Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Challenge

Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) approached Zozimus with a critical mission: to diversify its applicant pool by reaching more students from the state’s Gateway Cities. These cities, home to growing populations of underrepresented communities, offered a wealth of potential applicants, but MMA needed a strategic plan to engage these markets. With shifting demographics across New England, it was clear that traditional recruitment efforts would no longer be enough. MMA asked Zozimus to build a campaign that would effectively target these underserved markets through paid and social media.

Solution

Leveraging our deep expertise in the education sector, we crafted a precision-targeted campaign. We began with a test run in eight Massachusetts Gateway Cities, using social media platforms to reach both students and their parents. Our approach was rooted in data, focusing on the demographics of each city. Recognizing the importance of cultural relevance, we launched a bilingual campaign in English and Spanish, highlighting the transformative power of an MMA education. The messaging centered around the return on investment for students, emphasizing average earnings post-graduation, and how an education from MMA can change the trajectory of entire families.

We further tailored the campaign by targeting specific demographics—Hispanic and African American parents and teenagers—through a dark social strategy on Facebook. This allowed us to speak directly to communities that MMA had traditionally struggled to reach, delivering personalized content that resonated with their aspirations and challenges.

As the campaign gained momentum, we expanded the effort to include 26 Gateway Cities in Massachusetts, ultimately broadening our reach down the Atlantic seaboard to key states like Georgia and Florida.

Campaign Results

The results exceeded expectations. Our Gateway Cities campaign was so successful that by 2023, MMA had revamped its entire student acquisition strategy. The majority of their marketing budget is now allocated to targeting Gateway Cities and other strategically important areas, shifting away from traditional markets that had once been their focus.

63MM Impressions

5,800 clicks

450 conversions