College Football and Advertising

If you’re a college football fan like me, there’s not much better than a fall Saturday with your alma mater on the television. Yet, even the cold beverage in one hand can’t distract me from the absolutely horrendous commercials that all colleges buy whenever their team plays. They seem to buy one of them every week. Here are the words to a commercial my school bought for this week’s game, a nationally televised matchup on ABC:

How do you recognize a prestigious university? They’re the ones that have earned distinction for academic excellence. They’re known for having rigorous standards and for professors who are tops in their field. Great schools expect only the best from their students and deliver nothing but their best to the world. The University of ____ offers students a world-class education. For over ___ years, we’ve earned our place among America’s great schools. The University of ____. Be remarkable.

You could insert any school in America into those spaces! There’s absolutely nothing remarkable in this ad! Does it bother anyone else that car commercials tell us about miles per gallon, horsepower, price, etc, but that we get absolutely nothing about quality or cost in our higher education ads? That’s what I find remarkable.

Tagged as: ABC, College Football, NCAA Football