From the Nominator

Cambridge Friends School’s outdoor advertising made a visually distinctive and bold statement. The school bolstered its marketing efforts as part of a comprehensive plan to reclaim its leadership in the independent school circuit. Opting for an 11-panel window display at the Porter Square T Station, 30 posters in train and rail stops, along with mobile location targeting, CFS saw an increase in inquiries of 27% in a two-month span.

After undergoing changes in leadership, overcoming financial mismanagement, conducting an in-depth external image audit and market evaluation, and developing a new strategic plan, numerous measures pointed to the need to better market the school to the greater community—and much more aggressively than in the past. Outdoor advertising allowed CFS to control its own narrative. Demonstrating its value proposition through better aligned communications, the school has already seen a surge in enrollment numbers well in advance of past year-over-year performance numbers, while accelerating its achievement of key benchmarks in its strategic plans.

From the Judges

We were impressed that CFS was able to drive a 27% increase in inquires by implementing data-driven decisions such as using demographic information to select the locations of their billboards. We also appreciated how they were able to deepen their engagement through social media and exhibited extensive iterations of the campaign materials.