Undergraduate marketing straight from the kids’ mouths

The Sage Colleges

High school juniors and seniors consider a lot of factors when choosing which colleges to apply to and visit. While many universities tout study abroad programs, dining options, clubs and sports on campus, many kids are looking at the bigger picture: Will I have to take out a lot of student loans? Will I be able to get a job? Will I have to move back in with my parents after I graduate?

Burst Marketing addressed these anxieties in its new campaign for The Sage Colleges undergraduate programs. High school students hear from college admissions and recruitment departments from the time they first take the PSATs, but they want to hear the truth from someone their own age. That’s why we decided to build a video marketing campaign around real college freshmen.

The admissions department helped us recruit college freshmen from their two campuses to participate in a long-form video interview during their first week of classes. We interviewed students from different undergraduate programs and let them speak candidly about why they chose The Sage Colleges. They touched on all of the anxieties above while tying in the benefits of a Sage education in an organic setting without prompts. The kids were honest and real, and the information was coming from a source that kids could trust: their peers.

The campaign includes: long-form web videos, display ads, search ads and Facebook ads targeted to high school juniors and seniors, and parents.