PORTFOLIO
Case Study
Client: HU University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht
The Creative Business programme is designed to challenge conventional norms and prepare students for emerging careers. While the programme has a clear internal understanding of its brand purpose, it has struggled to establish a unified external message within the competitive educational landscape. Each year, they host events alongside numerous other programs in the Netherlands and abroad. This is a peak period when prospective students and parents are inundated with information. With attention spans averaging just eight seconds, breaking through the noise to capture interest is a significant challenge. To maximise impact and align with the programme’s key performance indicators (KPIs), we have collaborated on four key areas: strategy, branding, advertising, and social media.
STRATEGY
Strategy is power. Strategy is your business’ game plan.
Game on!
Challenge: Position the client as an industry leader by highlighting its unique selling points and aligning its message with market demands.
Solution: While the institution’s overarching strategy was solid, internal clarity on the programme’s value did not translate externally, causing confusion for the target audience. To address this, we conducted market research to assess programme demand and refine the offering. A competitor analysis identified opportunities to adopt and amplify the most compelling unique selling points, positioning the client ahead of the curve.
By researching the target audience, we uncovered insights into their online behaviours, enabling the client to tailor its communication effectively. Additional marketing strategies (e.g., events, ads, social media) were implemented to ensure maximum impact with minimal budget. The creation of a comprehensive brand strategy, while complex, provided the foundation for an efficient, results-driven plan aligned with the client’s KPIs.
Results: The primary KPI was to stabilise enrollment numbers annually, with a stretch goal of increasing enrolment by 5%. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the strategy exceeded expectations:
- Year 1: Enrolment increased by 14%
- Year 2: Enrolment grew by 22.6%
- Year 3: Enrolment rose by 9.3%
- Year 4: Enrolment stabilised, achieving the desired capacity.
This consistent growth highlights the success of a well-researched and executed strategy. While the programme has now reached near-maximum capacity, future growth will require a new strategy aligned with evolving market trends and demands.
Branding
Branding is identity. Branding is trust. Branding is sales growth.
It all starts and ends with it.
Challenge: Develop strong branding that generates awareness and stays top-of-mind for the audience.
Focus: Leverage social media and events to reflect the creative essence of the Creative Business study programme.
Solution: The programme operates under a university with well-defined branding, but competing programmes within the same institution posed a challenge. The goal was to differentiate the client while adhering to the university’s overarching branding.
To achieve this, we emphasized bold colors from the logo paired with unconventional text, creating a polished yet distinctive visual identity. This approach was also cost-effective, making it easy to reproduce various formats of branding materials.
For the events, we designed an interactive experience that condensed the programme’s four-year journey into a one-hour trip. The experience included:
- Branded materials
- Opportunities to engage with lecturers and students
- A study programme passport stamped at each stage of the journey
This approach offered prospective students an engaging and memorable introduction to the programme.
Results: We produced cohesive promotional materials, including brochures, social media content, and merchandise worn by student ambassadors and select future students. The exclusive merch created a sense of desirability, prompting organic promotion.
Remarkably, 63% of fully-enrolled students in 2023 cited the event as their top reason for considering Creative Business. Consistent branding helped keep the programme top-of-mind, fostering discussions among families and driving enrolment—all achieved with minimal cost.
Advertising
Advertising is persuasion. Advertising brings temptation.
Let advertising make your brand desired!
Solution: We developed a series of ads to raise awareness of the Creative Business programme, targeting a 20% conversion rate to move viewers to the consideration stage. This was achieved through a combination of in-person and online events.
Results: The results speak for themselves! The advertisements delivered exceptional conversion rates, with Creative Business achieving a cost-per-click of just €0.20—significantly lower than competitors’ average of €1.06..
Average KPI’s Creative Business ad
Average KPI’s benchmark (competitors)
Influencer Marketing – Consideration Stage
When executed with the right channels and influencers, this type of advertising can deliver exceptional results.
We commissioned a video titled “This is how we work at Creative Business”, created by one of the programme’s own students. The video offered a genuine and honest perspective of her experience, making it relatable and trustworthy. The standout element? She’s an influencer with over 30K YouTube subscribers and 80K Instagram followers, perfectly aligned with the university’s target audience. This collaboration achieved not only its goals but also exceeded expectations by authentically engaging a wide, relevant audience.
social media
Social media brings information. Social media enables connection.
Social media creates strong relationships.
Foster a sense of belonging – Advocacy
From our research, we understood that for our target audience, small gestures make a big impact. To kick off their academic journey with excitement and style, all registered students received a curated welcome bag delivered by snail mail.
The bag included:
- Key information about their Creative Business journey
- A handwritten note for a personal touch
- Fun treats like colourful socks, branded stickers, chocolate, and more
The welcome bag served two key objectives:
- Attention: By stepping away from digital communication, we used physical mail to stay top-of-mind and stand out from competitors.
- Advocacy: The carefully curated items encouraged students to share the experience on Instagram, WhatsApp, or through word-of-mouth, turning them into programme ambassadors even before starting their bachelor degree.
This initiative embodies a well-executed strategy and a thoughtfully designed customer journey. Simple, low-cost, and highly effective—just the way we like it!
