Mad Genius gets around the verticals. We work with brands in food and beverage, the arts, video games, financing, healthcare, the government, and retail and ecommerce. We’ve even dabbled in space travel and chartered tuna boats. Mad Genius doesn’t have a one thing. Our geniuses pride themselves on their ability to research, understand, and adapt to the needs of our clients—all of our clients.
Having said that, we do a lot of education. Oodles. If you’re looking for a creative agency to take your educational institution to the next level, hey there. You found us. We do it all.
Here are just a few examples of the junior colleges, universities, and honor societies Mad Genius has had the privilege to work with (presented in alphabetical order).
College Recruitment
Delta State University (DSU), “Fear the Okra” Series, Parts One and Two
The most common request we get from higher education establishments is this, “How do we increase recruitment?” Usually, it’s coupled with, “How do we get potential students to know that we’re here?” There are a great many answers to this question, all of which depend on the institution itself, its ideal student persona(s), and the best method to reach said potential students.
When DSU came to Mad Genius, we created the “Fear the Okra” series of videos. In the series, the unofficial mascot of DSU, a furious okra pod, spread the good word about the many offerings of the university, leveraging his rage as a method of inspiration. Almost a decade after the first batch of videos, we were at it again, with a sequel series in the same vein as the first.
Campus Culture
Jackson State University (JSU), 2021 Image Spot
Day to day life on campus is a big deal to those considering enrollment. JSU asked Mad Genius to create an image spot that highlighted the momentum, drive, and power of their campus life. The result was a beat-driven dance-inspiring collection of moments that focus on both education and athletics.
Website
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC), Website
All the advertising in the world means little if prospective students get lost, confused, or grow disinterested while on your school’s website. MGCCC asked Mad Genius to build them an informative, easy-to-use website that showed off the school’s resources for their student body. And so, we did.
Academics
Mississippi State University (MSU), “Mississippi’s Research University” Image Spot
Believe it or not, many students are influenced by a campus’s ability to actually teach stuff. Academics matter. It’s not always easy to share a college’s academic prowess in a fun or exciting way. MSU holds Mississippi’s top research laboratory, affording student-led research teams the opportunity to advance scientific progress in any number of disciplines. All we had to do was turn that truth into a video—a fun and exciting video.
Production
Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU), “What Moves You” TV Spot
We’ve had plenty of clients come to Mad Genius with one request: a video. They don’t always know what they need it, or what they want it to do, but they know that they’ve got to put something out there. Maybe it should be an informative piece that relays data or information to a certain audience. Perhaps the video is just to keep the brand alive in the minds of potential students. Or, as was the case with MVSU and their “What Moves You” spot, it could just be a way to start a much longer conversation. No matter what you require your video to do for you, we can make it work.
Workforce Development
Northwest Mississippi Community College (NWCC), “Close to Home” TV Spots
Not all students are starry-eyed high school graduates setting up the framework for the rest of their lives. For many colleges, career-minded students currently in the workforce and looking for the skills they need to move up are the priority. When NWCC came to Mad Genius asking for a campaign that would target exactly the latter demographic, we were happy to create the “Close to Home” campaign that focused on workforce development without isolating other potential students.
Print Collateral
Northwest Mississippi Community College (NWCC), Viewbook
Not every problem is solved with a video or campaign. Sometimes, colleges require collateral that sings of their brand, and piques the curiosity of anyone lucky enough to hold it. Such was the case with NWCC’s viewbook. Mad Genius was happy to take up the challenge of laying out copious amounts of information in a way that was easy on the eyes and the mind, making thousands of words easy to digest.
Honor Societies
Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), Website
Mad Genius loves working in education, but we’re not just for educators. If you’re an education adjacent brand searching for help, we’ve got you covered. The honor society, Phi Theta Kappa, approached us with a whole host of needs—branding, a website, production, and more. Our years as a creative agency gave us the know-how to create what they required, but our ample experience in education helped us understand how everything would work.
Capital Campaigns
University of Southern Mississippi (USM), “Give Wing” Capital Campaign Launch Video
Nobody likes asking other people for money. If you’re an institute of learning, it’s part of the gig. How you approach possible donors—the method, tenor, and phrasing—has a direct impact on the success of the request. Mad Genius was fortunate enough to work with USM on the “Give Wing” capital campaign that inspired giving. To kick it off, we produced a video that encouraged viewers not only to give, but to share the video itself, turning a plea for generosity into a self-fulfilling marketing engine.
Experience isn’t everything. Creativity, intelligence, and a craving for the new are critical to any successful marketing campaign, collateral generation, or production. Lucky for you, we’ve got those as well.
Ready to get started? Have questions? Just want to vent about a hard day at work? Hit us up. We’re ready when you are.