AdAge Small Agency of the Year
what we did
industry
education
collateral
website
illustrations
digital
print
modes activated
inspiration
planning
the challenge
The top 10% of high school students in Alaska have a bright future. Unfortunately, some felt that the future began with putting the state in the rearview mirror after graduation.
The University of Alaska UA Scholars Program enabled them to attend college in-state with some great scholarship money. Yet this still didn’t stop an enrollment decline as students had their sights set on universities in the Lower 48.
we were curious
We wondered why previous UA Scholars, who could have gone anywhere, chose to stay close to home.
All were motivated and driven to succeed but, through research, we learned there was something else at play: a desire to give back to their communities that supported them.
genuine human understanding
High-achieving students are driven by a strong work ethic. They love stories of success. Hearing about them. Emulating them. Writing their own chapter. We just needed to convince these potential UA Scholars that they could accomplish their dreams in their own backyard.
the wild idea
This audience is used to having people appeal to their intellect and predictable cap and gown imagery. We decided to feed the need for stories that resonate with these high performing students.
Striking photography and illustration accompanied inspiring and impactful narratives of UA Scholars, both past and present. It led to a greater success story for all of Alaska.
the result
New users to the website up 27% in first 8 months
Average session duration up nearly 44%
