Drew’s marketing team and Communications Department unveiled their flagship video for their new marketing campaign to students and staff last Friday, Feb. 17. The video, shown at The Space, offers a glimpse into the multitudinous spheres of life in the Drew community. A variety of students collaborated with the communications department to create this look into the diverse, broad-ranging Drew community.
“As someone who did all of the student recruitment, it was really important for us that we capture Drew in an authentic way,” said Kathleen Merusi, senior manager of Drew’s Communications Department. “I think something that makes Drew really special is that there’s a place for everyone here, so we really wanted to create a video that not only reflected the campus community, but also gave us an opportunity in recruitment and enrollment to make sure that students got an accurate picture of what it’s like to be here at Drew.”
The video intentionally showcases a wide variety of students that exist within Drew’s community, spanning multiple majors, home states and countries, identities, beliefs, interests and so on. With its stated focus on authenticity, the video attempts to capture both the excited student testimonies on various opportunities provided at Drew as well as a few more candid glimpses into life on campus, with shots of students skateboarding around, chatting as they work together at outdoor tables or recording in the WMNJ booth.
“I think it’s important to not just get one type of Drew student, but to kind of draw out the students in all of their different corners and all of their different groups,” said Merusi. “So, we just wanted to have as many faces as possible. All the faces of Drew, not just the outgoing, not just the athletic. We really focused on making this all-inclusive.”
Merusi also highlighted that the production of the video forged connections between students across the Drew community. It provided a new space for students from all different social circles to come together and interact.
The video premiere event showcased the same all-inclusive, all-encompassing quality of the video. Students from various spheres of the Drew community were drawn out to support their friends, watch their own work in the video, or simply engage with their community while enjoying the coffee and donuts provided.
As much as this video is a celebration of the vibrance of Drew’s students and campus life, it is still also an advertisement. “I think it’s definitely an enrollment tool. So we hope to use this to drive applications as we go into the yield, which is the time where, if students are accepted, to get them to deposit,” said Merusi.
The team behind the video believes the candid tone and, most importantly, the authentic nature of the students in the video is the best way to promote their message: Drew University has a place for all kinds of students. Merusi also emphasized that this simultaneously makes sure current students feel heard and included.
The video is available to view on Drew University’s website, social media and via a link distributed to the student body by email on the day of its premiere.
Chloe Gocher is a sophomore majoring in English with an emphasis in creative writing and minoring in Spanish.
