Capitalizing on a Golden Opportunity

Download the advertorial
(236K PDF)

When the more than 50,000 readers of the Boston Metro edition of U.S. News & World Report opened the September 23, 2002 "America's Best Colleges" issue, they had two opportunities to learn about WPI. In addition to the university's entry in the list of national universities, the magazine contained a three-page advertorial section that introduced readers to "A National University Like No Other." (An advertorial is an article that an organization writes and designs itself and pays to have published in a magazine.)

The advertorial is creative response to a golden marketing opportunity. The annual Best Colleges edition of U.S. News & World Report is one of the best-known and most widely used college guides published in the United States. In addition to the college rankings (the best-known feature of this annual special edition), the guide contains a wealth of statistical data about colleges and universities that make the magazine a must-read for those engaged in the college search process.

The Boston Metro edition of this popular college guide captures the attention of the bulk of the primary audience for WPI's current marketing program: parents of prospective college students. Its readers also include important secondary audiences, including guidance counselors, teachers and alumni, as well as prospective students, themselves.

The attractiveness of appearing in this issue is further enhanced by its highly advantageous timing. The issue hit newsstands and mailboxes the week of Sept. 16, the same week that the fall flight of the WPI television commercial began in the Boston area.

The advertorial thus serves as an important and unique element of an integrated marketing program to reach and inform these audiences. By blending elements of an advertisement with the credibility and depth of a news article, the section enhances and expands on the messages in the university's advertising and draws readers more deeply into the WPI story.

As you will see when you click on the PDF below, the advertorial highlights some of the key elements of WPI's marketing message, including its status as a national university, history of innovation, its uniquely effective approach to undergraduate education, the depth of its educational offerings, the quality of its faculty, and the achievements of its alumni.

Download the advertorial (236K PDF)

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Last modified: Mar 22, 2005, 15:55 EST