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Nine out of 10 times, the first thing the average Joe says when asked what he knows about SIUC is, "Parrrty!"
True, the streets of Carbondale have seen better days. For some reason, students have always felt more inclined to scale a phone pole or destroy public property here than in other college towns. Maybe it's the water.
But the Daily Egyptian - and probably like most students - was recently surprised to learn that a professional, strategic marketing plan defining SIUC's image has never been in place. Other than the one alcohol-induced alum's have made throughout the years, anyway.
Even schools such as John A. Logan College have set aside dollars to advertise their institution. Meanwhile, SIUC has neither utilized its money nor its resources to present a self-defined representation of our university. The party school image has lived on since nothing else has been provided to the public to change its mind.
But Tammy Morris says SIUC is finally making marketing - and its image - a priority.
Morris, associate director of Barking Dawg Productions, the new, creative branch of University Communications, said the group is doing much of the work and research previous administrations have attempted but never followed through on.
One might use this moment to conjure an image of the generic SIUC billboards stating, "We Have A Place For You," that can be seen scattered across the state.
But thanks to Terry Clark, chairman of SIUC's marketing department and founder of the production crew, our university has finally joined the likes of Loyola, DePaul and the University of Illinois system in the competitive marketing field.
Clark and some colleagues helped develop an edgy commercial promoting SIUC back in 2004 to demonstrate what could be done if the opportunity presented itself. Three years and countless meetings later, Barking Dawg Productions was born.
Clark said the group's goals are to stimulate demand, take control of SIUC's image and encourage a sense of community in southern Illinois.
The most important thing is to get away from being labeled a party school and redefine our image, he said.
The Daily Egyptian is glad to see someone stepped up. While BDP's operating budget is shrimpy compared to other schools (a half-million dollars has left the group to apply its creativity toward ways to cover costs such as equipment and salaries), its staff is certainly a breath of fresh ingenuity and dedication.
"We are always trying to stay a step ahead despite already being way behind the game," said Stephanie Sparks, head of public relations and Web content manager.
The fact that ours will be the first university to utilize "Smartshop," a new On Demand feature for cable customers that will allow them to view 15 minutes of content about SIUC, is certainly testament to the crew's gung-ho attitude. Video ads the group has developed since its birth in March of this year are already posted on YouTube.
It looks like students know what students want when it comes to marketing a school. And getting drunk is actually not No. 1.
And the Daily Egyptian is glad to see the university is finally listening.
