Gold-Winning Postgraduate Recruitment Campaign – HEIST Awards 2025
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Cambridge Judge Business School (CJBS) embarked on an ambitious international MBA recruitment campaign to address critical challenges in gender diversity and global reach within their MBA programme. With a commitment to gender equality and the cultivation of future boardroom leaders, CJBS set clear objectives to increase female enrollment rates, enhance brand awareness, and attract a diverse cohort of students from around the world. The campaign leveraged a comprehensive digital strategy and innovative engagement tactics to achieve its goals.
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Strategic Objectives and Approach
The campaign was driven by SMART objectives, including a 25% increase in female applicants, a 20% YoY increase in website visits, a 5% growth in overall MBA applications, and the attraction of talent from at least 45 different countries. The strategy was meticulously crafted to balance brand building with short-term recruitment targets.
Channel and Media Strategy
Given the high stakes, with prospective students considering a £70,000 investment, we adopted a digital-first media strategy. This approach offered flexibility and precision in targeting a global audience.
For brand awareness, prestigious platforms like the Financial Times and The Guardian were utilised.
In China, CJBS tapped into Chase Dream, a leading online community for business school applicants, to engage directly with top prospects.
Trust was further built through TAN (The Attention Network) native media, capitalising on consumers’ trust in editorial content.
Engagement and Diversity Initiatives
The campaign placed significant emphasis on gender diversity, deploying a female-specific proposition. This included scholarships, awards, and the promotion of events such as the ‘Wo+Men’s Leadership Conference 2023: Shaping Success’ and the Cambridge Rising Women Leaders Programme. Messaging across social platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, WeChat, and Zhihu reinforced CJBS’s commitment to diversity and leadership development.
To enhance recruitment, AdMaxim Mobile Display was used for precise targeting at high-profile global events, driving potential students to sign up for a series of events, including a dedicated International Women’s Day event.
Data-Driven Insights
A thorough analysis of application data from previous years highlighted a challenge with female candidate withdrawal rates. To counter this, the campaign focused on data-driven targeting and real-time adjustments to maximise engagement and conversion across key regions, including the UK, USA, China, and Canada.
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The campaign achieved an impressive ROMI of 460%, equating to a £4.60 return for every £1 spent. Plus, won Best Postgraduate Student Recruitment Campaign at the 2025 HEIST Awards.
