Let’s be real – Bournemouth University Clearing Campaign
Clearing is one of the most high-pressure recruitment periods in the university calendar, where prospective students are making fast, high-stakes decisions in a very short timeframe.
I led the creative direction for a multi-channel Clearing campaign designed to increase applications, strengthen brand presence, and improve engagement with key audiences.
Insight & Research
The campaign was grounded in audience and market insight provided by the in-house marketing team.
- Most students choose a university within 70 miles of home
- Increasing numbers are studying closer to home
- Trusted media channels remain TV and radio (53%), followed by print, cinema and outdoor (YouGov, 2021)
To build a deeper understanding:
- I ran cross-functional workshops with marketing teams and academics
- Held sessions with current students to understand motivations and concerns
From this, three key pillars emerged:
- Lifestyle
- Student experience & support
- Career readiness
Creative Approach – “Let’s be real”
Student conversations highlighted a clear need for honesty and authenticity.
University isn’t always easy. Students spoke openly about:
- belonging and friendships
- anxiety and uncertainty
- the importance of support
This led to the campaign concept:
“Let’s be real”
A direct, honest approach that cut through traditional advertising and reflected genuine student experiences.
Execution
Email headers
Example assets
Emails for different points on the recruitment journey during clearing including:
- All enquirer Clearing email
- Clearing sign ups
- Careers advisers and teachers emails
- Parents Clearing email track (New)
- Clearing applicant track
Using real student insights and quotes, we developed a broad range of content across multiple touchpoints:
- Website and Clearing landing pages
- Social media campaigns
- Email communications
- Motion graphics explaining Clearing and application processes
- Film content aligned to each campaign pillar
- Supporting digital and print assets
In total, we generated 80+ content ideas, ensuring flexibility and relevance across platforms.
Film & Storytelling
I led the development of video content, including:
- Storyboarding key narratives
- Directing shoots and shaping visual storytelling
- Organising locations, contributors and permissions
- Working closely with external production teams
An important decision came during concept testing.
An early campaign line, “Truth be told”, did not resonate with the target audience.
We adapted the approach to “Let’s be real”, retested, and saw significantly stronger engagement.
This reinforced the importance of designing for the audience’s language and mindset, not our own assumptions.
Social & Audience Engagement
Social content embraced honesty and responsiveness, incorporating real student feedback and addressing common concerns.
This helped position the university as:
- transparent
- supportive
- in touch with student experience
Results
- +61% increase in Clearing website visits (year-on-year)
- +12% increase in brand search volume
- Improved engagement across digital channels
- Stronger upper-funnel awareness through integrated media activity
Performance was driven by a more effective balance between:
- upper-funnel brand activity (OOH, broadcast, publishers)
- mid and lower-funnel digital channel
Key learning
This campaign reinforced the importance of:
- grounding creative in real audience insight
- designing for clarity and accessibility
- testing and adapting concepts early
- balancing brand storytelling with performance
By combining research, authenticity and structured delivery, we achieved stronger engagement and measurable impact.