This week, we completed two direct mailers. After listening and conducting our own marketing research on student living options at OU, it was our chance to promote the OU Residential Colleges to two target audiences. When beginning to design my direct mailers, I realized I'm really going to have to tailor each one to the audience I'm choosing. The first persona I target is freshmen students currently living in the dorms. These students are not in Greek life, but have Greek friends and are worried they will get forgotten when all of their friends move into their fraternity and sorority houses. That being said, the freshmen want to get involved and create relationships with many other people on campus. That's why the OU Residential Colleges are perfect for them. My second target audience are the parents of a freshman student at OU. Both of these parents would have raised their child to be "Sooner born and Sooner bred," and love everything about the University of Oklahoma. These parents will be the ones paying for their child to go to college, as well as funding their child's living arrangements. I see their child as a first born; they want them to succeed, feel comfortable, get good grades and have some limitations on the "fun" in the college life. That's why the OU Residential Colleges are the perfect option. My freshman-directed direct mailer uses pathos. By saying their home "awaits," and explaining the "intimate relationships" they will have with those around them on the back, college freshmen will feel much more comfortable and persuaded to look into the OU Residential Colleges. I included a call to action (filling out an application and following OU Residential Colleges on social media) on the back, so they could see that OU wants people like them in their colleges. The design is meant to be thought-provoking and make the freshman feel wanted. My parent-directed mailer pulls at the "legacy" heartstrings. By showing parents that their child will be taken care of and have additional help socially and educationally, parents will love the idea of the OU Residential Colleges. I included several pictures of the colleges on this direct mailer, because when I chose my living arrangements this year, my mother wanted to see several pictures of the apartment I chose to live in. It was easy to make this mailer for me, as I know the things my parents would like to know. This direct mailer is very visual, but it also explains to parents why the OU Residential Colleges are the best bet for their children. Although these designs were extremely frustrating to make, the process was worth it. Putting in time after class will help me finalize my product on Thursday in class. I'm excited to see the final product!
I will say, though, I prefer Adobe InDesign over Photoshop.
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