Bentley University, a leading private business school located in Waltham, Massachusetts, sought a sophomore/junior campaign that would serve a dual purpose. The primary focus was to appeal to liberal arts and undecided students who are high achievers, but may consider business a less glamorous choice. They also wanted to increase national interest in the school by engaging successful scholars who may already be thinking about a future in business.

LFO’ worked with Bentley to create a unique search name purchase strategy, where SAT scores, out-of-state mobility factors, family income, and aspirations helped to identify the prime audience. Our direct mail teaser, followed by a response brochure and a simultaneous aggressive e-communications campaign, forged a direct creative approach, taking the negative stereotype that business is less exciting than other fields of study—and turning it on its head.

Through this effort, Bentley received an 18.1% overall response rate, with over 40% of respondents holding an “A”-level GPA. Due to LFO’s hyper-targeted strategy, higher quality leads expressed interest in considering Bentley as they began their college search. Additionally, this non-traditional creative concept won Best of Show at the 2012 Higher Education Marketing Awards, the industry’s most prominent accolade, in the Search Piece category.