Loyola University/Chicago billboard

[Sir Lawrence]

I don't often drive to Chicago (usually take the train) but yesterday I did and spotted a billboard near the Illinois/Wisconsin border that read something like "Loyola University, ranked one of the "Best Value" colleges in the nation" and then in parenthesis it said "(don't tell Marquette)."

Anyone else see it?  I'm curious as to the marketing rationale. 

[warriorchick]

Actually, there are two signs:

This one in Wisconsin facing southbound traffic:



And this one in Illinois facing northbound traffic:

[🏀]

Ugh, I saw the Marquette one day. Disgusting

[Dr. Blackheart]

Ugh, I saw the Marquette one day. Disgusting

MU setting out to become LU now, hey.  Bypassing the S, ai-na?

[GooooMarquette]

If we're competing with Loyola for students, things must be bad.

[GGGG]

Why?  Loyola is a decent school.  Same geographic area. 

[GooooMarquette]

Why?  Loyola is a decent school.  Same geographic area.

So MU aspires to decent?

[GGGG]

Loyola is about the same type of school Marquette is.  Don't know for sure, but they probably compete for similar students.

[Sir Lawrence]

I still don't get it from a marketing strategy. 

[warriorchick]

So MU aspires to decent?

For most intents and purposes, Loyola and Marquette or pretty equivalent, except that we have a real basketball team and they have a medical school and hospital.

[Sir Lawrence]

And Chick, nice job on the pics, but I hope you weren't behind the wheel whilst snapping same. We care about your safety.

[warriorchick]

And Chick, nice job on the pics, but I hope you weren't behind the wheel whilst snapping same. We care about your safety.

Actually, a friend of mine whose son goes to Marquette posted these pictures on Facebook.

[buckchuckler]

If we're competing with Loyola for students, things must be bad.

Yeah good grief.  Look at Marquette competing with an Midwestern-Urban-Jesuit school.  How low we have fallen...

wait a minute...

[GooooMarquette]

Looks like the billboard had its effect on Scoop.

Wonder if this Board was their target audience.

[dgies9156]

To all you guys and gals criticizing Loyola as somehow inferior:

Don't go ripping' on my Ramblers!

My undergrad is from Marquette. I'm a proud Warrior. I was born into a Marquette family and probably will die with a Marquette shirt on. The place means an awful lot to me and I got a great education from the Jesuits.

My MBA is from Loyola. The professors were great and accessible. The learning environment at the Water Tower Campus was good and the classmates I had were wonderful people. Loyola was not easy but essential for the career I had since. I've held my own with Illinois, Northwestern and UC grads.

The reality is the two ads are a reminder of a long-ago border battle between Illinois and Wisconsin. Just over the cheese curtain, Wisconsin had a sign imploring businesses in Illinois to "move your business to Wisconsin..." Illinois responded with its own south of the border sign saying "Lower Taxes -- that's why you move to Illinois."

[muwarrior69]

Hmm...did MU and LU get a two for one deal on those signs.?

[vogue65]

Hmm...did MU and LU get a two for one deal on those signs.?

My thoughts exactly, it is good publicity for MU.  Furthers the brand, that being Jesuit education.
The issue is, stay home or board and not U.S. and World Report rankings.

[Galway Eagle]

We are competing with Loyola for your typical Student. Yes overall Marquette is rated higher and everyone knows we try to compete with a ND or BC for those students but your run of the mill good student looking for an urban medium sized school with name reputation is probably looking at both Loyola and Marquette

[MerrittsMustache]

We are competing with Loyola for your typical Student. Yes overall Marquette is rated higher and everyone knows we try to compete with a ND or BC for those students but your run of the mill good student looking for an urban medium sized school with name reputation is probably looking at both Loyola and Marquette

Marquette may want to compete with ND and BC, but the truth is, it's much closer to being Loyola than it is to being either one of those schools. It appears that at least someone at MU is recognizing that.

[StillAWarrior]

Marquette (86) may want to compete with ND (18) and BC (30), but the truth is, it's much closer to being Loyola (99) than it is to being either one of those schools. It appears that at least someone at MU is recognizing that.

FWIW, US News rankings certainly support this statement.

While it's essential to always strive to improve, there's value in recognizing where you stand and who you're competing with.  There's no shame in having Marquette realize -- and acknowledge -- that they're competing with Loyola.

[Herman Cain]

For most intents and purposes, Loyola and Marquette or pretty equivalent, except that we have a real basketball team and they have a medical school and hospital.

It was a big mistake to give up our medical school. That and the football team.

[Pakuni]

Better Loyola than the evil Pilarz/Williams plot to put Marquette on par with St. Louis, right?

[mu03eng]

It was a big mistake to give up our medical school. That and the football team.

Yes. And no definitely not, A) we're undefeated since 1960 2) the program was hemorrhaging money then, what other things might we not have just to remain competitive III) I feel comfortable saying the basketball program likely would not be as successful or visible had we retained football long term.

[4everwarriors]

To all you guys and gals criticizing Loyola as somehow inferior:

Don't go ripping' on my Ramblers!

My undergrad is from Marquette. I'm a proud Warrior. I was born into a Marquette family and probably will die with a Marquette shirt on. The place means an awful lot to me and I got a great education from the Jesuits.

My MBA is from Loyola. The professors were great and accessible. The learning environment at the Water Tower Campus was good and the classmates I had were wonderful people. Loyola was not easy but essential for the career I had since. I've held my own with Illinois, Northwestern and UC grads.

The reality is the two ads are a reminder of a long-ago border battle between Illinois and Wisconsin. Just over the cheese curtain, Wisconsin had a sign imploring businesses in Illinois to "move your business to Wisconsin..." Illinois responded with its own south of the border sign saying "Lower Taxes -- that's why you move to Illinois."

Yeah, oleo wars were a real bitch, hey?

[GGGG]

Marquette may want to compete with ND and BC, but the truth is, it's much closer to being Loyola than it is to being either one of those schools.

And there is nothing wrong with that.