Penn State Intercom......November
15, 2001
Statewide billboard campaign
reminds motorists how
University continues 'Making Life Better'
By Allison Kessler
Public
Information
Pennsylvania
citizens and visitors are being reminded that a degree from Penn State
is a risk-free investment in the future, as 124 Penn State billboards
are beginning to appear across the commonwealth.
The billboards embrace the Nittany Lion Shrine and the University's slogan, "Making Life Better," as part of an advertising campaign developed by the University's Department of Marketing and Advertising. Positioned near the University's 24 locations, the ads will be accompanied by radio spots that emphasize the value of investing in a Penn State education.
"This campaign serves as a way to remind citizens about Penn State's widespread presence across the commonwealth," said Cindy Hall, director of University Marketing and Advertising. "We want to remind people on the road that most communities have a Penn State campus nearby."
The campaign emphasizes the power of the University's brand name -- recognized worldwide -- as a sound investment in the future. This is the fifth phase of the billboard advertising campaign and the third year the signs prominently feature the Ni ttany Lion. Surveys have identified the mascot as the most powerful of Penn State symbols.
"The Lion was a natural choice to use for this campaign because it is so well received by our campuses and constituents," Hall said.
The most recent Gallup Poll found that the University came in second to Harvard as the best university in the nation in terms of overall perception among respondents in the east. In addition, more than 80,000 people from across the country applied to one of the University's locations in 2000.
"We are recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in higher education, a leader in technology transfer and a leader in outreach," said President Graham B. Spanier. "We fulfill our land-grant mission every day in a variety of ways in every corner of the state, and we want people right here in Pennsylvania to hear the good news. We want them to stop to think how Penn State really is making their lives better."
Allison Kessler can be reached at akessler@psu.edu.