A 2023 Platinum MarCom award for advertising campaign was given for the district’s fall 2023 enrollment campaign.
The MarCom competition, which recognizes outstanding creativity and innovation in
marketing and public relations, receives about 6,500 entries from marketing and communications
professionals across the United States, Canada, and 43 other countries.
The district’s marketing partner, 25th Hour Communications, created a campaign dubbed “Redefining San Diego” that highlights what San Diego is known for ― its world-famous San Diego Zoo, Comic-Con, tacos, surfing and the military ― as a way to capture attention and reframe the conversation to highlight the excellent higher education offered at the SDCCD. For example, a billboard featuring a photo of a taco reads “In San Diego you can find amazing food” with food crossed out and “community colleges” written in.
The $600,000 marketing campaign, which will continue through the spring 2024 semester with refreshed artwork and catchphrases, as well as additional Spanish messaging, has a goal of attracting adult learners who had to put their education plans on hold during the pandemic.
“Students between the ages of 25 and 45 were among the most impacted during the pandemic,” said Jack Beresford, SDCCD’s director of Communications and Public Relations. “With fewer and fewer 18-year-olds coming out of high school, it is critically important that our colleges attract more adult learners.”
Before developing the campaign, the firm gained insights on students’ motivations, gaps, barriers and opportunities through focus groups, interviews and an online survey. Adult learners expressed a preference for light and humorous advertisements and those with a connection to San Diego.
The full campaign included digital ads, billboards and bus wraps suggesting that, in addition to the usual San Diego highlights, the area should be equally well known for its community colleges, affordable education and career training opportunities.
The SDCCD continues to look for ways to make it easier for adult learners to return to the classroom, including flexible scheduling, free childcare, scholarships and creating more online career-training programs.
