Challenge:

It’s an exciting moment when a high school senior is accepted into their dream school. Often, it represents years of hard work in school and extracurriculars, challenging entrance exams, and plenty of applications.

So, when students receive their acceptance letter, it provides colleges with an opportunity to help them celebrate this important milestone with their families, friends, and communities. Iowa State University was looking for a way to do just that.

Solution:

In order to give their admitted students a fun way to celebrate their acceptance into the university, Magellan and Iowa State worked together to find a solution that went above and beyond the traditional “congratulations” letter.

They looked for a solution that would be interactive and that students could use in multiple ways to show off their decision to attend Iowa State University.

To meet these goals, Magellan and ISU landed with sending a branded box, filled with branded promotional items such as the rollabanna, a retractable, reversible banner that made for a fun and easy way to display the students’ Cyclone pride.

A major benefit to the rollabana is that it naturally created a great photo opportunity, and when used alongside the #FutureCyclone hashtag on social media, incoming students (and potential future students) were able to see more of the incoming class, creating a community before students even stepped on campus for move-in day.

The banner could also be used as a part of decor for grad parties, or even on bedroom or dorm room walls.

Not only was it fun to use for the students, since the banner was lightweight and retractable, it made it easy to include as a part of their mailing.

Outcome & Feedback:

The rollabanna was a huge success, generating excitement upon opening the package and prompting students and parents alike to use the banner in announcements to family, friends, and their local community.

In addition to enhancing the experience of the acceptance into ISU for students, the rollabanna, combined with the #FutureCyclone hashtag, resulted in many great photos (and even fun gifs!) shared on social media. These shares generated hundreds of likes, helping expand Iowa State’s brand recognition.

Below you can see just a few examples of some of the social media posts that were shared!