- Background
- Objectives
- Campaign
- Creative
- Results
TV advertising and online advertising on itvlocal.com
Preston College is one of the largest colleges in the UK and has one of the widest ranges of courses and programmes on offer.
In early 2008, Preston College’s apprenticeship entry levels were down on the previous year, so the college decided to launch a marketing campaign to bolster interest and increase enquiries in the schemes.
- To fundamentally raise awareness of the apprenticeships scheme
- To change perceptions held by young people that apprenticeships are a ‘second-class’ option and aren’t financially worthwhile
- To educate parents about the options available to their children
- To promote the scheme among both young people looking for courses and employers searching for apprentices
- To position Preston College as a key provider of apprenticeships for the Lancashire area
- To generate interest and increase enquiries
Preston College launched its spot TV campaign on ITV1 Granada, between 10th and 17th September 2008. The campaign saw 25 slots booked in that period and the college simultaneously ran an online campaign on itvlocal.com, one of ITV’s websites which can target consumers in their local areas.
"Preston College was very pleased with the awareness generated by its first TV commercial. Using our own students in the advertisement opened up the process and really engaged the whole college, and also made for some great publicity. The service from ITV was exceptional and the whole process, from booking to on-air, was straightforward and smooth."
Catherine Titherington/Angela Turner, Marketing Department, Preston College
By purchasing 15,000 pre-rolls on the Granada area website, the campaign was exposed to 15,107 viewers, of whom 80 clicked on to Preston College’s website.
Preston College’s very own students took part in the TV ad, which generated even more publicity and engaged the people at the very heart of their campaign – the students.
During the campaign period on television, 2,208,730 adults saw the commercial at least once.
The campaign yielded successful results, with 50 telephone calls to the college for more information and a 580% increase in site visits during the campaign.
During an open day that the college held, 41 potential apprentices attended.