Results and Effectiveness

The campaign broke the category norms with the 1st Facebook application ever developed by an education institute in HK. Early admission applications grew by +50% compared to last year. 12,000 applications received in total out of a pool of 86,000 exam students. The engagement level went beyond expectations. On day one, 2,000 users downloaded our application with zero media support that quickly grew to a total of 12,000 users (database). Over 64,000 pageviews on Facebook and over 11,000 views on forums’ posts were registered. Over 51,100 eDM and 29,000 SMS personal connections (reminders) were also made.

Creative Execution

We created a customized Facebook application for students to connect with each other by providing them with a community to discuss upcoming exams and gave each other support during those nerve-wracking tests. Students simply input their exam schedule and they can instantly see if any of their Facebook buddies are taking the same exam. They can see which examination hall their friends will attend on a Google map, allowing them to discuss and arrange going to exam together. Students can even create their own personal calendars and receive email or SMS reminders before their tests. What’s more, they can also join discussions with others to review courses, cheering for each other and share exam preparation tips, all through our application. These not only aided the students in building confidence throughout the examination and enrolment period, but also connected them with HKU SPACE in a way that celebrated real friendship.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

HKU SPACE Community College offers an alternative route to a local university degree for those who do not get an offer. As a subsidiary of prestigious HKU, HKU SPACE is perceived to offer quality education but has a higher requirement compared to other community colleges. It is often seen as a lesser priority of the students’ choice as they worry they might not get in. Our challenge was to help HKU SPACE engage senior secondary students by building an emotional connection between prospective students and the brand to drive early admission applications. For students, final examination is the most stressful and anxious period. From exams, results release to course enrolment, peer support is important to ease their stress. This was the brand’s opportunity to connect with prospective students by engaging them in the same ‘space’ and be part of their examination community.