Editorial: Virtual parking misses marketing opportunity

FIUSM Staff

opinion@fiusm.com


 

With the implementation of virtual parking management by the university, FIU is making parking garages more efficient – but they’re also eliminating a huge marketing opportunity.

FIU parking decals decorate – for better or worse – thousands of cars in South Florida. Every decal is a conversation piece, a clear indicator that the owner of the vehicle is, or was, an FIU student.

FIU pride, as this editorial board has written before, is often lacking. Few people can be seen sporting merchandise with the university logo, while many show support for other universities across the country. The FIU parking decal, though, requires at least some representation for those who park on campus.

The new system removes the need for the decals, thereby removing them from the cars.

With a mandatory $90.55 Transportation Access Fee for all students enrolled, FIU generates revenue for parking and transportation upkeep while arguably saving money on advertising. This editorial board believes that, although it might be less of a hassle to deal with cars virtually, getting rid of the stickers ignores their secondary marketing function.

Nearly every university in the country using parking decals in similar ways which subtly advertise the school, one must wonder what would lead FIU to deviate from the norm.

When considering costs, the money saved by no longer printing stickers probably doesn’t justify the cut to advertising.

Plus, with “I am MDC” plastered on so many other cars, the depopulation of FIU stickers leaves a noticeable gap in FIU’s presence in the surrounding community.

Perhaps this is another move by administration to put FIU ahead of the curve, but it seems they might be overcomplicating the wrong aspects of the university’s parking issue.

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