School's first TV ad goes live
A leading independent school with a rich history has made its first move into television advertising.
Highfield and Brookham School, which first opened its doors in Southampton in 1892 before moving to its current site in Liphook in 1904, has blossomed over the years using more traditional media and marketing techniques to raise awareness of its educational offering as a quality day and boarding school on the rural borders of Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex.
But this week, the co-ed nursery, pre-prep and prep school added another string to its marketing bow by launching its first ever television ad. The 30-second ad, which captures beautifully the essence of a progressive school whose values are be kind, be courageous and be you, will run on Sky TV for two weeks.Aimed at widening its reach to prospective families and engaging with key communities, the ad will be seen by specific households in the school’s heartland of Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex, as well as south-west London.
Suzannah Cryer, who took over the reins at Highfield and Brookham School in 2022 after forging a strong reputation for leadership as deputy head at Thomas’s Battersea, said:
'It’s no secret that these are challenging times for private schools. First, we had the Covid pandemic to contend with and then the government’s decision to remove the tax exemption for private schools from January.
'The upshot is that schools such as Highfield and Brookham must look more closely than ever at the most cost-effective ways to attract new pupils and new families, and the move into television advertising is an exciting new avenue for us to explore.
'We know of a lot of schools and colleges who have gone down the Sky TV advertising route and had great success doing so, with the platform offering a range of benefits to boost visibility, recruitment and community engagement.'So next time you’re watching TV, keep an eye out for us, we might just pop up in the middle of your favourite programme!'
February 2025