Karo Group has been named the social and digital AOR for Neuchâtel Junior College – a Canadian prep school located in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Brenda Neil
The 58-year-old school, which has a small recruitment office in Toronto, has traditionally relied on print ads and word-of-mouth to market itself. Recruitment staff tap into a network of 5,000 alumni, many of whom are eager to meet with prospective students and their families and talk up the benefits of a year away from home.
While those old-school marketing methods were working, Neuchâtel felt they could use an update.
“The school has had a little foray into social media but not a strategic one,” says Brenda Neil, director of admissions. “We wanted to take the steps into social in a very strategic way. We knew it would be such a great vehicle for us, if done right,” says Neil.
Neuchâtel didn’t issue a formal RFP, but “we did have goals, and a shortlist of agencies.” Neil says what sealed the deal for Karo was its award-winning work with recruitment at Simon Fraser University, in Vancouver.
“The [Simon Fraser] ads profiled students [who talked about] how their educational experience was transformative for them. That resonated with us. We have a similar story to tell about how education is transformative to students – not just at the time they are there, but during the rest of their lives. When our students go to Neuchâtel, they don’t look back.”
