Lumina Foundation

Shining a light on challenges facing nontraditional college students

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“Changing hearts and minds is a complex undertaking, and it’s a large part of our mission in strategic communications at Lumina Foundation. Well Done took on the challenge of helping us show what today’s student looks like, and they did so with energy, thoughtfulness, and creativity—and novel ideas for delivering the story we hoped to tell. Our mission took a big step further because of Well Done’s work in helping launch a photo gallery at a community college in the DC area to reach the people who could make the laws that could improve the lives of today’s students.”

Amy Bartner

Audience Engagement Editor, Lumina Foundation

Lumina Foundation College Climb bus stop advertisement

Objective

Raise awareness about policy barriers standing in the way of the next generation of nontraditional college students.

Challenges

Unearth the biggest challenges limiting the potential of nontraditional college students

Give those students a platform to share their stories and experiences

Reach and influence the people who have the power to make the changes these students need: policymakers and thought leaders

Solution

To produce our “Today’s College Climb” campaign, we partnered with photographer Rachel Bujalski and Coldwater Collective on a film sharing the true stories of nontraditional students and the obstacles they face.

We worked with SmallBox to modify the project’s landing page—highlighting the film and integrating campaign details and interactivity. We built awareness and interest with our audiences using geofenced digital ads and strategically placed outdoor materials. Finally, we organized and presented an in-person photography exhibit and interactive event in Washington, D.C.—physically bringing our message to policymakers who have the power to remove obstacles for today’s nontraditional college students.

Results

Nearly 50,000 people reached our campaign landing page from various marketing efforts and learned about the challenges today’s nontraditional college students face—and what they can do about them.

366%

Higher Click-Through Rate

Our paid Facebook campaign used custom videos that cost 77% less per click than the platform’s average—and yielded a 336% higher click-through rate than the industry standard.

1 Million

Impressions

Before our showcase event near Washington, D.C., we drove over one million impressions with our target audiences, using out-of-home opportunities like bus stations, bike shares, and wallscapes.

50%

View Rate

The custom videos used in our Google Display Network campaign generated an impressive 50% view rate.

Our Partners

Rachel Bujalski

Coldwater Collective

Upstate Films

NOVA—Alexandria Campus

SmallBox

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