DCU launched its novel advertising campaign for autumn 2004 with the `unveiling' of a wrapped bus-shelter on Morehampton Road, Dublin 4. The shelter has been customised to give the impression of an actual airport departure lounge, complete with helicopter pad on its roof, and reinforces the message that when students graduate from DCU, the world's their oyster.

This customised bus shelter is part of an overall outdoor campaign which plays off the DCU tagline, "you can go anywhere from here", by focusing on the achievements of graduates who have used DCU degrees as a springboard to successful international careers in locations as far afield as Kenya and New York. In addition, key features and unique selling points of the university are highlighted in the body copy.

The campaign includes bus shelter posters (6 sheets) which feature in 28 locations throughout Dublin, as well as dart cards, specials at Heuston and Connolly station and `behind the driver' posters on Dublin buses.

The overall campaign was devised by Deirdre Wynter, Marketing Officer DCU's Communications and Marketing Office, in conjunction with DDFH&B and Mindshare.

Deirdre Wynter said, "The creative for this campaign was deliberately designed to be eye-catching, witty and to have definite appeal for the 17 year-old target audience", she said. "For example, the `behind the driver' poster uses the humorous line `Ask the driver how to get to DCU and he'll tell you where to get off' to grab the reader's attention and to communicate in the body copy one of the key unique selling points of DCU - our INTRA programme, where paid and relevant work experience is included as part of most of our degree programmes. This allows our students to gain a genuine competitive edge when they graduate".

The second objective of the campaign is to highlight transport links to DCU. This was achieved by a strategically-placed poster in the main ticketing area of Heuston station which reads `Heuston - we don't have a problem', and then goes on to give specific details on how to get to DCU.

"This kicks off DCU's advertising activity for the coming academic year", Deirdre said. "So far, the target audience's reaction to the ads has been extremely positive with a very high rate of recall. We look forward to building on this impact with our further advertising initiatives for the coming year. The wonderful thing about DCU is our profile as a modern, progressive university which gives us a certain licence to be more creative with our advertising".