St. Thomas University Partners With Miami Dade Public Schools In Interactive Game Where All Students Can Win

MIAMI, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Miami's St. Thomas University (STU) is poised to launch an exciting marketing strategy that integrates media and public sector sponsorship with students' increased use of technology. Realizing that the integrated approach to marketing also applies to academia, Miami-based award-winning creative agency Original Impressions developed the "Take the Campus Tour," an online, interactive game that engages South Florida high school students in a unique virtual road where they learn about academic degrees, alumni success stories, hot career trends and STU campus life.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100709/STULOGO)

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100709/STULOGO)

The campaign, set to kick-off November 6, appeals to both undergraduate and graduate college markets and is sponsored by the Miami-Dade Public Schools and The Miami Herald/El Nuevo Herald. Located on a vanity URL, visitors are directed to take the campus experience tour, compiling points for accomplishing various tasks. The STU mascot – the Bobcat – welcomes visitors leading them to informational videos, photo galleries and valuable information on career preparation, science and math funding, program specializations and access to financial aid.

"Everyone is a winner, as visitors move their mouse across different campus buildings, emailing professors, signing up to receive information or submitting pictures taken at a high school visit," says Chief Marketing Officer Marivi Prado. "Prizes include laptops, an iPhone, other tech equipment much in student demand, and sports venues' access. Most importantly, students learn how affordable a four-year degree is. A carefully designed financial aid package makes a private university quite an affordable option and funding for science and math degrees is available through our Fellows Program."

Registering on the site is simple. Original Impressions tallies the points or student "credits" earned. A sophisticated software enables students to save their place, take notes, exchange news with friends and get further involved in the social aspect of the site. To complement the fun, the Bobcat scooter will stop by participating Miami-Dade County high school locations, where students will be able to drive around the site, learn about university programs, entrance requirements and take pictures with the Bobcat. After all, sharing the photos with their Facebook entourage will also accumulate points and expand their popularity.

Student technology habits and the amount of time the youngsters spend on social media are no secret to anyone. And the small, private university is talking their language after developing leadership for almost 50 years, urging students to compete more aggressively in the future marketplace by pursuing a four-year degree.

A carefully designed financial aid package makes a private university quite an affordable and attractive option and funding the sciences and math is available through the Fellows Program. For further information on St. Thomas' campaigns, please contact Chief Marketing Officer Marivi Prado at [email protected].

About St. Thomas University

St. Thomas University is the Catholic Archdiocesan-sponsored university in Florida, open to those of all faiths. Student-centered, it is rich in cultural and international diversity, dedicated to developing leaders who contribute to the economic and cultural vitality of the regions they serve. With new athletics facilities, an Honors Program, an expanded curriculum that now includes online degrees, United Nations internships and a Study-in-Spain program, the University is home to Biscayne College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences; School of Business; School of Law and its Institute of Human Rights; School of Leadership Studies (Communication Arts, Education, Organizational Leadership, Art Management and Healthcare Services); School of Science, Technology and Engineering Management; and the School of Theology and Ministry, which houses The Ecumenical Institute. For general information please visit www.stu.edu or contact Chief Marketing Officer Marivi Prado at [email protected].

SOURCE St. Thomas University