What they asked for
Increased enrollment rates in their pre-paid tuition program amid state-wide skepticism
What they got
A breakthrough multi-channel campaign, big-time PR support and more than 1,000 qualified leads.
THE SITUATION: FACING THE FACTS ABOUT FUTURE TUITION
College Illinois! helps Illinois residents prepay and save on future tuition costs for their children and grandchildren. This can reduce the need for student loans—a huge pain point for millions of Americans.
However, beyond the normal challenge of getting parents to think about future college tuition while their kids are still in diapers, College Illinois! was facing negative publicity and misconceptions across the state.
The Answer: Introducing the face of student loan debt
CREATIVE AND DIGITAL
To show the emotional impact that this can have, we used images of children reacting to the news that their future college tuition was covered. Or…that it wasn’t.
The resulting multi-channel campaign was carried out across:
- Out-of-home (OOH)
- Print-ads
- Radio spots
- Landing pages, display ads and more
Results
Lead generation was critical. So we built a landing page with helpful information about the program and collected data through a limited-time rebate offer.
PR, SOCIAL MEDIA AND CONTENT
In order to help spread positive awareness of the program to parents and grandparents across the state, we leveraged PR and social media tactics, including:
- Bylined articles
- Editorials
- Paid social
- E-newsletters
In addition, positive testimonials from current contract holders were shared to enrich the story – and inspire other parents and grandparents to take action.
Last but not least, we created a short, impactful video that looked at factual and emotional reasons to believe in College Illinois!.
THE END RESULT
An emotionally driven campaign that engaged parents and grandparents across multiple channels, helping College Illinois! boost enrollment rates in their pre-paid tuition program. Big time.