Case Study: New River Community and Technical College

Case Study: New River Rocks

The Situation:

New River was an institution without an identity. Created from four freestanding colleges located in four different cities, New River faced an uphill battle to establish a brand identity with a limited marketing budget. The college had no name recognition in its service area and the local communities that had previously been home to the four individual colleges that make up New River resisted consolidation. Enrollment was stagnant and morale was low.

The Challenge:

Develop brand awareness across four distinct markets, increase enrollment, and create a unified brand culture across all four campuses.

The Solution:

Image Associates immediately went to work to develop a brand and create a spring enrollment campaign.

Spring Enrollment Campaign:

Image Associates identified New River’s target audience and value proposition, created a branding strategy, logo and other collateral materials and an integrated marketing plan and enrollment campaign. Working in the school’s four markets and using three TV stations, a half-dozen radio stations, regional and local newspapers, the school’s Web site and many free media opportunities, Image Associates circulated the broadcast, print and online media it had created for the Spring “Push.”

The Outcome:

The campaign generated hundreds of calls and introduced the school’s brand to a diverse and geographically segmented population. New River’s enrollment rose almost 33% in just a few short weeks and the campaign was pronounced a definitive success.