[ Golden Gater Online - August 28, 1997 ]
In its first advertising campaign ever, SF State is putting four of its best alumni faces forward to impress San Francisco's business community.
The campaign, consisting of four MUNI posters and corresponding newspaper inserts, features four of the university's most successful alumni, including Mayor Willie Brown and KPIX news anchorman Dave MacElhatton .
"If I hadn't started at State, I wouldn't be running the city," a grinning Mayor Brown proclaims in one ad. Brown graduated from SF State in 1955 with a degree in political science. In another ad, he called SF State a "shining jewel in the state's crown."
The advertising campaign was managed by Ligeia Polidora, director of the Office of Communications and Public Affairs.
"This campaign is an important step in our ongoing effort to raise the university's visibility within the business community and to build awareness of the real-world, high-quality education offered," Polidora said.
In addition to 32 MUNI bus-shelter posters, print ads were distributed in the San Francisco Business Times. Polidora said the goal was to target the business community, which she called "very important" to the university's fundraising and development goals, as well as to job-seeking graduates.
The advertising campaign was produced at minimal cost to the university, according to Polidora. The bus-shelter advertising space was provided at no charge by Outdoor Systems. In addition, both EvansGroup Marketing Communications, which created and managed the advertising campaign, and photographer Aaron Lauer donated their services. Lauer and EvansGroup Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Stacey Paynter are SF State alumni.
Another famous face featured in the campaign is veteran news anchorman Dave MacElhatton, who graduated in 1951. His print advertisement promotes the Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts department.
MacElhatton received an internship with KCBS immediately after he graduated, and he was on the air within two years. In an interview, he credited the faculty -- many of whom were working professionals -- saying, "they held us all to high standards." MacElhatton taught BECA summer classes at SF State about 15 years ago.
Another poster features Caitlin Curtin, president and CEO of Luminare, a San Francisco-based multimedia company. Curtin, who in 1995 was named Bay Area Entrepreneur of the Year by the National Association of Women Business Owners, said in one ad, "Thanks to SFSU's focus on emerging technologies, I emerged with highly marketable skills in a field that wasn't even represented at other schools."
Marina Miller, vice president of brokerage operations for Charles Schwab, is featured in another poster, deeming the university "the best investment of my career." Miller received both her undergraduate and master's degrees from SF State and praised the university's "diverse mix of professors with both academic and real-world experience."
Polidora said it was difficult to choose just four alumni to profile on the posters.
"These four represent the diversity of fields that SF State graduates excel in," she said. "We wanted to profile the outstanding education these graduates have received."
[ Golden Gater - August 28, 1997 ]