Johannesburg, 5 October 2021 – Marketing Agency, Stratitude, has been awarded bronze in the ‘Best Integrated Campaign by a Small Agency’ category at the Supersonic New Generation Awards 2021, which was hosted on Thursday, 23 September.
The award was for Nelson Mandela University’s 2021 pregraduate application campaign – the only education institution in this year’s New Generation Awards that made it onto the roll of finalists in four categories and the only one which was announced as an award winner.
“We are incredibly proud of our campaign and the results that it achieved for the University,’’ says Sylvia Zanetti, MD of Stratitude. “What makes us even more pleased, is the fact that while we were up against some serious competition, we entered the campaign in four categories and made it as finalists in each one of them,” says Zanetti.
This year, the New Generation Awards received over 400 entries from over 80 corporates, agencies and individuals.
“We had to implement this campaign in a challenging year for education,” says Zanetti. “With the COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown, there was an immediate negative impact on Nelson Mandela University’s pregraduate student recruitment practices. School closures and online learning limited face-to-face interactions and the University could no longer rely on its traditional recruitment processes, which were primarily focused on open days, campus tours, school visits and national career day exhibitions,” says Zanetti.
Stratitude was briefed to provide a solution that would enable the University to reach its 2021 pregraduate application targets by the closing date. The eight-week campaign comprised Google advertising, social media and direct marketing and was supported by radio and public relations.
“A digital campaign was the obvious solution to reach, connect and engage with matriculants and their influencers, and it paid off,” says Zanetti. The campaign significantly exceeded all expectations by achieving a phenomenal 72% increase in qualifying applications, compared to the previous year.
“We are thrilled with this recognition,” says Lebogang Hashatse, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, People and Operations at Nelson Mandela University. “This award affirms the success that we are achieving with the University’s ‘digital first’ strategic direction, that is enabling us to reach new and wider audiences locally and abroad,” says Hashatse.
“This win is proof that education, even in a tough year, can stand up and be recognised. It is also a celebration of our team’s collective ability and our relentless focus on helping our clients succeed,” says Zanetti.
Watch the campaign video.
About Stratitude
Stratitude is a full-service marketing agency that provides strategic and creative solutions focused on making an impact on their clients’ brands and their bottom lines. For more information visit www.stratitude.co.za
