UTS College celebrates 8 years with Taurus driving success in education media here and overseas
Bringing university education to more students around the world
Premium Pathway Provider
Taurus was delighted to engage UTS College as a client in 2012, a higher education institution and the premium pathway provider for University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
UTS College offers English Language education, UTS Foundation Studies (on behalf of UTS) and higher education diplomas. The organisation’s mission is to bring university success within reach of more people around the world.
The team were confident we could build a relationship based on trust and shared values and using our Taurus Bullseye™ methodology to develop an effective public relations program.
Taurus was chosen to gain traction for UTS College, predominantly through working with Tier one and ethnic media.
Media audit reveals need for repositioning – who is UTS College?
Brand Recognition Challenge
Our first activity was to conduct a media audit to establish a baseline and assess media perceptions. We discovered there was little media recognition or understanding of the services offered by UTS College at the time. UTS College was being mistaken for institutions offering bridging courses as we found the difference between TAFE and study tutorials was not understood. Taurus crafted the term “pathway provider” to differentiate from other courses.
The Taurus Bullseye™ strategy session determined a clear path forward
Strategic Foundation
We conducted a Taurus Bullseye™ strategy session with UTS College management and the marketing team to establish the way forward and define a clear value proposition for the media. The issues discussed were wide-ranging and provided insights to help clarify how UTS College was differentiated from competitors and universities.
In-depth qualitative research with top Tier journalists
Media Intelligence Gathering
In an effort to better understand the education landscape, we identified the top six education journalists and met with them to discuss what interested them and what they expected to hear from UTS College to help gain share-of-voice.
Creating a three-phase media approach
The first step was to develop an understanding with media of “who is UTS College”. We leveraged a mix of PR tools including hosting media relationship meetings for the UTS College leadership team.
Finding an ambassador to build recall among prospective students
Strategic Ambassador Partnership
The Taurus team recommended Rowan Kunz – founder of Art of Smart Education, an award-winning academic mentoring service – to UTS College. Taurus facilitated a collaboration with Rowan and he is now working with UTS College in schools across Sydney, presenting study skills seminars on its behalf. Rowan has been working with UTS College since 2013 and plays a key role in helping build awareness among students who are considering alternative pathways to university education. Rowan and UTS College’s collaboration has been profiled in a variety of media including the Daily Telegraph.
Using student ambassadors to tell the UTS College story
To help establish the right brand personality, we continue to use the voice of real students, both internationally and in Australia to communicate the benefits of learning at the institution. We conducted media training with selected students and provided them with support to ensure maximum value from the opportunity.
Working with affiliate global agencies to spread the message
Taurus has successfully assisted in building the global profile for UTS College across its key markets by collaborating with affiliate agencies in several Asian countries. As internal PR resources and strategies have grown, many of these affiliates remain an integral part of UTS College’s global PR program.
Strong results for awareness campaigns
A crucial marketing period for UTS College is its annual student drive to coincide with Semester 1 enrolments. With Taurus support, each campaign has been one of UTS College’s most successful. During the Christmas period on average Taurus delivers 22 pieces of coverage including broadcast spots and Tier one print within those four weeks. We continue to run high levels of activity around the Semester 1 campaign every year, which helps UTS College attract domestic students each year.
Eight years after commencing the relationship, we are now in the recall phase, where journalists proactively approach Taurus for access to students or members of the UTS College leadership team for comment on education trends and topics. Journalists have an active interest in what UTS College is doing, and are always interested to hear from the institution.
Long-Term Partnership Success
Our relationship with UTS College continues to go from strength-to-strength. Having that level of trust and confidence is extremely rewarding and could only have been achieved through consistently delivering results and understanding what is important to our client.
What Taurus did for UTS College
- Taurus Bullseye™ strategy development
- Media audit
- Public relations and media relations
- Set three phase PR strategy
- Defining media messaging and positioning
- Developing media networks
- National and ethnic press coverage
- Introducing ambassadors and international affiliates
- Share of voice reporting media training for student ambassadors
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