Contact:
Geof Becker
412-268-3486

Scott Addison
212-220-4444

For immediate release:
September 14, 2006

New Tepper School of Business Marketing Campaign Offers MBA Hopefuls a "Reality Check"

Carnegie Mellon Challenges Conventional Wisdom About Key Factors for Selecting a B-school

PITTSBURGH—Not all MBA programs are created equal. That's the not-so-subtle message behind a first-of-its-kind marketing campaign in the B-school arena, MBA Reality Check, launched this week by the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University.

While GMAT scores, recruiting stats and national rankings are important, Tepper aims to expand prospective B-school students' priorities to include other critical factors that may be overlooked in the frenzied, highly competitive MBA program application process. The campaign encourages students to ask: What will a school offer in terms of career impact, confidence, way of thinking, community and legacy?

Throughout the next five months — the height of the application season — the campaign will roll out in a variety of media, including print and video-enhanced online advertising, blogs and chats, a Web microsite, podcasts, and video content. Awash in Tepper red, the print and online ads will direct viewers to MBARealityCheck.com, where visitors will discover a community of like-minded MBA seekers, along with useful information and perspectives designed to foster dialogue that will help students consider the many important aspects involved in making the right choice.

"Reality Check encourages students to take a long-term, strategic view of the future that emphasizes a good understanding of the knowledge and tools that will be most relevant for their ongoing career success," said Kenneth B. Dunn, Tepper School dean. "MBA programs have different strengths, and the notion of only one, single 'best B-school' is a myth. Students' choice of program is an important one for many reasons, and they need a range of relevant perspectives in order to make a decision that is right for them."

Headline-Driven Ads Tell the Story, Lead to Content-Rich Web Site

Both the print and online Reality Check advertising feature thought-provoking headlines — such as "TalkThink Your Way Out of Anything," "We Play Head Games" and "Status Whoa" — spotlighting successful Tepper alumni from various industries and management levels and offering valuable insights regarding career-related imperatives for entering MBA students. To kick off the campaign, five different print ads will appear in leading publications in seven U.S. markets, along with 10 video-enhanced Web ads on national online news and MBA portals. The online ads represent the first use of video as a creative element by any B-school, and a one-minute video trailer drawn from the ad interviews will be used as a teaser on the Web site and posted on such online channels as YouTube and Google Video.

At the center of the campaign is MBARealityCheck.com, a dedicated microsite that explores in-depth the campaign's five key themes — or Reality Checks — through interviews with management experts, faculty, alumni and students featured in the print and on-line advertising, relevant articles and research, podcast and video content, student blogs, and open discussion boards. The themes were built on insights gleaned from more than half a century of interviewing applicants, observing MBA students and working with recruiters.

"Like many other B-schools, we often see many of the right students focus on the wrong things when considering different MBA programs, and the campaign is a candid way to encourage applicants to consider a more complete perspective about what meets their individual academic and career needs," said Deb Magness, executive director of marketing and communications. "For some applicants, expanded insight could, indeed, lead them to Tepper, but a more informed decision-making process regarding this important investment is our ultimate goal."

Tepper's Marketing Department developed the strategic direction for the campaign and partnered with Pittsburgh-based ad agency IdeaMill and Web firm Ripple Effects to execute the various print, video and online elements.

Founded in 1949, the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon (business.tepper.cmu.edu) is a pioneer in the field of management science and analytical decision making. The school's notable contributions to the intellectual community include six Nobel laureates and a consistent presence in the top tier of global business school rankings. The Wall Street Journal recently ranked the Tepper School as the third-best business school in the United States and the world.

# # #