HOW SHA. HELPED A COLLEGE BECOME MORE THAN JUST “THE LOCAL TECH” 

For years, Carlisle College had been underinvesting in marketing. With no in-house team and poor communications, they’d become known locally as just “the Tech” a technical college seen as an alternative to A-levels rather than an aspirational choice in its own right. 

As the only college in Carlisle, they faced a specific challenge: convincing students to leave their existing schools and choose Carlisle College over staying on for sixth form.  

This campaign would be their first major step in overhauling their communications and changing perceptions. 

The emotional barriers were clear: 

• Indifference: “Carlisle College is just another college, probably just like school” 

• Anxiety: “I’m happy where I am, I’d rather just go into sixth form” 

• Hesitancy: “I don’t know what I want to do, I’m too young to decide” 

We used Brainwave, our strategic planning tool, to identify the emotional stimuli that could overcome these barriers. 

Our research revealed something crucial: 73% of students who chose Carlisle College had sixth form options available but actively chose college instead. 

This wasn’t a second-choice decision. It was an evolutionary one. 

We developed Real Life as the campaign platform—positioning the choice to attend Carlisle College not as leaving school, but as transcending the school experience entirely. This speaks directly to maturity, independence, and real-world readiness. 

Real Life works because it acknowledges what 15-18 year olds are actually feeling: they’re ready to move beyond the school environment. They want practical skills, real-world experience, and to be treated like adults. 

The creative execution mixed emotional and rational imagery, showcasing the college, its city centre location, the teaching quality, the experience, and most importantly, the learners themselves. Social media sat at the heart of the campaign, speaking in language the target audience actually uses – no marketing doublespeak, no talking down. 

SHA. is a strategic advertising agency, creating brand strategy, advertising, design for print and content for web and social. If you want to know more, get in touch with nigelh@sha-agency.com or visit our contacts page.

The opinions in this article are that of the author alone and in no way, reflect the opinions or viewpoint of the agency. Unless of course we happen to agree with those opinions completely, in which case they might, but otherwise they don’t.