THE CHALLENGE
Distinguish Massasoit Among Community Colleges Offering Free College
When the Massachusetts State Legislature made public community college free for students in Massachusetts, Massasoit Community College wanted to capitalize on this exciting offering and distinguish themselves among the 15 public community colleges in the state.
They turned to 5 Horizons to create a marketing campaign to earn a large market share of the free college moment and build brand awareness.
THE STRATEGY
Earn Market Share of Free College Search
As soon as the state announcement was made that community college would be free for Massachusetts residents, we knew that students would have their choice of community colleges. Our goal was to ensure that Massasoit is front and center in their minds. We focused on paid search, Google and Meta ads, so that when users searched by common related keywords like “free college in Massachusetts” Massasoit showed up prominently in the results. Our strategy specifically focused on transfer students and lookalike audiences—those most likely to apply and enroll.
Visually Iconic and Easy to Understand
Because we already had a longstanding relationship with Massasoit, our designers were well-versed with their brand. For this campaign, we did not want to stray from that established brand or introduce new elements, knowing that any users who were already familiar with Massasoit would recognize it and associate the institution with the free college offering.
Our creative team used large, clean typography to display short and concise headlines associating Massasoit with free college.
Photography was chosen so that the user could see themselves at Massasoit, highlighting one individual student in a learning environment. While the ads didn’t specify any particular program, photography choice provided the opportunity to highlight the kinds of programs that Massasoit offers while keeping the copy focused on free college.
We also deployed podcast and streaming audio ads with language emphasizing that residents can attend Massasoit for free.
THE RESULTS
22.5%+
Enrollment increase
Since the free college announcement and as a result of our campaign, Massasoit’s total enrollment increased from Fall 2024 to Fall 2025.
Not only did these ads distinguish Massasoit as a top contender for overall community college applicants in the state, it also served as a brand campaign and elevated the Massasoit overall brand. We earned awareness as well as increased overall enrollment.
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