Advertising Reservations: An Evolution

What is the advertising reservation process?

The Student Organization Resource Center (SORC, pronounced "source") coordinates the use of low-cost campus advertising services. There are over 1,500 eligible student organizations and dozens of university departments vying for the spaces, which are affordable and effective. Consequently, the reservation process is highly competitive and must be conducted by several separate processes in order to be equitable and manageable. If you have never participated in these processes before, it can be overwhelming. Please read through this page carefully and call or email SORC if you have any questions.

SORC conducts a random drawing at the beginning of each semester for reservation appointment times. SORC does not assign locations for Diag boards and Diag banner poles; rather, each group is assigned an appointment time at random. Earlier appointments have better selection of the "good" spaces. Spaces that remain open after appointments are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For the Michigan Union banner and table tents, there is no appointment. Groups will either win one of the available spaces, or not.

Bus Signs and Digital advertising are both on a first-come, first-serve basis. You submit a request, and if space is available, we write a contract for you.

Dates change every semester, but the full details of the reservation process are announced via e-mail about one month before the end of each semester. Go to the main page of the SORC website for links to the applications and further details. To get on SORC's mailing list so you will receive this announcement, click here. If you subscribe to that mailing list but have not heard anything by the week before Thanksgiving (for Winter advertising), late April (for Summer advertising), or mid-July (for Fall advertising), email [email protected] for information.

Why is it random?

From the 1970s until 1996, Diag board spaces were reserved on a first-come first-serve basis. Diag boards are effective and inexpensive, so they grew steadily in popularity. The last time it was first-come first-serve was 1996. When the Manager left work the night before reservations opened, several people were already waiting outside the Michigan Union with their sleeping bags to reserve spaces the next day. By morning, there were over 40 people in line. SORC staff tried to be as efficient as possible, but the people who were near the back of the line had to wait several more hours for completion of the reservations in front of them, and by then, many of the spaces were booked solid, and they got nothing.

We knew there had to be a better way. A random-draw system was devised and launched in 1997. With some adjustments, that system remains in place today. Banner poles were added in 1998, and later table tents in 2006, and we eventually adopted the random appointment system for the same reasons - too much demand; not enough supply.

We have conducted surveys periodically to see if our customers prefer to go back to the old way. Once they hear this story, there is inevitably an overwhelming preference to keep the system as it is now. We hope this explanation sheds some light on the subject for you. If you have comments on the reservation process, please complete our online comment card.

When do reservations take place?

There are three reservation periods each year:

Fall reservation period
- Diag Boards, Banners, Table Tents
  - The period for which you can reserve advertising space is August through early January.
  - The application is open from June through late July.
  - Reservation appointments take place in early August.
- Bus Signs, Digital Ads
  - The period for which you can reserve advertising space is late August through early January.
  - Reservations open in July.
  - There is no lottery for this; it is a first-come, first-serve space request.
Winter reservation period
- Diag Boards, Banners, Table Tents
  - The period for which you can reserve advertising space is early January through late April.
  - The application is open from November through early December.
  - Reservation appointments take place in early December.
- Bus Signs, Digital Ads
  - The period for which you can reserve advertising space is early January through early May.
  - Reservations open in December.
  - There is no lottery for this; it is a first-come, first-serve space request.
Summer reservation period
- Diag Boards and Banners
  - There isn't typically a random drawing for this. Demand for the space in the summer is lower; reservations are accommodated on a first-come, first-serve basis.
  - The period for which you can reserve advertising space is early May through late August.
  - Reservations begin about a week after Spring Commencement.
- Bus Signs, Digital Ads
  - The period for which you can reserve advertising space is mid-May through late August.
  - Reservations open in early May.

What happens if my group misses the first round?

Unfortunately, if you do not submit an application before the deadline, you will not be able to reserve Diag boards or Diag banner poles during the first round of appointments. But you can schedule a second-round appointment the following week. Selection is limited by then, but there are still opportunities to reserve advertising spaces.

What happens if my group misses our appointment?

You should make every effort to meet your first-round appointment because it is your best chance at getting the "good" spaces. Each organization can reserve up to 2 Diag board spaces for the entire semester. This means that for every appointment that we complete, up to 30+ spaces might be taken out of commission. In a typical semester, there are about 100 appointments to reserve Diag board spaces and 50 appointments to reserve Banner Poles. After all those appointments, you can imagine that availability of locations could be very limited.

However, if you do miss the appointment, you can schedule a second-round appointment the following week. Selection of Diag board spaces is limited by then, and several weeks of Banner Poles are usually full, but we will meet with you and talk through the options.

What if my organization's president sends me to the appointment but I don't know what to reserve?

SORC clerks provide as much advice and guidance as possible, but unless you know some basic information, you will not be able to make a reservation. You will need to know:

the date of the event
how many spaces your group wants to reserve
how long your group wants to advertise

This will largely be determined by budget.

Can I apply for an appointment now?

It depends on when you're reading this! Click here to see the Diag board application. Click here to see the Banner Pole application. If they are not currently open, the webfom will tell you. Here is a timeline/guide:

Fall applications are open from approximately mid-May through late July.
Winter applications are open from approximately mid-November through early December.
Summer applications are open from approximately mid-March through late April.