Summary
Making American Education Great Again The campaign was fundamentally stemmed in a socio-political background. The strategic challenge was based in how the "trump effect" had fueled negative conversations around USA, even spilling into areas such as more stringent visa processes, a more prohibitive cost of education, and unwelcoming attitude towards international students. Thus, this socio-political background had added immensely to the negative context solved by our campaign.
Challenge
Overview & KPI To arrest the decline in number of Indian students opting for the USA as their higher education destination and to ensure more Indian students go to the USA. This objective was critical - because for two successive years, between 2018-19 and 2019-20, and 2019-20 and 2020-21, the number of Indian students in U.S. universities had fallen by 4.4 per cent and 13.2 per cent respectively1. Steep decline in Indian students taking admissions in US Source: Open doors report, 2021 Steep decline in International students taking admissions in US Source: Open doors report, 2021 A post-campaign increase in enquiries by Indian students for admissions in U.S. universities - at least 5% as against the 13.2% decline in the preceding year.
Objective
The decline in Indian students pursuing US admissions is a concerning trend with repercussions. The USA, long esteemed as a top destination for Indian students, saw a significant decrease in enrollment, plummeting by 4.4% from 2018-19 and a staggering 13.2% from 2019-20 to 2020-21. This drop, sourced from the Open Doors report, hints at a worrisome pattern. Factors driving this decline encompass heightened global competition, notably from Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, all vying for India's student pool. Moreover, negative perceptions stemming from the "Trump effect" linger, fostering concerns about stringent visa regulations, an unwelcoming campus environment, and escalating educational costs. These issues collectively tarnished the appeal of US education for Indian students, as highlighted by Shiksha in 2022. This challenge isn't momentary but could persist, demanding more than a mere marketing overhaul. It necessitates a substantial shift in perceptions, transcending brand image to reform notions about the entire nation of the USA. A broader conversation needs fostering among Indian students to rectify misconceptions. Addressing these concerns is imperative to reverse the declining trend, safeguarding the USA's position as a preferred education destination for Indian students.
Strategy
To diffuse rising misconceptions about the USA fueled by its changed socio-political climate - including an unwelcoming attitude towards international students, stringent visa processes, higher cost of education and more. The decline in admissions to U.S universities was attributed to growing myths in the digital landscape resulting in a shift in students' attitudes towards the USA. The growing concerns had made competing regions such as Europe, Australia, New Zealand more attractive and the U.S. as a study destination had slipped down the priority list. The benchmark was to rectify these misconceptions and positively influence the perception metrics towards the USA. Source: Online perception survey, 2022 We would look at a shift in perceptions metrics towards studying in the USA - with the target of a 10+ uplift in positive sentiments. Create reach and engagement at scale in order to rectify the myths and misconceptions about studying in the USA. The challenge was steeped in myths being proliferated via peer-to-peer conversations amongst the young Indian students. Hence it was critical to disrupt this fabric of sentiment by reaching and engaging the students at scale. Because unless we achieved that, the task of changing perceptions would be inadequately met. In this sense, it wasn't just another marketing campaign but a conversation that needed to change how students perceive the entire nation of USA. We would measure this by audience reached, video views, view through rate and impressions.
Data
For two successive years, between 2018-19 and 2019-20, as well as 2019-20 and 2020-21, the number of Indian students enrolled in U.S. universities had fallen by 4.4 per cent and 13.2 per cent respectively. The efforts by Education USA arrested the decline and led to a turnaround with a 18.9% increase share of Indian students in U.S. admissions during 2022. With our digital-native audience of Indian students, social listening offered a great, objective way to evaluate the perception clouds around US education India. Hence the above numbers reflect the change in a perceptions that is an accurate reflection of our audiences and their primary conversations. These results reflect how education marketing can find a new facelift by embracing youth codes of humour and banter. These results have also provided confidence to Education USA towards continuing a similar-minded approach in the future. Hence, the impact of this campaign is far-reaching and sustained for both the brand as well as education marketing.
Solution
Results
The campaign achieved remarkable success across various dimensions, not only addressing immediate challenges but also establishing a blueprint for subsequent initiatives with a youthful approach that delivered tangible results. In terms of business impact, the campaign effectively reversed a concerning trend, transforming a 13.2% decline in Indian share of US admissions in 2021 into an impressive 18.9% increase in 2022, marking a record-breaking year. This positive shift applied to various education streams and graduate levels, showcasing a stark contrast to the preceding two years. From a marketing perspective, the campaign significantly altered sentiment levels around US education in India. Prior to the campaign, sentiment analysis revealed 18% positive, 27% neutral, and 55% negative perceptions. Post-campaign, these sentiments dramatically shifted to 51% positive, 23% neutral, and 26% negative. Importantly, the positive sentiment did not wane over time, maintaining an average of 43% in 2023, surpassing pre-campaign benchmarks. In terms of activity impact, the campaign engaged young Indian students successfully. Infused with humor and youth-oriented content, the videos surpassed industry benchmarks with over 3.6 million views, a video through rate of 41.26%, and a click-through rate (CTR) of 1.72%, nearly three times higher than the established benchmarks in the education category.
