Case Study: Michigan Ross drives more leads and applications with Gatesman

Michigan Ross achieves 160% of conversion goal with Gatesman

The University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, a top-ten business school, faced significant challenges with its pioneering online MBA program. The program suffered from low awareness that kept it out of major rankings, and prospective students perceived online MBAs as less prestigious, making it difficult to justify the premium price. To meet aggressive enrollment goals, Michigan Ross needed to generate 50% more inquiries and partnered with vendor Gatesman to address these issues.

Gatesman developed a content-first strategy, creating influential thought leadership content distributed through targeted partnerships with publishers like SmartBrief and Morning Brew. This approach allowed them to reach niche audiences effectively and drive performance through paid social and other high-converting tactics. The vendor implemented a full-funnel strategy to generate and track leads precisely, optimizing conversion rates over time. The campaign delivered outstanding results for Michigan Ross, generating 2,080 website leads and 2,247 in-platform leads. It achieved an $84 cost per acquisition, delivered 160% of its conversion goal using only 85% of its budget, and resulted in 264 applications from qualified professionals, surpassing the application goal by 167%.

Michigan Ross