A Cross-Media Enrollment Campaign for MCC

& Jennifer Ulm (GD3 | Exc. 2) Presents

Vs.

The Angry

ctonorgs!

An Enrollment Campaign for MCC

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Campaign Summary It begins with a memory, with imagination, and with a game.

The game is Capt. Tommy Zapp vs. The Angry Octonorgs! It’s created to help connect the player with information about degrees, classes, Financial Aid, and enrollment with MCC in a fun and interactive way. The idea is the game serves as a catalyst for those who may not otherwise realize how simple going back to school can be. It also reaches those of us who sometimes avoid tasks that seem too challenging, too scary, or too “big.” Overcoming the challenge of the angry, invading Octonorgs is as easy as getting enrolled in the right class.

The game is advertised with print ads, web banner ads, and social media graphics. A kick-off event (advertised in the same channels) brings the communit together to introduce the game and conversate over dreams & passions. Play the game, enroll in classes, get your degree... It’s that simple. Nothing scary or intimidating here!

Well, other than the Octonorgs!

This campaign targets area residents and occupants who woefully recognize themselves as not being on the path they may have imagined when they were younger. Many of them may feel like they just can’t go back to school or that it’s too unattainable.

Audience likely to be: » » » » » » »

Millenial-aged in a dead-end job or unemployed a dreamer a/n hobbyist/enthusiast anxious about future convinced school isn’t an option for them unsatisfied in life

This audience is reached through the ads they see out in ciruclation. They engage with MCC on MCC’s social media platforms with the hashtag #NeverTooLate while sharing what they used to dream of being, what they currently dream of doing.

The Game The game is a fun, user-friendly distraction from the sometimes agonizing task of facing a feared challenge, like taking the leap & actually enrolling back in school is. You enjoy the charming characters and the fun action and with each level you complete, you’ve found (a) class(es). And when succeed against the Octonorgs, not only the Octonorgs but also you are connected with an enrollment specialist (if you choose).

Once connected with and enrolled in classes and programs that put the Octonorgs on track to the job of their dreams, they are not so angry anymore. With everyone so busy with classes and not quite so angry anymore, the Octonorgs have no desire to invade! As in almost every situation, education saves the day!!!

Have courage!

YOU CAN DO THIS. Pew, pew, pew Quick!

The angry Octonorgs are coming!

He wasn’t “Little Tommy” anymore. He was Captain Tommy Zapp, explorer of the stars! Imagination took Tommy to the far reaches of the galaxy. But Tommy’s choices in life kept him in the same city his whole life working a job that made him... less happy than poking around the galaxy. As when he was young, Tom oftendreamt of what he would do if he could go back to school.

When you play as Capt. Tommy Zapp, you can fight the angry horde of Octonorgs! Say, just why are these tentacle-limbed invaders so angry anyway??? Capt. Zapp knows! All the Octonorgs ingored their true passions in life & all ended up in dead-end jobs with no future, fulfilling other people’s plan. But Zapp shares that it’s easier than you think to go back to school & get that degree in what you’re passionate about. Like Tom did with Astronomy! You can do it too! Shoot paper planes of information about MCC courses at the Octonorgs. Help them achieve their dreams, not be so angry, and save the day!

After each level, you get a little more of the invasion story through animations/gifs. But more to the point, you get information about availble classes that could get your career’s trajectory in the right direction. The player plays as Zapp but when they set up their new game, they put in their wanted careers or classes to get the information tailored to their interests. and needs.

Capt. Tommy Zapp vs. The Angry Octonorgs! opening start menu.

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Outreach This campaign relies on grassroots advertising as well as contemporary social media & web-based modes of communication. The campaign is introducing a new, cute game that connects players with a path to the degree of their dreams. We need to get this game into people’s hands.

Millenials are approaching middle-aged. Many of them are beginning to feel it & reevaluating their choices in life. By combining social media outreach with real-world interaction we are casting the widest net possible to reach this target audience. Varying our approach is necessary.

At the on-campus kick-off event, we formally release the game to coincide with enrollment season. With the game’s launch success, this has potential to alieviate some of the workload on the enrollment support staff. Live, in-person mini-events also help to drum up interest in the game and ultimately in enrollment with MCC. KC Zine Con, home improvement stores, hobbyist/ethusiant suppliers, and automtive parts stores are all candidates for venues where we might reach our audience.

We’ll explore the engagement modalities in the next section.

The Vehicles of Outreach: »

The 1080px x 1080px social-media friendly square

(Img-1) works on all platforms. When clicked on it links to the appropriate web-page or moblie-app store to download / play the game. »

A web-banner (Img-2) allows visibility to traffic on desktop browsers & digital bilboards (if applicable).

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A print media poster or flyer ad (Img-3) supported by the typical fleet of print media (mailers, sidewalk bilboards, public transportation ads, etc.) helps to reach the niche of audience that is less engaged online and more so out “in the wild.”

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MCC hosting a booth/table at KC Zine Con is a good way to reach some of our audience. In order to have a table at Zine Con you need to have at least one zine so the cut scenes between levels could easily be converted to a graphic novel style mini-zine.

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A kick-off event ice cream social brings the community together to connect and engage with MCC & with each other. Sharing high scores and future plans or dreams while enjoying ice cream.

Suddenly the step of enrollment doesn’t seem so scary.

Img-1 1080px X 1080px, s-M square

Img-3 11” x17”, print ad / poster

Img-2 1020px x 573px, web banner 4

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Play your way to the degree of your dreams!

Download here

Engagement The hastag #NeverTooLate gives an achor point for the community to share with each other what their dreams are, what they wanted to be when they grew up vs. what they became, and, of course, highscore bragging rights!

Other Possible Hashtags: » » » » » »

#LateToTheParty #HereAgain #NeverTooLate #TheTimeIsNow #DoOver #TryAgain

Social Media Outreach: » Facebook » Instagram » Twitter » TikTok » YouTube » LinkedIn

Ice Cream Social Game Kick-off Event Friends & strangers gather oncampus for an old-fashioned ice cream social! We celebrate all of those who are getting back on track! The release of the game, high scores, and (re-)enrollment all call for celebration! We converse and relate with each other, building community. At the kick off event, MCC will raffle off some free classes!

Kansas City Zine Con Table An excellent example of a tabling event is Kansas City’s own Zine Con (The Midwest’s largest D.I.Y. publishing event!). A table is rented and then populated with the zines and wares the various writers, artists, & creators have to distribute and sell.

With our table rented and our Capt. Zapp zines ready, we will engage first hand with one group within our target audience, introducing them to the game and the opportunities to make the most out of their D.I.Y. publishing & designing passions.

#NeverTooLate 6

They’re just so angry!

Scan the code & download the game.

Play the game!

What classes are available to you?

OH! the Humanities... ...courses MCC has available!! #NeverTooLate

Join the conversation!

Ask six year old you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Tell us!