In mid December 2019, local advertisement agency SHA visited our Graphic Communication department to ask students their invaluable input on their development of a current advertising campaign for 2020 student recruitment to Newcastle College.
Originally named StarkHartleyAtkinson, after its founders, SHA refers to itself as a “boutique marketing communications agency”. The agency welcomes graduate students and has recruited graduates over the past 5 years. Be aware, SHA’s policy to those employees who leave for ‘greener pastures’ is that they may never return. If may seem harsh, but they’re keeping their workplace clear of poor working-relationships and emotional baggage.
Part of SHA’s visit was dedicated to sharing information about themselves. It was explained in detail how their process ‘Brainwave’ works. SHA’s development of a campaign starts with understanding the emotional barriers to a service or product, and the emotional stimuli that can be used to address the barriers. On their website, Brainwave is mentioned:
We believe that real emotional insights allow for the creation of Intelligent Ideas that Get Results, so we dedicate ourselves to identifying the emotional barriers that contribute to our clients’ commercial problems. This approach helps the agency to identify the emotional stimuli through our planning process called Brainwave, ultimately delivering the Intelligent Idea that can overcome the problems a brand faces and deliver a very real positive commercial result.
SHA is always keenly aware of the competitors of the particular service or product they are providing advertisement for. SHA has turned away clients with ambition and goals that did not reflect SHA’s. SHA would rather keep a reputation for solid advertisement that performed well than bend to the wishes of a client who’s ideals and vision would lead to a campaign’s failure and the frustration of wasted time, effort, and money.
As for the ‘2020 student recruitment campaign’, I wasn’t the target audience – school leavers were the audience – so I can’t say that I was the most useful member of the focus group. I don’t find the same elements of campus life exiting as younger students do. I’m not into the social element of friendships and clubs as deeply as I am focused on the acquiring of skills and knowledge to build a portfolio. (I always figured one makes friends along the way, and I have less time to socialise in student societies than many fellow students, unfortunately.)
Even though I’m not part of a student society, I enjoy the company of like-minded peers in the studio and I think the advertisements that showed photographs of real students working together and enjoying their education to be the most sincere and appealing personally. Students closer to the target audience found the colourful stock images of students having fun off campus the most preferable. I honestly think the social element to be worthwhile – you’ll find in further and higher education that you’ll make good friends with those who are like-minded.
Within the poster advertisements some of them focused on the aspect of being the next big name in the culinary world or part of an art movement. I didn’t give it much thought at the time – and maybe high school leavers want to the the ‘next big something’ – but I think about that angle and I’m nonplussed. Less weary and battered students must find the notion thrilling.
Really, the preferred advertisements among the focus group were wholly subjective. Different angles appeal to different individuals, and I felt that I could only give input on the layout, typography, and colour choices, given my position as a not-target!
N.B. If a local agency happens to approach your campus and states just how readily they take on design graduates, it’s not something to be overlooked!
DESIGN WORKS 
Maintain your integrity, it will never let you down.
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