McGill Makes its Case in 6 Words
In October 2008, McGill University launched its new capital campaign with a series of online banner ads and four bold newspaper ads (in the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star) that were little more than six-word teaser headlines, with the invitation to "get the whole story at www.mcgill.ca/6words ". McGill also purchased a mural on John Street in Toronto, and arranged for night projections of the six ads on Toronto buildings, 4 nights a week for 8 weeks.
McGill's media release indicates that the campaign is aimed at the Toronto community, "home to many McGill students and alumni." Components of the campaign include an outdoor mural, night projections on buildings such as the Air Canada Centre and City Hall, newspaper ads and web banners aimed at readers of The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, macleans.ca and canada.com.
On the microsite, a series of striking portraits of faculty and students appear, with the same 6-word headlines (see above). Below, fine print explains that "Hemingway famously wrote 'For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn' -- and called it a six-word story. Using the literary form that he helped pioneer, we created this site to showcase outstanding members of the McGill community."
In addition to reading the portraits of these 6 individuals, visitors to the website are encouraged to post their own stories, or "Explore McGill" through a dedicated campaign news page.
It's an interesting, bold approach -- refreshingly brief, and eye-catching in a three-quarter-page newspaper ad. Although I don't know why the "Campaign McGill" logo looks so much like the logo for Memorial University...