Indiana University Recruitment Video
 

Sigma Kappa took their budget for production of their recruitment video and donated it to Alzheimer's Research. Instead of having something expensive and professionally produced, they just shot their own. In response, Panhel has voted to change their policy for next year's recruitment. All videos moving forward must be produced in house and can't have a budget of more than $1000. Kudos to Sigma Kappa for leading the charge on this.

Thinking about how much money is wasted on these videos every year makes me crazy. Most are filled with the same cliche scenes and don't share valuable information with the pnms. Let's hope this is the beginning of a national movement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Rd7...diB0RJaRgQrswo

This is great! I could also see this as an opportunity for film/broadcasting sisters to work on a piece and have it as a part of their portfolios (this is the broadcasting student in me talking!)

“Only” $1000??? I don’t even want to know what people are spending now.

While I admire what they did, the video itself still has the same old cliche scenes and doesn’t show them doing any sorority specific activities or anything that has to do with Alzheimer’s research other than the fact in the middle of the video.

I guess I don’t get why these are permitted and NPC is wringing their hands over skits. At least skits are “live” and you can see people’s personalities coming out. Maybe they take up time practicing and in parties, but how is that different than the time taken to shoot these videos? At least creepy dudes aren’t fwapping over a Wizard of Oz skit on YouTube.

Yeah, I’m old.

The chapters currently have a budget of $10,000!! The companies that produce these videos must be making big $$$.

As for the content, they are appealing to 17-19 year old video obsessed women (and the creepy men who watch them also). I get that you have to know your audience, but they need far more substance and fewer hot tub scenes.

Do I really want to know how many of the Sorority Houses in question *have* hot tubs?

I agree that the video does still have some of the same cliche scenes, I mean who does a recruitment video without a puppy!?!? In all seriousness though, I got the feeling when watching the video that it was a passive aggressive way to make fun of the typical video. Just my thoughts, but I do respect their decision. Especially at Indiana, where so many of the NPC chapters are present, it is cringe worthy to think how much money is being invested into videos with glitter and a puppy, versus anything else...

OMG WHY CAN’T MY SERVICE LIZARD LIVE IN THE HOUSE YOU HAD A PUPPY IN YOUR VIDEO.

I had the exact same reaction... "Only" $1,000??? And then I read this...

... and nearly had a heart attack.

$10,000 on what essentially amounts to a bunch of girls frolicking around and blowing glitter at the camera, while some hip new song plays over the whole thing. Ten. Thousand. Dollars. And I get that this is a more digital age, and young women are on Youtube all the time, blah blah blah... but how different are each of these videos really? Are young women watching ten glitter-filled videos, seeing THE ONE and thinking, "Oh yea, that's the sorority for me."? It makes me sad to think these things might actually influence PNMs' decisions. The new tent talk!

Good for Sigma Kappa!

This video sets the new standard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90WwSR1qmA8

That was amazing. I miss college.

So over the recruitment videos! Kudos to Sigma Kappa for showing you can make the same drivel on no money as on $10K. But it was very admirable of them to donate to their philanthropy!

Not every chapter has that high of a budget- there is actually quite a range in budgets at IU. Some spend more, some spend less and they are all approved by Panhellenic.

It's interesting to see how the chapters spend money- for example the Panhellenic guideline may be that houses need to provide breakfast to the rho gammas. One chapter might spend $25 on granola bars and cuties and another chapter spends $200 on breakfast burritos and a fruit trays.

In talking about recruitment video prices I remember 2 really expensive ones (so much so they got articles written on them)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpBzmdj3G_0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr4USQjr9is

Heard the DG one cost between 200-400k

Shaking my head that cute nametags, coordinating outfits, and skits are out but professionally done videos of hotties are just fine.

I'm so glad I was Greek in the second half of the 80s.

For so many reasons.

I suppose the video has become the skit, except (and I feel this) less creative. They all have the same overall premise and parts to them (walking onto the football field if you're a big 10/SEC, puppies, jeeps with flags in the back,etc.) Skits, meanwhile, from what I've read sounded like fun times and a chance for the PNMs to break their nerves for a bit.

In these two videos are the women asking viewers to join a sorority, or to go on vacation for four years?

A high-end department store in my area is currently using, in their tv commercials, the same music a lot of these sorority videos play to sell the idea of shopping at a mall to young women. I have to laugh every time I see/hear it.

LOL!! Now I want a "service lizard". :D:D:D

Well, MY service peacock had better be allowed in the house if I decide to pledge your group. :D

My service ferret deserves a room to herself!

You accidentally added an extra 0, right? Please tell me that's the case.

Nope. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ariz...ruitment-video

Where does this money even come from? $200K? That's more than double my annual salary! And all for a video with no message whatsoever.

That’s what I was wondering! In a typical big chapter, that’s going to add $1500-2000 to each active’s annual dues. Unless someone’s daddy is paying for them.


Bravo IU Sigma Kappa! Powerful video and message.

My service skunk has lived with me since he was a baby. I insist that he has to live in the house with me or I will gladly bring a law suit.

At IU, the recruitment videos definitely part of the recruitment budget. Chapters have been known to pay for drone footage, a professional video editor, a production company to create the concept, original music, etc.

*throat clearing*

did anyone besides me READ the article? I quote:

The Miami video was estimated to cost between $200,000 and $400,000, so let's assume Alpha Phi rang up a similar bill — after all, they had to hire out the Pink Jeep Tour company, a helicopter pilot, a hot air balloon operator, the production team, and a singer for the original EDM song written by Artec.

In other words, we don't really know the cost of those videos, do we? I'm hardly defending Alpha Phi here, make no mistake about it. I'm simply saying people are getting a lot of exercise jumping to conclusions. Please. Alpha Phi has enough problems, seems like they like to keep adding to the list. That article was pretty pointed in its description of the ASU Alpha Phi members in the video.

My opinion about recruitment videos: waste of money, total superficial emphasis on form over substance. Kudos to Sigma Kappa at IU.

I could see how that DG video would "retail" for six figures. Watercraft rentals, beach/house rentals, music licenses, shooting permits, &c. I'm hoping they got a lot of discounts, waived fees, and donations of time and resources. You can also weasel out of certain permits and shooting fees if you're stealthy, but I wouldn't recommend it. :)

As far as I was aware no one at my alma mater ever paid to make a video. In my chapter we always asked for a sister volunteer and it usually ended up being a cute compilation video of clips we’d all filmed throughout the past year. I loved them, they always made me cry and I still love to watch them back. Those also did a much better job of highlighting the day to day life in a chapter. I wish they were all a little more silly and less produced.

I'm going to step out on a limb and put this video here because I think it's worth noting how amazing it is but also how valuable it is, especially in this era of glitter, extreme superficiality and over sexualization.

Kappa Delta

I came across this on Kappa Delta's national site.

This KD video is fabulously done! Seems it was a national initiative. The local chapter videos would be so much more effective if they provided this viewpoint vs. the meaningless fluff that we see over and over ad nauseam.

God bless Kappa Delta. I wept with joy.

I think all of our founders would appreciate the values expressed in this video! Kudos to KD. Thanks for sharing it, NinjaPoodle. I hope this one goes viral.

Well done, KD!

Love the KD video! I wish the recruitment videos I watched on youtube looked more like this,

It was! They did a national search for collegians with great stories to tell and then launched the campaign at our convention this year - with some of those women in attendance! I loved the end result!

YES!

Regardless of affiliation, I think it’s safe to say this can apply to all organizations.

I hope it goes viral too.

I appreciate Kappa Delta making this video and the idea behind it.

As do I. Excellent job, Kappa Delta!