Consider a PTI Grad-In-A-Box for your next hire

The Pittsburgh Technical Institute has launched an unusual campaign to market their graduates. They ship them out in boxes.

Well, not actually in the box.

PTI and 3PC Media launched the Grad-In-A-Box campaign hoping to send a clear message to companies and employers in the region that PTI grads are ready to work, explains Greg DeFeo, PTI president.

The school mailed 100 life-sized boxes to key creative leaders in the industry with a little packing slip that explained how to find top talent in the fields of graphic design, multimedia, video and web design.

“The whole idea was to illustrate that our grads are here and ready to work right out-of-the-box,” he says with a laugh. “We had a great response from employers. In a challenging market, this was definitely something unique that stood out.”

The boxes arrived with simple instructions: Open the box. Hire a PTI grad and put them to work. Recycle the box.

While PTI expected some surprise from those on the receiving end, they were pleased by the positive response. Some took pictures of employees with the boxes and posted them on Facebook. Others gave them a permanent home in the office.

The advertising industry was equally impressed. The-Grad-in-a-Box campaign won top honors at the 2011 Communicator Awards sponsored by the International Academy of Visual Arts in New York.

Since the campaign’s launch, PTI has fielded calls from employers who hadn’t worked with PTI before, says DeFeo. The school is finally growing beyond its image as one of the region’s best kept secrets since it opened in 1946. Last year more than 700 students graduated with degrees in 23 majors.

The campus, located on 180-acres near Robinson, enrolls 2000 students, many of whom live on campus.

“It was the best door opener I’ve ever received,” said Mark Lindsay, senior creative director at Quest Fore, a Pittsburgh-based strategic marketing company. “It was a beautiful idea… simple, cost-effective and attention-getting.”

Writer: Deb Smit

Source: PTI, Greg DeFeo