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Mount Mercy University

Branding that invokes change

OVERVIEW

Partnering up with Mount Mercy it was evident that they needed a voice in a very diluted market. In order to do this we needed to create a brand campaign that encapsulates the values and beliefs of the University. a brand that could light a fire in a potential student and help them feel confident in taking a plunge into higher education.

 

This campaign was built on from strategy and insight from Mount Mercy's executive staff; intensive research on market demand, competition, and white-space analysis; as well as internal strategy and dialogue.

 

Mount Mercy deserves more than a simple marketing campaign; it deserves an identity that students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the community can rally around. ​

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  • Marketing

  • Campaign Creation

  • Brand Strategy

  • Web Design

  • Digital & Traditional Advertising

  • Social Media

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HIGHLIGHTS

  • Strategic Brand Design; There is a method to the madness! Each eye, nose, mouth, word are strategically placed in a specific way, in order to create the correct and consistent brand.

  • The Storyline; There is a story each student follows as they trickle down the marketing funnel. Specifically in the program specific advertising. You will see a cause and effect progression as an individual is #madebymercy which in return creates "moments" that are made by mercy.

  • Digital & Email Ad Campaigns; A series of campaigns were created for the initial launch of the new campaign. Many aspects came into play when developing these. 4 different options were provided for each display in order for a greater amount of testing opportunities.

  • Constant CRO and A/B Split Tests: The only way to truly know if your creative is working is to test the crap out of it. Everything is in a constant stage of testing. Constant split tests are being evaluated with imagery, colors, wording, layout, etc. With all the data you can constantly evolve the campaign in order to make the biggest impact. 

  • New Website and User Experience; A new site was created in order to properly engage the customer. Utilizing proper white space and a strategy of progression was applied to the design. The flow and design of the site created a fluid user experience that was easy to digest and helpful to the customer.

CAMPAIGN IDENTITY 

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The identity of the campaign is to show how a student is "Made by Mercy" when attending. As a student you are molded and given the attributes you need to succeed in your job field. 

PROGRAM SPECIFIC

 

MMU challenges their students to reach their full potential. Every student will gain a variety of similar core attributes, but each program will bring a new focus to your overall structure.

A CAMPAIGN WITH A STORY WILL MOVE AN AUDIENCE

 

You are #MADEBYMERCY, in return you create moments that are "Made by Mercy". With every creative piece that shows a person there is always a moment that follows, no matter what the customer sees they will eventually be led down the path of "People" and "Moments".

DIGITAL AD CAMPAIGNS

 

Programmatic display banner campaigns were created for each program. Each creative campaigned is paired up with its counterpart. This opened the door on testing moments vs portraits.program specific

EMAIL CAMPAIGNS

 

Multiple email cadences where set up to help students during the entire student life-cycle. Yes, we want to get them in the door but we also need to keep them there.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THE CREATIVE IS WORKING?

 

Test, test and then test again. You can have a design and brand that looks beautiful and encompasses the company as a whole, but does it register with the outside user? How do you know your creative work is paying off. This is where "data-driven marketing" comes into play. You will truly never know if things are working unless you split test everything. 

 

Every program campaign has multiple options and it is key to know which ads resonate with people. Just because you run a GDN test on two different creatives the results may not be the same for a Facebook ad campaign. Every campaign should be ever evolving and constantly tested. With MMU this was huge in finding out where and when to use different creative treatments.

 

With the website, each page was tracked and recorded. This gave us huge insights on where people were getting hung up and what we can do to resolve the issue. The site is subjected to monthly CRO tests and is always evolving.

 

WEBSITE DESIGN & UX

 

One stumbling block for MMU was their current site. It was large and clunky, which didn't provide much lift in student conversions. The goal here was to create a very fluid website that was easily digestible and could full-fill the needs of prospect students. When you break it down for any site there are 2 main types of consumers, objective and informational. Objective users come in with a specific goal or task in mind with a clear path on execution. Informational users are there to learn and gain knowledge, they will spend time on the site digesting all the material.

 

With these two user types in mind we were able to create a very functional website. The site serves the objective users by providing a simple and direct path to form submissions, financial aid and programs. Each item or callout was put in strategic locations in order to make the progression of the site feel natural. In addition to serving the objective user the site is also tailored for the informational user. The content was custom tailored for the student, each paragraph served a purpose and provided insights and knowledge. (All fluff text was cut out) The content progressed as the user learned.

 

 

A BRAND EXPERIENCE 

 

Taking a step out of the normal cookie cutter experience when it comes to higher education. MMU fully embraced the new eye-catching campaign and immediately felt a positive impact from it. Not only was the brand applied to online program ads, but was showcased around the campus. This included: Billboards, Banners, Flyers, Apparel, Displays, Magazines, etc. Whether you are a traditional student attending the campus or an Online Adult Learner you are part of the new look and feel of MMU.

Results

 

With a new and eye-catching campaign engagement saw an immediate increase. MMU has seen an increase of 38% of enrolling students through submissions directly related to the new brand.

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