Advertisement for FIRST

[KathieK]

I was thinking... if you were to design a printed advertisement for FIRST, what would you put in it, what would it look like?

[Joe Matt]

-Emotional connection through pictures, quotes, and mini-stories. Technology is widely considered to be unpersonable and cold. This will differentiate FIRST from other organizations.

-BIG FIRST logo!

-Pictures of FIRST Judges and Dean (The Woz would pull in the geek crowd even more!)

After looneylin posted I realized that there could be different ads to target different people. What I said probably would fit in a more formal setting.

[looneylin]

I'd probably do a catchy slogan like "Got bot?" or a translation of FIRST in many different languages, kind of like how McDonalds does it.

[Billfred]

I've wondered the same sort of thing, albeit for Palmetto. (I look at that because the folks I'm often around are local to it. Besides, Dean's homework last year was all about getting folks to the competition.)

The strategy that came to mind is to hook them with the robots, then bring in the inspiration part. (Driving Ockham through the Business Administration building drew much more attention than I would ranting and raving about inspiration to a crowd.)

So, for a USC-centric advertisement, I'm imagining images of FIRST robots around campus landmarks, such as Capstone House, the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center, Gambrell Hall (for which there is apparently no good image), and the Horseshoe. The combination of the familiar (buildings on campus that 97.1293% of the student body has been in or around) and the unknown (these 130-pound robots) makes for something that draws attention. Then add in the deets, and of course "FREE ADMISSION" in somewhat large lettering. (We're college students. We appreciate free.)

(Maybe over winter break I'll be able to do some work on such things.)

[DCA Fan]

Depends on the market. I would make separate ads appealing to Students, Mentors, and Businesses.

Students: Something catchy and exciting, full of color. Probably envoke a rough edged/grunge style, that seems to be the popular style at the moment.
Example:

Mentors: Collegiate poster, with the benefits of helping such a program. Informative but eye-catching at the same time.

Sponsors: Very professional, annual-report style. Clean, simple, to the point. Probably a lot of white space.
Example:

[Stu Bloom]

Originally Posted by Billfred

I've wondered the same sort of thing, albeit for Palmetto. (I look at that because the folks I'm often around are local to it. Besides, Dean's homework last year was all about getting folks to the competition.)

The strategy that came to mind is to hook them with the robots, then bring in the inspiration part. (Driving Ockham through the Business Administration building drew much more attention than I would ranting and raving about inspiration to a crowd.)

So, for a USC-centric advertisement, I'm imagining images of FIRST robots around campus landmarks, such as Capstone House, the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center, Gambrell Hall (for which there is apparently no good image), and the Horseshoe. The combination of the familiar (buildings on campus that 97.1293% of the student body has been in or around) and the unknown (these 130-pound robots) makes for something that draws attention. Then add in the deets, and of course "FREE ADMISSION" in somewhat large lettering. (We're college students. We appreciate free.)

(Maybe over winter break I'll be able to do some work on such things.)

LOVE that idea Billfred ... I think it would also work well with various city landmarks - to publicize an upcoming regional competition. It would be great to see what someone with killer Photoshop skills could come up with ... C'MON all you artists ...

[Bill_Hancoc]

Originally Posted by Billfred

I've wondered the same sort of thing, albeit for Palmetto. (I look at that because the folks I'm often around are local to it. Besides, Dean's homework last year was all about getting folks to the competition.)

The strategy that came to mind is to hook them with the robots, then bring in the inspiration part. (Driving Ockham through the Business Administration building drew much more attention than I would ranting and raving about inspiration to a crowd.)

So, for a USC-centric advertisement, I'm imagining images of FIRST robots around campus landmarks, such as Capstone House, the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center, Gambrell Hall (for which there is apparently no good image), and the Horseshoe. The combination of the familiar (buildings on campus that 97.1293% of the student body has been in or around) and the unknown (these 130-pound robots) makes for something that draws attention. Then add in the deets, and of course "FREE ADMISSION" in somewhat large lettering. (We're college students. We appreciate free.)

(Maybe over winter break I'll be able to do some work on such things.)

Maybe sumption like the EarthLink ads with a robot instead of a troll or other monster in say an office building doing whatever is the main goal for the year ie. Capping center goal. Then just have the people around not even notice just comtinuing to do their work normally

[Madison]

Anything to avoid doing my job --

Who cares that it tells you nothing about the product? Most advertising these days is completely useless -- has anyone seen an Old Navy commercial recently?

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by Stu Bloom

LOVE that idea Billfred ... I think it would also work well with various city landmarks - to publicize an upcoming regional competition. It would be great to see what someone with killer Photoshop skills could come up with ... C'MON all you artists ...

Thanks for the props. I'm thinking that in the few weeks between Spring Break and Palmetto, I'll be doing everything in my power to make sure folks know about the regional.

The real challenge on campus is getting some real estate to post these things. Advertisements in the campus paper aren't particularly cheap, and the bulletin board game is vicious. A tip to all would-be campus promoters: Stay on top of your advertisements, and be creative with where and how you post flyers and such.

[KathieK]

Wow, these are some great ideas... keep 'em coming!

We all know that it's so difficult to describe FIRST in a few brief minutes (the "elevator speech"), and advertising only catches attention for a few seconds.

[looneylin]

Oooo!!! I can photoshop! we should start a little committee on this. lol

FIRST, is it in you?

[WEHickok]

Don't forget the info that FIRST has provided. On the left side of the main FIRST page are two links--FRC Communications Resource Center and FLL Communications Resource Center. At these spots there are several one page documents that can be used for different segments that you might be working with--Businesses, Colleges, Volunteers, etc. I find these useful and have used them at many events that our team has attended. Take a look and see it they might be useful for you.