Having worked in recruitment as an ambassador at Laurier, I was made aware of this video titled That's Why I Chose Yale. This promotional video takes prospective students on an interactive tour around the campus. Sections include residence life, student life and program information.
The video first gained exposure when Rainn Wilson, better known as Dwight Schrute from The Office tweeted about it. Once fellow tweeters viewed the video it gained a lot of recognition in a very short amount of time.
YouTube identifies with multiple demographics, with videos that appeal to people of all ages and types of humour. Yale's idea to upload a promotional video, coupled with musical numbers that keep the viewer engaged as they take a virtual campus tour is a brilliant idea.
The video first gained exposure when Rainn Wilson, better known as Dwight Schrute from The Office tweeted about it. Once fellow tweeters viewed the video it gained a lot of recognition in a very short amount of time.
YouTube identifies with multiple demographics, with videos that appeal to people of all ages and types of humour. Yale's idea to upload a promotional video, coupled with musical numbers that keep the viewer engaged as they take a virtual campus tour is a brilliant idea.
The tune is catchy and leaves a lasting impression on those who view it. It has only been up for three weeks and already has over 355 000 views.
What I disliked about the video and the settings on YouTube
The only thing that did not sit well with me for this video were the stipulations that the account user set in regards to rating and commenting on this video. Aside from the account holders who really have nothing constructive or intelligent to say, there is no room for feedback as "Adding comments has been disabled for this video". This can be frustrating for prospective students who may have had questions that could have been answered regarding the school and all it has to offer.
The elimination of two way communication for this video is a barrier for students to find out more information regarding certain aspects of the school. In addition, there is no way for alumni to give feedback or comment on how much they liked/disliked the video.
An effective PR/recruitment tool
I very much liked the idea that Yale's ambassadors created and uploaded a video that has gained massive popularity among young adults applying to, or already attending Yale. The spirit and commitment of the students to make this video would definitely entice more young students to consider applying to Yale; and for some, it may confirm their decision to attend once they graduate high school. This is a very effective way of reaching a specific target audience; as well as enlisting the help of a popular television actor who is easily recognizable with the public.
Why did I choose this as my hot topic?
Although not as thorough as the Yale video, I was apart of a virtual campus tour video that focused on the Athletics and Recreation at Wilfrid Laurier University.
What I disliked about the video and the settings on YouTube
The only thing that did not sit well with me for this video were the stipulations that the account user set in regards to rating and commenting on this video. Aside from the account holders who really have nothing constructive or intelligent to say, there is no room for feedback as "Adding comments has been disabled for this video". This can be frustrating for prospective students who may have had questions that could have been answered regarding the school and all it has to offer.
The elimination of two way communication for this video is a barrier for students to find out more information regarding certain aspects of the school. In addition, there is no way for alumni to give feedback or comment on how much they liked/disliked the video.
An effective PR/recruitment tool
I very much liked the idea that Yale's ambassadors created and uploaded a video that has gained massive popularity among young adults applying to, or already attending Yale. The spirit and commitment of the students to make this video would definitely entice more young students to consider applying to Yale; and for some, it may confirm their decision to attend once they graduate high school. This is a very effective way of reaching a specific target audience; as well as enlisting the help of a popular television actor who is easily recognizable with the public.
Why did I choose this as my hot topic?
Although not as thorough as the Yale video, I was apart of a virtual campus tour video that focused on the Athletics and Recreation at Wilfrid Laurier University.
UPDATE
In just two months, this video's views have jumped over 200,000 people. Not bad considering the academic year is coming to an end. If enrollment standards increase, this video may have had a larger impact than originally thought!
For those who want to see and poke fun at me more than you already do on Facebook, check it out here!
For those who want to see and poke fun at me more than you already do on Facebook, check it out here!
Live.It.Up.
No comments:
Post a Comment