Sustaining Student Connection Through Data-Driven Always-On Strategy

Overview

In response to evolving student engagement trends, ADMATIC partnered with the University of Wollongong (UOW) to shift from fragmented, campaign-by-campaign bursts to a streamlined, Always-On strategy. This transition reduced inefficiencies caused by campaign overlap, inconsistent audience engagement, and fragmented budget allocation, improving audience targeting and enhancing conversion rates while maintaining a strong presence throughout the student decision-making journey.

The Challenge

UOW's previous approach relied on multiple overlapping campaigns, leading to inefficiencies in budget allocation, audience segmentation, and creative deployment. Key challenges included:

• Overlapping Campaigns: Disjointed media bursts resulted in audience fatigue and inefficient spending.
• Fragmented Audience Engagement: Messaging lacked continuity, requiring repeated efforts to re-engage students at different stages.
• Increasing Competition: With more universities investing in digital media, standing out in a crowded market was essential.

ADMATIC's Strategic Shift to Always-On

To tackle these challenges, ADMATIC implemented an Always-On strategy that optimised media efficiency, expanded audience reach, and improved engagement across all touch points. By maintaining consistent communication, UOW stayed top of mind, ensuring high-frequency presence and sustained impact, even when students were not actively in the application process – leading to increased awareness and higher conversions.

Intelligent Creative Rotation

We replaced fragmented campaigns with a structured creative rotation strategy to keep content fresh and relevant. Messaging aligned with key milestones, from early admissions to ATAR release, and underperforming creatives were replaced in real-time to optimise performance.

Precision Audience Targeting

By consolidating audience segments and leveraging data insights, we refined targeting on Meta, TikTok, and Snapchat, reducing wastage. Parents were engaged via Gmail, Connected TV, and Spotify, while data-driven adaptability allowed for budget shifts towards high-intent audiences informed by Google search trends.

Cross-Channel Media Optimisation

ADMATIC deployed a flexible budget model, allowing real-time reallocation across high-impact channels like Snapchat and TikTok, and tested new platforms such as Spotify, Twitch, and Connected TV to capture high-indexing audiences. Search and Programmatic were key drivers for conversions, achieving a 79.6% share of all applications with an 84% lower CPA YoY.

The Results

The Always-On strategy delivered exceptional outcomes for the University of Wollongong's 2025 intake:

• 79.6% share of all applications driven by Search and Programmatic channels
• 84% lower cost per acquisition year-over-year through strategic optimization
• Reduced campaign inefficiencies by eliminating overlapping campaigns and audience fatigue
• Enhanced audience engagement through consistent, data-driven communication across the entire student journey
• Expanded platform reach with successful testing on Spotify, Twitch, and Connected TV
• Improved budget efficiency through real-time reallocation to high-performing channels

By shifting to an Always-On approach with intelligent creative rotation and precision targeting, ADMATIC helped UOW achieve their most efficient recruitment year to date while maintaining strong brand presence throughout the critical student decision-making period.