The WONK-surge has begun.
After a year of testing the controversial and occasionally mocked ad campaign, AU’s marketing department has begun to unleash an unparalleled media blitz.
Entire Metro stations like Federal Triangle have been wonkified, plastered with posters of the AU archetype headless wonk. In addition to these ads and others at bus stops, AU has debuted a 30-second WONK television ad that will extoll AU’s wonkiness to a national audience.
That’s a whole lotta WONK.
Is it cheesy? You bet. Oscar winning? Maybe not. An effective ad campaign? The signs are increasingly pointing toward yes.
Every AU student knows that our school does not receive its due recognition. While the situation has certainly improved in recent years, AU still needs to elbow its way in between the neighboring Georges for a well-earned reputation. WONK might not appeal to all, but it is clear that AU needs to proliferate its own buzz.
Nevertheless, the initial thought of a college TV ad may give some pause, and rightly so. More often than not, universities advertising on the tube are for-profit schools, hardly the standard with which we want to be associated.
However, elements of the overall campaign remain promising.
It’s certainly clear that the logic behind the WONK-surge is well developed and thought through. “Meet the Press,” “Face the Nation,” “The Daily Show,” “The Colbert Report” — what do all these programs have in common? Their viewership consists of those in the political know, informed individuals aware of current events and looking to actively affect them. Basically, your ideal AU student.
Even AU’s WONK-dominated Metro station — Federal Triangle — was strategically chosen to target government workers who may be looking for a place to continue their education. It is encouraging to see that AU has performed the needed diligence to make the ad theme as impactful as possible.
While the campaign is certainly aptly targeted, its national debut should be a referendum on the effectiveness of the word “wonk” itself. Critics of the campaign argue that the word wonk is only understood by, well, other wonks.
Comprehension of the term might not have been a problem with the D.C. bus and Metro ads, but with national TV slots it may be. How many people outside of K Street, Capitol Hill and 4400 Massachusetts Ave. really identify with the term? How many can even answer what a wonk is?
AU marketing is hoping a good amount. We can only hope that uninformed TV censors don’t jump to conclusions.
Despite the clear merits of the overall campaign, The Eagle is concerned that we have received few answers as to how much this WONK-surge has cost.
Officials have said that the total budget granted to AU’s goal to “win recognition and distinction” is $1 million. Nevertheless, we have seen few line-by-line breakdowns of advertising expenses, such as how much the 30-second ad cost to run for weeks on national networks.
We think it only fair that students see how their tuition is used. Otherwise, some might assume that WONK is overfunded, perpetuating the student pushback against the campaign.
It is certainly tempting to pass sweeping judgment on the WONK-surge. However, the ads’ ultimate goal is to increase the reputation and recognition of AU — a long-term objective.
And this cannot truly be assessed until future students are recruited, new professors are hired and the campaign is given time to mature. As a result, The Eagle watches with amused intrigue, eagerly awaiting the results.? E
