Case study: The University of Cambridge

A trusted supplier of strategic communication services to a world-class academic institution

Sectors: Education

 

The client

Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world.

The University has a different structure to most. Rather than everything being centralised there is a collegiate system, with 31 Colleges, over 150 Departments, and six Schools.

There are 20,000 students, 12,000 staff, and 125 Nobel prizes have been awarded - more than any other institution.

It plays a critically important role in the Cambridge ecosystem too, and contributes nearly £30 billion to the economy and supports more than 86000 jobs across the UK.

The services

We’re proud to have developed a trusted relationship with the University which runs to more than ten years.

  • Consultancy, strategy and monthly support

  • Training, speaking and workshops

  • Social media management, planning and reporting

  • Copywriting and content creation

  • Video and animation

  • Audits and analysis

The challenge

The unique structure of the University translates into several thousand communications channels across websites, social media, audio and video, managed by hundreds of people.

Marketing and comms teams range across all levels of seniority, from heads of communications to Fellows and undergraduate students. There is continual pressure to:

  • Communicate clearly to a 20k-strong student body

  • Maintain consistent communications across multiple threads, messages, and priorities

  • Attract a high volume of the brightest applicants, from diverse locations and backgrounds

  • Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and opportunities in digital marketing

  • Find the right balance so the tone of voice is inclusive and accessible, yet reflective of a leading academic institution

The results

  • Best practice techniques in digital content continually shared with comms teams, leading to high levels of engagement across organic social media channels

  • 1000+ people supported through digital marketing training and workshops

  • Millions of people reached through targeted, paid campaigns on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, from applicants for Cambridge Trust scholarships to local residents visiting museums and the Botanic Garden

  • Video and animation for MBA student recruitment, to explain complex concepts and theories, and to bring campaigns to life

  • Valued, cross-sector expertise of a level demanded by one of world’s finest academic institutions, helping get across their messages clearly, succinctly, and to an even wider global audience.

Our work for the University of Cambridge

Colleges

  • Downing | Copywriting

  • Homerton | Mentoring for Homerton Changemakers

  • Sidney Sussex | Copywriting training

  • Trinity | Strategic support, email communications, social media strategy and training

  • Wolfson | SEO support

Departments and Schools

  • Department of Computer Science and Technology | Video

  • School of Humanities | Comms training and strategy

  • The Cavendish Laboratory, the Department of Physics | Content and copywriting

  • Cambridge Judge Business School | Social media updates, copywriting, training, strategy, social media audit, video

  • Cambridge University Library | Murder by the Book campaign across print, bus, radio and digital. Mystery of the Missing Darwin Notebooks podcast

Alumni and external communications

  • Alumni office | 10+ training sessions and conference talks

  • Office of External Affairs and Communications | 10+ training sessions in social media, email marketing, writing for web.
    Cambridge Festival social media planning and management

Institutions and partner organisations

  • Cambridge Trust | Social media campaigns, live events, video, strategy. See the case study

  • University Museums Group | #ComeOnInCam campaign. Strategic campaign spanning social media, paid campaigns, video, design, animation, training. See the case study

  • Cambridge Enterprise | Copywriting, hosting panel at event

  • Bennett Institute | Video, ad campaign, copywriting

  • Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP) | Digital marketing strategy, copywriting

  • Cambridge University Press & Assessment | Destinations campaign (strategy, copywriting, video and animation), social media training, social media webinar for authors

  • Cambridge University Botanic Garden | Video training, website redesign strategy, copywriting

  • The Healthcare Improvement Institute (THIS): Podcast production

Speaking and training

We have delivered over 50 workshops and training sessions across the University comms teams and alumni groups, reaching more than 1000 people. We are also regularly called upon to share communications and marketing expertise at prestigious University of Cambridge events and conferences, including:

Initially in person, during the pandemic we took workshops online, with one webinar at the Alumni conference reaching hundreds of people across the world, from Azerbaijan to Toronto.

Speaking events include:

  • Alumni (CUDAR)| Numerous training and conference talks

  • Careers Service | Careers in marketing

  • Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership | Panel event on communication and climate change

  • University Entrepreneurship Network | Social media workshop

  • Cambridge Enterprise | Hosting panel at Creative Cambridge

  • The use of relevant examples and actionable ideas is helping us improve our content already.

    Sookio’s training sessions were really well-tailored to our staff. The use of relevant examples and actionable ideas is helping us improve our content already.

    Head of Digital Communications, University of Cambridge

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