Advertising about Mills College’s programs is increasing the school’s visibility and aiding outreach locally.
One recent campaign involved sponsorship of the KQED public radio fund drive, getting the word about Mills out to vast numbers of people in the Bay Area and to internet radio listeners. The advertising served to both support the important services public radio offers and to raise awareness about Mills. It was a positive move on Mills’ part and was mutually beneficial for both organizations.
Graduate programs have also been highly promoted. They are advertised in trade publications and in some university and local newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle. This is the kind of directed recruitment that many colleges take part in, and it’s good to see Mills keeping up.
This kind of promotion of the college seems effective in informing potential local students about Mills and is an important recruitment tactic. It also reminds people in the local community about Mills’ programs and the resources Mills has to offer.
Both the community relations and admissions departments are doing an excellent job of promoting the college in various ways, as are the individual offices that do their own advertising, like the Women’s Leadership Institute.
Additionally, it’s exciting for students to know that our school is visible and accessible. When we hear ads on the radio or see them in the paper, we can be proud to go to such a venerable institution. Sometimes we are reminded of the reasons we chose Mills. The whole process of recruiting and bringing in new students can boost school spirit and student excitement.
Mostly though, just getting the Mills name out and into the public eye on a regular basis is good for the school. It increases our name recognition and our prestige when more people can say they’ve heard of Mills. This in turn makes us more attractive to prospective students, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
The advertising campaigns the school is running are good, solid ways to spread the word about Mills, and the campaigns seem to be doing a good, solid job.
