From the Nominator

"Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University is an international university located in China. Recruitment of students from outside China in 2022 was a special challenge due to pandemic-related impacts. Compared to students from other countries, our data indicated more willingness from Indonesian students to start their studies with us online until the borders reopened (which occurred last semester). Further, Indonesia is a key market in general. Therefore, we decided to expand a student intern-led brand campaign in Indonesia in 2022 that had been piloted the previous year.

Organizing niche brand communications campaigns in countries where our university staff does not speak the language poses barriers. In addition, our previous year's experience showed that including representatives of our target market—the students themselves—ensured the creation of a campaign using methods and messages that resonated with student and parent target audiences.  

In the autumn of 2022, we selected three student interns with knowledge of the Indonesian market and the ability to speak and write in Indonesian for a brand communications campaign to support student recruitment. The campaign was student-led in nearly every aspect, including market research, vendor negotiations, contract and invoice processing, creative development and writing, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and training other interns. At the university level, we were in close contact with the interns throughout the process to ensure quality control and that deadlines were met.   

In 2022 the interns significantly expanded our online newspaper advertorial viewers and found a new way to reach radio listeners with a creative format."

From the Judges

The judging panel loved that this campaign was student-led and relied on native speakers. This might be seen as a risk, but it enabled the institution to add additional channels and voices. This project gives the interns a real-world experience that they can use on their CV.