Overview

Edinburgh Napier University (ENU), a well-respected institution in Scotland, faced a significant challenge in distinguishing itself in a crowded higher education market. With increasing competition from local universities such as the University of Edinburgh, ENU struggled to improve brand recognition and student consideration, despite its quality education. The university recognised the need for a transformative approach to redefine its identity and appeal to the next generation of students.

Our task was to shift public perception and increase ENU's appeal through a bold, digitally-driven campaign that celebrated the university’s real-world impact and achievements.

The project was launched across key digital platforms including YouTube, Quantcast, TikTok, and enhanced by high-visibility out-of-home (OOH) activations in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The campaign was designed to be bold, highly engaging, and effective in driving student interest and applications.

Challenge

The core challenge facing Edinburgh Napier University was its lack of distinct brand identity and recognition in the higher education sector. While ENU offered high-quality courses and was producing graduates with a profound impact on society, it struggled to stand out compared to well-established competitors. The task was clear: ENU needed to redefine its position in the market and build a powerful, distinctive narrative that would increase prospective student consideration and elevate the university's brand.

Our challenge was to shift perceptions, engage prospective students, and ultimately, drive applications, all while working within a highly competitive sector.

Insight

Through research and audience analysis, we identified key insights that helped shape our strategy. Prospective students increasingly prioritise real-world outcomes and career success when choosing a university. The traditional focus on academic excellence alone no longer resonated. The audience wanted to see how a university could help them make an impact beyond graduation.

We learned that ENU had an untapped advantage: its graduates were making notable contributions across various industries, and this success wasn’t being highlighted effectively. By putting the spotlight on the impact of ENU graduates, we could shift the narrative from a traditional academic institution to one that champions innovation, real-world relevance, and bold achievements.

Our strategy was built on this insight, aiming to celebrate the students' achievements and promote the university as a bold, dynamic, and forward-thinking institution.

Strategy & Approach

To tackle this challenge, we created the 'Must Be Napier' campaign – a creative platform that centered around the success stories of ENU graduates. This approach was disruptive, fresh, and allowed the university to stand out from its competitors by emphasising tangible achievements rather than abstract academic concepts.

We redesigned the visual identity of ENU, transforming its logo into a dynamic "spotlight" symbol, representing the university's focus on highlighting real-world student success. This new design carried across all campaign materials, including digital and OOH assets.

We leveraged a digitally-driven strategy that combined high-impact video content with interactive and engaging digital placements across platforms like YouTube, Quantcast, and TikTok. The campaign was complemented by OOH activations in key cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow, reinforcing the university’s distinctiveness in the public eye.

Solution

The 'Must Be Napier' campaign was executed with a blend of innovative creative ideas and precise digital targeting. We produced a 30-second film that showcased ENU graduates making a difference in their respective fields. This film was adapted into shorter cuts for platforms like YouTube and TikTok, ensuring that the content was optimised for audience engagement.

The campaign’s reach was amplified through a targeted digital media plan, and the creative was prominently featured in OOH spaces, ensuring maximum visibility. The design overhaul, with its spotlight symbol, was consistently applied to all touchpoints, including social media ads, digital banners, and event signage, creating a cohesive and powerful brand presence.

By focusing on the university's graduates and their real-world success, the campaign effectively repositioned ENU as a university that is bold, relevant, and capable of delivering a meaningful impact to students.

Results & Learnings

The 'Must Be Napier' campaign was a resounding success, surpassing all targets and driving measurable impact:

• 813% increase in site traffic – The campaign generated a significant surge in student interest, as prospective students flocked to the university’s website.
• 59% rise in consideration – The campaign significantly improved the perception of ENU as a top-choice university.
• 45% reduction in cost per application – The optimised digital campaign reduced the cost to acquire each application, making the effort more efficient.
• Over 30.1 million impressions – The campaign exceeded its impression target by 79%, driving widespread awareness across multiple channels.
• Award-winning campaign – This became ENU’s most effective marketing initiative, earning accolades for its creativity and impact.

Through these results, we learned that bold, digitally-driven campaigns that highlight real-world success stories can break through the noise in a saturated market. By focusing on what truly matters to students – career success and societal impact – the campaign resonated deeply with the target audience, driving impressive engagement and results.

This case also demonstrated the power of digital-first strategies in driving brand perception and engagement within the higher education sector. Moving forward, these insights will guide future campaigns and help other institutions rethink their approach to student recruitment.