2008 Woodie Awards
Buy a ring, win $5K!
Peter Burke, Opinions Editor
Issue date: 2/27/07
Last Updated: 8/9/07
That catchy little phrase Ring by Spring never ceases to bring a silly smirk to my face. It's part of Whitworth's "little three," or more pointedly, three actions that every Whitworth grad jokingly should complete by the time graduation day rolls around.
Until this fall, the Ring by Spring was just a big joke describing the Whitworth phenomenon of countless seniors getting engaged during the winter of their senior year in order to plan for a wedding quickly after graduation.
Then the poster went up in the HUB and the $5,000 Most Romantic Proposal contest began. The rules are simple. Pounder's Jeweler's will reimburse the cost of a ring bought at their store (up to $5,000) to the student (from Gonzaga or Whitworth) who submits the "most romantic" engagement story. A panel of judges will decide which proposal is the most romantic after the April deadline passes.
The clever (or more appropriately "crafty") advertising campaign by Pounder's has capitalized on the Ring by Spring phenomenon to make a quick buck. The marketing strategy by the local jewelry store is painfully simple and effective: "Lots of Whitworth students are buying wedding rings during the winter, why not give them an incentive to come into our store?"
What is exactly wrong with the contest then? It seems at the outset like a smart marketing campaign that will benefit a wedding ring buyer and a local business.
What is wrong is that the contest perpetuates the sickly cycle that Whitworth students are in, pointing to marriage as the necessary next step to dating someone for a year or two. It makes it the norm that when you are about to leave college you are at a crossroads that must be decided by one of two actions. One is marriage and the other is breaking up.
The Ring by Spring mentality puts an undue pressure on college students to get married even if they are not mentally or emotionally ready because there is an expectation in the college community that the Ring by Spring is coming in every long-term dating relationship … (Wedding bells!! Honeymoon!! Baby on board!! Booyah!!)
Until this fall, the Ring by Spring was just a big joke describing the Whitworth phenomenon of countless seniors getting engaged during the winter of their senior year in order to plan for a wedding quickly after graduation.
Then the poster went up in the HUB and the $5,000 Most Romantic Proposal contest began. The rules are simple. Pounder's Jeweler's will reimburse the cost of a ring bought at their store (up to $5,000) to the student (from Gonzaga or Whitworth) who submits the "most romantic" engagement story. A panel of judges will decide which proposal is the most romantic after the April deadline passes.
The clever (or more appropriately "crafty") advertising campaign by Pounder's has capitalized on the Ring by Spring phenomenon to make a quick buck. The marketing strategy by the local jewelry store is painfully simple and effective: "Lots of Whitworth students are buying wedding rings during the winter, why not give them an incentive to come into our store?"
What is exactly wrong with the contest then? It seems at the outset like a smart marketing campaign that will benefit a wedding ring buyer and a local business.
What is wrong is that the contest perpetuates the sickly cycle that Whitworth students are in, pointing to marriage as the necessary next step to dating someone for a year or two. It makes it the norm that when you are about to leave college you are at a crossroads that must be decided by one of two actions. One is marriage and the other is breaking up.
The Ring by Spring mentality puts an undue pressure on college students to get married even if they are not mentally or emotionally ready because there is an expectation in the college community that the Ring by Spring is coming in every long-term dating relationship … (Wedding bells!! Honeymoon!! Baby on board!! Booyah!!)
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