We don’t have to tell you that higher education marketing is no easy task. With increasing competition, rising tuition costs and a higher emphasis from applicants on ROI, it’s no wonder schools are feeling the pressure to fill their freshman classes.
One major challenge is communicating the right message to the right prospects. In order to thrive in today’s economy, many overlooked applicants are either well into careers and interested in going back to school or younger applicants who are want to dive straight into the workforce while earning a degree. In addition, prospective students are now much more particular about where they invest their resources; they won’t necessarily go for the big name school if it means shelling out the big bucks.
It takes more than impressive rankings and stats if a college wants their pick of the applicant pool. Crafting a unique marketing message is critical to finding, targeting and engaging your ideal candidate. That’s why we wanted to recognize a school that truly knows who they’re speaking to: DeVry University.
DeVry University’s “Different. On Purpose” campaign is the answer the struggling education group needed. In Spring 2015, DeVry announced it would be relaunching its brand and repositioning its messaging. As a result, it came up with one of the most clear, concise brand messages we’ve heard from a college or university yet.
Relying heavily on video spots, both TV and digital, DeVry makes it clear it is not looking for the “traditional” applicant. While this video might be easily tuned out by a high school senior looking at colleges, it will catch the eye of a working mom. By knowing their target demographic so well, DeVry is able to break through the higher ed marketing noise with a relevant message to their niche.
What do you think of DeVry’s “Different on Purpose” campaign? Have you seen any higher ed marketing campaigns you think deserve to be recognized? Let us know!
