Over the last few years, advertisers have found a new place to display their wares – bathroom stall doors. The viewer or occupant, with little choice and much discomfort otherwise, must look at the space directly in front of them for the duration of their stay. As a result, this empty space, otherwise filled with amusingly-lewd hand-scrawled messages, serves as a prime piece of marketing realty. Furthermore, universities, which house hundreds of public washrooms, are havens for stall-door ad-placements. However, traditionally, a vast number of university students sit on the left side of the political spectrum and thus harshly critique any corporate presence in the education sphere.

On the door of a stall in University College, at the U of T downtown campus, an angry student wrote across an ad the following message: “It [Advertising] invades my visual space. We listen to the sound of $$$ filling our pockets at the expense of a safe environment or intellectual critique of advertising.” Students at York University have voiced complaints about the non-competition clause Pepsi has signed with the University administration, which denies the sale of any competitor products on campus. From the other side of the fence, marketers are well aware of the remarkable purchasing power of the campus crowd. Internal access through university facilities and resources, an on-campus presence, is the key to successfully garnering college-age customers. Furthermore, there is something to be said for the revenue acquired by universities as a result of allowing a corporate presence on campus.

For instance, a later writer responds to the angry student cited above with the line: “Read this moron” – and then proceeds to direct the reader’s eyes to a message in the upper right hand corner of the posting, which reads: “Revenue from posters are used to improve student facilities at the University of Toronto.”  Therefore, we seemed to have reached a conundrum – Can you have a safe academic environment sponsored by corporations? Let’s consider some recent companies’ attempts in gaining access to the college market.

Globeandmail.com teamed up with sponsors like Clearnet, Chapters.ca, Nike and Universal Music for contests and online-surveys designed to attract large numbers of student users. In return for their money, sponsors received banner advertising, buttons and mention in the regular e-mails that the campus site sends to students. However, as many studies have shown, free offers do not necessarily translate into brand recognition, never mind, brand loyalty. At the University of Toronto, upon entering any major campus building, stacks of the Toronto Star lie in blue baskets waiting to be snatched up for free. While the Globeandmail.com has been giving out magnets, the Toronto Star is delivering the actual goods, and like excommunicates the Globe and Mail and National Post paper boxes stand on the outskirts of campus blocks. It appears that administration has signed no competitive clause on the newspaper front.

Furthermore, the exclusive right to sell or advertise a single news distributor seriously begs the question previously posed: Can an academic institution ethically support one news distributor over another, and thus effectively deny the free flow of opinion and thought?

Advertisers, of course, have other numerous print options available for reaching college campuses, most notably the campus press, which includes magazines such as campus.ca, Agent, and Student Body. All of these publications are aimed at the 18-25 age groups, along with an editorial environment that appeals to national brands. The magazines are aimed at providing very targeted and useful information for students. Campus Canada, has also organized a variety of student events that offer sampling opportunities for national brands.

It appears methods of advertising which enable students TO run activities or publications are regarded in a more favourable light. The idea is that advertising should not be at the forefront of an effort. Rather, marketing dollars should go towards providing some useful activity or service for students, that more importantly, is student run. This technique cuts down considerably the cynical belief that corporations are dictating curriculum, or stifling students’ thoughts and initiatives.

More active forms of student marketing are emerging. For instance, in England, agencies are enlisting between 30 and 100 students across campuses to undertake research, work with the student press and local media, set up promotions or competitions on campus and raise awareness through PR stunts and sponsorship. The concept is premised on the fact that students are less likely to be hooked by brands that do one promotion through the freshman fairs and then disappear. The agency has also caught onto to the idea that the most credible way of getting a brand message to a student is through another student.

The important distinction between the university market, versus other markets is the high level of perception and skepticism. Many students are testing the status quo, using alternative media sources for their information, and discussing social issues in class or with friends. In-your-face advertising is a “death-wish” for companies targeting these increasingly cynical buyers. Furthermore, useless freebies and promos are merely superficial gimmicks designed to acquire quick, but ultimately non-loyal users. Intelligent advertising that provides useful resources or helps struggling university initiatives is both an ethical, and effective means to garner the campus crowd. Next time, think about providing the pens for those students dying to answer the latest critic on that free space of stall wall - Messages sponsored by ….

Written By: Joanna Erdman

Sources Used: Strategy Magazine