Brief Explanation

A key insight which drove our campaign was that the months leading up to the A levels are often a highly stressful period for pre-university students. Although most universities expend great effort in their admission campaigns, these have traditionally been restricted to advertisements and events that were largely informative and impersonal. As such, instead of running admission ads that might be ignored by students during the exam period, we decided to seize the opportunity to demonstrate our empathy towards this stressful period of their lives, and at the same time, help to reinforce SUTD’s proposition – “A Better World by Design”. we decided to distribute SUTD Survival kits to pre-university students.

Results and Effectiveness

Our campaign received an overwhelming response for SUTD’s Admissions and Career Talk held in December 2014. The unanticipated demand led SUTD to close its registration a week before the event, as it exceeded its maximum capacity of 300 students (Source: SUTD). On Instagram, the campaign garnered a total of 4842 likes, generating great PR value with zero PR dollars spent. It reaffirmed the fact that great ideas are what make effective campaigns, and need not necessarily involve huge advertising budgets.

Creative Execution

This was a first-of-its-kind initiative ever attempted by a local university, allowing SUTD to demonstrate that it possesses a completely different DNA from its competitors. We also launched an Instagram contest (#mugharderplaylater) in conjunction with the distribution of our Exam Survival Kits. Utilising Instagram as our primary social media platform was ideal because it is among the most heavily-used social networking sites used by our target audience, and was also the most effective cost-free way to gain publicity for the event. It also enabled the campaign to maximise its reach to people who were not physically present during the event.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

The campaign was targeted at all pre-university students. As these students were preparing for their A levels, we decided to seize this opportunity to demonstrate our empathy, and simultaneously, reinforce SUTD’s proposition – “A Better World by Design”. The distribution of the kits by SUTD staff enabled our target audience to interact with staff members, allowing them to gain a better understanding of SUTD. An Instagram contest (#mugharderplaylater) was held in conjunction with the event. Utilising Instagram as our primary social media platform was ideal because it is among the most heavily-used social networking sites used by our target audience