Here is this year's version of the BC commercial that will play during every televised sporting event during the 2009-2010 school year. It continues the theme of the past few years of personal anecdotes from members of the BC community. Take a look and tell me what you think.
I teach at Boston College"
I understand the importance of sharing all the unique things there are to Boston College, but sometimes I think we take ourselves too seriously in these spots. Would it kill our marketing momentum to go with a more general ad on occasion that showed quick glimpses of BC in a compelling and inviting spot?
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If my college decision came down to the commercials I see during football games, BC would not have been in the running. Our spots are genuinely uninspiring unless you are a bookworm, which isn't the market that spends saturday afternoons watching sports...
Yawn. Nothing particularly exciting there, and the giant glare off of John Gallaugher's head was distracting.
This is standard fare for most schools. I struggle to recall any school's ad that got me particularly excited. I'd like to see more BC ads featuring athletic clips and appearances by celebrity alumni. I'm superficial like that. Also, how about some exciting computer-generated images of the future Brighton property, which essentially will double the square acreage of the main campus?
Interesting that the chose Gallagher.
I was in his class when 9/11 was happening. I remember this because while other classes were being let out, he kept us in, and proceeded to talk about the Sabre system used to reserve seats on airlines...
The site says:
"The video premiered on Saturday, September 5 during the BC-Northeastern game."
I was watching on ESPN360 and didn't see it.
What are the Top 3 things students look for in applying to a school?
Does this video address those issues? One of the biggest draws is the campus. When I took my daughter for a visit 7/2000, she fell in love with BC the moment we drove thru the main entrance and past Gasson. Still remember the look on her face as I watched her, using the rear view mirror.
Nice closing shot between the trees, but some nice helicopter shots (a la Magnum PI) and a walkthru using a SteadyCam on a split screen while the teacher is speaking could be an attention grabber, IMHO.
In you humble opinion...
I agree that this commercial is a little too serious. I prefer last years commercial with Matty Ice.
I'M COPPING TWO!!! I'M B!!!
I'll wait until I get home to watch this, but in past years my friends and I have made countless jokes about these ads. "I found a cure for my dad's cancer and won a Nobel peace prize...and that was just in my freshman year!"
Lame commercial. All there is to it
Luckily BC doesn't need to advertise. But if they do get 30-second spots during football games, I'd like to see a political style smear campaign against BU.
Clemson at Georgia Tech tomorrow night - should give us an idea of what we are facing in two weeks.
Thanks for getting us back on track, BJK.
I'll be watching that one too.
It's still better than the Kenny Chesney clips during every freakin' game. I was on the fence about KC, but not I find myself really hating him and it's only week 1!
The new BC spot is misguided, however well-intentioned--it drops the ball because it highlights Gallaugher's rap and the pix in the piece are not BC product focused. One still shot of students and then alot of weird EFX shots of little kids and Gallaugher mugging at the camera. Who writes this stuff? Who buys it and thinks it's competitive with a Stanford or a G'Town? BC needs to sell its school spirit and its academic facilities and beautiful campus, and action shots of kids on campus being alive and happy at BC--That's what sells a 21st century college in a rough economy--not a cyber PhD. with a cryptic message and still shots of mystery tykes that don't create pop or buzz about the place. It's flat and fails to do what college spot should do--create ID.
What if there was a commercial that just flashed a slide show:
1. Gasson Tower
2. Mike McLaughlin hurding a Terp blocker
3. Al Skinner in an Eastern Clothing suit
4. A Reilly Burger at Eagles Deli
5. A dollar draft at the Avenue
6. A donkey in a cubicle at PWC
7. An old fart wearing a green "Ireland" sweater yelling at people in Alumni to sit down
8. A Sallie Mae bill
The realistic approach
The ad is bad -- punchless and boring.
But it is also pathetic that B-O-S-T-O-N College must talk about its great contacts with technologies leaders in California, China and India. Did they forget about technology leaders in Massachusetts -- which include many, many BC grads, e.g. EMC, or has BC concluded that important connections to Mass tech leaders belongs only to M.I.T. and Harvard!
I just wanted to add that I took the class mentioned in the commercial and it was the best class I took at BC and Gallaugher was a very good professor.
While a great class, I do agree that focusing a full commercial on it is not the most effective way to recruit future BCers.
Stick to the basics of what made BC a great college experience. Education, Sports and Well Rounded People.
Erik's commercial seemed pretty good although I'd replace Al Skinner with a Jared Dudley pick/video.
Erik,
Numbers 6, 7, and 8...good stuff. Ha.
How about a shot of a Chinese kid in his new mercedes?
Somewhere in there perhaps a shot of a Syracuse player scoring again in the '04 game. With a caption of "almost."
Almost G'town. Almost Stanford. Almost a BCS team.
Just kidding. Kind of.
Re: foreigner w/ German car....
You said it not me.
I'd like to post an apology to Professor Gallaugher.
It was a different professor whose class I was in during 9/11. I still see his face when I think of the memories of that awful day, but I've been shown some very convincing evidence that it wasn't (and couldn't) have been him, but rather a different professor whose name I won't throw under the bus.
So my apologies to the professor for a case of mistaken identity, and any annoyance or harm it caused.
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