A Successful Strategy

Oklahoma's Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) initiative is a comprehensive statewide social marketing effort designed to ensure that all students are prepared to succeed in postsecondary education. The campaign seeks to increase the number of students who earn degrees by building awareness about the importance of postsecondary education, early planning and the potential for financial support.

The campaign is aimed at students from 5th grade through high school, parents, teachers, counselors, education policymakers, legislators and the general public. It has benefited from careful planning and research, highly targeted media and advertising strategies, direct marketing, and the effective leveraging of strategic partnerships. The state’s GEAR UP campaign was developed by the Communications Council, a group of Oklahoma college public relations directors who serve as an advisory council to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. In the early 1990s, the Council began designing a statewide effort to promote college degree attainment. A GEAR UP grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 1999, along with matching donations from state and partner resources, allowed the State Regents to put the Council’s plan into action. Oklahoma received a GEAR UP grant again in 2005 to continue its campaign.

As a result of GEAR UP, college-going rates have increased to peak levels and significantly more young people are taking the ACT, state officials note. Survey data show that the campaign is effective in changing perceptions across all audiences about the value of college and in raising parental expectations that college is desirable, fundable and possible, particularly among low-income parents.

A Research-Driven Approach

The state has used sophisticated market research to guide every aspect of its work, including identifying its target audiences, developing messages and evaluating the campaign's impact. Before launching the initiative, for example, higher education officials reviewed the outreach efforts of other Oklahoma agencies, as well as marketing efforts of other states, and conducted an extensive statewide survey on the factors that affect the educational aspirations of young people in grades 5 through 12. Even as the campaign has matured, state officials continually test campaign tools and materials. For example, the state modified the appearance of its signature cartoon characters based on focus group research, added a greater emphasis on good study habits to student activity materials at the request of teachers, and changed its parent guides to reflect the campaign's style.

Communicating With Schools & Parents

The GEAR UP campaign uses marketing tools targeted to students, teachers and parents at different grade levels. Materials include:

• A Plan for College video for students in grades 5 through 7 that includes an instructor's guide and a student activity booklet that reinforces the state's message to "prepare for college";
• A guide for parents of high school students that reinforces the campaign's messages;
• A guide to Oklahoma colleges and universities for students in grades 8 through 12 that includes important information about college and its requirements, financial aid information, and descriptions of public and private schools; and
• Counselor cards mailed to every counselor statewide that alerts them to upcoming events.

Spreading the Message with Advertising

To get the attention of students in grades 5 through 12, their parents, counselors and teachers and to emphasize GEAR UP’s messages, the state purchased advertising time on cable and network TV, as well as radio outlets around the state. The campaign also produced advertisements for bus shelters, billboards and newspapers.

Advertising efforts targeted key minority and at-risk audiences. Advertisements were placed in Hispanic, African American and Native American outlets and locations. [insert link to ad in Spanish] Billboard ads were placed strategically in high-traffic areas near specific urban high schools, where the potential for enrollment in the program is extremely high, but actual enrollment was low.

Teaming Up for Success

The GEAR UP campaign teamed with Oklahoma’s Promise (OHLAP) to market a college finance plan for students from families with an income of $50,000 or less.

The campaign also worked with Oklahoma Guaranteed Student Loan Program (OGLSP) and the Oklahoma Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (OASFAA) to produce and promote Cash for College, an hour-long program explaining the availability and procedures for obtaining financial aid for college.

GEAR UP’s partnership with OGLSP and OASFAA led to the launch of College Goal Sunday. This event invited high school students and their families to special events on campuses across the state.

Attendees had the opportunity to meet with financial aid advisors and college staff. They gathered information about college entrance requirements, learned about planning for college and received on-site assistance with filling out financial aid application forms. They also learned more about the benefits of attending college, student support services, areas of study and degree programs.

More Effective Website

GEAR UP launched a website in English and Spanish to provide students, parents and educators with information about college readiness and financial aid. The site features an online Student Center for grades 8 through 12 and the GEAR UP website for grades 5 through 7 grade.

About GEAR UP

The U.S. Department of Education’s GEAR UP initiative is a discretionary grant program designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP provides six-year grants to states and partnerships to provide services at high-poverty middle schools and high schools. GEAR UP grantees serve an entire cohort of students beginning no later than the 7th grade and following the cohort through high school. GEAR UP funds are also used to provide college scholarships to low-income students.