University
of Chicago – Call Me Maybe
Yes, anybody and everybody has done their take on this rather
mind-numbing tune by Carly Rae Jepsen (to prove how mind-numbing it is, it is
one of my 2-1/2 year old granddaughter’s favorite songs). But the coolest take was executed by my alma mater – the stuffy,
staid University of Chicago, which students also have referred to as “where fun
goes to die.”
This year, when prospective students inquired about admissions, the
school’s suddenly hip Admissions Office sent out letters that were a take on
the tune.
“I know that we just met you – and this is crazy – but here are
our numbers…” the letter says.
The school then reveals certain numbers from the sublime (seven
Nobel Prize winners currently on faculty) to the inane (351 items in the 2012
Scavenger Hunt). It ends with the
obligatory “So call us, maybe” (click http://quitzer.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/ct-talk-aj-call-me-maybe-0831-1.jpg-20120831.jpeg)
to see the letter.)
According to a U of C
spokesperson: “that kind of wit is in the culture of this place.” Well, my father’s store was located just off
the U of C campus, and I did get my MBA there.
So my exposure to the school goes back 50 years, and, through those
decades, “wit” is not a word I would have associated with the place. Glad times have changed, maybe.
LDS
Church – “I’ve Read the Book”
Perhaps as unexpected as it is to give the U of C plaudits for its
humorous marketing, so too is praise for a marketing tactic employed by The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or LDS Church, or Mormons).
As you undoubtedly know, the Tony Award winning and absolutely
hysterical (without being mean) play “The Book of Mormon” (a must see by the
way), pokes fun at the religion, along with just about everything else.
How would you expect the LDS Church to respond? I would have expected it to be outraged and
mount a campaign encouraging people not to see the show. So imagine my surprise when I walked into the
theater, started browsing through the Playbill, and saw an ad by the Church that said simply: "I've Read the Book." (Click
The
Church wisely saw this as an opportunity to spread its message (it also has run
the ad in Playbills for other shows) in a simple and elegant manner. So rather than ignore the play and pretend it
did not exist, the Church used the play as an opportunity to reach out and
educate without being judgmental of those attending the play.
While
I am not a Mormon nor will become one, the ad did prompt me to research the
religion a little more, and gain a lot of respect for the leadership for their
savvy perspective.
