Newhall School District approved a new marketing campaign at its Governing Board meeting Tuesday to support web-based advertising, district mailers and move theater video advertising for the district.
The district will continue its promotional campaign, which began Tuesday to run through June 14, 2017. The contract, awarded to Mellady Direct Marketing, is a six-month extension of the district’s original campaign, contracted in 2015, is aimed at increasing school enrollment.
In total, the two campaigns will cost the district $70,000.
Last year, the Newhall District’s marketing campaign raised concerns for administrators and board members of Santa Clarita’s neighboring elementary school districts of Saugus Union, Castaic Union and Sulphur Springs.
A task force was created with two member representatives from each district to address concerns with the campaign’s claims and direct mailers.
According to an open letter read by Castaic Governing Board President Susan Christopher to Newhall Governing Board members at its Tuesday meeting, these representatives agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that included:
- No future direct mail pieces would be sent to families that live in other school districts within the Santa Clarita Valley
- No direct comparisons/claims between districts should be made, but statements of fact would be acceptable
- No direct targeting of any demographic outside of one’s own district boundaries on websites
Newhall School District Superintendent Paul Cordiero assures that the campaign is different from the one launched last year, and that the new campaign does follow these guidelines and will proceed as planned.
Newest campaign
The district’s latest campaign is focused on increasing community awareness, highlighting district strengths and promoting the district to prospective students and families through web-based advertising, Santa Clarita Valley and Antelope Valley theater ads and district-wide mailers.
A series of three informational videos are to be used across platforms which provide an overview of the district and explain the process of reporting under the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP).
The district’s one-minute promotional video is already appearing on its website. It also premiered in Santa Clarita Valley and Antelope Valley theaters Friday where it will continue to show in advance of films until Jan. 12, 2017, according to the contract with Mellady.
In the video titled “Newhall School District – There’s a place for your child,” two students share their excitement toward the district’s promotion of science, technology, art, math and music before displaying information about the district’s Open House Jan. 18, 2017.
Additional elements of the marketing campaign include targeted Facebook ads and display ads using Google AdWords, GreatSchools.org and Realtor.com.
With its direct mail postcards to “a curated list targeting families of potential students,” the district will send informational materials to parents of children ages 3 to 11 within the district’s boundaries, to Santa Clarita preschool and daycare facilities and to families of recent district transfer students.
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