Campbell Rowley

Research:
As a starting point, research was carried out with previous, current and prospective students. This indicated the problem was largely because benefits of the Distance Learning (DL) programmes and the motivations of the target audience were not addressed by the prospectus.

The content and design of the DL prospectus had developed very little since 2002. It had been compiled by the academic team responsible for developing the learning materials, and whilst the content was updated annually, the key benefits of the DL programmes were not addressed.

An independently commissioned student satisfaction survey (carried out in 2002) revealed some important baseline information about the prospectus. It was generally considered to be informative (by 74% of respondents), but this was its only key strength. Although few respondents were specifically critical, scores for it being ‘inspiring’, ‘easy to read’ and ‘interesting’ were all below 50%, suggesting there was plenty of scope for improvement.

Focus groups revealed that the 2004/05 prospectus was not appropriate for the target audience. The groups thought it would be more likely to appeal to pre-registration nurses because of the overuse of imagery involving nurses in uniform and found the language to be overly academic. Although the overall amount of information was not criticised, the groups reported that they had difficulty locating information and found the lengthy table of contents confusing. The case study stories were praised; it had helped to make the experience of studying by distance learning more tangible.

The combined results of the research indicated that the prospectus was not communicating the benefits of DL or indeed explaining exactly what was involved and that it was uninspiring and difficult to understand. This lead to a complete rewrite and redesign.

New Content:
A key challenge for the content and editorial style was to present the information in such a way to inspire and motivate prospective students to apply. This was achieved through developing the introductory sections and by clearly presenting 10 key benefits of DL; these were all based on the motivation and needs of the target audience and were aimed at addressing the perceived barriers to study (as highlighted by Nursing Time Live and the Student Satisfaction Survey). This also had the added benefit of linking the content to the visual theme.

Visual Theme:
Reputation of the provider led to the development of a visual theme, as we would be celebrating 10 years of distance learning in 2005. Images were created to differentiate clearly each of the programmes; images were both relevant to the programme and incorporated the number 10 in some way. Also taken into consideration was the need to work as an overall advertising concept. This included an accent colour for each of the programmes that was the carried through to the website as part of the navigational structure.

The ’10′ theme was also used on the DL website, in adverts and at celebratory events throughout the year. However, given the perceived importance of flexibility and relevance to practice, the adverts focusing on the ’10′ theme did not drive the main recruitment activity.

Market research consistently revealed that the student case studies were highly valued by the target audience and initial focus group feedback suggested that overuse of imagery of nurses in uniform was not appropriate to a mature nursing audience. Therefore, the student case studies were photographed in a non-work environment, allowing the reader to relate better to them.

Navigation had been simplified. During the initial focus groups, students commented that when they receive a prospectus, they generally wanted an answer to three questions: Do you offer the course I want? Am I eligible? How much does it cost? The table of contents was therefore simplified to incorporate these comments, and the colour coding used on the programmes was used in the table of contents and carried across to the website and advertising.

Results:
Targeted advertising (which directed enquirers to the new website) the development of the website and the mini-prospectus resulted in fewer requests for a hard copy of the full prospectus and resulting in more cost-effective marketing. Whilst 2157 fewer prospectuses were mailed, the number of applications increased by 13% and the number of enrolments increased by 27% from the previous year’s total.

Evaluation of the prospectus was very positive. The case studies were highly praised with respondent saying they could relate to the examples, they also commented that the content was easy to understand and well laid out and a high percentage of people were able to correctly define what DL from the RCN involves (i.e. that it is paper based, not online).

Lynda Isaac, Marketing Manager for the Institute, says, “The aim of the campaign was to efficiently target potential students and lead to a higher number of applications despite a reduced number of prospectuses being issued. Campbell Rowley helped us to establish strategically what we wanted the publication to achieve, and in doing so provided invaluable insights into brand development, marketing and design.”

She continues, “Campbell Rowley’s creative input has proved crucial to the success of the campaign and ultimately the RCN winning Gold at the Heist Awards. They continually go the extra mile to develop innovative campaigns and develop a thorough understanding of our needs, and we will continue to work with Campbell Rowley to develop future marketing materials.”