We changed how students began a university application. After an immersive exhibition, students picked a global cause they wanted to solve and instantly began their application to their chosen degree.

The University of New South Wales needed to increase undergraduate applications. So our target audience was clear — prospective students. The challenge was to engage this audience and give them a reason to apply to the University of New South Wales over other top performing Australian universities vying for their application.

The brief was to activate at the university Open Day. This was our chance to reach this audience. With a single event we could engage 30,000 potential applicants.

Billionaires want to settle Mars. But 76% of Gen Z want to save Earth instead. Knowing our audience value global progress over personal success, we reframed how they chose a university — from picking a course, to picking a cause.

Mission for Earth Habitation launched at Open Day to over 30,00 prospective students. Through an interactive exhibition and film, we analysed Earth’s habitability, comparing it to Mars. Students picked the cause they wanted to solve, and applied it to a relevant degree.

At the end of the exhibition, students picked the global cause they wanted to improve and learnt which courses could help find solutions. This launched their application to university.

We knew 76% of our target audience (prospective students) wanted to improve the planet. So our strategy was to reframe how and why they applied to a university. Changing it from choosing a cause, to picking a global cause.

After an interactive exhibition and film that analysed the habitability of earth, prospective students were asked to “join the Mission for Earth Habitation”. At multiple “debrief stations”, Students picked the cause they wanted to help solve. Via a QR code, they learned more about the degrees that could help. This was our data capture moment. Students signed-up to find out more about each mission (and the degrees) and begin their university application.

Mission for Earth Habitation was an interactive activation, launched on Open Day to over 30,000 students. It spanned 6 zones, each delivering a different part of our narrative — analysing Earth like a newly discovered planet and comparing its habitability to Mars. In the final zone, students selected a cause on Earth they wanted to solve and began their “mission”.

The exterior of the building announced Mission for Earth Habitation and invited students inside. In Zone 2, people explored bespoke sculptures and terrain models, beginning our analysis.

Zone 3 housed an immersive film shown on a 10 meter screen. This outlined real world missions. An ambient corridor led to Zone 5 — a contemplative area with interactive screens, where students got debriefed, learning what degrees would help them pursue their chosen cause. This was the beginning of their application to the university.

This campaign resulted in the highest enrollment of any previous Open Day – or year overall at University of New South Wales. Mission for Earth Habitation is now part of the university’s vision for the future, giving a new home for existing world-changing projects and inspiring more.

The University for New South Wales received the highest ever number of undergraduate applications. Mission for Earth Habitation is now part of the university’s vision for the future, with different faculties and staff currently developing 15 potentially world improving ideas… and counting. More students than ever before are joining not just to complete a course. But to help solve a cause.

The University of New South Wales sits outside Australia’s top 3 universities. So it can’t rely on reputation alone to attract applicants. We tapped into a cultural truth amongst the audience, that 76% want an education where the skills they learn can be applied to help the planet and future generations.

Our campaign was launched on “Open Day”, a day in Australia when prospective students come to campus and learn about the university.