Santa Barbara City College aimed to enhance its reputation and challenge the perception that community colleges are a backup option rather than a valuable alternative to traditional higher education.

To assess our success, we first conducted a local survey to establish a baseline among our target audience. I collaborated closely with a copywriter to create original visual concepts for the campaign and worked with the media team to ensure we reached the Santa Barbara community through traditional and unique local channels, such as sand stamps and trolley ads.

Post-campaign, we sent out a follow-up survey, revealing a 17% increase in familiarity with SBCC among adults aged 25-44. Additionally, 76% of respondents rated the college as “Excellent” or “Very Good,” an 18% improvement. Nearly 43% of participants recognized the college’s very positive impact on the community, a 29% increase. Our paid media campaign also achieved a 3:1 return on ad spend, delivering over 24 million impressions.