De La Salle High School
Challenge
As New Orleans’ only coeducational Catholic high school in a traditionally single-sex market, De La Salle High School faced unusual recruitment challenges. Moreover, the school battled entrenched misperceptions, and a meteoric rise in the number of charter schools had made admissions much more difficult. De La Salle needed a high-impact admissions campaign that emphasized the school’s benefits, advantages, and under-appreciated quality.
Solution
Strategically driven by a comprehensive communications audit, the branding campaign Zehno created authentically and decisively captures De La Salle’s impressive outcomes. The campaign tagline, Dare to be Yourself!, is rooted in the school’s Lasallian heritage and individualized learning; it also drives storytelling through extensions of the concept, such as Dare to be a Scholar!, Dare to be Creative!, and Dare to Compete! Zehno applied this flexible concept throughout a suite of tools: academic success brochure, viewbook, print advertising, building-scale banners, t-shirts, and an award-winning web feature and updated home page.
Results
After the campaign debuted in early 2009, De La Salle increased Spring Open House attendance by 53% compared to 2008. In 2010, they saw another 35 percent increase over 2009. Because the school competes against Catholic elementary schools that educate through the 8th grade, De La Salle was pleased to increase enrollment of 8th-graders in its Advanced track by 10 percent in 2009.