On Twinkle Lights and the Magic of Print

college-printWhat college admissions counselors know about the way print can engage new students.

When college recruiters and admissions officers visit local high schools, they come armed with one thing, according to Sandy Hubbard in Print Media Center.

“Print is their main selling tool,” Hubbard, a marketing consultant who volunteers at the college center at her local high school, writes.

What makes print a must-have in these situations, according to Hubbard, is its ability to cement the story of the campus in the prospects’ minds.

“Thousands — and sometimes hundred of thousands — of dollars are riding on the impressions that these recruiters make. Nobody is spouting off web addresses during these presentations. It’s all print,” she says.

“The Columbia University recruiter tells about how, in winter, the trees on campus are wrapped with little white lights. Before the holidays, he explains, there’s a huge bonfire that brings everyone together, with hot cocoa all around. He paints a mesmerizing mental picture. Then he hands around printed booklets filled with campus photos,” Hubbard explains.

It’s this tangible connection to the story that makes print an almost magical format for continuing the dialog.

“The kids head back to class, clutching their piles of print,” says Hubbard.

We like that image, and can imagine them going through the brochures again that night at home, remembering the story told by the recruiter as they flip the pages.

Everyone likes a good story, especially when they are told in ink on paper.