Overview
Effie, a global nonprofit, turned an in-depth library of case studies into a revenue-generating online learning experience using a combination of customized and off-the-shelf elements. By focusing on learner needs, they were able to differentiate their offer and achieve product-market fit with a core customer segment, mid-career marketers. Positive learner feedback and strong sales proved the success of the online learning program, which boosted follow-on revenue by acting as an entry-point to Effie’s other product lines.
Studion’s tech-agnostic approach enabled Effie to customize a high-quality program while staying on budget
- Focus on learner needs led to a differentiated program that got rave reviews
- Version one of the online learning experience launched in mere months
- Online courses created a new revenue stream and drove follow-on purchases
- Successful B2C sales led the organization to expand the offer to B2B customers
- Sales target reached in year one
The Organization
Effie is a global marketing organization best known for its prestigious Effie Awards, which honor excellence in marketing effectiveness. They have become a benchmark for marketing success, recognizing campaigns that achieve outstanding results and make a significant impact on business outcomes. The awards attract attention from a wide array of professionals in the marketing industry, including brand managers, creative and media agencies, marketers, and business leaders who are keen on understanding effective marketing trends and practices. By showcasing successful strategies and innovative ideas, the Effie Awards serve not only as an accolade for those who excel in marketing but also as a source of inspiration and learning for the industry at large.
The Challenge
Effie recognized that its award competitions had generated an incredible library of marketing case studies and success stories. The organization had a hunch its network of marketing professionals would benefit from learning experiences structured around those cases. Effie came to Studion to design and implement an online learning program for early and mid-career learners who wanted real-world examples and applied learning. As a nimble nonprofit organization, Effie also wanted to launch something quickly, without spending years or millions of dollars on a solution.
The Solution
Effie engaged Studion to support its full go-to-market vision for the Effie Fundamentals program. Studion partnered with Effie to select a tech stack that supported its business and learner needs, blueprint its courses, and design a program that reflected the true tone and philosophy of Effie. The Effie Fundamentals program is an online, self-paced product that is sold both B2B and B2C for marketing professionals. This product is the first in a pipeline for future purchases from Effie and is a true differentiator in the marketplace.
The digital learning experience included:
- 5 modules
- 8 hours of learning
- 13 custom interactions, plus case challenges
- 32 case studies
Case-Based Approach
Effie’s library of over 10,000+ marketing case studies and campaigns was leveraged as part of their content strategy. Learners complete content using Effie’s proprietary Pillar-Based philosophy, which is robustly supported and scaffolded throughout the learning content.
Self-Service, Learner-Centered
The program Studion designed with Effie focused on the intersection of the business and learner needs. The solution is a self-service model which allows learners to complete the learning content at their own pace, asynchronously at any time. By structuring the enrollment model this way, Effie streamlined the delivery of their product to their customers and also met a variety of persona’s needs, supporting a broad target market.
The Impact
Effie launched Effie Fundamentals in 2023. By being strategic about where to customize and where to leverage the best of off-the-shelf LMS solutions, version one of the program was implemented on budget in a matter of months.
In Effie’s first year of sales, the company reached its target threshold for seats sold (500 seats). Customer feedback indicates high satisfaction, with a desire for more digital content. Studion and Effie designed a refresh cadence that enables them to maintain the high quality of the case-based content in their online program.
With strong indicators of success, Effie expanded its sales strategy to Enterprise clients and expects to exceed the program’s current growth rate as they scale their sales team. Effie Fundamentals drives revenue across their catalog of offerings by serving as an introductory product that leads to follow-on sales of Effie’s other products and services.
