The University of Akron is a public research university in Ohio. Together, we built the recruitment ecosystem that won Digital Innovation of the Year, Student Recruitment, at The PIEoneer Awards 2026.
Recruiting in Southeast Asia is not a media-buying exercise. Students compare universities across borders, in their own language and on their own timeline, and much of the decision happens before admissions ever speaks to them.
The University of Akron partnered with Platty to grow its presence in Vietnam and Indonesia, two markets where many prospective students had limited familiarity with the institution.
The brief went beyond awareness. Buying attention was only the beginning; the real opportunity was to connect everything that came after it, from the first impression to a qualified conversation with the university.
The result was a multichannel recruitment ecosystem combining localised creative, Meta and Google advertising, PR, a dedicated Southeast Asia microsite, an online student community, email nurture and Avexa, Platty's AI voice and messaging agent.
The work was recognised as Digital Innovation of the Year, Student Recruitment, at The PIEoneer Awards 2026.
2M+ People Reached The integrated campaigns reached more than 2 million prospective students across Vietnam and Indonesia.
2.41% Average Meta CTR Localised creative kept paid social engagement strong, with Meta CTR peaking above 12% in selected periods.
3.89% Average Google CTR Intent-led search campaigns reached students already looking for opportunities to study in the United States.
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