The Objective
Having won the coveted Times Higher Education UK University of the Year Award twice (in 2012 and 2019 – the only UK institution to do so), the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow is no stranger to innovation. It’s objective was to capture the attention of prospective undergraduate students on TikTok, by boosting its brand awareness, in time for the UCAS application deadline in 2020.
The Solution
University of Strathclyde opted to run a suite of In-Feed Auction Ads to hit its objective, utilising one of TikTok’s best ad formats for achieving short bursts of cost-effective engagement.
In-Feed Auction Ads sit natively within the For You feed, nestled among the content a user would see and interact with on a daily basis. For all intents and purposes, it is just another TikTok but, behind-the-scenes, precision, razor-sharp targeting is also at work. It gives brands the ability to reach the right audiences efficiently, whilst retaining an organic look and feel.
University of Strathclyde ran three creatives, each focusing on a different aspect of uni life, from Glasgow’s cultural brilliance to its impressive campus. It also used student-generated content to show these off, with a mix of footage showing landmarks and campus buildings combined with text narrative and pieces-to-camera by the students themselves, talking about the benefits of studying there. University of Strathclyde also leveraged TikTok’s Smart Video Soundtrack tool, which is the perfect way to find catchy music to compliment your In-Feed Auction Ads without leaving the TikTok Ads Manager platform.
The Results
The campaign delivered great results, hitting benchmarks and beyond. It amassed over 1.47 million impressions and delivered over 14,000 clicks, showing that the community went on to find out more, hopefully to apply. It also achieved an impressive £0.09 cost-per-click, showing that In-Feed Auction Ads can deliver brilliant efficiency at low cost.
