Q: Our marketing department is considering the use an image of our university's athletic mascot as the cover of our brochure. Our participants are primarily working adults in the community. We are working on our next brochure and want to know if you have any data or input as to whether a collegiate mascot would be a wise choice. Important to note that we are a non-credit leisure learning program.
A: This is an excellent question. As the brochure cover is THE most important image maker for your program, it is critical that the graphic on the cover communicate with your target audience in a way that lets them know the brochure is from your program. My suspicion would be that the athletic mascot would NOT be something that people associate with your program. The total university--yes. Adult enrichment? No. Therefore, you might be much better off to use a different kind of graphic--one that resonates with your target audience and which is related, visually, to the image people have of your program.
Photographs of people similar to those in your target audience, images of adults engaging in fun activities, photos that depict one of the types of programming you offer, etc. are all better choices for the cover than the athletic mascot. This image is more likely to bring to mind the credit side of your university and might not be recognized as being from your program