5° + The University of West Alabama
Enrollment Marketing
The Opportunity
The University of West Alabama knew it offered something special amid the sea of larger public schools it competes with in the southeast. So they returned to a tagline that had timelessly resonated for them: There’s something about this place. But they needed help refining the messaging and visuals of their admissions materials to fully communicate their distinct brand of public higher education to prospective students. And they needed it fast.
UWA’s admissions and marketing teams engaged 5° to revamp their core recruitment materials in a tight timeline leading up to fall. The new pieces needed to extend the UWA brand while realigning messaging and creating a fresh visual theme to better capture the Tiger experience.
The Plan
Beginning with a campus visit and discovery session with key UWA admissions and marketing leaders as well as a review of existing UWA brand assets, 5° quickly gained a deep understanding of the college’s current strategic challenges, needs, goals, target audience, and brand ethos. From there, an aggressive production schedule was crafted, and the creatives got to work!
The 5° team provided turn-key service with new copy and design for all pieces, responding to feedback from UWA staff and students along the way to ensure ongoing alignment. By the end of the summer, UWA’s admissions team was travel-ready with new keystone materials in hand as well as the cycle’s direct mail, informational brochures, and acceptance packets ready to go.
The Results
The UWA admission team reports that the new materials stand out in a crowded college fair and “capture attention immediately.” The elevated quality of their print pieces also better reflects the exceptional personal investment UWA makes in each of its students, “demonstrating that we believe in the value of our education and its ability to help students achieve their goals,” the UWA team noted.
Not only have prospective students been drawn to the new design pieces, but current students have, too—embracing them as a fresh but authentic expression of the place that has become a part of their own individual identities. 5° was honored to help bring to life the “something” that’s special about the University of West Alabama for the benefit of future Tigers and current ones, alike.
“The time and dedication the 5° team gave to our project, even before the initial design work began, gave us the confidence that our project would resonate with our target audience. While any agency can produce creative work, 5° delivered a unique experience specifically tailored to our students, not just any students.”
–EMILY STUART, Assistant Director of On-Campus Undergraduate Admissions, Dual Enrollment, & Enrollment Communications
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