Why Should a UCLA site have a Southern Cal ad?
If you turn to what's called the "UCLA Report" on ESPN, you'll see something besides an assessment of UCLA athletics. In the top righthand corner of the page is an ad for the Southern Cal Marshall School of Business.
Now I can't challenge the legality of this ad, but I can certainly question its propriety. In fact several questions are suggested by the ad:
(1) Is ESPN that desperate for revenue?
(2) Is it conceivable that some person or persons working at ESPN have lived most of their lives in isolation and are unaware of the fierce rivalry between UCLA and Southern Cal?
(3) Does ESPN need a strong infusion of common sense?
My guess is No. 3.
Go Bruins.
4 months ago
bruinfollower
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FWIW
I have seen those ads right here on BN. I don’t have any issues with it. Credit to those guys for being so aggressive in outreach to prospective students.
Honestly, you have give credit to Southern Cal’s Marshall School of Business. I only wish their counterparts at UCLA were that aggressive when it comes to digital marketing.
A business school web banner isn't necessarily an indicator of marketing success
UCLA Anderson’s applications have been consistently up year-over-year, and are way up this year over last. I feel like slapping up web banners for a top graduate school can even potentially damage brand perception; there’s a reason why HBS, Wharton, and Stanford GSB aren’t putting up web and TV ads up all over the place either. They will never need to do that to attract the best management talent and maintain their prestige, and IMO neither will UCLA Anderson.
Undergraduate programs, particularly featuring their athletics programs, is a different story.
I see your point bunz
It’s a good one. I have been seeing other good schools use the same strategy. For ie UVa’s business school has been deploying targeted digital ad strategy microtargeting specific universe of professionals. It’s cool stuff. I’d love to see our schools become more aggressive that way.
by Nestor on Jan 31, 2012 5:49 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Agreed.
USC actively seeks out UCLA grads.
I would add, that when advertising via online methods, marketers have the option to target specific demographics. For example, If I email my brother and ask him if he wants to go fishing, Google will bombard my side bars with ads for fishing related companies. i would venture to say USC intentionally uses “UCLA” as a keyword for targeted demographics. One purpose would be to target our grads, the other, well, to rub our noses the wrong way.
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
UCLA sites also inevitably include "USC" a lot
which is another thing the advertising algorithm is likely picking up.
A few years ago there were Lindsey Graham (South Carolina senate) campaign ads on all the USC fan sites. It’s hard for ranking algorithms to know which connections to ignore.
From my experience
ads aren’t always placed on websites intentionally, but by algorithms developed by ad agencies based on your browsing preferences. For example, on BN right now I see an ad for Star Wars: The Old Republic & for Prudential probably based on the fact that I frequent World of Warcraft sites & online banking. Similarly, the ad agency who owns the space on that ESPN site will probably cater to possible interests of those looking at UCLA-interest sites. What this means is that the ad agency knows you harbor a secret love for USC :-P
Oh no, World of Warcraft
the single most addictive game of all time. I swear I got the shakes a few times after I quit a some years back. I’m never touching a persistent online game again lol…
As long as it's not an ad
for Southern Cal football, or U$C undergrad, I have no problem with it. Allegiances are really only for undergrad. Grad school doesn’t really generate as much fandom.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Well, if you guys are OK with the ad,
I’ll tone down my indignation. (I do have to say, though, that I would think UCLA grads would be well aware of any advantages Southern Cal’s business school offers even without the ad.)
On another subject, thanks so much Nestor for the post on Jackie Robinson’s birthday. It was wonderful to hear Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Rachel Robinson. As a kid growing up in Chicago, I said hello to and shook hands with Jackie Robinson after a game at Wrigley Field. He was incredibly nice, and I’ve never forgotten that day.
You don't have to tone it down!
It’s how you feel and that’s good enough for us! I love the passion.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Actually, Follower on FB I delete the ads then mark 'offensive'
when I’m asked why I want to hide that particular ad.
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
Thank you both very much.
I appreciate it.
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