More Than Brains, Phoenix University
By Kyle Danielson
I found an article on Adweek about a recent ad campaign from Phoenix University that features a TV ad with the song “If I only had a brain” from The Wizard of Oz. The ad is titled, “More Than Brains” and features various students determinedly working hard and studying despite their difficult positions in life.
Why? The reason for this ad is because Phoenix University has recently been dealing with problems regarding the legitimacy of their university. They have been known to take advantage of veterans, leave students with lots of debt, and these students don’t have the proper jobs to repay this debt. The University has lost both a bunch of shareholder value and enrollment has dropped to 200,000. This campaign is attempting to shed a positive light on the University, reminding people that you can get a degree through them even if you have other life issues to deal with that keep you from being a full time student.
Who? As I mentioned above, the Ad is meant to target people who have other things going on in their life that prohibit them from being a full time student. With Phoenix, you can take online classes that are more flexible for your busy schedule.
What? Phoenix produced a TV Ad that showcased people in various difficult situations, showing that life can be difficult and these people persevered through studying/working hard and it had a rendition of the song from the Wizard of Oz “If I only had a brain” playing in the background. The benefit of using a paid TV ad in this campaign was that a whole bunch of people saw it, I know I saw it at least 30 times throughout the course of the Olympics this Summer. Using paid and TV was a great way to reach a whole bunch of people. Gives a value of social value or education.
Where? The Ad was broadcast on TV and I believe it was from the Top-Down model. Started with a big TV Ad and was extended through social media assistance.
The brand purpose of Phoenix is to get you a degree (and ultimately a good job) no matter how crazy your life may be. They made this ad because there hasn’t been the best public perception of their brand as of late.
(Phoenix University, TV, Paid, Social Value, Education)
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