THE CHALLENGE
Turn Around a Lagging Program on the Fly
Emerson College is a small, private institution in Boston known for its communications, arts, and liberal arts programs. In 2022, they launched their first-ever graduate business program, with initial messaging and targeting positioning the program as an “MBA-alternative.”
Using real-time in-market data, 5 Horizons identified that this approach was driving up advertising costs, landing with a mismatched audience, and ultimately not yielding the results Emerson needed. We needed to adjust on the fly to align the marketing with an audience that would actually be interested in the new program.
THE STRATEGY
Identify and Amplify the Right Audience
Even if internally, an institution thinks of a program in a certain way, you always have to consider the thought process of your prospective student. Emerson is well known in the Boston market and has carved a niche for itself among creatives. We hypothesized that the type of student that Emerson appeals to wouldn’t necessarily consider themselves in the market for an MBA or MBA-alternative.
To reflect the audience’s aspirations to become creative leaders rather than business executives, we removed MBA-related keywords and refined the messaging, emphasizing leading with creativity.
This helped better identify the audience we needed to target, and our live market data reinforced our approach with lower ad costs and hotter leads.
THE RESULTS
After refining messaging, placements, and audience targeting, program applicants grew steadily. The first cohort enrolled 19 students, just short of our goal of 20.
In the second year, the program budget was reduced by 45%. However, with strategy optimization, correct messaging, and a specific audience to target, the program continued to meet the set enrollment goals.
WORK WITH US
Not sure if you’re targeting the right audience for your program or if ad costs could be lower?