The Durban University of Technology’s (DUT) vision is to be a student-centred university that is focused on academic research and excellence. In an effort to effectively reach its youthful target audience, the institution recently chose to use cinema through Cinemark’s service offering as part of the advertising mix.
“We realised that we could get a captive market and our message would be delivered to a quality audience segment,” says senior director for the division of corporate affairs at DUT Alan Khan. Research shows that the cinema medium targets the right audience at the right time – when they are most engaged with the content. This ensures that the brand’s message is highly effective and packs quite a punch with audiences.
In terms of planning the campaign Khan says that the DUT’s focus was to make their students and staff the heroes. With over 20 000 students and one of the first choices for higher education in KwaZulu-Natal, DUT prioritises the quality of teaching and learning – a message that they want all potential students to understand. Thus the campaign shows how top students from DUT are making great strides in their respective professions, proving that DUT is about you reaching your full potential.
