Menu
The Challenge: Misdirected Ad Spend and Unqualified Traffic
UCLA Anderson School of Business is globally recognized for developing forward-thinking leaders and top-tier graduates. However, despite significant investment in Google Ads, their campaigns were attracting applicants who did not align with the school’s high standards. Paid search was directing traffic from broad, low-intent queries—resulting in wasted budget on unqualified applicants instead of high-achieving candidates who typically enroll and succeed at Anderson.
The existing campaigns were built on generic audience assumptions that didn’t fully account for insights from admissions chairs. This lack of alignment led to ad spend being allocated toward applicants who were unlikely to be accepted or thrive in the program. As the application season progressed, it became clear that Anderson needed a strategic overhaul of its paid media approach to maximize return on investment and ensure advertising efforts reached the right audience.
We stepped in with a precision-focused approach, leveraging business intelligence and historical enrollment data to refine UCLA Anderson’s paid search targeting. By analyzing Google Analytics insights, we identified key geographic regions and search behaviors that correlated with students who not only applied but successfully matriculated.
By matching these findings against UCLA Anderson’s ideal candidate profile, we uncovered critical inefficiencies in the campaign structure.
These insights allowed us to:
With our refined approach, UCLA Anderson saw immediate improvements in the quality of applicants driven by paid search. Campaigns began attracting high-intent, high-achieving candidates, leading to stronger enrollment numbers and a more prestigious applicant pool.
Stop wasting budget on unqualified traffic—focus on applicants who align with your school’s academic standards and enrollment goals.
Director of Marketing Communications
Executive Director of Admissions
Get our deck to build a successful Google Ads PPC campaign strategy.
