From the Nominator

"Texas State University has ambitious goals when it comes to serving students from underserved communities in Texas. One region that consistently faces educational challenges is the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), an area at Texas’ most southern tip with a population of more than 1.3 million. Eighty-six percent of the RGV’s residents are considered economically disadvantaged. Until recently, education resources were limited. Additionally, college completion rates are lower than the state average, with only 19% of area residents between ages 25 to 64 holding at least an associate degree. 

We recognized the students of South Texas were ideal for recruitment and primed for educational opportunities. This multifaceted recruitment campaign also understood cultural concerns, including that attending college--and specifically, moving away to do so--was a family-based decision. Hence, we weren’t only speaking to prospective students but, oftentimes their parents and extended family. Emphasis was also placed on delivering content in Spanish, as the region is 90% Hispanic.   

To reach our audiences, we created bilingual social ads, OTT content, and a Spanish landing page to drive conversions. In total, the Facebook ads for this campaign received more than 141,000 impressions, with our targeted demographic (parents aged 35-64) accounting for approximately 66% of this number. Additionally, slightly more than 60% of clicks derived from our targeted areas in South Texas (RGV, Corpus Christi, Laredo, and Victoria). Our OTT Spanish ads, which aired on Spanish-language networks, received 384,920,000 impressions with an 81.83% engagement rate. The campaign ran approximately from mid-June through July 2021."

From the Judges

Unique campaign that was well executed. Great understanding of a targeted demographic and community. Thoughtful consideration of multi-generations. Very thoughtful campaign.