ART DIRECTION | GRAPHIC DESIGN | MARKETING STRATEGY
The pandemic was rough on enrollment for educational institutions, and even rougher on the workforce. The Harvard Business Review reported, "over 47 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs.”
The Maricopa Community Colleges have served Arizona for over 60 years, growing into one of the largest community college systems in the nation. With ten colleges and multiple satellite locations, the District provides affordable, high-quality education to hundreds of thousands of students
Fast Track Campaign: Reimagining Career Education for a Post-Pandemic Workforce
Chief Marketing Officer
Creative Director
Roles
Higher Education / Workforce Development
Industry
In the wake of the Great Resignation, Maricopa Community Colleges needed to re-engage adult learners and displaced workers with short-term, high-impact educational offerings. The “Fast Track” campaign introduced a unified district-level marketing effort focused on promoting certificates that lead to in-demand careers—many of which can be completed in under six months.
Overview
Enrollment was declining, and awareness of short-term certificates was low—especially among younger, lower-income workers impacted by job loss or career dissatisfaction. Most prior marketing efforts were fragmented by college, with little recognition of district-wide solutions.
Challenge
We developed a full-funnel marketing campaign that included:
Audience targeting based on job loss data and economic trends
Channel mix combining radio, paid search, paid social, display, and YouTube
Optimizations that simplified the application journey and improved conversion
Content strategy that focused on empowerment, speed, affordability, and upward mobility
Key audience segments included individuals aged 18–29, low-income households, and workers in hospitality, retail, and food service.
Strategy
The campaign featured bold arrows to symbolize forward movement and change. Messaging emphasized clarity and hope:
“Learn skills in months – not years”
“Your dream job doesn’t have to stay a dream”
“Be job-ready in six weeks”
Visuals showcased a diverse mix of happy students across display ads, social posts, and video. All content adhered to Maricopa’s brand while introducing a distinctive Fast Track identity.
Creative
21 million impressions (2x the campaign goal)
2,800 completed applications (3x the campaign goal)
$78 cost-per-application (77% below industry average of $350–$550)
This was the first district-wide lead generation campaign for Maricopa, proving the impact of centralized marketing and performance transparency. It laid the foundation for future system-level efforts and established trust across internal stakeholders.
Results
