BCCAT (British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer)

ADVERTISER:

BCCAT (British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer)

MARKET:

British Columbia

BACKGROUND:

BCCAT (British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer)government whose mandate is to facilitate admission, articulation and transfer arrangements among BC post-secondary institutions. BCCAT produces two free websites dedicated to helping students explore their post-secondary options in BC: www.bctransferguide.ca and www.educationplanner.ca.

MARKETING PROBLEM:

Reaching out to all current or potential students to advise them of their options when moving into and through post-secondary education institutions in BC.  Reaching students in the 16-28 year old demographic that are increasingly hard to reach by newspaper, radio, TV, and magazines

SOLUTION:

Reaching out to all current or potential students to advise them of their options when moving into and through post-secondary educational institutions, to help raise awareness of BCCAT’s web resources to new and current students.

TRANSIT ADVERTISING WORKS

OBJECTIVES:

The goal was to raise awareness about free web resources that help students navigate the often tricky world of applying and being accepted into post-secondary programs in BC.  Because BCCAT is not an institution, its direct interactions with students are limited.  BCCAT wanted to advertise to students in areas they were likely to be, to let them know how they could use either the Education Planner or the BC Transfer Guide websites to help them achieve their educational goals.  Working with Lamar, BCCAT was able to put together a customized marketing plan that allowed us to advertise during peak student periods, and on routes that primarily serviced post-secondary institutions across the province.  Thier goal was to increase user traffic to their sites, and raise awareness around the province about BCCAT’s resources.

RESULTS:

“Since our first advertising campaign in 2006, we have seen a steady increase in user traffic to both of our websites. In 2007 we saw a 12% increase in web traffic, and in 2008 we saw an addtional 17% increase from the previous year.  Both of our websites are now being visited by more than half a million users each year, with traffic peaking during the periods our advertising campaign was running through Lamar.  For 2009, we have moved to advertising year round, and it is clear from both user feedback and from presentations at conferences that awareness of our sites had increased dramatically. Throughout this process, I have been very impressed with Lamar’s flexibility and dedication to service. We plan to continue to advertise on BC’s transit system in 2010″

BCCAT Success Story (pdf)