What appears to be a new MBA recruitment campaign for McGill University's Desautels Faculty of Management began with a quarter-page black & white ad in yesterday's Globe & Mail. The ad emphasizes "a world-class reputation, a beautiful downtown campus and the endless attractions of Canada's most exciting town," and clearly targets a twentysomething crowd with silhouettes of young people dancing behind the Montreal skyline. The headline cheekily observes, "You'll have too much work to go out, but at least you'll wish you could." McGill MBA Program
Comments
A bold approach, more like
A bold approach, more like an iPod ad than a typical MBA ad. The "selling proposition" seems very focused -- what our applicant studies call "cultural offerings of the community." Considering Desautels' major competitors for MBA programs are also typically in vibrant urban centres like Toronto, Vancouver, or Calgary, I have to assume this ad is targetting Queen's (in much more sedate Kingston Ontario) or UWO's Ivey (in London Ontario). Is that how it strikes others? (Please comment below)
Ken Steele
Senior Vice-President, Education Marketing
ken@academica.ca | 1.866.922.8636 ext. 205
Interesting - I'm surprised
Interesting - I'm surprised that they chose the Globe & Mail for an ad of this flavour, since it seems to be targeting younger MBA applicants... maybe 22-26 year olds read the Globe & Mail, but I doubt it (Google News is more likely). I suppose for that younger demographic, part of McGill's unique value proposition is the Montreal culture and nightlife. But I can't imagine a 30+ year old applicant with a wife and kids caring much about city nightlife, and my guess is that's who will actually be seeing this ad in print.
I'd venture to say that this
I'd venture to say that this ad (and its placement in the G&M) is more about establishing a unique identity for the school than the practical needs of increasing recruitment numbers. It remains to be seen if the school's subsequent ads in the same campaign supports this key message of "aspiring business people with a hip, vibrant life outside of working 80 hours a week"
Brian
The Mcgill ad strikes me as
The Mcgill ad strikes me as pulling its punches - ie it wants to sell Montreal as a destination but doesn't want to be crticized for promoting a party lifesltyle so it says you'll be too busy to enjoy it. so why bother? might as well go to Queens. On the other hand, if Montreal is such a party town, why not go to Concordia's Molson School of Business - maybe you'll get time to party there. All seems a bit off-brand for one of the world's top universities.
Agreed - this to me looks
Agreed - this to me looks like a case of confused positioning.
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