Going to college gets the hard sell

Two years ago, Kentuckians got a pep talk every time they watched a TV ad where a goofy guy tries to climb up an escalator that’s going down: to reach new heights in life, it suggested, change course and go back to school.

Kentucky created posters and banners as part of its "Go Higher Kentucky" campaign.
Council on Postsecondary Education

This year, Tennesseans are watching the same goofy guy, but key elements in the ad have changed. A feminine voiceover has replaced a masculine one, and the language now aims to get a school-age crowd to aim for college.

In a bid to boost college enrollment rates, states are sniffing out low-cost ways to get their people off the couch and into admissions offices. Pooling ad content for other states to adapt, for instance, can make a $100,000 ad available for only about $20,000.

Creative cost-saving and alternative financing measures are in the works as states recover from budget cuts that have hampered efforts to do "college access marketing." Skeptics question tactics and costs, but supporters seem convinced that ads can help inspire pivotal life choices for the better.

"Every time we ran an ad, we saw requests for information spike," says James Applegate, vice president for academic affairs at the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. And at least some callers apparently followed through: since the effort began in 1998, enrollment in Kentucky postsecondary education has climbed 25%.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Special for USA TODAY

Full Story: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2005-08-30-college-marketing_x.htm