Digital Marketing Case Study: The Boston Architectural College

The Boston Architectural College (The BAC), first established in 1889 as the Boston Architectural Club, is a private college offering specialized, high-level undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture and design studies.  

• 800 students

• 30% international

• 54 countries represented

In support of its mission to diversify the design professions, The Boston Architectural College (The BAC) recently partnered with IDP to expand outreach to student learners around the globe. The BAC has a goal of expanding its international presence - connecting with students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.

To achieve this goal and enhance its digital marketing partnership, The BAC invested in a retargeting campaign. Retargeting is an advertising method which targets individuals who have previously visited a website, and then serves them relevant ads across a variety of sites as they continue to browse the internet. Retargeting is one of the most effective forms of advertising because it focuses advertising spend only on those who have a demonstrated interest.

IDP’s retargeting campaigns are more effective than standard retargeting campaigns because IDP reaches students who have already shown interest in studying overseas. Through Hotcourses Abroad and our global network of locally hosted, regional Hotcourses websites, IDP has the largest digital presence of any provider.

IDP retargeting campaigns utilize millions of annual visits to these websites and allow institutional partners to identify the exact audience they wish to focus on based on study level, region, or even a new audience of students who have viewed peer institutions.

Hotcourses websites provide institutions with a global digital presence

The objective of The BAC’s retargeting campaign was to deliver one million impressions to audiences searching for undergraduate and graduate programs at an established set of competitor institution profiles on Hotcourses websites. The campaign ran for 100 days, from April 28 through August 5, 2023.

Example of The BAC’s campaign banner ad on The Hindu.com

The BAC’s retargeting campaign delivered successful, full-funnel results. The campaign exceeded objectives in terms of impressions, clicks, and click-through rate (CTR) — delivering 1,005,790 impressions and 3,392 clicks with a CTR of 0.34%. The uplift in CTR was 126.67%.

Performance By Creative Size and Device

Due to its strong performance and versatility across desktop and mobile, the 300x250 pixel ad format (called an MPU) is one of the most popular units in online advertising. It follows that the creative format with the best performance in The BAC’s campaign was the MPU, delivering 461,098 impressions and 1,264 clicks. The campaign was optimized to perform effectively across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. Performance between desktop and mobile devices was very close, with slightly more impressions and clicks delivered on mobile devices.

Retargeting ad campaigns are optimized for desktop, mobile, and tablet devices

The retargeting campaign effectively drove traffic to a landing page on The BAC’s website. During the campaign period (compared to the previous 100 days), web clicks to The BAC’s Hotcourses profile increased by 37.5%. These interactions came from students in a diverse mix of countries, including Venezuela, Turkey, Brazil, and India.

Through over a million impressions and a high click rate, The BAC enjoyed heightened brand exposure and effectively reached thousands of international students interested in design programs. This highly targeted approach ensured The BAC was engaging the exact students who would be most likely to apply and enroll.

“Collaborating with IDP has proven to be an enriching experience that aligns with The Boston Architectural College’s mission to diversify the design professions. Our partnership has not only yielded excellent campaign results but has also greatly amplified our outreach to underrepresented communities around the globe.

The attentive customer service provided by IDP ensures that our message of inclusivity reaches a wider audience. Their profound knowledge in the field and insightful perspectives have been instrumental in tailoring The BAC’s efforts toward fostering diversity in the design world.

Partnering with IDP allowed us to strengthen our endeavors to bridge the gap and create more opportunities for aspiring designers from diverse backgrounds - fostering a more inclusive and vibrant design community.”

Meredith Spinnato, Director of Admissions, The Boston Architectural College