Industry Education

If you’re marketing a college, sixth form or training provider, you’re probably working to an enrolment target with a budget that never quite stretches, and you’ve got to win over parents as well as students. These are some of the adverts we’ve made to help colleges and schools do that.

How TV works for colleges and training providers

TV suits student recruitment well, because recruitment is local and follows the same calendar every year. A regional campaign in the weeks before an open day, or around results day and clearing, reaches students and their parents at home, which is where the conversation about next year tends to happen. If your catchment is smaller than an ITV region, AdSmart from Sky and the broadcasters’ streaming services, such as ITVX, can show the advert only to households in the areas you recruit from.

The temptation is to cram the whole prospectus into 30 seconds, and it never works, because a list of courses gives nobody a feeling for the place. It’s far better to show people what it’s like to study with you, and your real students will nearly always be more convincing than actors.

We’ve made campaigns for Bradford College, South Tyneside College, South Shields Marine School, Queen Alexandra Sixth Form, AE Publications and AE Tuition. The Marine School advert won Best Commercial at the Royal Television Society Awards, and Bradford College went on to exceed its recruitment targets after its campaign. Another campaign for South Tyneside College was made from stock footage and graphics during lockdown, when nothing new could be filmed.

We’ve gone into the recruitment calendar, and the evidence you’ll need for claims such as pass rates and Ofsted grades, in TV advertising for colleges. If you’ve an open day or a clearing campaign to plan for, have a chat with us about it, or have a look at what TV advertising costs.