Beyond ‘Mad Men’: More Public Schools Advertise To Survive
Fort Wayne Community Schools will spend about $10,000 on billboards this summer. District spokesperson Krista Stockman says state funding from a gain of two new students would pay for the billboards. (Peter Balonon-Rosen/Indiana Public Broadcasting)
Forget Don Draper. Forget Peggy Olson. The newest era of advertising may live within your public school district.
Schools will start soon, but where you live doesn’t necessarily determine where you go to school anymore. Families can choose where to go to school — private, charter or public school. The aim behind providing this choice? Proponents say it will force allschools to better themselves.
Whether it has done that remains controversial. But it has given birth to a new reality for public schools: with education competition, comes the need for education marketing.
- Why A Growing Number Of Public Schools Are Advertising To SurviveAn unintended consequence of school choice? With more education options, comes the need for education marketing.Download
SCHOOLS SEEK COMMUNITY CONNECTION
If Marnie Cooke had her way, you’d see school colors plastered throughout downtown Noblesville.
“I don’t know when the city of Noblesville is planning on changing over street signs,” said Cooke, Noblesville Schools communications director. “But I hope to put a bug in their ear that it might be cool to have some black and gold street signs.”
Black and gold. The district’s colors.
In Noblesville, voters recently agreed to bump up property taxes to help fund the district. Cooke wants everyone in the small central Indiana city to feel connected to the schools.
The district relies on the community for funding, internships and students. So the district hired Cooke because of her private-sector marketing background.
A poster for Noblesville Schools hangs in a coffee shop window of Noble Coffee and Tea Company. (Peter Balonon-Rosen/Indiana Public Broadcasting)
“When school starts you’ll see Noblesville school banners hanging on those posts,” Cooke said. “And we have a coffee shop over here that has a Noblesville Schools poster in the window.”
Plus, there will be community events, fliers and social media advertising. It’s deliberate marketing to keep schools on the community’s mind.
Two hours south, that marketing gets even more direct.
A MULTIMEDIA APPROACH TO ADVERTISING
Clarksville Community Schools developed an advertising campaign with an express purpose: drive students to their district.
The southern Indiana district paid the ad agency Bandy Carroll Hellige over $160,000. Beyond ‘Mad Men’: More Public Schools Advertise To Survive | StateImpact Indiana: