Balancing Brand and Enrollment Goals in a Competitive Art School Market

Cranbrook Academy of Art is a renowned graduate school known for its intensive studio-based programs in art, design, and architecture. Media Genesis has been working with Cranbrook Academy of Art since 2019 managing their website. In 2023, Cranbrook partnered with Media Genesis to strengthen its digital recruitment efforts. With a short admissions window and a highly specialized audience, the goal was to raise visibility and drive applications—without exceeding a lean ad budget.

The Challenge

Cranbrook needed to promote six distinct academic departments—ranging from architecture to fiber arts—each appealing to different creative communities. The challenge was to increase national awareness and generate leads for events and applications, all while staying efficient with media spend. The admissions cycle is brief (October–January), but interest and research happen throughout the year, requiring a strategy that could flex across time and intent levels.

The Approach

Media Genesis developed a full-funnel digital marketing strategy that blended brand storytelling with tactical recruitment. Campaigns were tailored for two main goals: increasing brand awareness and driving department-specific conversions.

Key elements included:

• Search campaigns focused on relevant graduate art and design degree keywords
• Native ads designed for mid-funnel engagement, highlighting events like Portfolio Day
• Custom audience targeting based on behaviors and interests such as “Photography Graduate School” and “Arts & Design Education”
• Geofenced display ads to concentrate spend in cities with higher engagement potential

As of 2025, Print Media was added to the campaign scope, reflecting Cranbrook’s evolving academic offerings.

The Outcome

The campaigns successfully balanced long-term visibility with short-term lead generation. By aligning content and targeting with the user journey—from curiosity to application—Cranbrook expanded its reach while generating meaningful engagement and high-intent traffic.

The data-driven approach also provided clarity on where to focus future marketing efforts, proving that even in a niche market, targeted digital advertising can deliver real value.

• Click engagement and total conversions performed best across native assets
• Overall, CPA concluded at $20.11
• Campaigns are outperforming industry benchmarks, with a 22.4% conversion rate (vs. the industry average of 2%)
  • Campaigns have a 5.65% CTR (higher than the typical 2 – 3%)
• CPC (cost per click) is $1.35
  • Performance Max campaigns achieving even lower rates ($0.28-$0.41)

Why It Matters

Graduate art programs face a unique marketing challenge: they serve a small but highly discerning audience. Media Genesis helped Cranbrook connect with this audience at the right time, in the right places, with the right message. It’s a case study in how strategic media buying and creative alignment can make a limited budget go further.

Let’s Talk

Looking to attract the right applicants to your graduate or professional program? Reach out—we’d love to help.