I was just reading an article; College Board’s effort to have ‘fun’ by sending cow stickers to schools falls flat. To summarize, there had been some chatter about a question on a PSAT test that noted some kids had never seen a cow, and another reading question that used the term “gee whiz”. Kids had taken to social media to make fun of the two excerpts. In response the College Board sent a thank you to school counselors along with sheets of sticker’s of cows that read “gee whiz”. I couldn’t disagree more about the sticker mailing “falling flat”.
Though it might seem out of character for the college board to “have a little fun” and try to inject a little humor into the situation, the response to the stickers and the sticker mailing I think can only be viewed as a success. Many articles have been written, conversations started, and perhaps a bit of stress relieved. This is a good thing. In browsing comments most of the negative reactions seem to come from the counselors, not the students who took the test. Many students liked the stickers. And, perhaps the stickers did lighten the mood on what otherwise may be an overly serious endeavor.
Would any of this press and chatter have happened if stickers were not included with the letter to counselors? No. Business as usual and a formal thank you note would have gotten no attention and perhaps further reinforced the wall between students and the “establishment”. The stickers helped break down that wall a bit. In my opinion, money definitely well spent. Instead of a mailing ending up in a counselors trash can, the College Board attempted to bring students into the equation as well and started a productive conversation. The sticker mailing was also an acknowledgment that someone was listening to the students.
I’m not usually a fan of short term, cheap paper labels but in this case the stickers are purely a short term, fun, public relations statement  – not a long term promotional tool. They are a gift designed to lighten the mood, thank the students, and start conversations. I’d say they did exactly that.
Jeff Nicholson is the founder and Creative Director at 
