How Oxford University Press smashed its lead targets with united thought leadership and PR amplification
Localising a global giant through high-impact PR
The challenge
Oxford University Press (OUP) is a globally revered academic name, but in the Australian market, they faced a distinct positioning hurdle: the perception that their brand was too ‘UK-centric’. This disconnect led to a lack of brand awareness in key local subject areas, despite OUP housing a highly talented local publishing team of Australian experts.
To overcome this, OUP needed to anchor its brand firmly within the local education landscape. Collaborating closely with the OUP marketing team and Sedgewick Communications Agency, we needed a strategy that would showcase OUP’s local expertise, address an urgent educational pressure point, and position OUP as a trusted partner for Australian teachers.
The solution
Customer research identified the Australian 'maths skills gap'. We developed a white paper, and generated national media attention.
Instead of simply promoting textbooks, we focused on a pressing national challenge: the widening maths skills gap in Australian schools. By shining a spotlight on a critical issue facing educators, we could naturally position OUP’s local experts as the ultimate solution providers.
Our multi-layered strategy included:
The white paper download that drove record-breaking leads.
market insight synthesis. We overlapped national and global data to reveal that maths performance was dropping across Australian schools. Crucially, we identified that a single modern maths classroom could contain student skills gaps spanning up to five years, highlighting an urgent need for targeted teacher support.
deep customer research. We conducted rigorous quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews with local educators to capture their real-world experiences, frustrations and immediate classroom needs.
high-value content creation. We developed a comprehensive eBook and industry paper that clearly defined the problem, shared our exclusive survey findings and featured actionable recommendation articles from prominent Australian educators.
targeted PR outreach. In partnership with Sedgewick Communications Agency, we seeded the research data and white paper to mainstream and educational media outlets to maximise reach among schools and families.
amplified digital advertising. We deployed targeted digital ad campaigns designed specifically to drive high-intent eBook downloads across the education sector.
The ‘maths skills gap’ campaign piqued national education and mainstream media attention, reaching over 12 million Australians on Sunrise, the Age, The Educator and more.
The result
The campaign successfully reshaped OUP’s brand perception, transforming them from a distant global publisher into a highly relevant, localised champion for Australian maths educators.
Outcomes included:
massive national reach and prominent mainstream TV, print and radio coverage, including with Sunrise, 7News, the Herald Sun, The Age, 2GB and 3AW, reaching over 12 million Australians.
high-volume lead generation, driving more than 3,000 high-value eBook downloads directly from the targeted education sector.
successfully establishing long-term authority, and making the eBook and research paper into evergreen assets that continue to capture ongoing, high-quality leads well beyond the initial campaign window.
