ART DIRECTION | GRAPHIC DESIGN | MARKETING STRATEGY
Every year, thousands of prospective students are admitted to ASU Online but do not complete their enrollment. These students represent a valuable opportunity for engagement and moving them through the student journey.
EdPlus is a unit within Arizona State University (ASU) dedicated to designing and delivering scalable digital teaching and learning models that enhance student success and eliminate barriers to achievement in higher education.
Case Study: Award-Winning ANCE Mid-Funnel Retargeting Campaign
Marketing Strategy
Creative and Art Direction
Graphic Design
Roles
Education
Industry
Each year, thousands of prospective undergraduate students are admitted to ASU Online but do not complete enrollment. These admitted-not-currently-enrolled (ANCE) students represent a high-value opportunity to move warm leads further down the enrollment funnel.
Our mission: re-engage this audience, reinforce their decision to apply, and convert interest into action.
Challenge
To convert admitted students who hadn’t yet enrolled, we implemented a retargeting campaign centered on behavioral timing, compelling creative, and a seamless user experience. Our approach blended data-backed segmentation with clear messaging and frictionless next steps.
We engaged students via Facebook and Instagram ads timed to reach them 20+ days after admittance—when decision-making slows. These ads emphasized emotional drivers like belonging, ambition, and support, using strong visuals and clear calls to action such as “Enroll today” or “Let us help.”
All ads drove to a dedicated landing page built for clarity and conversion. The page confirmed their admittance, outlined the exact steps to enroll, and provided direct access to tools like class search, financial aid resources, and a chatbot for support. Content was stripped of distractions and written to reassure, motivate, and guide students through the final steps of enrollment.
This campaign prioritized consistency in brand voice and visuals across all touchpoints, ensuring students felt seen, supported, and confident in their decision to move forward with ASU Online.
Strategy
PRSA Copper Anvil Award-Winning Campaign
Recognized for Most Effective Campaign on a Shoestring Budget, the ANCE mid-funnel campaign exceeded expectations by transforming admitted-but-not-enrolled students into active learners through a smart mix of behavioral targeting, storytelling, and seamless UX.
Personalization Works:
A custom-built landing page with personalized reminders and clear next steps fostered trust and boosted clarity, helping admitted students feel seen and supported.
Emotion + Action:
Creative content tapped into the emotional momentum of being admitted while offering a simplified, guided path to enrollment—leading to a test group conversion rate of 27.3%, outperforming the control group’s 18.0%.
Collaboration Drives Impact:
This cross-functional initiative—spanning marketing operations, UX, social media, and enrollment—proved how aligning teams around the user journey creates measurable impact.
With 70,284 impressions, 148 link clicks, and 182 enrollments from the test group alone, the campaign achieved high engagement and delivered a scalable framework for future enrollment efforts. By focusing on clarity, emotion, and timing, this campaign turned uncertainty into action and redefined what’s possible with a limited budget.
Results
