THE CHALLENGE
Having previously partnered on record-breaking campaigns, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) reached out to the Arkenauts to support their dual objective campaign to promote both their HE and Short courses and Exams offerings.
We were tasked with:
– Effectively raise awareness of LAMDA’s HE and Short Courses
– Effectively raise awareness of LAMDA’s Exam offerings
– Increase the number of Exam providers and generate Exam bookings
As we helped to smash goals for LAMDA in our previous campaigns together, we knew this was a challenge we would excel in – creating the perfect multi-channel strategy to generate even more record-breaking results for another successful partnership.
THE STRATEGY – HOW WE BEGAN
Using our expertise in the industry, data built throughout previous campaigns and audience research, we knew it was essential to iron out the specific audiences we needed to target for each course campaign. As each objective had a slightly different target segment, we needed to adapt our strategies accordingly.
We conducted a detailed analysis for each online channel we wanted to use, suggesting the appropriate messaging, creative and call-to-actions that would excel on each platform. From here, we created a full-funnel media plan enabling us to take action at each stage of the conversion process to drive awareness and applications for their courses and exams.
We designed a diverse range of eye-catching creative templates for social media adverts, providing the creative team at LAMDA with reusable assets that could be refreshed in alignment with our campaign recommendations. This included guidance on crafting animated banners, utilising Photoshop files, and other relevant elements.
The creative team at LAMDA were then able to use these templates in-house to update assets accordingly in line with campaign progress.
Implementation
Revving up our Core Courses campaigns, we finely tuned targeting to captivate aspiring students aged 17-27 and their influential parents residing in the UK, particularly zeroing in on the South of England. This was due to our research informing us that this was the area with the highest demand for acting and drama degrees and training.
To execute a killer strategy for this audience, we harnessed the power of TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Google Display, Google Discovery, and Google Search. This powerhouse combo aided us in nurturing potential students from initial exposure to LAMDA and their course offerings through to application.
Shifting gears to our Short Courses campaigns, we used targeting to resonate with potential students aged 18-34, and the parents or influencers of the 17-20 age group. But what made this campaign exciting was the ability to also work outside of the UK. We extended targeting to key US cities, including New York, Denver, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. This was due to these areas having high demand for LAMDA’s nature of training, as well as there being a few feeder schools for the university in these locations.
Here, we opted for a more streamlined strategy, gliding through Facebook, Instagram, Google Discovery, and Google Search. This focused approach wasn’t just about awareness – we honed in on generating mid/lower funnel outcomes (ad engagement, CTA button clicks, applications etc.,) as opposed to brand/course awareness.
GEARING TOWARDS PROFESSIONALS
For their exams offering, we needed to recalibrate our approach and steer our marketing towards educators and seasoned professionals who want to upskill and enhance the opportunities of students interested in the performing arts.
We diversified campaigns across YouTube & LinkedIn, focusing on top-of-funnel outcomes rather than driving immediate action amongst our target segments. With a visually compelling, video-first approach, these campaigns were optimised to reach our refined audiences at scale, while maintaining a cost-effective CPM (Cost-Per-Thousand-Impressions), and informing them of LAMDA’s exams offering.
Moving further down the funnel, we made use of Facebook & Instagram’s efficient interest-based targeting capabilities to drive both in-platform and on-site engagement, which would also support us in building data-driven retargeting pools to be used within our conversion-driven campaigns.
At the very bottom of the funnel, we leveraged Google Discovery and Google Search to drive high-intent action amongst our target audience. To do so, we employed the use of sophisticated remarketing audiences to re-engage those who may have interacted with one of our captivating ads further up the funnel or explored an exams page on the LAMDA website but did not convert.
At each stage of the campaign, we stayed in touch with LAMDA, shifting our budgets in response to the exams and courses that needed more attention. Due to our designed templates and expert guide, the in-house design team at LAMDA were able to quickly and efficiently provide us with up-to-date assets for each dynamic change in the campaign.
RESULTS
HE and Short Courses
Across both campaigns, we captivated a staggering total of 4,676,767 electrifying impressions, sparking an impressive 48,432 clicks through to various course-specific landing pages. Our Click Through Rate (CTR) soared at an exhilarating 1.04%, all achieved at a Cost-Per-Click (CPC) of just £0.57. This achieved our goal of raising awareness of these courses by not only delivering so many eyeballs-on-ads through impressions but also a significant click-through for more information.
Exams
Across all campaigns, we showcased a total of 1,883,017 impressions, igniting 18,262 clicks through to various exam-specific landing pages. Achieving a magnetic Click Through Rate (CTR) of 0.97%, with a Cost-Per-Click (CPC) of just £0.70, ensuring an engaging and cost-effective journey for our audience.
More importantly, we delighted our client with our brand awareness efforts, which played a crucial role in generating applications and helping LAMDA hit its internal enrollment targets. We were also able to utilise the additional budget from this campaign to excel in LAMDA’s Clearing strategy, making the most of the budget we had to accelerate LAMDA’s enrolments.
Arke has been a game-changer for us, spearheading the creation of impactful awareness campaigns that breathe life into our applications and give our courses a powerful boost when it matters most. We’re thrilled to have them on board, we’re updated with progress regularly and feel confident taking their suggestions to level up our campaigns.
Stephen Court, Chief Marketing Officer
LAMDA