The Story
South Dakota’s largest and most comprehensive university has so many incredible stories to tell. But with rising student loan debt nationwide - and more students wondering if a 4-year degree is worth the investment – SDSU needed more than a new ad campaign to drive enrollment. They needed to create an entirely new conversation.




The Details
- Outcomes-based messaging focused by focus groups with high school juniors and seniors
- Full day of one-hour campus discovery sessions with faculty, staff and students midway through campaign development
- Campus stakeholder messaging tools (tone and style guide, message map development and more)
- Three broadcast TV spots backed by a comprehensive multimedia campaign – including digital, social, outdoor, OTT video and streaming radio
- Foundational brand design continues to set the tone for more targeted awareness/application campaigns




The Results
- 41.7 million impressions total paid media
- 289,625 total clicks digital paid media
- Organic search traffic (a key KPI) improved by 16%
- Traffic to the admissions page increased 50% year over year – including an 18% increase in April compared to March
- Admitted campaign landing page views increased 103% year over year
- “Apply now” clicks on the admitted campaign increased 157% year over year
- “Apply now” clicks across the website increased 4% in April 2020 as compared to April 2019