On a beautiful spring day a diverse, happy group of students in Northwestern gear pose in front of The Rock, which is freshly painted and perfectly designed. It’s the perfect public relations moment — exactly as administrators planned.
The University Relations department filmed two new commercials Tuesday. One commercial was filmed at The Rock and the other at the Lakefill, Deering Field and The Arch. The 30-second shots will air during NU football and basketball games over the next three years, according to Alan Cubbage, vice president for university relations.
The commercials are part of a contract between the Big Ten and the television networks that allows each team to air one such commercial per game. These “image spots” are a way to expose national audiences to NU.
“The commercials aren’t really directed at high school students for admissions reasons,” Cubbage said. “They are an opportunity to give a message from the university that reaches millions of people.”
Cubbage said these new commercials will be added to the rotation of spots which currently air during sports games.
More than 100 students are featured in the commercials, Cubbage said.
Abizer Sakarwala appears in the commercial pretending to paint The Rock.
“I didn’t realize how much preparation would go into it,” said Sakarwala, a McCormick sophomore.
Instead of following the tradition of painting The Rock after midnight, University Relations staffers painted it during the day Monday.
The Rock was painted with slogans such as “creativity,” “innovation,” and “athleticism.” The top of the rock read “Northwestern: Culturally Diverse.” A security guard stood watch at The Rock Monday night.
Administrators last painted The Rock during NU’s 150th anniversary in 2001.
“We wanted to make it look spontaneous, but it was a fairly specific plan for painting planned in advance,” Cubbage said. “The Rock was the star of the commercial.”
Tiffany Wilson, a Medill sophomore, was filmed listening to music on an iPod. She said she found the commercial “completely cheesy” and said she does not think The Rock will hold significance to non-NU viewers.
“I found it an administrator’s version of a cool commercial,” Wilson said. “People outside of Northwestern will see people standing around The Rock and won’t get it.”
Communication junior Antony Merkel was an extra in a scene where a black student was talking to a student in a wheelchair on Deering Field. He said the commercial touched on the “key selling points” of NU.
“The commercial was hokey, but I guess they have to be,” Merkel said.
Reach Diana Scholl at [email protected].
