UA to Hire Minority Marketing Agency
by May 22, 2006 12:00 am 58 views
The University of Arkansas is planning to launch an intensive advertising and marketing campaign to help beef up minority enrollment.
A deal between the UA and Advantage Communications Inc. of Little Rock is still in the works, according to the university. Advantage Communications is headed up by Michael Steele and is a full-service advertising and marketing firm that specializes in marketing aimed at minority audiences.
Roy Cordell, the UA’s associate director for creative and technical services, confirmed that a deal is currently being negotiated and said that private funds will be used to finance the campaign.
According to the UA’s Office of Institutional Research, enrollment in 2005 was about 80 percent white, less than 6 percent black and only 2 percent Hispanic. The number of black students enrolling actually dipped from 6.4 percent in 2002 to 5.5 percent in 2005.
The campaign will include print, radio and television ads to be distributed mostly in central and southern Arkansas, a press release said. But Advantage Communication will also work with the university to create a plan to recruit Hispanic students from Northwest Arkansas.