Integrated Marketing Campaign Draws Students to New High School

Schools can be difficult to market, especially a school coming into the market as a complete unknown. You have to reach the decision makers, the parents, but you also have to reach the students and get their buy in. You have two different demographics that respond to two different types of messages, and have to be reached by completely different mediums.

Propel Schools, the largest charter school federation in Pittsburgh, successfully opened their first high school this year. Already a Droz client, they came to us with a very specific project: fill all of the seats in the school.

Propel Andrew Street High School operates under the EdVisions model, an advisory-group, project based learning model that has never been operated in the Pittsburgh market.

Developing the Theme
The first thing was to develop the messaging. Because of the unique model, 'Propel Andrew Street, Not Your Typical High School' was chosen. This message was selected to attract the type of student Propel felt would be most successful in this model; self-motivated students in search of an academically challenging education.

A Web Site
We then built the Web site for the high school. It was a stand-alone Web site, with its own domain, but it was also integrated into Propel’s home site. Because the audience for this was parents and students, it featured elements that would appeal to both.

The easy-to-read information and the Ask the Principal feature made it easy for mom and dad to find information, while the interactive writing contest drew in the students and was easily forwarded on to their friends.

Direct Marketing and Broadcast
A direct mail campaign was developed to reach the parents, driving home the message that Propel was a private school providing caliber education, yet because it was a public school, remained tuition free. The direct mail was supported by billboard buys in areas identified as being the best fit for Propel Andrew Street High School.

Radio ads were purchased on Kiss FM and WAMO, and written to appeal to potential students. The message that Andrew Street is not your typical high school really resonated with teens, a group that is typically just coming into their own.

Public Relations
We also did a traditional public relations campaign, and secured two full-length write-ups in both of the major Pittsburgh newspapers.

The combination of a great message, layered approaches, and reaching out to the parents and the students simultaneously was so successful that Andrew Street reached capacity, and generated so much interest that a waiting list was created.

Propel had the product, Droz helped spread the word, and most importantly, hundreds of students were excited to have the opportunity to receive a quality education.

For more information on creating integrated marketing campaigns for schools and other institutions, contact Bethany Ruhe, director of public relations for DROZ, at 412.338.1818 or bruhe@droz.com.