The challenge

In addition to creating awareness for their part time courses in Cape Town, Varsity College also wanted to communicate its offering as an institution that’s not just for school leavers, but one where professionals can further their education.

A secondary objective was to run a test campaign in preparation for the re-launch of the Business School in 2012 and to drive registrations.

Why Radio

Radio would allow Varsity College to be integrated into the conversation between presenter and listener in a subtle, unobtrusive way. The college then selected Heart 104.9FM as it best delivered the market they were targeting, and fitted within their budget.

Implementation

A high impact information led campaign was created, including promos, interviews and a combination of both live and recorded messages.

Pre-promos flighted a week prior to promote the campaign and encourage listeners to tune into Heart 104.9FM. In the week that followed, a high frequency radio campaign which included interviews, live reads and generic ads, encouraged strategic engagement with the brand.

‘Throw forwards’ were flighted before each feature to inform listeners of the upcoming Varsity College topic of the day.To keep the on-air elements relevant, discussions focussed on different aspects of the College that would be relevant to the Heart 104.9FM listeners.

The Results

“All core objectives of (1) increasing awareness of Varsity College, (2) informing and educating the market about the College’s offerings, and (3) generating an increased number of enquiries were achieved.The client reported a 300% increase in enquiries”, says Pippa Cohen of Ultimate Media

Learnings

To achieve the desired results, the client should always be given the liberty to be involved in the process of briefing the on-air presenters. Information should also packaged in such a way that it becomes valuable content for the presenter to use within the show.

RAB Commentary

A good example of how brands looking to raise awareness or understanding of their offerings can align with a station’s programming objectives and leverage their campaign through editorial content.