'What a difference' - U. hopes video is a blockbuster

The University may not take home any Academy awards for its latest recruiting tape, but with the help of Blockbuster Video, it will at least be able to share shelf space with those that have. As part of a new marketing strategy to bring faraway colleges into high school students' living rooms, Blockbuster stores will this month begin renting out video tours of colleges -- including the University -- from across the country. "The opportunity to have our tape available to students through an outlet that they deal with regularly is a positive move -- without any cost to the University," Undergraduate Dean of Admissions Willis Stetson said last week. The program was developed by Virginia based Preview, Inc. who had launched a pilot test program in 50 Blockbuster stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York and Ohio last year. "It was very successful," said Jennifer Skoglund, a Preview spokesperson, last week. "The individual Blockbuster stores were very receptive." Preview manages video advertising for colleges across the nation, by serving as an intermediary which packages and distributes each institution's videos. Skoglund said that each tape was to be rented individually, but that in the future, sets of tapes for schools that are frequently linked together, such as the Ivy League, may be available. "While a video can't completely substitute for an actual campus tour," Skoglund said. "It comes in handy if a student is interested in 20 schools and can only afford to visit five." Stetson added that three other Ivy league schools are currently involved in the program and that he is happy with the University's decision to enter. "It is appropriate for Penn to be a part of the program from the beginning," Stetson said. "We will see what visibility it will bring."

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