Advertising is a critical factor of getting students to come to events and generally just participate in campus life activities. UMBC already provides a number of systems for advertisement, including myUMBC spotlights, the Commons iNet, various bulletin boards around campus. Some things cost money, while others are provided free as services.
In practice, the various aspects of UMBC's advertising system are controlled by numerous departments and even third party companies. The televisions in the Commons are part of the iNet system and controlled by Commonvision. Also under their jurisdiction is the LED sign on the side of the UC. Both of these services can be utilized free of charge by submitting ads via their website, umbc.edu/uc/commonvision. They can also put up banners in various locations around the Commons, like Main Street, and posters on their bulletin boards.
The digital sign in the Engineering building is part of the spotlight system. A spotlight ad can be placed free of charge through myUMBC, and will appear both on this sign and on the home page of UMBC. Remember that it's a good idea to have some kind of image prepared to submit along with your advertisement.
Some free ad space is available in the Retriever Weekly, courtesy of SGA. This space can be used by working with SGA's Department of Communications (contact person: Nikki Ward). Other ad space can be purchased by contacting TRW's advertising manager, Zak Bratcher (phone: 410-455-1261, email: TRW's contact form). Large-scale ads can be placed on the Starlight Media pavillions (outside the UC and between the library and the commons) for a fee.
With so many different places to go, is it at all surprising that things aren't advertised to a greater extent? Would it not be better to have a syngle system where students could submit an ad, select where they want it to be displayed, and pay any applicable fees? At the very least, the inclusion of third party space like Starlight Media creates barriars to effective communication with the student body. While those pavillions are very visible, purchasing the space is prohibatively expensive for most groups. Using them also requires the action of a party that clearly has no vested interested in our campus, as evidenced by their dismal updating and maintainence schedule.
The institution of UMBC should take back spaces like that from third parties and consolidate more confusing places like iNet with something simple, like myUMBC. By making advertising space more accessable and ensuring that the people managing it actually care about helping students get their messages out, UMBC can start a positive cycle where potential activities are both easier to advertise and easier to discover.
The digital sign in the Engineering building is part of the spotlight system. A spotlight ad can be placed free of charge through myUMBC, and will appear both on this sign and on the home page of UMBC. Remember that it's a good idea to have some kind of image prepared to submit along with your advertisement.
Some free ad space is available in the Retriever Weekly, courtesy of SGA. This space can be used by working with SGA's Department of Communications (contact person: Nikki Ward). Other ad space can be purchased by contacting TRW's advertising manager, Zak Bratcher (phone: 410-455-1261, email: TRW's contact form). Large-scale ads can be placed on the Starlight Media pavillions (outside the UC and between the library and the commons) for a fee.
With so many different places to go, is it at all surprising that things aren't advertised to a greater extent? Would it not be better to have a syngle system where students could submit an ad, select where they want it to be displayed, and pay any applicable fees? At the very least, the inclusion of third party space like Starlight Media creates barriars to effective communication with the student body. While those pavillions are very visible, purchasing the space is prohibatively expensive for most groups. Using them also requires the action of a party that clearly has no vested interested in our campus, as evidenced by their dismal updating and maintainence schedule.
The institution of UMBC should take back spaces like that from third parties and consolidate more confusing places like iNet with something simple, like myUMBC. By making advertising space more accessable and ensuring that the people managing it actually care about helping students get their messages out, UMBC can start a positive cycle where potential activities are both easier to advertise and easier to discover.
2 comments:
Yeah I've been really frustrated with the advertising situation lately. Mainly because 1) I help run a club and 2) I've been going to finance board meeting occasionally and some of the events sound really cool, and then I never hear about them again.
I think it would be awesome if SGA sponsored a single calendar for student org events, along with some forums for orgs to collaborate events. Just like a website entirely designed to connect student orgs with each other and give students access to all the cool events going on all over campus.
The R25 event listing is hardly helpful, and has lots of distractions like construction and departmental reservations that aren't actually events (a lot are actually classes.) Plus I don't think anyone that doesn't run an org knows about it, and even some other org leaders that I know don't know about it. =/
Like, I would just really like there to be somewhere that all student org leaders checked occasionally where I could be like, "Hey, Freedom Alliance wants to throw a World AIDS Day Benefit Concert! Who wants to cosponsor?" and then actually get responses from other student leaders and even individual students who just have ideas.
SGA gives so much money to student orgs to do cool events, but a lot of times it all feels very disconnected. I really want there to be more solidarity among the orgs, especially where there is common ground.
I think I'm going to try to come to senate this week. I like what I've been reading in their minutes.
I second that!
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