The challenge
Education in Britain is world-famous, but other global study destinations now offer attractive options for aspiring students, pushing the British Council to rethink its recruitment strategies. They approached us to gain a deeper understanding of the priorities and concerns of prospective students from seven key markets: China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil, Turkey, and Nigeria.
What began as a traditional effort to refine UK recruitment strategies quickly turned into a more complex challenge. Here’s what happened next.
Our behavioural insights reshaped the British Council’s global recruitment strategy, resulting in better outreach, and more engagement.
The solution
We aimed to meet students where they are online, and on their terms. Starting with our STP process, we gained a clear view of how student behaviours, social media habits, and decision-making have shifted. By combining behavioural insights, short-form video analysis, and platform preferences, we then developed a highly detailed and forward-thinking segmentation and targeting strategy.
This included focusing on market-specific trends, like TikTok’s rise, local influencers, and app preferences, allowing for connections that went further than traditional communication methods.
The impact
This process was a valuable learning experience for both sides. Our approach gave the British Council deeper insights into real student behaviours, evolving learning formats, and recruitment challenges across key markets.
By focusing on market-specific strategies such as leveraging influencers and the rising popularity of short-form video, our actionable insights improved student outreach and recruitment efforts, enabling UK institutions to remain competitive on the global stage.
British Council | John McNamara, Head of Research
“One of the best social studies we've ever seen and hopefully opened a door into a brave new world of research.”
