In light of the introduction of government-set education performance indicators, Open Polytechnic needed to change part of its student recruitment approach. As a result aspects of their marketing need to be smarter and more defined in order to attract potential students who have a higher propensity to complete their qualification, thus enabling Open Polytechnic to provide learning that meets students’ needs and meet its education performance indicators.

In a complex market, OPNZ needed initiatives to achieve greater precision in its marketing communications to reach its target audience. They didn’t just need to increase their student base; they needed to target people who really wanted to use study to change their lives and complete their qualification.

With a commitment to up-skilling New Zealanders by providing industry-relevant qualifications, offered flexibly, via distance, they believed targeted marketing to motivated and engaged prospects, would gain enrolments.

The key to success was understanding who these people were.

Assisted by their agency, they analysed academic records from 2009-2012 using propensity modelling identifying those most likely to complete qualifications.

These attributes were modelled against NZ Post Genius data, gaining lifestyle insights and thus identifying suitable leads. Heat mapping of the Genius segments with their criteria immediately showed 6 clusters worth targeting.

A DM pack was deployed, segmented three ways. After nine months in market, the target has been exceeded by 20.5% and an ROI of 645.51% achieved, proving a smart data strategy can really work.