By Jacqueline Hlavenka

Across campus, sharp arrows, bold colors and smiling, engaged faces are broadcasted on the Hofcast, in the A section of The New York Times and on billboards, projecting a university-wide message to current and prospective students to “Find Your Edge.” The brand-new “edge,” part of the University’s advertising campaign, encapsulates the ambitious nature of students, faculty and alumni that make up the community, allowing students to choose their own version of success, according to Melissa Connolly, vice president of University Relations.

“We wanted to do something that described Hofstra in a unique and accessible way, but also communicated what we felt was a very real excitement on campus,” said Connolly. The idea for the “Find Your Edge” campaign began last year and was a multi-step, cooperative process among University Relations and marketing and creative groups who designed the eye-catching advertisements for the fall semester. “All colleges and universities at this point do a lot of marketing in order to get their message out there,” said Connolly, expressing the University’s focus on research and cooperative communication. After evaluating three different advertising agencies, Media Logics, an Albany-based firm, became the University’s choice for the new ad campaign. Aside from working with higher education projects, Media Logic’s portfolio also covers healthcare and other institutional based ads. “We wanted someone who understood the unique markets and challenges of higher education, but someone that had the experience but could also bring the practices of other industries,” said Connolly. Competing with a number of other New York based institutions like Adelphi, SUNY Stony Brook and New York University, the University focuses its drive on market and field research from students. Focus groups were created through the University Relations department, conducting telephone and Internet based surveys about the general atmosphere of the University experience. “We do alumni outcome tracking, student satisfaction surveys, both through focus groups and survey data, and we have bench-marketing surveys that track people’s awareness of Hofstra in the marketplace,” said Connolly. Ten different focus groups were chosen through a scientific random sample based on University alumni. Connolly stressed that the alumni chosen were not the students “who always come to everything,” but the students that may have never been back to campus. After two months of research, the consensus from applicants called the University the kind of place where ambitious, hard-working, motivated and energetic people found and focused their true strengths. “It’s the forward movement of the ads, the idea of movement, of people who are always in motion and energetic. This is a place where people define their own success,” said Connolly. Whether that success was becoming a great scholar, a businessman on Wall Street or anything from an actress to an athlete, the strong, simple “edge” advertisements are specific to the individual desires of the University student. “If you look at the various ads online, the photos are focused on someone who is actively engaged in activity. You can always see activity going on around them, but you can always see that single face of someone living and experiencing, and who themselves are moving,” said Connolly. The students featured in the advertisements were mostly student ambassadors or student orientation leaders found on campus over the summer. This semester, University students were able to apply to be featured on the ads. For $10 an hour, many students signed up to have their faces all over campus. “It’s better than seeing people you’ve never met before. It makes me feel like we really are a part of Hofstra,” said Chelsea Chrowstowski, a sophomore drama major featured in the ad campaign. Other students are responding positively to the layout, design and message of advertisements themselves. “I think the new ad design is a wonderful makeover, having real students on such campaigns, rather than students who have graduated are more appealing to perspective students and their families,” said Sejal Thakkar, an ambassador in Bernon Hall. “That is what families are looking for, when they come to take the campus tours. Personable, and diverse campus, apart from wide range undergraduate programs offered.” As SAT scores continue to rise, a growing interest in the University community makes October the perfect time to launch this new campaign, especially when high school seniors are narrowing down their college choices. Along with the “edge” videos and posters around campus, the University has also reached out to advertise in national publications such as The New York Times and U.S. News and World Report magazine. By increasing the publicity of the University, sophomore Susie Wheeler said that she thinks it might draw more students to campus.

“The student body here is the most academically successful group we’ve ever had. We’ve already seen more interest in our fall open house,” said Connolly.

However, Wheeler added that there are other places such as dorms that could benefit from the money spent on the advertisements.

“I honestly don’t even notice the ads,” Wheeler said. “Why can’t the University spend that money on our suite and stuff?”

Senior Jon Hanford said that he also thinks the new campaign is a waste. “It seems like a pretty silly campaign to be spending so much effort and money on.”

On Nov. 1, a University “edge” ad ran on a quarter page of the New York Times Metro Section. According to their media kit guide, the NYT column inch rate for New York regional distribution is upwards of $500 for advertisements for educational institutions. The ad covered 30 and one half column inches. Multiplied by a conservative estimate of the column inch rate the University paid, the cost would be more than $15,000 to run the ad.

Two weeks before, the University ran a full-page colored ad in U.S. News. According to their media kit, a four-color ad in the metro edition of New York costs $19,492, a hefty price tag, but only slightly less than the amount the University receives from one full-time undergraduate student each year.

As repeat advertisers however, the University may have received even cheaper advertising rates because of the negotiations that take place before the final cost is evaluated.

“Sure they make the campus pretty, but I think that’s too much money not truly helping the student body,” Wheeler said.

Hofstra Goes on the Move with “Edge” Campaign