27.10.2006
Most major industries have realised that it is much more effective to market their product to those who aren't already familiar with it or don't know they need it. It's called "developing the market" and is designed to enlarge your present and future "customer base." Showing students how foreign language study can help their pursuits in non-language fields can result cross-over enrolment and multidisciplinary students. Also, consider that the greater the awareness of Russian programs and culture is within your campus and community, the more likely students are to gain curiosity about Russia and your program.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- An ADFL study from 1999 about developing community and interdepartmental connections, found these connections advisable for promoting language learning! (See esp. after p. 12.) I. On Campus Activities 1. International Festivals. Many colleges and universities already have International Festivals of some sort. Take advantage of these by organizing, at part of the festivities, beginning language mini-seminars, Russian food booths, and other displays of Russian language and culture. You can use your more advanced students to run these classes, though you will likely want to be involved in curriculum planning and supervision. If your institution does not have such a festival, approach the student government in starting one – they are often quite popular. Make sure invitations go out to your community, local schools, and businesses. Russian Week at Brandeis University is already an annual event, with dramatic productions, food, song, films, and more.
2. Olympiada. Encourage students to show off thier Russian skills by putting them in actual competition with others and offering them fame and valuable prizes. (Ok, maybe not that much, but you get the concept.) 3. International Campuses. Encouraging foreign students and professors to come to your campus can often result in increased awareness and interest in studying foreign cultures. American Councils runs a fully-funded program that can bring scholars from countries like Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan to your school. Fulbright also offers funding for foreign scholars and lecturers.
4. Guerrilla Warfare. If you have students who are willing take risks, consider guerrilla theatre. Have your students learn a short, active scene in Russian – then perform it once or twice in a public place (like the Student Union). Afterwards, make sure you have someone explain to the crowd that gathered that it was Russian they just saw and that classes are available. Combining an activity like this with a follow-up (such a campus speaker or mini-seminar) can be the most effective. Consider asking someone from the theatre department for assistance in directing. 5. Guest Speakers. Having interesting and knowledgeable people come to your campus to speak on modern Russian politics and economics, US-Russia relations, aspects of modern Russian history, etc. can be a good way to generate interest. Make sure you make the most of it by introducing the speaker as sponsored by your department and by having fliers about any Russia-related programs the university offers on hand. 6. Broadcast Culture. Approach your campus radio station, television stations, and theatre departments (or even those in the community) about helping them deliver more Russia-focused programming. Having expert advice in selecting and presenting material is most often highly desirable. 7. Russian Food Days. Most everyone likes borsch, pelmeni, and blini. Approach your school cafeteria about hosting international days. Make sure to use the event to your advantage by having fliers on hand explaining the food, perhaps with information about its history and cultural relevance – and that more information is available from your classes. 8. Phone Bridges. Simply using the phone can help create new incentives for learning an using what is learned in the classroom. It works well for universities, high schools, and grade schools. AccessToIdeas.com has several pages devoted to their bridges. II. Community and School Outreach
You might also consider that schools house future Russian students. The tobacco industry, according to recent lawsuits, had effective advertising aimed at children that resulted in adult smokers. McDonald’s admits that its advertising aimed at children is produced partially in the hopes that those children, as adults, will continue to associate good feelings with cheap hamburgers. This type of marketing can be quite effective over the long term, especially in state schools that tend to enroll the graduates of local high schools. 1. Sister City Programs. Encouraging your city to adopt a Russian sister city can be a good way to spark interest in your community. Just make sure you continue to use the program - encourage local media to cover events, encourage radio and TV stations to make room for Russia-related programing, and encourage events within local schools. If people from your sister city travel to yours, make sure they meet with not only the usual local dignitaries, but with college Russian classes and local school children to talk about their language, local city, and culture. Find out more from Sister-cities.org. 2. Russian Days. As a once-a-semester activity, coordinate "Russian days" with local K-12 schools. Involve your students in presenting the basic concept of foreign languages (some children might have very little experience with it), and teach them some basic phrases (my name is… I love you… etc.) This will have the added benefit of making your program more practical by giving your students pedagogy experience. Older students can be exposed to some basic grammatical concepts and a wider knowledge of Russian history and culture. Taking kids and teachers some blini and borsch will also likely endear them to your subject. You can also apply this to educating the educators at local schools how to present Russian-themed material. The American Translators Association give lots of information and advice on how to organize school outreach events.
3. Summer Programs. Some universities offer summer camp type programs for science and math – often framing it with a concept that kids like (like space flight). Usually, local kids enroll and spend a few hours at the university each day and go home for dinner and bed. Developing camps for foreign languages would be a good way to follow up on "Russian Days." You can decrease your costs and the time needed by partnering with another language department and perhaps the history and even theatre programs. Most parents are willing to pay a little to get the kids out of the house and into worth-while summer programs. 4. The Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) gives grants to schools that form language programs for youth. For a list of awards given to Russian-centered programs, click here. For more information about the program, see LanguagePolicy.org and click on "FLAP" on the main menu. III. Some of This Make You Nervous?
Ready to go forward with implementing marketing concepts to your Russian program, but unsure how to proceed, or just unsure in general? We've provided some general concepts here to help you develop advertising for your events as well as overcome "marketing fright."
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