As part of a long-term campaign to elevate Texas Christian University’s (TCU's) reputation among higher education peers, we worked with The Chronicle of Higher Education to develop a three-month sponsored-content campaign showing the university’s strength in retaining students. Research proves a high-retention rate is a strong driver of peer perception of an institution. TCU Marketing and Communication has strategically used sponsored content for the past five years, because research shows peers view industry publications like The Chronicle as a trusted resource but are skeptical of advertising. Sponsored content is the best of both worlds, because it provides placement in a premier industry publication that looks editorial while giving the message-control of paid advertising. The main sponsored content was a long-form multimedia story that ran on chronicle.com, largely considered the most respected source of higher education news. Display ads featuring the catchy headline “First Impressions Matter,” along with social media ads and native text on chronicle.com, helped drive traffic to the story, which offered insights for readers who want to rethink ways of improving first-year experiences and retention rates. The campaign became TCU’s best-performing sponsored content to date in terms of total impressions, with 36% more page views than guaranteed, a testament to the relevance and value offered to our target audience.
From the Judges
Exceeding page-view targets by 36% demonstrates the campaign's effectiveness in reaching and engaging their target audience. This success sets a standard for elevating reputation through strategic marketing.
