Bringing the Brand to Life in Charlotte Through Integrated Digital & Multimedia Campaigns

The Challenge

Wake Forest University’s MBA Program faced a visibility gap in the competitive Charlotte market. Despite its strong academic reputation and a sizable alumni presence in the city, the program lacked brand recognition among working professionals—a critical target audience for its Hybrid MBA. Wake Forest needed a high-impact, time-bound brand awareness campaign to re-establish relevance and increase consideration.

Our Approach

Market&Message senior collaborator Christine Ferrell designed and executed an integrated, multimedia brand campaign to boost Wake Forest's visibility in Charlotte—anchored in the authentic stories of successful alumni already working in the market. Our strategy combined paid media, organic social, outdoor advertising, and compelling digital content to ensure broad reach and emotional resonance.

What We Did

Positioning + Strategy Conducted market and competitor analysis to refine Wake Forest’s positioning in the Charlotte MBA landscape. Identified "alumni as proof" as a central creative and strategic theme. Multimedia Alumni Campaign Produced a suite of rich alumni content—including video interviews, written profiles, photography, and social media assets. Each alumni package was delivered as a turnkey toolkit to maximize reuse across channels.

View an example content package -> Digital + Paid Media Execution Launched a robust media campaign across: Digital outdoor boards in Charlotte business corridors Transit placements on buses and light rail lines Targeted digital display ads Charlotte Business Journal print and digital ads Social content tailored to alumni audiences and prospective students Alumni Influencer Activation Sent branded “swag boxes” to select alumni, inviting them to share their Wake Forest pride on social media.

Watch an alum’s unboxing video ->

The Impact

Exceeded enrollment goals for the Wake Forest Hybrid MBA during the campaign period.

Generated high-impact visibility throughout Charlotte’s professional community.

Sparked organic alumni advocacy through social shares and word of mouth.

Strengthened internal alignment on future market-based storytelling and media investments.

Why It Worked

We turned authentic alumni success stories into a coordinated marketing campaign that felt personal rather than promotional—creating genuine connections with prospective students in a crowded market.