Reaching international students with tailored in-culture content and media

Study Gold Coast (SGC) has a mission to position the Gold Coast as ‘Australia’s Favourite Classroom’ for its 52 institutional members, including Universities and TAFE. SGC plays a crucial role in generating recruitment leads for educational institutions on the Gold Coast, such as Griffith University, Bond University, and TAFE, contributing to Australia’s third-largest sector – the international education market.

SGC partnered with CulturalPulse to create and execute a campaign aimed at boosting recruitment leads for Gold Coast educational bodies. The strategy focused on leveraging data-driven insights to reach culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) audiences. This involved serving customised, culturally relevant content to targeted audiences, aiming to raise awareness, foster consideration, and drive conversions. SGC were ultimately looking for creative ways to highlight the advantages of studying and living in the Gold Coast while targeting specific communities.

CulturalPulse was enlisted to influence the consideration of potential international students in key cities globally, with the challenge of elevating general leads to high-quality leads. This required a deeper targeting approach and the utilisation of onshore and offshore media and student diaspora networks.

The Approach

CALD Creative and Content:

• CulturalPulse took the lead in developing customised messaging, titled “My GC Journey,” tailored for the communities of Japan, China, Brazil, and India (in Tamil, Hindi, and Punjabi languages).
• We identified Gold Coast talent, and led the capturing, scripting, and translating of eight student stories across multiple film locations.
• The product was 16 one-minute videos created in community languages (seven in-language and nine in English) along with the development of five community language landing pages.

CALD Media:

• Distribution and amplification of content were strategically executed both in Australia and overseas.

The Outcome

Our campaign targeting Japanese, Chinese, Brazilian and Indian international students had impressive results:

• Reached 6 million, spreading awareness of Gold Coast education.
• 40,000 active engagements, signifying genuine interest.
• 27,000 website clicks, showcasing strong inquiry potential.
• #MyGCJourney introduced a compelling hashtag, fostering community and personal narratives.
• Crafted 16 videos, authentically portraying Gold Coast experiences in multiple languages.
• Launched a student film competition, adding an engaging initiative.
• Generated valuable insights for informed future strategies.
• Achieved major national and international impact and intro

Study Gold Coast and CulturalPulse’s collaborative campaign effectively positioned the Gold Coast as a premier educational destination. The impact was widespread, fostering community narratives through #MyGCJourney, complemented by authentic videos and a student film competition. This success resonated globally, introducing innovative channels for enriched client engagement.