Franklin and Franklin

Posted by J. Catapano , Jul, 2009 @ 14:18

In Indianapolis, there is a bit of buzz surrounding the nearly 200-year-old institution of Franklin College because lots of people are contacting them confused and upset. The reason being that there’s another ‘Franklin’ in town. Franklin University, which is based in Ohio, is opening up a new campus right in Indianapolis. Obviously, there’s a bit of confusion among those targeted for Franklin University admissions. People, apparently, are calling up Franklin College with a bunch of questions. FC President, James Mosely, had this to say about the whole ordeal,

‘ “Since Franklin University began its advertising blitz in central Indiana this spring, we have received calls, comments, and E-mail messages from many people asking why we changed our name or whether we’ve opened a satellite office for online education in IndianapolisWe have great concerns about the impact of the obvious confusion, especially with prospective students and employers of our alumni.” ‘

Makes sense to me, but I would imagine that FC is going to get the shit end of this stick. It’s not like Franklin University is calling itself Franklin College, and ‘Franklin’ is a pretty common name for any sort of institution and/or company. They’re not breaking any rules, but they may need to make sure they’re clear about exactly who they are. ’Franklin University from Ohio,’ for example, something like that. The courts will soon decide what action needs to be taken, but I’m calling this one early.

Tags: admissions, advertisements, advertising, college admissions, commercials, confusion, Franklin College, Franklin University, india, Indianapolis, Ohio