Campaigns: Education - AAT offers an alternative to university

Campaign: There are Alternatives to University
Client: AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians)
PR team: In-house/Radio Relations/Band & Brown
Timescale: August 2010
Budget: £6,000

AAT is a professional accounting qualification and membership body that offers a non-graduate route into a career in accountancy. Following the news that thousands of potential students would not get a university place this year, the AAT wanted to highlight that a degree is not the only way into a profession.

Objectives

- To promote the AAT Accounting Qualification as an alternative to university

- To attract students

- To raise the AAT's profile.

Strategy and plan

The campaign was built around A-level results day to target school-leavers, their parents and opinion formers. The team issued case studies of students who had chosen the AAT route after A-levels instead of going to university. These were issued to broadcast and print education journalists, careers websites, blogs and forums.

Measurement and evaluation

The campaign generated 98 items of coverage. Case studies appeared in The Sunday Times, BBC and ITV. The AAT's director of education and training gave 30 radio interviews and appeared on ITV Tyne Tees news.

Results

The number of enquiries from prospective students aged 16 to 24 increased by 27 per cent during the campaign compared with the same period last year.