The University of Fiji has pioneered a new marketing innovation by installing billboards around Viti Levu that tell a continuing story about the University’s unique educational perspective.
Vice Chancellor Professor Shaista Shameem said the five sequential billboards used a new advertising technique that encouraged the public to progress from one billboard to the next to get the complete picture about the University’s educational values, priorities and holistic standpoint.
The Vice Chancellor Professor Shaista Shameem said the Public Relations Unit of the University felt the billboards should highlight the unique nature of the University through a narrative that showcased its special educational philosophy.
“This marketing innovation has attracted a lot of interest and has been effective as a new type of advertising for our programmes leading to a surge in enrollments,” she said.
Once the billboards had been installed, members of the public were invited to enter a competition to identify all five of them sequentially in order to win attractive prizes.
The winners received their prizes from the Registrar of the University Nathasha Mudaliar at the Saweni Campus.
The competition attracted strong public participation, particularly through social media, with many entrants travelling across Viti Levu to locate the billboards in sequence and engage with the University’s educational message.
The first prize winner, Karishma Kajal Reddy, received a Samsung A56 mobile phone. She said she found out about the competition through Facebook and decided to participate by visiting all the required billboard locations and taking selfies with the University of Fiji billboards in the background. She described her win as delightful and said she enjoyed being part of a campaign that promoted education in an innovative way.
The second prize winner, Abdul Faium, received a Samsung A26 mobile phone. He said he came across the competition on Facebook and decided to take part as it looked interesting and fun. While travelling with his family, he noticed the University’s billboards along the route and chose to participate.
“I felt really happy and proud knowing the effort paid off. Winning second prize made the trip even more memorable for my family,” he said.
The third prize winner, Ruksaar Razia Begum, received a Polaroid camera. She said she discovered the competition through a Facebook advertisement and thought it would be enjoyable to participate.
“I felt very happy and proud of myself. Winning third place made the experience even more special and memorable for my family,” she said.
The campaign demonstrates how narrative-based advertising and public participation can be effectively used to communicate educational values while strengthening engagement with communities across Fiji.
