A screenshot of the corporate side of the new RELLIS Campus website.
A screenshot of the education side of the new RELLIS Campus website.
A view of how I've worked on campaign messaging.
A screen grab of a presentation deck page outlining the progress of the campaign.
A sample Facebook general awareness ad.
The benchmark enrollment funnel for RELLIS' inaugural semester.
A screen grab of a presentation deck page showing the website traffic from top 10 cities.
We developed messaging for the established education partner in the area.
A screen grab of a presentation deck page with a progress report of leads.
A sample video Facebook ad with graduation as the goal.
A sample video Facebook ad with graduation as the goal.
A sample Facebook general awareness ad.
A screen grab of a presentation deck page showing the website traffic from January - February.
A sample Facebook general degree awareness ad.
A sample Facebook general degree awareness ad.
A screen grab of a presentation deck page listing needs that would have the biggest impact on the campaign. .
An early snapshot of my URL tracking method.
Image 1 of 2 giving as much context to the significant website traffic spikes to evaluate the best return on effort for next phases.
Image 2 of 2 giving as much context to the significant website traffic spikes to evaluate the best return on effort for next phases.
Client: The Texas A&M University system
Role(s): Project Lead; Strategist, Facilitator, Copywriter/Editor, Analyst, Enrollment / Student framework
Opportunity
The former airforce base was renamed RELLIS Campus in 2016 and rebranded in 2018 to serve TWO distinct audiences; Degree-Seeking Students and Corporate, Commercial, and Military Defense.
Corporate, Commercial, and Military Defense
The RELLIS Campus already had state agencies and contractors occupy parts of the site to conduct their training, research, and business. However, there was a lot of land unused, and there were a handful of opportunities to partner with military and federal initiatives in the upcoming years.
Degree-Seeking Students
Due to enrollment capacities, the Texas A&M System Chancellor knew Texas A&M had to deny an average of 10K students annually. These highly qualified students would end up attending other universities.
To accommodate this staggering number, John Sharp envisioned the RELLIS Campus as a home for over 40 degree programs in partnership with 12 universities and the local community college, Blinn College.
PROBLEM
The marketing effort for January 2018 brand launch had fallen through the cracks. There wasn't a plan in place when leadership inquired seven months prior to the scheduled announcement.
Also, leadership communicated the inaugural student class would begin in August 2018. The education model of RELLIS would have to surpass proof-of-concept, compete in an established market, and convince early adopters to enroll in programs on a campus that was being built right before their eyes.
solution
Because of the timeframe, we could not pursue an RFP. Instead, we hired Belmont Ice House, a current A&M System-approved vendor, for a new brand, a website for RELLIS-corporate, and a microsite for RELLIS education, messaging, graphic styles, media buying, and some copywriting.
Our in-house team was lean, but managed to compliment the marketing strategy with local and regional reach.
tactics/Deliverables
A tryptic visual approach was implemented, and stock images were used.
- RELLIS Campus website
- RELLIS Academic Alliance microsite
- Two sets of social media channels for distinct audiences
- Photoshoot with Blinn Community College students to add variety to future deliverables
- Texas Monthly Editorial
- Annual College Guide
- Local newspaper and display ads
- Targeted display and social media ads
- Organic social
- Public Relations
- Targeted email blasts
- Email database subscription for lead generation
results
- RELLIS was introduced through a media release and a digital campaign in January 2018. The digital campaign was paused three days later and resumed after a new logo was swapped in.
- Eight months later, RELLIS welcomed its inaugural class of 102 students.
- Through leadership efforts, RELLIS became the research hub for Army Futures Command.
observations
Time and funding were major constraints, especially for the industry expectations for an expanded microsite for the education model to cater to the current student body.