The Bookies to host Sooner Art Gallery

The Bookies to host Sooner Art Gallery

Traci Reiserer

Our PR Campaigns group, “The Bookies,” has been given the Sooner yearbook as our client this semester. Rather than working on solely increasing yearbook sales, we have been given a task of increasing awareness, focusing on college nostalgia and how we can alter students’ perception of the OU yearbook in a more positive light.

Although the lack of yearbook sales is the main concern of the OU student media group and their supervisor, Lori Brooks, through our research we have also found that students feel a yearbook is not a necessity, and do not think the yearbook is an important part of the University of Oklahoma’s tradition. We have found that seniors associate “graduation” with caps and gowns, senior trips, class rings and walking the stage, not purchase a yearbook; a main problem for the yearbook staff trying to their hit sales quota.

Surprisingly, OU is not alone with it comes to low yearbook sales and a lack of awareness on campus. After researching and contacting the Big12 schools, over half of the Big 12 are struggling to keep their own university’s yearbook alive. Three of the Big 12 schools’ yearbooks have gone completely under and are now no longer a part of their university’s tradition.

In order to increase awareness and create a positive buzz about the yearbook, The Bookies will host a Sooner Art Gallery focusing on the yearbook’s content and layout of the 2008 book. We will hold the art gallery in three different locations: Price Hall, Gaylord Hall, and the Fine Arts building on April 15, 2008 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. We have chosen 20 (of what we think) are the most impressive spreads that students can relate to and will be showcasing them in all three buildings. Students will have a chance to stroll through the Sooner Art Gallery to learn more about the content of the yearbook as well as what the Sooner has to offer in terms of memories and keepsake items.

The Bookies have high hopes and aspirations that the Sooner Art Gallery will increase the awareness of the Sooner on campus, as well as modify how the students view the OU yearbook.