Nov. 6, 2001
Taking Full Ad-vantage of Your Opportunities
The University’s Advertising Office Offers Assistance
to Get the Most of Scarce Ad Dollars
By Thomas
Kohout
Now that the heady days of the ’90s, when conspicuous consumption
was all the rage, are behind us, Michael Peter, director of advertising
in the Office of University Relations, wonders why anyone would spend
more for advertising than necessary. Peter heads the three-person department
charged with placing print, broadcast, Internet, and other advertisements
on a local, regional, and national level for any school, department,
or program within the University.
It is a service that for a fee of just 5 percent of the placement cost,
has brought in 95 percent of all advertising at the University. According
to Peter, the sheer volume of the job is exactly why the remaining 5
percent of the University community, or those interested in placing
an ad, should check with him first.
“If you were to go to The Washington Post on your own to
place a three-column by 7 inch ad,” explains Peter, “it would
cost approximately $4,200. I can place that same ad for $3,700.”
The advertisements placed by Peter and advertising specialists John
Carroll and Jessica Lang range from dynamic ads of all sizes in The
Washington Post to billboards on Metro trains to radio spots on
WTOP to banner ads on Web sites.
In most cases the department can save 10–15 percent on an ad, even
without a written contract. While they have contracts in place with
publications such as The Washington Post, The Chronicle of
Higher Education, and the City Paper, the long-standing working
relationship Peter and his staff have developed often garner agency
discounts without a contract, and they can work miracles in the world
of placement. These contacts also give them insight into the best venue
to hit a particular target market. “You don’t necessarily
want to run an ad for a literary symposium in a tech journal,”
jokes Peter, though he has seen ads for other area universities placed
in equally poor venues. “Targeting a specialized market is part
of our job.”
The department works with all types of communication media in an effort
to help promote the University and its many programs. In fact, using
the Web to make unique and negotiable ad purchases has helped GW increase
its visibility in one of the most exciting of all the advertising media.
The department has a contract with washingtonpost.com, a site that boasts
more than 3 million hits each month. In addition, Carroll and Lang offer
ad design and production options, and Peter circulates special opportunity
E-mail announcements, highlighting advertising deals that crop up on
short notice.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
