An Unclear Message

The other day I saw a sign that shocked me. It read “Experience College the Way It Was Meant to Be.”

“What does that mean?” I thought.

According to the movie depiction of college, “College the way it was meant to be” would include drinking, partying, and having a good time. Being a part of a sorority would be more important than studying. Fielding a winning sports program so that the institution receives funding from alumni would be a high priority. Getting away from home and doing your own thing would drive a student.

Was that what the sign meant?

Was it prompting a retro version of college, the way it was? If so, that seems skewed in favor of the institution, not the student. Many students who attend the movie depiction of “College the way it was meant to be” don’t graduate. Others take more than four years to graduate. Some don’t have the grades to graduate. In these cases, the institution wins, but the student does not.

Can today’s student afford “College the way it was meant to be?” Today, college needs to offer students more than a degree. College needs to offer knowledge. A degree might get a student into an interview, but knowledge will get him the job and help him do well at that job. Knowledge has been found to be the most important determiner of the health of a country’s economy. Is knowledge a part of “College the way it was meant to be?”

I don’t know. What do you think?

Whatever any of us thinks and anyone else who reads this sign thinks is all a guess, isn’t it? None of us is absolutely certain that we know what “College the way it was meant to be” means. The only person who knows is the person who thought up the phrase. It made sense to him or her. It was catchy. It clearly stated the reason to attend that school. Unfortunately, we don’t share that thought.

To us it is very unclear. Sadly, this phrase which was deemed worth putting on a sign with the idea of piquing interest in the school did not accomplish its goal. It requires too much interpretation.

Don’t leave your message to interpretation. Test your message on your customers. Ask them “What does this mean to you?” Find out before you use a message that it communicates what you want. Be certain that it clearly tells your customers “What’s in it for them.”