GWSB:DC – Patton Creative

Patton Creative | GWSB:DC

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Case Study

(Re)Launching an Online Graduate Degree Program

For: George Washington University School of Business

Defining the Problem

The Challenge

After launching a suite of online masters degree programs—and building an innovative, best-in-class digital classroom experience—the George Washington University School of Business needed to attract potential students build a funnel of desirable applicants.

Six months into a marketing plan with an outside firm, awareness and leads were low, and monthly advertising expenditures were unsustainable given the results.

Performance problems were rooted in five areas:

Creative that did not differentiate—or elevate—the product in a newly crowded market of online graduate programs
Clunky Lead Capture and online experience on mobile
Unclear Target Market that cast too wide a net
Out-of-Step Digital Advertising & Presence that did not foot to the media consumption and online behaviors of the target market
Unclear Success Metrics, limited reporting, and no direct access to performance data held by outside firm

Defining the Solution

What Was Needed

The online degree programs needed a new campaign and plan, and it needed it FAST—designed and implemented in under a month. Why so fast? Unlike, for example, buying a shoe, the “path to purchase” for a graduate degree is a lengthy one. Enrolling in a graduate degree is a life-altering decision that entails an application process, GMAT and other test taking, and significant time and financial considerations.

With that in mind, the goal was to launch a new three-month campaign driving awareness and building a funnel of leads for the Office of Graduate Programs:

New Campaign Creative & Messaging that spoke to the program’s unique selling points and aligned with the strong GW brand
Online Presence that matched the sophistication of the product and captured leads
Redefined Target Market narrowly focused on desirable prospective students
Media Plan & Digital Approach that leveraged the behaviors of the target market
In-House Results Tracking to enable transparent reporting and quick plan refinements based on insights