School Branding vs. Inquiry Generation, And The Promise of Sequential Ads

Traditionally, “performance marketing” means metrics-driven, inquiry-focused, left-brained, algorithm-loving data advertising.
"Brand marketing," on the other hand, implies experience-focused, purpose-driven, right-brained, creativity-loving storytelling.

While both are under the marketing umbrella, these two disciplines have developed their own language, culture, and objectives that don’t often overlap. The question is: can they get along? And how might each benefit from the other’s input?

Today, the age-old debate between performance marketing and branding seems to be coming to a close.
Performance marketing without the bulwark of branding is short-lived.
On the flip side, which school today has the luxury of longterm brand-building without driving daily inquiries...

There needs to be a balance between inquiry-generating marketing and longer-term brand-building activities that drive your school's brand health and reduce price sensitivity.

Enter Sequential Ads
We have been using a new kind of advertising technology that allows you to arrange up to 50 ads in a certain order to be shown to a parent audience.

Parents in your target audience will have the opportunity to see ads in the order you set.
For example, ad #1 will be delivered to them before ad #2 is delivered.

This has supercharged our storytelling capabilities.
These ads are so much more powerful than sequential emails.

We can build a story by showing one ad that tells the beginning of a student's life at your school and then show additional ads afterward that continue to describe the her path towards graduation in a set order.
Our audience will see ad #1 before they see ad #2, and so on.

Another benefit of sequential ads?
Better timing.
Remember that however emotional your school's emails, if they land in front of your parents at the wrong time, you're running the risk of annoying them.

With emails, you cannot control timing. Your emails will usually rub shoulders with all the other dry, boring, work-related emails sitting in the parent's inbox.
At no fault of your own, your school's emails will end up being perceived as a hassle rather than a break from the daily grind.

Sequential ads do not force information in front of the parent during their busy day.
They are short, light, elegant touches of information presented only when the parent is taking a break and decompressing from their hectic day.

Our ads are pushed straight into the parent's FB feed for them to view when they are in the proper mood; relaxing on the couch after a hard day's work or taking a 15-minute lunch break while chatting with their husband through FB messenger.