The was first TV commercial spot I produced for Ogle School. When I arrived at Ogle School, nearly 80% of the marketing budget was allocated to daytime TV advertising. At the time, the ownership group believed TV to be critical to lead flow, however that data was leading me to believe that our target audience behavior had changed (they were streaming) and they were no longer consuming traditional daytime TV content. It would take a progressive re-allocation of TV budget reduction to more measurable and effective paid search and social media advertising that would eventually yield the analytical data required to convince ownership that pulling out of traditional TV was the right move. That said, this spot was a significant improvement over previous TV ads in term of polish and content and performed well while it aired. It would eventually be utilized for Youtube and social media advertising when we no longer ran traditional TV advertising anymore.
I developed the creative concept for our “We Know Your Type” marketing campaign, which was inspired by Cosmopolitan Las Vegas – ‘Misfit Right In’ ads. The goal was to create a high energy and constantly driving campaign that incorporated exciting live action moments, with bold text that spotlighted the energy of the beauty industry. It was an exercise in restraint, knowing we had frames rather than seconds to flash messaging and imagery. In addition to leading the creative direction, I was responsible for music selection and voice-over copy for the ad. I also helped select talent, provided on-set and post-production guidance to production team. This ad was run alongside a variety of cohesive display ads and used in conjunction with a custom landing page to generate prospect leads. Additionally, the video was able to be cut and utilized on social media as well.
To compliment our high energy “We Know Your Type” campaign, I followed up with a concept that focused on the value proposition of a cosmetology license and the unlimited career flexibility it offered. In an effort to grab the attention of easily bored millennial target demographic, we chose to develop a “single-shot” concept where the camera would follow the subject through a whirlwind of different career options that would be available to her. Writing a script that would accommodate the single shot concept was challenging, but, but the result was a truly unique ad that stood out from the competition. There is also an extended version of this campaign, here. As with most visual content, we were able cut up and utilize this video to create social, email and blog content to leverage the creative on multiple platforms. This ad was run alongside a variety of cohesive display ads and used in conjunction with a custom landing page to generate prospect leads.
This is an example of low-to-no budget video ad creation. Needing additional creative, but running on a tight budget, we utilized visuals that spoke to the energy of the beauty industry, intertwined with strong text elements and an upbeat club style track. Constantly moving shots keep the viewers attention and the CTA creates a sense of urgency. Our main competitors were Paul Mitchell and Aveda, both having the advantage of being national beauty brands with their own product lines, so ensuring that the Ogle brand always felt relevant and current was important. This ad was run alongside a variety of cohesive display ads and used in conjunction with a custom landing page to generate prospect leads.
It became very clear early on in my tenure at Ogle School, that telling authentic stories that resonated with our prospect demographic would be critical. Our core audience was non-traditional female students, 18-26 years old from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. This lead me to create the “Beautiful Stories” video series. It was important that potential prospects heard about the struggles and success from peers their age, that looked and sounded like them. It was important that the testimonials not feel overly sales-y, so we tried to focus more on the wholistic journey and what led them to make the choices they made, rather than focusing on a hard sell. The emphasis on the student’s journey helped prospects focus on the finish line rather than the potential obstacles to getting started. Over 7 years, we shot 59 student/graduate testimonial videos for the Beautiful Stories Series. In addition to being utilized to drive interest and awareness via Youtube, these student stories provided great content that could be edited and utilized in social media posts and advertising. Kelli’s “Beautiful Story” is one of my favorites and is a great example of what we tried to accomplish with each student/grad.
I found video to not only be effective at driving top of the funnel awareness and interest, but video also solved a problem brought on by COVID. Post-inquiry sales support was an equally importable part of my role. During the pandemic, our sales staff switched from on-campus to virtual and stayed that way. Previously, showing students the campus during the enrollment process was as simple as a walking tour. However, with distance learning in play for a period and all enrollment interviews being conducted via Zoom, we need to find a way to showcase the campuses. Initially, we self-produced virtual 360 tours, but I felt those lacked the excitement and energy was a critical component of the walking tour. As an amateur drone pilot myself, I decided that a drone fly-through of each campus would be an exciting and effective way to showcase each campus and bring some energy back to the tour portion of the admissions interview. The results were phenominal and the new tour recieved copious amounts of positive feedback from both admissions representatives and prospective students.
Telling a story and evoking emotion are always at the core of successful campaigns. In this example, one campus had been through a rough stretch of performance and outcomes and had recently undergone a change in campus leadership. I wanted to create a different narrative and showcase what made this particular school special – it’s grit and resiliency. The project needed to be done quickly and without utilizing and budget. With just a camera, some wireless microphones and a light we were able to craft an inspiring profile of a Dallas student. Whether it’s a polished piece or run-and-gun style authenticity, I have been able to tell compelling stories that elicit emotion, drive awareness and create demand.
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