Drexel University recently got extra creative with its marketing.
Its campus rec department created a music video that launched in February. Called “Life Happens Within These Walls,” it showcases that the rec center has much more to offer than just exercise, instead encompassing the broad spectrum of student wellness.
The diversity of music in the video was a key component according to Andrew Case, the writer and director of the music video, as well as the manager of sales and marketing for the department of athletics at Drexel. “Students know of a gym to get healthy, but they don’t really have the motivation to be healthy,” said Case.
The video uses the university language of music to speak to students. It depicts different times in a student’s life in hopes to meet everyone where they are at.
Over the course of the music video, you encounter three different artists who are all former members of the Mad Dragon Music Group, a student-run music department within Drexel. The genres span from a rapper who goes by Timmy Brabston, a rock band called Broken Rib and a singer/songwriter named Mazie.
“We had listened to a number of different artists, and we had come across three artists that were very different. We realized with the diverse student body and all the different types of music that might be listened to here, these three would really help us out by having a complete diverse selection of music,” explained Case.
The other aspect of incorporating music in the video was to help students who were working on the project to gain professional development. “Some of the things we do in our marketing efforts here is all in-house photography, videography, website development, social media and graphic design work,” said Case. “It’s all creative that comes from within the department. It’s definitely key to what we do here – making sure we have professional development opportunities for our students.”
The end goal is always to attain more students into your campus rec center and Case finds the best way to do this is to listen. “Listen to your students. I love to brainstorm by myself, but it’s always nice to hear what the students have to say because they go here. They are spending 24/7 here, and they know what’s popular and what’s going to work for campus initiatives,” he said.
Video marketing will be knocking at your campus rec door soon if it isn’t already. To prepare, consider thinking about what you want to get across to your students and prospective rec members. Drexel’s campus rec music video urged students to find their rhythm. “No matter who you are outside of these walls, you’re welcome here,” said Case. “This is a fantastic way to not just add to your college day, but to make it part of your college day.”
