THE CAMPAIGN: A CASE STUDY ON MARKETING FOR ADMISSIONS AT ST LAWRENCE COLLEGE

I'll give praise where praise is due - always! The team at St Lawrence College could not be faulted. And I don't just mean "they're nice people" (which they are!), but they set out, before they ever had heard of Affixxius, with a goal that they weren't sure how to achieve, well, not specifically through film. Their goals, and every school has different goals, were a combination of sustaining the current quality and quantity of admissions levels whilst also slightly increasing them (non-complacency, one of many positive ticks for SLC), and also achieving a brand elevation, specifically as Antony Spencer, 4 years into his tenure at that time we met, was keen to hold the proverbial hand above the parapet for SLC. This was the beginning of a very well-planned, well-executed, successful video marketing strategy and campaign.As any good business should, place your goals in the hands of specialists who can visualise the same goal, provide solutions and execute them. SLC recognising that this sort of project is not one that can necessarily be done in-house was another very crucial decision. With video chosen as their medium (as one arm of what I'm sure was a multi-layered marketing strategy), the marketing department, specifically Melissa Gabbott and her colleague and Deputy Head, Simon Heard, came to us for the 'what' part of their strategy. They knew the video was the medium...but, what and why were questions left to us, the professionals.After a series of very successful focus groups, interviews and some external 'digging', the Affixxius Team were able to distil the essence of SLC into a handful of emotive triggers that we knew had to be part of our production. That's the key, letting us propose what can be quite abstract ideas and emotions that are not tangible and let us produce that thing. It's trust - you need trust to work with us and let us do what we do best - and St Lawrence was a fairy-tale example of that.The St Lawrence Team, staff and the pupils were all 'up’ for it, well prepared, amenable for, what I can say, was a very ambitious filming schedule! We commend their organisation, flexibility and calm demeanour to rival ours during the filming.End result? A film that 'feels' like the school. One that resonates with their audiences. One that makes an Old Lawrentian smile quietly, nod and give a little laugh. If we had taken an approach of describing the curriculum, ethos or the grounds of the school, listing its 51-127 extra-curricular activities (not real numbers, the point is, who really cares!) or worse, saying "but St Lawrence IS different!" then we would not have the same emotional response.Mini film teasers were 'leaked' on Instagram to build excitement. The film was then 'live launched' to all staff and pupils in assembly to ensure internal buy-in and 'distribution' from within, a crucial step in getting external engagement. It was a first in our book to have a 15-year old boy (the stroppiest of the teen years, we believe!) stand up and "Woop woop!!!" the film on the first showing. That's your litmus test right there! Did it work...YES!How do we measure success? We do and we don't. Stats help but they aren't the be all. Twelve thousand views between Facebook and YouTube, increased website traffic, increased open day traffic/admissions calls, and perhaps just a little more 'Hey, here we are!' feel about SLC.SLC have also taken the film's stills and language “School Should Be…” and given them life across all sorts of marketing mediums - print ads, social media, and even their yearbook, The Lawrentian.That’s exactly what should be done - discover your hook, the language and the visual style, launch a film, push your brand and your hook, then utilize it in every piece of marketing collateral you have.Marketing done well is people talking about you, that's what is important, you can't control what they say, but you can influence it...Read more and watch the film here:https://affixxius.com/academic...Are they happy with the result? Resources well spent? I'll let Melissa from St Lawrence tell you:“Affixxius stood out right from their initial pitch and follow-up. The research they undertook was extremely thorough and we were reassured that they really got to understand our school. It was great to be presented with three very different concepts to choose from, all of them meeting the brief. The actual filming was very well organised, full-on but fun, and we are thrilled with the end result. As well as great social media stats, so many visiting prospective families mention the video – it has clearly worked!”So what's YOUR strategy this year? [embed]https://vimeo.com/259333070[/embed]