SAIT Polytechnic launches millennial-targeted career and program guide

SAIT Polytechnic has launched a redesigned Career and Program guide for the 2012 recruitment season. The guide is SAIT’s own unique spin on a post-secondary view book. It uses short descriptions for program information, contains employer testimonials and reinforces career outcomes.

The target audience for the Career and Program guide is the millennial generation.  A review of a variety of studies relating to this demographic were assessed with a focus on how they consume information relating to post secondary education.  These findings translated into a guide that is outcome focused, very heavy on visuals and has a ‘tablet’ style on program pages.  Future students have to shift the book vertically to read the program details, creating an interactive component.

To view the Career and Program Guide: PDF Version; Flash flipbook

SAIT Polytechnic looking for students who are aiming for the top

The SAIT Polytechnic full time student recruitment campaign features young people working their way to the top - literally.  In the layouts they are depicted as trophy figurines reaching to the top, using typical desk materials to ascend.  This execution speaks to the ingenuity and focus expressed by SAIT students and their desire to be a winner.  It also talks to the hands on, heads on approach that they take towards education.

The headline is “Get a Rewarding Career” which focuses on the motivators and outcomes that research has indicated drives post secondary decision making.  We also include in the headline “Over 100 programs” designed to demonstrate our depth of offering and “in Business, Technology and Trades” to demonstrate the breadth of program areas and reflect the skills our students obtain to become successful employees.  Get a Rewarding Career shows the end goal of what our students will achieve with a SAIT Polytechnic education.

This year’s campaign was developed based on the research conducted over the past three years that identified motivators and attributes that are the key drivers in decision-making about post secondary schools for students and parents. 

Other media include cinema spots, online advertising, magazine advertising, direct mail and mobile.  The campaign will run in two phases and end in March 2011.

Media components include:

Print ads

• Calgary Herald (October 25 to November 29)
• Macleans’ magazine (Why College Grads get Jobs edition and the University Ranking issues to be released in November)
• Calgary Sun supplements (Colleges and Technical Institutes including editorial October)
• Career Options (October)

Online

• Google, Facebook and MSN (November 1 to December 4)

Out of home advertising

• Billboards and inside transit (November 1 to December 4)
• Cinema – two versions of computer-generated animations will be shown in Cineplex theatres during the peak movie months of November/December.  These animations will be on Facebook as well.  Cinema highlights the ingenuity of SAIT students as well as rewarding careers.  Watch Polevault & Slingshot
• Direct mail to select households (Phase 2)
• Mobile – to promote the February Open House (Phase 2)
• Cover wrap for Metro (Phase 2)

This campaign has the goal of increasing the number of qualified applicants.  Early success is evident by the strong start demonstrated at the Fall Open House. Applications doubled over last year as did contest entries for the $1,000 tuition credit.  The Open House campaign was expanded this fall with additional advertising put in place to promote the event.