Last October, Temple kicked off its “Take Charge” advertising campaign to showcase the “grit” of students and faculty across the university, and show alumni how the institution has evolved in North Philadelphia.
In recent weeks, the campaign added a new TV commercial and advertisements throughout the Cecil B. Moore subway stop.
Murray Peet, associate vice president of integrated marketing, said this phase of “Take Charge” is designed to convey how Temple and the city are becoming more connected.
“Temple’s everywhere now,” Peet said. “One of our goals is to really show the breadth and importance of how much Temple and Philadelphia are intertwined.”
The TV ad, which has aired several times during the Philadelphia Eagles’ preseason games, features close-up shots of Stella the Owl and views of Morgan Hall and Chodoff Field.
The commercial was produced by Gina Benigno, a videographer for the university, and the airing of it was made possible through the university’s partnership with the Eagles, Peet said.
Along with the TV spot, new ads have appeared below and above ground at the Cecil B. Moore subway stop. Peet said SEPTA approached the university about a possible partnership, which resulted in several advertisements and logos spread across the billboards and glass installed on both sides of the subway stop.
“It was an opportunity for us to communicate our brand,” Peet said. “It’s sort of a great announcement that the campus—whether you arrive via regional rail at the Temple University spot, via the subway at Cecil B. Moore, or are driving down Broad Street—it’s another way of saying that you’ve arrived on to this great campus.”
Peet added that he cannot disclose the cost of the subway advertisements because of the university’s agreement with SEPTA.
The current branding at the subway will become more important with the influx of people coming to see Pope Francis in late September. Cecil B. Moore will be one of the few stops operating on the Broad Street Line during the weekend of the papal visit.
“We saw it as an opportunity to build and extend the Temple brand,” Peet said.
Peet said the “Take Charge” campaign, which started 11 months ago, has changed due to the evolution of students and the university itself.
“Many things evolve … a campaign can wear out after a while when people want to see new things, as well having an opportunity to start a play on different leathers,” he said.
He added that a subset of the campaign, the “Hire an Owl” advertisements, showcases the work ethic of Temple students in the workplace.
One area the campaign will continue to address is alumni engagement, where the university has previously struggled. Peet said his office has been working closely with Vice President for Alumi Relations Ken Lawrence Jr. to combat the issue.
The campaign is, however, occurring in the midst of peaks in alumni gifts to the university. Temple broke its fundraising total for the third straight year in July, raising $84.2 million from more than 19,000 donors.
But even with more money flowing in, Peet said work on the campaign is still imperative to spreading Temple’s message.
“We don’t want to rest on our laurels,” he said. “It’s how do we stay on top of that and continue to invest in this great brand so that those numbers don’t change in the short term.”
Steve Bohnel can be reached at steve.bohnel@temple.edu or on Twitter @Steve_Bohnel.
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