EVEN when an industry’s landscape is changing, advertising agencies have proved time and again that no challenge is too great to overcome.
In September 2014, the government announced that Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) students could no longer use their forecast results to enrol in college. Private institutions of higher learning (IHLs), including INTI International University & Colleges, found themselves facing a new challenge.
Prior to the announcement, IHLs had three peak enrolment periods — after the SPM exams in December, when the early birds would start enrolling using their forecast results; from late April to May, after the release of the results; and in September, for selected courses and those who wished to start later.
But the government’s decision meant that private colleges now had one less peak enrolment period.
“In the previous years, INTI had targeted a specific segment of school-leavers — those who wanted to get a head start on college,” says Jennifer Liew, account director at advertising agency, OgilvyOne Worldwide.
“Some 30,000 students would enrol during this period every year. The marketing strategies used in the past were inspired by these students’ motivation to get ahead,” she adds.
But this would not have worked with the new rule. So, INTI, in partnership with OgilvyOne Worldwide, decided to come up with a creative solution.
Overcoming obstacles
INTI also found itself facing unprecedented pressure from its competitors. From 525 IHLs in 2007, the number had risen to 2,769 by 2014.
The increased competition drove up the category media expenditure. Between 2010 and 2014, advertising spend by IHLs increased by over 17%. Within the same timeframe, the number of students sitting for SPM declined 3%.
However, none of these factors deterred INTI and OgilvyOne Worldwide from pushing forward and innovating.
The first step they took was to identify the search trends during the pre-SPM period. The team found that the most popular sites were those that gave tips on exam questions from experienced school teachers, tuition centres and even former examiners, most of whom had a track record in accurate predictions.
“We approached Andrew Choo, one of the more well-known tutors in town, to provide us with tips and mock exam papers for SPM. The tips would come days or just a day before the actual exam. The team had to quickly check everything before the information went live. The turnover time was our biggest obstacle,” says Liew.
“So, to deliver quickly, we had to understand how our audiences behave when looking for this content and what they do once they have this information in hand,” she adds.
With that understanding, they came up with their breakthrough idea.
The big idea
INTI #SPMSureSkor provided students with priceless SPM exam tips in exchange for their contact information, which the team used to generate leads.
Students received the first tip on any of the nine key subjects — Malay, English, History, Mathematics, Science, Physics, Chemistry, Economics and Biology — for free.
“But if they wanted more, they had to provide us with their personal details and contact information,” Liew explains.
The INTI #SPMSureSkor website, powered by Choo, was “a search-optimised content hub packed with high-value content, including free tips, tutorials and trial exam papers. Students could also order books on SPM tips”, she says.
INTI and OgilvyOne Worldwide capitalised on their partnership with Choo by placing banners on the andrewchoo.edu.my website.
Furthermore, there were advertisements and posts on Facebook about the content hub. “It was quick and easy for students to like and share with their friends too,” says Liew.
The team also partnered Astro Radio to promote INTI #SPMSureSkor. For four weeks leading up to the exams, branded segments on hitz fm and community service announcements on MY FM prompted students to visit the website if they needed help.
hitz fm DJs Jin and Ean even created a special rap that was aired to remind students that there was still hope for them with the help of INTI #SPMSureSkor.
Campaign objectives and results
In the past, driving enrolment was the primary focus of INTI and OgilvyOne Worldwide. But with the new rule in place, they decided to switch gears and focus on generating leads to gain an advantage in the later enrolment period. Their first objective was to secure at least 11,280 leads while their second objective was to secure leads at a cost per lead (CPL) of RM123.
In 2013, their CPL stood at RM236 and they secured 22,560 online leads.
Despite the challenges faced, the INTI #SPMSureSkor campaign performed better than the set objectives.
“We secured 15,000 leads in just seven weeks, exceeding the first objective by 33%. We beat our second target by a huge margin, achieving a lower CPL of RM27.50,” Liew reveals.
In addition, the campaign achieved over 760,000 page views over the course of three months.
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