Case Study: Oklahoma City University
Recruitment Collateral

Background:

Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a coeducational, urban private university located in Oklahoma City. The university offers a wide variety of disciplines and encourages academic excellence through a rigorous curriculum that focuses on students’ intellectual, moral, and spiritual development.

Collateral Materials (cover art)

Campaign Objective:

In a down turning economy Oklahoma City University (OCU) needed to ensure inquiries, applications, enrollment and admissions for Fall 2009 for Freshman and transfer students stayed consistent or posted an increase compared to Fall 2008. The strategy was to create suite of recruitment collateral by creating a specific piece for each target group or recruitment situation.

Viewbook Interior

Campaign Deliverables:

Five pieces were created in the suite of recruitment collateral: a Viewbook, a Road piece, a Visit piece, a Parent’s piece and an Outcomes piece.

Viewbook: the general piece used for any recruiting effort or situation.

Road piece: a travel-size brochure that the field recruiters use on the road and at college fairs.

Visit piece: a piece that urges students and their parent’s to visit the campus as their numbers show once a visit is made enrollment usually follows.

Parent’s piece: a targeted piece for the guardians of students that specifically answers common questions, concerns and questions guardians have.

Outcomes piece: a piece that focuses on what alumni have gone on to accomplish after graduating from OCU.

Results:

There were double-digit increases in the number of inquiries, applications, enrollment and admissions for both freshman and transfer student categories from Fall 2008 to Fall 2009.

Results

There was also a significant return on investment; in Fall 2009 there was an increase of 12% and 56% respectively, of enrollments for freshman and transfer students compared to Fall 2008. The published cost of tuition before additional lab, parking, admission, etc. fees is about $11,000 per semester. This translates to an increase of over $286,000 for one semester for the new students. Should each new enrolled student complete a 4-year degree at OCU the return on investment would be over $2.2 million.