about NCAA athletes who successfully juggle their athletic schedules while absorbing the curriculum that translates into a successful workplace career. Academic All-Americans is a start. Maybe we need to hear your story.
On a different note, I really like the NCAA’s brand identity statement:
“Learning. Balance. Spirit. Community. Fair play. Character.
These are the attributes that the NCAA promotes through its branding initiative.”