Choosing a college is often a high school student's first major life decision. Using insights and data gathered from research and student interviews, our team at Wyse discovered they make this choice from both a rational and emotional perspective, taking into account affordability, internship opportunities, career preparation, academic programs, sports, and social activities.
We also found that the college tour served as a pivotal point for students making the decision to come to CSU, and many of them said that they felt it was the right choice after experiencing the atmosphere of the campus. Their parents played an important role in the decision-making process as well, so part of the fall recruitment campaign focused on reaching parents with college-bound kids.
With all this in mind, we developed a conceptual campaign based around the idea that CSU "just feels right" through the lenses of rational and emotional reasoning.
In the end, the campaign generated more conversions and a 202% increase in completed applications year over year for Cleveland State University.
CSU Brand Refresh Mood Board
Cleveland State University, located in the heart of downtown Cleveland, was looking to refresh their brand with a more sophisticated and urban look. After exploring multiple design styles, we settled on pairing their CSU green with white and gold for a more classic feel than the previous lime green and orange, along with bold typography and graphics, as seen in the mood board above.
30-Second Student Recruitment Video Spot, Rational Focus
30-Second Student Recruitment Video Spot, Emotional Focus
I provided art direction for the video shoot on location at Cleveland State University, and oversaw the visual direction of the production of multiple :20 and :30 second video spots. I also created campaign assets, ranging from billboards and print ads to digital and social media ads, targeting first-time students, parents, and transfer and graduate students at different points in the decision-making and application process.
