INDUSTRY:
Education

SERVICES:
– Strategic Planning
– Campaign Creative Concepting & Development
– Content Strategy & Messaging
– Graphic Design
– Digital Marketing

An Integrated Campaign Centered on Community & Inclusion

York Catholic, a private school serving students in grades 7 through 12, leveraged their long-term partnership with GRIT to develop and launch a comprehensive admissions campaign that emphasized the school’s commitment to inclusivity and opportunity. Due to longstanding misconceptions, some people have mistakenly believed that a York Catholic education is exclusively for students and families of the Catholic faith—when in fact, it is open to all. To bust this misconception and raise awareness of the York Catholic difference, GRIT was engaged to create a campaign communicating the school’s diverse, multi-faith student body as well as its rigorous academics, rich arts programs, robust extracurriculars, and wide range of opportunities that help students explore their passions and prepare for college and future careers.

Developing a Central Campaign Theme

GRIT collaborated with York Catholic to develop and evaluate core campaign theme options that positioned York Catholic as a place where every student is known, cared for, and inclusively inspired to thrive in the classroom and beyond. The meaningful message, You Belong, was identified as the core campaign theme and served as a platform for students, staff, faculty, families, and alumni to share their stories and experiences and build connections that create a sense of belonging.

Crafting a Meaningful Campaign Visual

GRIT designed a branded campaign visual for use across multiple platforms and materials. The visual features a circular campaign logo, symbolizing community and unity. The dotted outline of the circle conveys a sense of openness, reinforcing York Catholic’s inclusive and welcoming spirit.

Creating Storytelling Extensions

With the core campaign theme and logo in place, GRIT thoughtfully crafted powerful and defined storytelling extensions that highlight specific aspects of the school experience, such as:

You Belong in Our Classrooms
A storytelling approach to discuss the outstanding academic programs that prepare students for the future.

You Belong on Our Fields
A lead to share stories of opportunity and involvement at York Catholic, a place where athletes of all experience levels can find a place to play.

You Belong on Our Stage
An opportunity to showcase the robust arts experiences.

You Belong in Our Community
A path to highlight the incredible York Catholic experience built on connections and true community atmosphere.

The core message, supporting sub-themes, and campaign logo all reinforce the central idea that everyone belongs and has a place at York Catholic, aligning seamlessly with the campaign’s overall goals.

Amplifying Key Messages Through Strategic Digital Marketing

GRIT supported York Catholic in launching the foundational campaign elements across multiple online platforms. This included:

Integrating the campaign across the school’s website.
Leveraging admissions digital advertising campaigns across Facebook, Instagram, and Google’s Network to launch suites of ads that reflected both the core message and supporting sub-themes. The ad variations included single images, carousels of images, and videos focused on academics, arts, athletics, enrollment, and more.
Assisting York Catholic in writing blogs that addressed common myths, clarified misconceptions, and highlighted students from diverse backgrounds who are making an impact globally. These blogs were promoted through sponsored campaigns on Facebook and Instagram.