Conference Theme-Branded Tape Measures Signify Accreditation Achievement for Western Kentucky University’s Gordon Ford College of Business

Challenge: To identify a message-matching, affordable and useful conference promotion.

Western Kentucky University’s Gordon Ford College of Business (COB), located in beautiful Bowling Green, Kentucky, offers more than just lush scenery and rolling green hills; the school also offers undergraduate degrees, graduate certificates and select master’s degrees, as well as experiential learning opportunities through six specialized Centers of Excellence.

Each year, the COB team attends the annual conference of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), a multi-day event that brings together more than 1,000 educators and business leaders from around the world for sessions on pressing issues and new initiatives, keynote presentations and networking opportunities galore.

The team, following a long-accepted conference tradition, gives COB-branded promotional products during the event to promote the school and keep its name in recipients’ minds. In years’ past, passersby received gifts such as padfolios and keychains. This year’s conference in Orlando, however, would be special: the college, already accredited by the AACSB, would announce that it had also received its accreditation in accounting. Considering that less than five percent of all business schools worldwide are AACSB accredited, and that less than one percent of accounting programs worldwide have received both business and accounting accreditation, this is no small achievement.

To celebrate, the dean of the college and the new accounting department chair wanted to brand the upcoming event promotions with a message that both revolved around the achievement and equated the quality of education provided to the quality of the school’s professors. With that thought in mind, the team developed their AACSB theme and slogan: “A True Measure of Quality.” Next on the agenda: to find a promotional product that matched both the message and the school’s red color—something of quality that would not break easily, something affordable, something that recipients would want and keep and use.

Solution: A quality 12-Foot, translucent message-branded tape measure.

It was not long before the team discovered just the right something—a tape measure, which perfectly suited their new event theme and slogan. After examining samples from various vendors, the team decided to trust their order to ePromos since they had worked with us before. They selected the 12-foot Translucent Tape Measure—in red—a durable product with a metal blade just like those in the tape measures used by professionals. Featuring a belt clip and power lock, the tape measure is also available in translucent clear and blue.

Result: Tape measures “measure up” and help the business school reach its goals.

Promotions Specialist Jason Wallace managed the order from start to finish. Once at the conference, the College of Business team handed out the newly branded tape measures to deans, associate deans and professors from other universities as they entered the room. The team reports that the tape measures helped the school achieve its goals. They also shared several recipient comments that illustrate the promotion’s success: “This is great” and “I can really use this” and, even better, “Can I have another?”

Western Kentucky University Tape Measure Event Promotion (PDF Version).