"Discover What Matters" wasn't a tagline — it was a strategic argument. Aurora University had something most institutions couldn't claim: they were hyper focused on helping their students' find fulfillment and success after college.
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Key Impact$200M Revenue Generated • 48% Application Increase • 28% Undergraduate Growth • 74K+ Organic Video Views • No Paid Media
The Unique Challenge
• Aurora University needed a primary recruitment campaign platform capable of differentiating the institution in a crowded higher education market against larger, better-funded competitors
• Prospective students and families couldn't articulate what made Aurora University distinct, resulting in stagnant application volume and declining competitive position among peer institutions
• The institution's principal recruitment piece — the viewbook — had become generic and transactional, failing to create the emotional connection required to drive enrollment decisions
• Required a campaign with the range and flexibility to work across every recruitment touchpoint simultaneously: direct mail, digital advertising, website, social media, email, and campus visits
The Strategic Solution
• Developed "Discover What Matters" as the campaign platform — a positioning that leveraged Aurora's genuine strength: the close-knit, high-touch nature of the student experience and differentiated it from larger institutions' mass-market approach
• Conceived and directed an authentic storytelling approach built around real student narratives, conducting an extensive search process to identify students with compelling stories aligned to strategic priorities and demographic goals
• Directed the complete viewbook redesign as the campaign's anchor piece reimagining the format, visual system, and editorial approach to connect directly with high school seniors at a personal level
• Proactively extended the campaign platform across digital channels, with an integrated strategy that included a video series, social content, email campaigns, and a digital landing page, all approved on first presentation
• Directed a multi-student video series from concept through production, creating authentic portrait films that became the program's primary social proof mechanism
Measurable Impact
• Generated an estimated $200M in additional tuition revenue through enrollment growth driven by the campaign platform in the first three years
• Achieved a 48% increase in undergraduate applications, demonstrating the campaign's effectiveness in driving awareness and consideration among target prospective students
• Delivered 28% undergraduate enrollment growth and 15% graduate enrollment growth, proving the creative platform converted interest into enrollment decisions
• Produced a video series that generated 74K+ organic views with zero paid media investment, authentic student storytelling creating earned reach at scale
• Campaign platform became the foundation for Aurora University's recruitment marketing strategy across multiple enrollment cycles, demonstrating longevity and strategic durability
Key Leadership Competencies
• Campaign platform development creating a strategic creative idea with the flexibility to anchor an integrated, multi-channel recruitment strategy
• Authentic storytelling direction pioneering a narrative-driven, student-first approach that replaced institutional messaging with human-centered content
• Integrated channel strategy proactively extending a print-anchored campaign across digital, video, social, and email, architecting a coherent brand experience
• Video production direction concepting and directing a multi-subject documentary-style video series that became the program's most effective recruitment asset
• Stakeholder management and executive influence securing buy-in for a bold creative direction and proactive channel expansion across a complex institutional stakeholder environment
