CASE STUDY IV: CREATE RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN

SITUATION:  Research had shown that The New School's top target demographic (teens and young adults) responds best to succinct, visual formats free of corporate or overly promotional tone. They often shun traditional methods of promotion - advertising, direct mail, etc.

In addition, The New School, with its quirky, progressive, artsy brand, was looking for students who were comfortable with that identity and with the university's unique academic offerings. The recruitment campaign had to speak to all of those needs.

OVERARCHING GOAL: Create a bold, unique, and truthful recruitment campaign to increase applications and improve retention of existing undergraduate students for The New School.

TANGIBLE OBJECTIVES:

• Engage the kind of applicant who would likely be a successful student at The New School.

• Use promotional strategies that speak to smart teenagers looking to go to college.

• Develop new media market strategies to reach students.

• Help raise retention rates.

• Showcase interdivisional academic offerings.

• Demonstrate learning outcomes/career paths.

TACTICS:  The New School's Communications and External Affairs department developed a promotional campaign called "Are You New School?" to give face and voice to the students, to help prospective students see if they were a fit. 

The team used this campaign to: 

• Develop multiple integrated communication "touch points," including print, digital, web, and direct mail.

• Create, with the award-winning Corra Films, a series of unique and compelling 90-second student portrait videos offering honest storytelling and "slice-of-life" narrative.

• Tie the videos to a robust social networking strategy in hopes they would go viral.

• Market "like" programs together.

• Help Admissions capture stealth applicants through creation of a digital viewbook.

“Working with Nancy on the 'Are You New School?' campaign was a delight and you can see that in the results. She has tremendous passion and infectious energy for her work. She sets clear boundaries,  but allows enormous freedom for her collaborators to do what they do best. That's a sign of someone truly special.

"Nancy is a unique and gifted leader. We treasure the work we did together as among our best." 

Henry Corra,
Director
CORRA FILMS

RESULTS:

• In the year following the launch of "Are You New School?" the campaign was named "Awesome College Social Campaign" by BestCollegesOnline.com and was featured in US News Education.

• The 13 "Are You New School?" videos were viewed 31,000 times. view playlist.

• The videos helped increase the university's YouTube subscribers by 187%.

• The social media buzz created by the campaign helped to generate 10,000 more Twitter followers (an increase of 86%) and 8,500 more Facebook friends (an increase of 82%).