Client: Athabasca University
Business challenge:
Athabasca University (AU) is one of the world’s fastest-growing fully
virtual educational institutions serving 40,000 students across 87 countries. It is both a pioneer and a foremost leader in higher learning online. Edery & Lord was tasked to develop a thought leadership-focused media relations program that would fit seamlessly into the marketing and advertising efforts for their 50th anniversary campaign.
Solution:
Edery & Lord devised a strategic program that positioned AU as the go-to authority
on trends in the future of education globally. Programming consisted of strategic
media announcements of the university’s pioneering partnerships, a “Future of Learning”
consumer poll, a thought-leadership focused “Future of Learning” event in partnership with The Globe and Mail, and a robust news bureau leveraging AU’s expansive expertise.
Results:
The agency delivered far beyond AU’s expectations, and more critically, enrollment at
the university grew at record-setting levels. This program generated outstanding results, with a
reach of over 28 million, 89 per cent of which were pure-play editorials including many high-
quality segments in Tier 1 broadcast outlets.