Case Study: Strayer University

Many companies hire product placement firms to gain consumer recognition without the traditional sales tactics. Product placement is a form of advertising and promotion in which products are placed in television shows and or movies to gain exposure. In recent years this form of advertising has grown 46.4 percent from 2003 to 2004 and grew another 22.7 percent in 2005. It is now a $4.5 billion industry (Belch & Belch 2009).
Strayer University is a college formerly known as Strayer college of Baltimore whose headquarters is in Arlington Virginia. The for-profit university currently has 88 locations and is assessable online internationally. In an attempt to further Strayer’s reach three media options are recommended: Content Sponsorship, Advetiainment and Ad-Supported Video on Demand. Utilizing these strategies will help Strayer develop a cohesive and appealing integrated marketing campaign. These strategies are called branded entertainment, which is a form of advertisement that blends marketing and entertainment through television, film, music, talent and technology.
The first branded entertainment strategy that is recommended is Advertainment. Advertainment is the creation of video and/or music content by an advertiser in an attempt
Content sponsorship is when an advertiser rather than developing their own content; some advertisers agree to sponsor specific programs, receiving product placement, integration and promotions in return. For example, MTV decides to have the MTV awards and they look for companies who wish to donate money to the events cost in return for advertisement opportunities during the scheduled event. Strayer University can benefit from this strategy by sponsoring a new movie that is coming on television for the first time. The type of movie that they should sponsor should be one that targets their specific consumer: career professionals, parents, and non traditional