A commercial advertisement starring University alumnus and actor Sean Patrick Thomas is slated to kick off the marketing campaign for "Access UVa," the University's expansive financial aid initiative. The ad is set to debut at the Virginia v. Clemson football game Oct. 7.
The commercial features University students and was filmed in Chicago by the marketing firm Storandt/Pann/Margolis Aug. 25. It is aimed at high school students who would not otherwise consider the University when applying to colleges because of financial constraints, University spokesperson Carol Wood said.
"Many of these students would not normally think that the University was within their reach," Wood said.
Following its debut at the football game, the commercial will air as a public service announcement in specific geographic areas that may be "underserved" financially, Wood said. These areas could include Southwestern Virginia, the Eastern shore, the Hampton Roads area and some parts of Northern Virginia.
"It's to be used as a public service announcement in very targeted areas of the state initially," Wood said. "In the first year we should start in-state -- in the second year we will broaden the approach."
The commercial is part of an expansive marketing approach that the University Board of Visitors determined was vital to the effectiveness of "Access UVa."
In a phone interview from rural Southwestern Virginia where he was promoting the program, Admissions Dean John A. Blackburn said while the new television ads should prove beneficial, more personal discussions about the program also will play an important role.
"I think these ads between halves of football games certainly will give it some visibility," Blackburn said. "I think too we have to meet people face to face and see people and talk to them about it."
Thomas, who relied on financial aid when he attended the University from 1988 to 1992, was happy to help with the project, Wood said. He also recorded his voice for a radio advertisement while filming the commercial in August and posed for portraits for print advertisement that will be used in the coming months.
Publicizing "Access UVa" effectively will ensure excellent students from all socioeconomic backgrounds feel a University education is financially viable, Student Financial Services Director Yvonne B. Hubbard.
"We are all pretty sure that [some] students don't believe they can come here, that they're selecting out," Hubbard said. "The marketing campaign is all about, 'give us a chance with you.' We really believe that some students were thinking that we were far too expensive."
Current students also participated in producing the commercials, attending focus meetings with Storandt/Pann/Margolis, Wood said.
"We had to make sure we were framing it properly," she said. "So our own students helped us think through what we needed to do."
Senior Associate Editor Anthony LaMesa contributed to this report.
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