The challenge
Founded in 1991, Australian Catholic University has quickly established itself as a leading research institute, ranking in the top 100 of young universities around the world. ACU’s MBA and MPA programmes offer a curriculum designed to equip students with the leadership and strategic skills needed to succeed in senior roles.
Recruiting international students for both undergraduate and postgraduate programs is a key priority for ACU. The global higher education market is highly competitive, with universities in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia all actively seeking to attract international students. Business and public administration programs, in particular, face intense competition as students weigh factors such as program quality, career outcomes, and international mobility.
Mature students considering postgraduate degrees are especially discerning; typically outcome-focused, they’re looking for programs that offer a clear return on investment through salary increases, career progression, and leadership opportunities.
LinkedIn was chosen as the platform to engage these students with targeted campaigns, since it aligns well with the professional nature of the MBA and MPA programs and is a preferred platform for career-focused audiences. ACU saw an opportunity to create a more cohesive and interactive campaign incorporating a digital brochure that would allow prospective students to explore program details in greater depth and engage more directly with the content..
About Australian Catholic University
- Australia
- 32,000 students
- 3 brochures
- 31 snapshots
The challenge was to create a single, versatile publication that could appeal to both undergraduate and postgraduate audiences while also supporting the targeted postgraduate recruitment campaigns on LinkedIn
The solution
In working with ACU on their recruitment brochure, the goal was to create an interactive digital brochure that would address the specific needs of mature postgraduate students while still serving as a comprehensive resource for all prospective students.
We focused on delivering a solution that combined clarity, interactivity, and targeted messaging to engage career-driven postgraduate prospects more effectively.
Understanding that mature students are often busy professionals with limited time, the brochure needed to be easy to navigate and engaging to explore. We incorporated a mix of video content, infographics, and clickable elements to allow users to explore the content at their own pace. The first double-page spread also links out to the country snapshots that we had already developed with ACU, meaning that the brochure can serve the dual purpose of remaining uncluttered and quick to navigate, whilst also signposting out to crucial region-specific information.
One of the key benefits of a digital brochure is that it works holistically with existing digital assets like ACU’s own website to streamline the process of locating information and taking the next steps to apply. The intuitive layout of the brochure makes it a breeze for students to jump directly to the sections that interest them. Those sections then link out to the relevant part of the ACU site, saving the user time and reducing friction in the application journey.
The other benefit, of course, is shareability. Every publication on theRACK has a mobile-optimised design to ensure that it performed well on smartphones and tablets, improving accessibility and encouraging on-the-go engagement. It’s the ideal tool to support a social media campaign.
The results
By creating a single brochure that addressed the distinct needs of both undergraduate and postgraduate audiences, we enabled ACU to run more focused and effective marketing campaigns.
The brochure’s ability to serve multiple audiences while supporting targeted outreach made it a valuable long-term asset for ACU’s marketing team. The success of the postgraduate-focused LinkedIn campaign demonstrated the value of creating a flexible, interactive platform that could engage different student segments effectively.
ACU’s marketing team reported that the brochure’s user-friendly design and clear content made it easier to communicate complex program details and support prospective students through the decision-making process, and saw great success throughout the SEA/SA/Africa markets in particular.
Overall, the digital brochure enhanced ACU’s ability to engage international postgraduate students while also providing a versatile recruitment tool for broader undergraduate outreach. It’s a great example of how a well-executed digital strategy can improve student engagement and strengthen a university’s competitive position in the global higher education market.
Analytics
