The Skyline College marketing department has just wrapped up a major marketing campaign to support Spring 2018 enrollment and also launched a campaign to recruit students to the Promise Scholars Program (PSP) for the 2018-2019 Academic Year. The multifaceted campaigns targeted potential students in San Mateo County ages 18-34 and the PSP creative focused on the tagline “We’ve got your back.”
The campaigns capitalized on a variety of media. Digital advertising included geo-fencing ads at local malls and high schools and broader format digital ads served on a wide variety of high-traffic websites – these ads could be seen on both mobile and desktop devices. Transit ads were placed on SamTrans busses, ads were placed in Saramonte Shopping Center, and print ads were secured in Pacifica Magazine.
Skyline College and Cañada College also launched a joint comprehensive media campaign in partnership with iHeart Media, owner of iHeart Radio, to be the exclusive educational sponsors of the Jingle Ball concert event. This exciting marketing opportunity, promoted across multiple platforms and media channels, revolved primarily around a contest to win tickets to Jingle Ball and a chance to meet Niall Horran, a member of One Direction. Contestants had to visit meetniall.com to enter the contest, a promotional webpage with information about Skyline College and Cañada College including buttons to apply and basic information on both college promise programs. The campaign, secured for $15,000 each from both colleges, garnered engagements and impressions whose total media value surpassed $575,000, a massive return on investment for a marketing campaign.
Launched with hundreds of radio broadcasts and streaming ads on the iHeart app producing hundreds of thousands of impressions and a strong web presence with call-outs of Skyline College and Cañada College on social media leading up to the event, iHeart Media saw contest engagement 50% higher than their average online contests. At Jingle Ball, both colleges received live call-outs on the jumbotrons in front of all 20,000 attendees, and student ambassadors actively engaged at outreach tables at the venue.
These campaigns proved an exceptional value, ultimately helping to promote both Skyline College and Cañada College to target audiences across San Mateo County. Beyond that, brand association with iHeart Media, a growing media resource, and Jingle Ball, one of the largest concerts of its kind in the Bay Area, helps to ensure that our colleges stay relevant and top of mind in an ever-evolving media landscape.
Article by Connor Fitzpatrick
