main street research project - Academic Technology Center ...

STUDENT INSIGHT INTO EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING
A survey that reached 348 Bentley University students provided further insight into the current
branding and advertising situation in downtown Waltham and its effects on attracting students as
consumers. Figure 4-1 portrays the results in a bar graph. When asked how one hears about
restaurants, stores, etc. on Main Street, ―Word of Mouth‖ was chosen by 87% of students.
―Walking by‖ was also chosen by 46% of students while some students also wrote ―Driving by‖
in the ―Other‖ option. It can be seen that the downtown area has a lot of room for improvement
regarding its advertising efforts. The majority of respondents hear about stores by either word of
mouth or walking by. In fact, eighty percent of businesses surveyed recognized their location as
a clear advantage, due to the high volume of customer traffic that occurs on Main Street.
Additionally, flyers could be used much more effectively, especially on campus settings, as they
are already a familiar method of advertising. Attracting more student interest in the downtown
area could help in branding Waltham as a college town. The Internet is also an easily-accessible
and effective way to reach interested consumers. Stores can advertise online through individual
websites or review sites that already exist for little cost, while still reaching many consumers.
Figure 4-1: How students hear about stores in the downtown area
COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD
A community bulletin board for the downtown area is an easy way to boost Main Street‘s
advertising potential. It would represent an additional channel for both businesses and consumers
to advertise and reach out to the community. The bulletin board should be a substantial size and
allow residents and businesses to post flyers, advertisements, coupons, etc. on both sides. Placing
it by the Commons on the Main Street and Moody Street intersection would be a good location
to cover the two major streets that make up the downtown area. Many downtown areas offer
bulletin boards as a successful way of free advertising and community outreach. Waltham should
consider investing in a bulletin board to enhance the area‘s brand providing it with more of a
downtown feel where consumers go to shop and eat, giving residents a resource that is free for
them to use.
61