Situation
After Anderson landed the Del Mar College account, our first step was coordinating a two-day immersion session at the client’s location with the entire Anderson team (i.e., account service; copywriting; art direction; media planning and buying; and social media and digital strategy), as well as the following stakeholders from Del Mar College:
- Communications Relations
- Vice Presidents
- Students
- Faculty
We also had a one-on-one meeting with the president, Dr. Mark Escamillia, and were given thorough tours of each campus.
Over the course of the two-day session, one particularly frustrating comment kept surfacing among students and faculty alike: “It’s just Del Mar.” The phrase suggested that members of the college perceive it as a last resort, chosen only when no better options were available. What’s more, “It’s just Del Mar” seemed to diminish the perceived quality of education provided by the College.
Our Approach
While crafting the general enrollment campaign, we developed a direct and impactful message: “Some people THINK it’s just Del Mar…but think again”. This line became the guiding mantra for the campaign, enabling us to cast talent capable of delivering the message with a bold and confident attitude, thereby capturing the essence of our objective.
While developing the THINK campaign, the college requested that Anderson develop a campaign supporting the Free Tuition Grant (TAG) program, which would run at the same time as the general enrollment campaign.
In response, Anderson recommended integrating the Free Tuition Grant campaign into the overarching THINK campaign. This move aimed to align both campaigns with a similar cadence and attitude. At the same time, adjustments to the talent’s appearance were made to clearly relay to the viewer the distinction between the messages. With this approach, the campaigns would seamlessly work together to present a unified and cohesive message for the principal brand.
Between the two campaigns, we had a deep media approach with multiple tactics that included:
- Broadcast Television
- Digital Display
- SEM
- OTT
- Pre-Roll Video
- Streaming Audio (English and Spanish)
- Paid Social
- YouTube Video
- Cable
- Podcast Network
- Broadcast Radio (English and Spanish)
- Digital Outdoor
Results
The THINK campaign had 69,262 direct link clicks that resulted in 10,007 “Apply Now” button clicks on the Del Mar website. OTT had 819,248 video completions and drove 10,371 direct website visits. Traffic from new users to the Del Mar website increased 29.04% over the same period the previous year.
The Free Tuition campaign delivered 11,191 direct link clicks that resulted in 1,115 “Apply Now” button clicks/direct calls.
The THINK Campaign also won a Silver Medallion Award.
Social
OUTDOOR
digital
