The Challenge
In an effort to reach more members of our community, especially those who have never been to the campus, Peninsula College created Fall Spectacular. This free community event reiterated the message that Peninsula College has something for everyone. The Marketing Department was tasked with promoting the event. The goal was to invite community members to learn about Peninsula College’s services, facilities, and faculty in an inclusive environment, while building fond memories of the campus. We wanted to invite everyone in our service district to this event, but we were especially focused on reaching families who might otherwise never visit Peninsula College.
The Scope
The Marketing Department wanted to promote the event as big and exciting, so many marketing materials were created, including a jingle, promotional videos, a website, a city street banner, print and digital advertisements, and a double-sided flyer and schedule.
The event had a separate brand from the college so that the event was not immediately recognized as a Peninsula College event. This was done to make the event seem more community-oriented. The PC Foundation sponsored most of the event costs, while the Marketing Department paid for the marketing-related costs. Many of these expenses were one-time costs for reusable assets, so future marketing costs would be less.
The Project
Logo Design: The Marketing Department commissioned a logo that captured the fall colors and whimsical nature of the festival. From this logo design, I developed a brand that was used throughout the marketing materials.
Jingle: The Marketing Department commissioned a jingle to build anticipation for Fall Spectacular. This jingle, coupled with a voiceover that provided event specifics, played free of charge on local radio stations for an entire month before the event.
Social Media Videos: In the months preceding Fall Spectacular, we boosted a series of Facebook videos about the event.
- Meet the Artist
(I was part of the team that gathered interview footage, and I did the post-production work on the video.) - Jingle Dancing Video
(I compiled and edited the video.) - Laptop-an-Hour Drawing Promo Video
(I was part of the team that gathered interview footage, and I did the video editing work.)
Banner: I designed this banner, which was displayed over Sequim’s main street for two weeks. It is reusable, so only the date needs to be changed out in subsequent years.
School Flyer with Schedule: I designed a two-sided flyer/schedule that was distributed to every school district and private school in our service area, totaling 8,000 flyers.
Buccaneer Adventure Scavenger Hunt: I designed this scavenger hunt handout, which was used to encourage families to visit the community partners’ booths to engage in fun activities. After collecting all the stamps, children could select a prize from the “treasure chest.”
Free Poster: I created this oversized, 16″x20″ concert-style poster with the Fall Spectacular logo. Hundreds of Fall Spectacular attendees went home with this free poster.
Facebook and Instagram Filters: I created Facebook and Instagram filters so attendees could frame photos and videos of themselves enjoying Fall Spectacular. Signage in seating areas featured a QR code directly linked to the filters.
The Outcome
The marketing campaign for the inaugural Fall Spectacular enticed a record number of campus visitors, vastly exceeding even graduation ceremony attendance. An estimated 4,000 people – 4% of the college’s service district, and more than double the attendance for commencement – enjoyed free activities like hot air balloon rides, bounce houses, a climbing wall, live music, games, and more. The hospital, fire department, county library, national park, and other community partners offered information and kids’ games, while hundreds attended library and gallery exhibitions, classroom demonstrations, and faculty mini lectures. The fact that the marketing department brought so many event attendees means the return on the investment for the event was better than expected. The event especially succeeded in attracting people who had never been to Peninsula College before, giving them the opportunity to experience the campus and see what the college offers.
Local News Coverage:
Local media ran several news stories before and after Fall Spectacular.
- “Peninsula College Sets First Fall Spectacular,” Sequim Gazette (Sept. 28, 2022)
- “Peninsula College Offers a Community Welcome,” Peninsula Daily News (Sept. 29, 2022)
- “Activities, presentations bring families in for festival,” Peninsula Daily News (Oct. 3, 2022)
- A Letter to the Editor was also printed that applauded
the college’s creative approach for bringing people to campus. “Letter: Cheers, Ames,” Peninsula Daily News
(Oct. 11, 2023)
By the Numbers: The Peninsula College campus community came together in an unprecedented way to host Fall Spectacular. I designed this infographic to highlight the results of everyone’s efforts.
It’s hard to quantify the long-term value of bringing the community to the campus for a good time every year. But we received a spike in CRM numbers, in enrollment numbers, and in social media followers after the event.
