Comenius Lyceum Amsterdam

A VO school in Amsterdam Nieuw-West for vwo, havo and mavo. The school is in a colorful neighborhood with an equally colorful target population. When we first start working for CLA in 2019, the school has been sorely lacking in enrollment for many years. And there are fewer and fewer of them. A worrisome situation because with this negative trend, the school would not be able to continue. Something had to be done. It was make or break.

Cijs & Co’s approach works. Huge. From the start of the new communication approach, student numbers are growing dramatically. We achieve in just four years that Comenius is the popular school where everyone wants to be. With many more applications than ever. A hugely positive trend change. In fact, CLA is now running up against the limits of growth; it cannot accept everyone who applies. That’s special, though.

How did we manage that? Victor Cijs first delves thoroughly into what this target group wants and does not want. He goes very far in this. What their habits, associations, expectations, triggers and resistances are. Immerses himself completely and throws up his own white perspective. To sense the Islamic context.

And that’s where he unleashes his strategic and creative insights. From those discoveries, he began to design the marketing approach. The core promise becomes The Strong Base. We use playful images and videos that appeal to the target audience, full of clever behavioral techniques.