Universities Australia launches new website + in-stream commercials via Hello I’m Venus

Following its win of Universities Australia (UA) last year, Hello I’m Venus has now produced the second installment of the ‘World Class’ campaign, focusing on the digital space — with a new website, internet advertising and several in-stream commercials.

On 14th April, a 30 and 2 x 15 sec commercials will launch and have been created specifically for in-stream video and streaming video mrecs on sites including Yahoo, Jumpin, YouTube, Vivo and catch-up TV.

VIEW THE WEBSITES + COMMERCIALS

These commercials use bright footage of cultural experiences to seize the attention of Gen-Y viewers in a short amount of time — immersing them in an audio- visual feast for the eyes. By interchanging inspiring overseas experiences with footage of university-based shots, the agency aims to invite students to view study abroad as an achievement within their reach.

The commercial’s ‘study’ based poem shows students that experiences can be studied — with each overseas situation offering a new way to learn. A momentum-building soundtrack — developed specially for the campaign — speaks to the audience’s youthful nature, drawing on the emotions of being young and enjoying the endless possibilities of study abroad.

These commercials follow the strong success of the agency’s digital advertising, including a homepage takeover in recent weeks. The takeover received an impressive click-through rate of 1.4% — almost double the industry standard for takeovers.

Advertising which targeted users who receive email from university domains received a CTR of 0.79% — more than 10 times the Australian average for digital advertising.

The agency attributes the solid start to the campaign to their insights in digital — in particular, using ‘gamification’ to hold the attention of the target audience.

A key objective of the campaign is to encourage university students to study abroad, and in particular build a growing rapport with Asia. The immediate barriers are around perceptions of cost and difficulty due to lack of awareness.

The centerpiece of the campaign, which all digital advertising leads to, is the world-class.com.au website. The site outlines the destinations available, and lists which countries have arrangements with universities. It is also fully mobile responsive.

In accordance with research on peer-to-peer influence, it features real student stories from a wide range of countries, as well as FAQs and a section on financial support options.

Says Louise Dodson, director strategic communications, Universities Australia: “The World Class campaign is a great opportunity for us to promote to students the benefits of study overseas. The number of Australian students studying overseas has increased in recent years but the Australian Government supported World Class campaign should see a real step up in the number of our students eager to pursue an overseas study experience. And it’s not only the students, but universities, the economy and society more broadly that benefit from deeper global engagement. It expands student networks, imbues them with an understanding of other cultures, people and economies and also provides the opportunity for students to develop many of the skills that employers look for including cross-cultural awareness, independence, drive and initiative.”

Says Miles Mainwaring, director of planning at Hello I’m Venus: “The World Class campaign for Universities Australia is built on effective research and insights into the millennial audience, and we’re already seeing great CTR and engagement in the creative and web content. The in-stream video launch will take this to another level.”

Agency: Hello I’m Venus

Agency Partners: Pixel Kitchen