Saint Louis U. Boosts Brand with CTV Campaign
Celebrating expertise with creative digital campaign
In 2023, Saint Louis University’s (SLU) School for Professional Studies (SPS) celebrated its 60th anniversary. This offered a unique opportunity to highlight the school’s six decades of leadership and innovation in adult and online education — an area most schools have only recently entered. SLU partnered with Collegis to develop an integrated creative and digital campaign to bring this new messaging to market.
Challenge: Highlighting expertise in adult and online education
SLU has a storied history and expertise in online and adult education — a key advantage for aspiring adult learners. Collegis was challenged with bringing this message to market in an impactful way, which was achieved through an awareness media campaign centered on newly produced brand video content.
Solution: Authentic video storytelling and strategic media placement
The videos amplify the authentic voices of real SLU students, showcasing diverse narratives about educational experiences and outcomes. Going beyond campus, the production captured moments at students’ homes and workplaces. These personal glimpses help viewers identify with the subjects and build trust in the brand, illustrating SLU’s understanding of adult learners’ wants and needs.
Collegis then developed a paid media strategy that included connected TV (CTV) and cross-device video to maximize impact through multiple touchpoints. The campaign’s primary objective was driving awareness, which was measured by video completion rate, brand lift, and brand search impact.
Example campaign video
Results: Increased brand awareness and conversions
The 60th anniversary campaign was successful in raising awareness of SLU’s School for Professional Studies. The data supports that the awareness media contributed significantly to both brand health and revenue goals. The results were as follows:
- 5.9 million CTV and cross-device video impressions throughout Missouri and Illinois
- 89% video completion rate
- 10.7% lift in brand awareness, 3.5% ad recall lift, and 4.2% lift in consideration
- 541% increase in brand PPC spend while reducing cost per conversion by 44%
- 1,050% increase in brand PPC conversions YoY
- 287% return on ad spend for the campaign
