Recruiting the cybernetic leaders of tomorrow, one niche audience at a time

ANU's School of Cybernetics needed applications for its 2024 Master of Applied Cybernetics intake: a specialised program with a genuinely niche target audience. We built a multi-channel campaign that married data-driven targeting with creative storytelling, while collecting the insights to keep refining ANU's wider approach.

Client: Australian National University
Industry: Education
Solutions: Media & Performance
Region: Australia

Of total applications attributed to the campaign

36%

Leads generated

349

Cost per lead

$54.45

Landing page visits from the campaign

4,178

The challenge

A dearth of applications for a specialised program, and an audience too niche for broad-reach tactics. The campaign had three jobs: build a consistent prospect pipeline ANU could re-engage by email, act as a testing ground generating insights for other marketing channels, and amplify the unique selling points of the Master of Applied Cybernetics to the right people at the right time.

Our solution

Targeting did the heavy lifting across a deliberately layered channel mix. Google was the initial handshake, meeting curious minds already searching for educational opportunities; LinkedIn and Twitter extended reach to the professionals and academics most likely to care about cybernetics; and Meta retargeting nurtured that interest into action, emerging as the acquisition MVP with the most leads at the best price.

With the application deadline looming, we revised ad copy and visuals to emphasise urgency, spotlighted scholarship opportunities, and introduced Google ad assets to boost existing search engagements.

The results

The campaign drove 4,178 landing page visits and 349 leads at a $54.45 CPL, converting at 8.35%, and 36% of the intake’s total applications were attributed to the campaign alone.

What our clients say

We are thrilled with our ongoing partnership with The Garden on our student recruitment campaigns. The team spent the time to genuinely understand our unique proposition and campaign objectives — the results speak for themselves. To work with an agency that encompasses all aspects of paid campaign management from creative design, tactical strategies and clever copy writing is a joy.