Goal: To raise awareness and increase inquiries from potential undergraduate students. In the Atlantic Canadian market Dalhousie is well-established institution despite a reputation of being large and impersonal. Our goal with this campaign is to increase top of mind awareness with Atlantic Canadian high school students while changing perception and creating a personal and approachable personality for the university. The campaign is also running in Ontario and Western Canadian markets where Dalhousie has an awareness problem - there is no perception of Dalhousie. Our goal in these markets, with the same creative, was to inform potential students and their parents of all of the programs and possibilities that existed at Dalhousie for students. They can get a world-class education at a school where professors will know their name in a vibrant and active city - It's all possible.
Concept: Building on the successful 'Discover the Unexpected' platform that Revolve and Dalhousie created two years ago; this year is an extension of that effort and moving it beyond a single course to include an experience that changed the students outlook or perspective.
Process: We interviewed a number of students and professors to determine what was unexpected about their time at Dalhousie. By using actual students we found our target can see themselves in each of the feature students and can related to sharing a similar experience if they choose to go to Dalhousie. After each student and professor was interviewed we filmed a short video that helped add context and information to their story. The videos were then edited to short, 30-second trailers that were played before movies in select markets throughout Canada. The cinema ads were supported in these markets with print and online advertising all of which drove the potential student (or parent) back to the redesigned discover.dal.ca to find more information about the students, the school and to request information about registration.
Result: Our campaign is definitely getting noticed and by all accounts sticking out in the hearts and minds of potential students both locally and in the other Canadian markets. Early results indicate that undergraduate inquiries are meeting or exceeding expectations in all markets recruiters have attended. We look forward to continuing to work with Dalhousie on developing 'unexpected' stories and sharing them with potential students.