COLIN PERRY
Special to The Lampoon
The University has launched the next step in its advertising surge, giving prospective students a closer look at the Fredonia campus, as well as its bleak arctic atmosphere.
Following in the format of previous ads, the new television commercial, set to air this week, features footage of on-campus dorms, dining facilities and entertainment, in addition to the impassable mountains of snow that decorate the environment for half of the year. Students are seen interacting with each other, performing onstage, and attempting to survive the hostile storms that threaten their very existence as they walk to and from class.
Marketing adviser Robert Goatman says the campaign is specifically designed to show what going to school here is really like.
“Honesty was the driving factor for my team and me, and we took pretty extreme care to provide that,” he said. “It’s important to portray all facets of a Fredonia student’s experience accurately, so we wanted to show the dorms, the activities, and the inhospitable, face-numbing weather conditions that really make Fredonia a place to call home,” he added.
Also featured in the commercial is the University’s new motto, “We Promise It’s Not Always This Bad.” The change is another stemming from the University’s extensive rebranding efforts, and has been met positively by many.
“So long as there’s not a hashtag in it, I guess it’s fine,” said sophomore public relations major Leslie Crow before being whipped away by the frigid, unforgiving wind.
However, the motto adjustment is a cause for discontent among some in the community.
“It’s definitely always this bad, if not worse,” senior history major Steven Abobo said. “My freshman year, I had a great fall and came to love this place and its feel. But then November came, and it started happening,” he added, before declining to speak any further, staring out a window pensively.
Despite the debate, the campaign is expected to continue as planned, with physical ads being placed around hotspots across the state shortly.
When asked about his ultimate goals, Goatman said, “Our hope is that if they see the great community we have here, and the glacial, face-numbing weather we endure for 75 percent of the school year, kids will think ‘that’s what I want out of college.’ That’s all we can strive to achieve.”