In December, Dr. Megan Luft, vice president for Enrollment Management and Marketing, and Megan Silverstrim, director of Communications and Marketing, attended UPCEA’s 34th Annual MEMS: Marketing, Enrollment Management, and Student Success Conference, where they were recognized as Silver Winners in the 2025 Excellence in Marketing Award Ceremony. This national award recognizes marketing campaigns that excel in creativity, execution, and impact.
“We are honored to receive this award. It takes a team and I have the best team, as well as the best agency, Advance Education. We work collaboratively together to support our future students and showcase why Ship is it,” said Dr. Megan Luft, vice president for Enrollment Management and Marketing.
The award celebrated the university’s Office of Communications and Marketing 2024 Summer Melt Marketing campaign which was executed in collaboration with Advance Education and PA Media Group. The strategic initiative was aimed at reducing summer melt phenomenon, where confirmed students fail to follow through with enrollment due to logistical or emotional barriers.
Running from June to August 2024, the campaign focused on fostering excitement and commitment among confirmed and admitted students and their families, while also engaging the broader community to create a supportive environment for students.
A multi-channel strategy was employed, including targeted digital advertising and digital out-of-home (DOOH) placements, to maximize reach and impact.
Key marketing tactics included display ads, a high-performing YouTube hype video, TikTok content with an exceptional 3.94 percentage click through rate, and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) ads that significantly outperformed benchmarks. All of these tactics were delivered to a custom audience built via Shippensburg University’s current enrolled student data.
The DOOH component delivered over 468,000 spots and 639,000 impressions, reinforcing the campaign’s message across the community.
The campaign achieved over 2 million total impressions and drove nearly 19,000 users to the university’s website, reflecting strong engagement and interest. Most notably, the campaign contributed to a 2 percent year-over-year reduction in melt — from 13 percent in 2023 to 11 percent in 2024 — demonstrating its effectiveness in influencing enrollment behavior.
This campaign exemplified the power of integrated, data-driven marketing in higher education, combining emotional appeal with strategic outreach to achieve measurable enrollment outcomes.
“We’re proud to receive this award alongside our partners with Advance Education. It’s exciting to have our work recognized, but even more exciting to see the work make a difference in our enrollment efforts and in the success of Ship students,” said Megan Silverstrim, director of Communications and Marketing.
