Few shared experiences possess the emotional resonance and common relatability because the one embodied by this query: “What do you need to be whenever you develop up?”
It served as a tentpole for Purdue College’s pupil recruitment advertising by way of a video that illustrates one formidable particular person’s imaginative and prescient of their journey – with Purdue taking part in a pivotal function at each step.
The video achieved notable success towards the establishment’s advertising targets. It additionally received the 2023 Content material Advertising and marketing Award for Greatest Motivational Video/Video sequence and was named a Mission of the 12 months finalist.
What do you need to be whenever you develop up? The ever-present query impressed @LifeAtPurdue to create an award-winning video by way of @Joderama @CMIContent. Click on To Tweet
Let’s discover the imaginative and prescient behind this visible content material hit and the way it contributed to spectacular advertising outcomes for the model.
What Can You Think about at Purdue?
The video – What Can You Think about at Purdue? – captures the essence of the college’s message: “The one obstacles to what you’ll be able to obtain needs to be the bounds of your creativeness.”
Within the video, a younger Black lady wonders aloud about what she’s going to do when she grows up. As her father braids her hair, he replies, “No matter you’ll be able to think about.” Then, he covers her eyes and asks what she sees for her life.
Viewers glimpse her desired future and all of the milestones she’ll attain alongside the best way. The visuals and voiceover relate to the story of her desires of constructing robots at Purdue Polytechnic Excessive College, going to Purdue College, and exploring her passions by way of extracurricular actions and on-campus communities.
She relates her imaginative and prescient to that of her father, who’s incomes his diploma at Purdue International (the establishment’s on-line college for working adults). On the finish of the video, this proud father asks his daughter what she’ll do from there. Her reply: “No matter I would like.”
4 classes on video content material advertising success
Purdue’s video storytelling teaches necessary classes – ones your model can comply with on its path to advertising success.
Align content material with core model values
In an interview with the Content material Advertising and marketing Institute, R. Ethan Braden, Purdue’s government vp and chief advertising and communications officer, says his group crafted the story round core tenets of Purdue’s model essence – ‘persistent innovation collectively’.
- Persistent: The central character works on a difficult venture in a Purdue classroom. Her father asks what she’ll do if she doesn’t succeed at first. Her reply: “I’ll attempt once more, and once more, and once more …” That message is bolstered as viewers see her troubleshoot her experiment and, in the end, make a breakthrough.
- Innovation: The lady mentions profession prospects in rocket science and laptop science. That emphasizes Purdue’s curricula in these fields of research whereas modeling accessible alternatives for girls who need to pursue profession schooling in science, expertise, engineering, and arithmetic.
- Collectively: Purdue sees success as achieved by way of collaborative – not aggressive – efforts. This idea is bolstered by way of the lady’s imaginative and prescient of assembly different college students on campus, making recollections with mates, and having fun with time along with her friends within the Purdue pupil group.
@LifeAtPurdue crafted its No. 1 video message across the model’s core tenets – persistent innovation collectively, says @REthanBraden by way of @Joderama @CMIContent. Click on To Tweet
A clip displaying the lady’s father logging into an internet portal to obtain his assignments as a pupil at Purdue International connects the story to the model’s dedication to creating increased schooling accessible to all, together with adults furthering their schooling whereas remaining within the workforce.
Purdue’s video well communicates how choices like Purdue International make increased schooling extra universally attainable, no matter their stage of life, financial circumstances, or scheduling wants.
It’s additionally price noting that the video contains a Black household, given the systemic disadvantages skilled by individuals of shade which will have an effect on their imaginative and prescient of faculty. “We wished to inform that story with asset framing, by way of that lens of a bit of African American lady and her father, and we wished to actually get it proper,” Ethan says.
Enchant your viewers with emotive storytelling
Ethan says enchanting Purdue’s goal audiences is his group’s sole aim for content material creation. “It’s to awaken them and appeal to their ecstatic admiration and demand for Purdue, no matter which means in that second.”
The video achieves this with its relatable theme of dreaming of the long run. Emotive experiences reinforce that message – a father serving to his daughter put together for college and a pupil exploring her passions and constructing friendships.
Ethan notes these particulars impressed viewers to remark: “You recognize when he’s braiding her hair? I teared up as a result of that was genuine,” and “I’ve by no means heard of Purdue earlier than, and now I wanna go there.”
This proof signifies his group hit on the best feelings and insights to develop viewers consciousness, curiosity, and consideration of Purdue.
Via a terrific product and content material efforts like this, Ethan says Purdue has seen a 30% improve in its pupil physique over 10 years, and purposes have doubled within the final 5 years.
Purposes to @LifeAtPurdue doubled within the final 5 years thanks partly to its inspiring and motivational #ContentMarketing, says @REthanBraden by way of @Joderama @CMIContent. Click on To Tweet
Present how your experiences join
Manufacturers want a clear content material advertising technique to information their prospects by way of all of the levels of their purchaser’s journey. Purdue’s video takes viewers by way of an aspiring pupil’s private journey – one which highlights the Purdue portfolio of choices and the establishment’s varied pre-college, on-line, and extracurricular choices.
The Purdue group intentionally emphasised how its experiences join below a broad portfolio of academic merchandise. Ethan says this distinguishes Purdue’s content material from customary college advertising specializing in a single establishment.
“We wished you to see her go to highschool. We wished you to see her intention for Purdue,” Ethan says. “We wished you to see her father going to Purdue International and attaining his diploma as a working grownup, and the way these [experiences] stitched collectively [as part of the] Purdue portfolio.”
Broaden attain with multiplatform distribution
In accordance with Purdue, the video earned greater than 28 million views on YouTube, with an astounding 82% view fee. In simply 28 days, it grew to become the most-viewed video on the Purdue YouTube channel, besting a video that had earned views for over 15 years.
These are spectacular outcomes for any video asset, not to mention a two-minute advert. However Purdue didn’t depend on natural attain alone. The advert gained an enormous promotional enhance in crucial visibility moments just like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Large 10 championship soccer sport, and the Citrus Bowl.
Ethan says the marketing campaign additionally concerned posts on social media (the place it earned 170,000 views and greater than 670,000 impressions) and was promoted by way of award entries, together with the Content material Advertising and marketing Awards.
The group additionally invests in socializing its content material internally to make sure their organizational stakeholders perceive and admire the worth of content material. “We prioritize advertising the advertising so others can see the excellence and experience of this group and their contributions,” says Ethan, which supplies them the buy-in they should do their jobs to the very best of their skills.
See elevated video success in your model’s future
Purdue’s video advert captured and saved its audience’s consideration. It additionally ensured extra viewers would see the breadth of what Purdue has to supply. So, what can your movies be after they develop up? Let Purdue’s 4 classes allow you to manifest that imaginative and prescient.
MORE EXAMPLES FROM 2023 PROJECT OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Cowl picture by Joseph Kalinowski/Content material Advertising and marketing Institute
