Higher Education Digital Campaign

To increase visibility and drive undergraduate enrollment, a college within a major public university system partnered with Central States Marketing to execute a multi-market, multi-channel digital campaign. With prospective students and their families increasingly relying on digital channels to research and evaluate institutions, the campaign focused on meeting audiences where they are—across search, social, video, and mobile—while delivering relevant, engaging messaging that would build awareness, inspire consideration, and ultimately strengthen the enrollment pipeline.

services

  • Strategy
  • Integrated Media

challenge

The institution needed to stand out in an increasingly competitive and saturated higher education landscape, where both students and parents are inundated with options and information. The campaign had to effectively reach and engage multiple audiences—prospective students, parents, and early-career individuals—each with different motivations and decision-making behaviors. At the same time, the university aimed to expand its reach beyond core Midwest markets into high-value national regions, all while driving meaningful engagement that could translate into increased interest, stronger consideration, and ultimately measurable enrollment growth.

solution

CSM developed a fully integrated digital strategy that combined broad awareness-building tactics with targeted engagement efforts across key markets. By leveraging a dual-audience approach, the campaign delivered tailored messaging to both students and parents, balancing aspirational, student-driven storytelling with career-focused outcomes. Geographic targeting focused primarily on Illinois and major Midwestern metros while expanding into high-value ZIP codes nationwide to diversify reach. A coordinated media mix—including paid search, programmatic display, Snapchat, TikTok, Meta, and YouTube—was deployed to maximize visibility, reinforce messaging across platforms, and capture both high-intent demand and large-scale awareness through social and video channels.

35M+

impressions

523K+

website clicks

1.45M

video views

15%

out-of-state enrollment growth