Early education provider The Goddard School has selected Colle McVoy as its creative agency partner to lead strategy and development of a campaign aimed at increasing awareness and consideration of the brand across the U.S.

The franchised Goddard School serves more than 80,000 students from six weeks to six years old in 37 states and Washington, D.C. Since the pandemic, Goddard has opened more than 70 schools across the country. 

The openings come during a time in which state-based preschool programs saw large drops in enrollment and funding, according to an annual review by the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University. But Goddard hasn’t had the same issues, according to its chief marketing officer, Marcel Nahm.

“The demand for high-quality child care and early childhood education has never been greater,” Nahm said. “Our enrollment today is higher than it has ever been, not only because we have new schools in the system, but because existing schools are fuller as well. In fact, hundreds of schools have wait lists.”

The task for the agency will be to keep up that momentum. When Nahm joined the company in January 2022, he conducted consumer insight work into the parents who enrolled their children at Goddard and reevaluated the company’s brand and communication strategy to continue the company’s fast growth. 

Colle McVoy was chosen for the quality of its work and the diversity of its client roster, which includes Texas-based pediatric care company Children’s Health, Haribo, Goodyear and Whirlpool.

“It gave us confidence that they understand the dynamics of categories and brands like ours that rely on high trust and long-term customer relationships,” Nahm said. “When you’re choosing health care or child care for your child, these are serious decisions you put a lot of energy into researching.” 

It’s a long purchase cycle for companies such as Goddard, and a lot of trust is needed to build relationships with customers, according to Nahm. 

That's especially important considering Goddard’s premium pricing. A parent enrolling an infant at a New Jersey location will pay about $2,225 a month in addition to registration fees. In a state where the U.S. Census Bureau reports that median household income is $89,000 and a typical renter spends $1,295 monthly, that’s a sizable expense.  

Creative work for the brand is scheduled to be in the market later this year as Goddard looks to provide expanded support to its franchisees nationwide. Nahm did not discuss spending but said the campaign will be “one of the biggest” the school has ever invested in.

Nahm said that the campaign will focus on increasing parental trust in the company and expressing the unique experience children will receive in a Goddard School. This includes highlighting the company’s FLEX learning program, a course study developed by experts to help children explore and discover their interests in a nurturing environment. 

The campaign will focus on reaching parents where they spend the most time: online research, business reviews and parent forums. Colle McVoy is looking to capitalize on that time by activating through online video, social, audio and search platforms. 

“We learned during our research that this process can take over six months and is an emotional rollercoaster for parents from doubts of ‘Is this the place for my kid?' and 'Am I doing the right thing?’ to exhilaration when they know they found the right place for their child,” Nahm said. “That is something we have very much in mind as we move forward with the creative.”