Take Two

One thing you can be sure of in digital marketing is that if something works then you do it again! The phenomenal success of our last cinema advert (and accompanying online campaign) meant that it was a foregone conclusion that we'd be repeating the same activity a year later - so here we are...



In many ways the process has been a lot easier this year due to us already knowing the production company we'd like to use (Spectrecom again obviously) and we have a tighter grasp of the budgets and schedules required to get this thing moving.

After getting three different concepts the one we chose was entitled 'Good Choice'. This had an emphasis on showcasing the range of reasons people might want to go to University but also would lend itself to being a conversion activity as part of our pre-clearing campaign (where students decide that we are their first choice after adding us to their UCAS form).

Our new School of Art and Design which
was a brilliant location for the big screen

The original concept was a strong one with various keywords appear on the screen alongside (some) newly filmed footage. We ensured that we included the relevant keywords by involving all heads of department into the decision making process and also ensured that the final advert showcased a good range of courses (especially those which historically need a bigger push to recruit to).

Once this was all in place Lauren, Graeme and myself sat down to discuss how we thought the graphics could look and the logistics of arranging a days filming which included some areas of our Luton campus not previously captured on film! Lauren did an amazing job of scheduling the day to include our new School of Art and Design and to round up a variety of current students to star - all with the promise of a £15 Amazon voucher for their efforts!

The day of the filming arrived and actually went relatively smoothly with us sticking to schedule and only needing to relocate for one shot. Staff in Media and the Science labs were particularly helpful and we were all wrapped by 6pm as planned.

Filming outside of campus centre in Luton.
This time, the weather was on our side!

The next stage was then to choose the music and purchase the rights (thanks Spectrecom for going with our choice) which was aided by our remarketing data showing the type of music people who visit our website are interested in. We also had a lot of to-ing and fro-ing to get the graphics as we wanted them but Spectrecom were as accommodating as ever of our requests - I quite enjoyed the role of 'pushy' client for a change!

We're really happy with the final product and although it packs a little less of an emotional punch than last time, it shows us to be a really vibrant and upbeat place to study. So if you live near one of our campuses look out for it on a screen near you in the coming weeks. We're also putting the finishing touches to our online campaign so nowhere will be safe to escape that catchy soundtrack!

In other news I've just come back from a week at the IDM in Teddington where I completed the final stage of my Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Marketing. I'm pleased to report that I passed my final assignment and now need to get revising for the real challenge of three 3 hour exams at the beginning of June.

I've also booked my ticket for the 'oscars of the blogging world' the National UK Blog Awards 2014 at the Grange Hotel, St. Pauls. I'm really excited about this one and there's due to be some high profile companies to network with over a glass of champagne as well as the promise of 'sumptuous bowl food' (whatever that is?!) A win would make all the time I spend writing these posts worthwhile!

Finally, I've been putting the finishing touches to a presentation which Sarah from the Marketing team and I are set to give at an Inside Government event on 29th April. The focus will be 'Enhancing Postgraduate Student Recruitment Through Developing A Digital Presence' and I'm really looking forward to sharing some of the lessons we've learned and some of the latest innovations to keep out website at the forefront of our Marketing strategy. There's my next two blog posts written right there!