Amplifying Potential
A bold recruitment advertising campaign for WXYC that struck a chord amongst UNC students and redefined radio culture.
After 5 rounds of hiring, I started to realize a common theme: WXYC’s delicate balance between radio and community had tilted toward social dynamics. Applicants often spoke more about making friends and DJing at parties than on-air broadcasting. Examining recruitment statistics, I found that most candidates were simply friends of current DJs.
Why weren’t we reaching the broader UNC community and why didn’t people seem to care about our programming? After all, that’s what we were hiring for — students who would sit in the control room by themselves at 3AM once a week for an entire semester and play weird music on air.
While conducting primary research, I discovered that most students didn’t even know that we had a radio station. I crafted a campaign around the tagline "Radio isn't dead. It just went to college." This resonated with Gen Z, who often overlooked DJing as a viable job. I designed buzz-worthy social media assets to accompany my copy. The result? A 23.2% increase in applicants YOY and a diverse new DJ class.
"Radio Isn't Dead" wasn't just a campaign; it became a rallying cry for WXYC, celebrating the enduring power of college radio. Through strategic design, I revitalized the station's reputation, echoing the heartbeat of radio with authentic storytelling.
Skills at Play
➜ Market Research
➜ Strategic Planning
➜ Copywriting
➜ Art Direction
➜ Graphic Design
➜ Social Media Marketing
➜ Public Relations
23.2%
increase in applicants
147
profile visits
Tools of the Trade
➜ Adobe Photoshop
➜ Unsplash/Pexels
Timeline
➜ 3 weeks
Collaborators
➜ Campaign created solely by me, worked w/ Communications Manager to coordinate launch
18.9%
Instagram engagement
79
website taps
Above: Full collection of social media assets for the campaign. We planned a December 25th launch for the application to capitalize on students' free time and increased social media usage, so our first post was Christmas-themed.
Above: Process snapshot of designing one of the ads. I took a picture of the control room for our hero image to ensure the campaign was centered around on-air broadcasting. The color palette was inspired by UNC's colors and popular aesthetics within radio culture to connect with potential New DJ applicants.
What I Would've Done with More Time + Resources...