Businesses roll out the freebies during Welcome Week activities

This year’s freshman class promises to be diverse in thought, culture and ethnicity. But this eclectic group of students will most likely agree: Free stuff is good.

During Welcome Week, Bloomington restaurants and retailers are getting creative to entice incoming freshmen. Some are giving away free food, while others are passing out coupon books and hawking T-shirts.

One of the perennial leaders in the rush for new customers is Pizza Express.
The pizzeria plans to give away free breadsticks from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, as well as coupons for a free T-shirt with purchase of a particular combo meal. Employees will also parade around town in a special Pizza Express van.

“We place a big emphasis on our first two weeks of promotional activities,” said Pizza Express marketing director Sarah Sheikh. “We definitely believe that attracting students during those first two weeks not only can influence their buying habits for the remainder of the school year, but during the four or five years that they are at IU.”

Sheikh isn’t alone in her emphasis on the importance of early name recognition for Bloomington businesses. 

Hans Sebastian Heese, an assistant professor of operations management in the Kelley School of Business, also sees these giveaway-based promotional techniques as an effective way to attract students.

“It’s important to establish initial contact early off,” he said. “There’s a potential to have them as customers for four years ... the earlier they start, the better.”

This marketing philosophy might hold true for larger businesses, but Heese believes local shops and retailers have the most to gain by grabbing the immediate attention of new students.

“Most of the students are aware of chains,” Heese said. “For smaller, more local stores, it might be more difficult to get on the radar.”

However, not all Bloomington business owners are sold on the profitability of early name recognition. Ray McConn, owner of Mother Bear’s Pizza, 1428 E. Third St., doesn’t see the need to place any special emphasis on Welcome Week activities.

“These freshmen are inundated by a thousand or more different ads, giveaways and coupons,” he said. “I really feel that knowing how freshmen are to some degree, they don’t give a crap. I don’t think they look at anything the first week or two.”

Other businesses agree. When asked, representatives from popular campus establishments such as ice cream parlor Jiffy Treet, cookie house Baked! Of Bloomington and sub shop Jimmy John’s said they had no plans to do any special promotions during Welcome Week.

McConn admits that his no-marketing strategy goes against the advice of salespeople, who say it’s important to push name recognition early on. But freshmen, he said, simply have other things to worry about during their first weeks of school.

“They’re dealing with friends, getting used to college life and worrying ‘Who can buy beer for me?’” he said. “I don’t think (early marketing) is important at all, and I think it’s a waste of money.”