About the Author
ConservaTibbs
Opinion Archives
E-mail Scott
Scott's Links


Pavilion Properties' unprofessional, childish and offensive ads

By Scott Tibbs, February 24, 2015

Does Pavilion Properties really think that a video of a naked man, with his genitals (barely) covered, is the best way to attract new tenants to rent an apartment or house managed by them? If I was in the market for a rental home, an advertisement like that would not only do nothing to help sell Pavilion as a landlord, it would actively push me toward other property management companies.

Perhaps Pavilion thinks that the ad is edgy or clever. It is not. It is offensive, childish, and incredibly unprofessional. It has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the rental properties Pavilion is marketing to students, or anyone else who reads the Indiana Daily Student website. As an IU alumnus and Bloomington resident, I check the IDS daily to see what is going on with the alma mater as well as the IDS' coverage of local news. I do not appreciate being accosted with this offensive video while I am trying to stay informed.

The IDS designed the ad for Pavilion, and I think Pavilion got a bad deal. Think about this for a minute: You work for one of the best college newspapers in the nation, a newspaper that often has better coverage of local events and issues than even Bloomington's local newspaper. This is despite having a disadvantage in institutional knowledge of the area and contacts with local people. If you want to go into a career designing online advertisements, or working in the news media generally, do you think this helps or hurts your career prospects?

The naked video advertisement, unfortunately, highlights a disturbing tendency of the Indiana Daily Student - being crude the sake of being crude. From publishing obscene words to inappropriate images and video, some folks at the IDS seem to have never moved beyond junior high school in terms of maturity. Readers of the IDS website, and people who are looking for a rental home, should expect more maturity and seriousness from a top college newspaper and an otherwise respectable property management firm.