Emerging Category
Online K-12 Schools Sign Sponsorships To Educate Consumers
Properties that appeal to families with kids and teens should research players in growing category.
8/2/10: Following in the footsteps of Apollo Group, Inc.’s University of Phoenix; Bridgepoint Education, Inc.; DeVry, Inc. and other
for-profit postsecondary schools that have increased sponsorship activity over the past several years, a new segment of nontraditional educators is making its mark: online K-12 schools.
For-profit operators in the K-12 segment primarily offer state-sanctioned public education alternatives to traditional schooling under contract to school districts, charter schools or governmental entities. Most offer private online education options as well.
Online K-12 learning providers target everyone from at-risk students and competitive athletes who have left home to train to students being home schooled and those looking to supplement course work at brick-and-mortar schools with advanced placement and other types of classes not offered by their local district.
According to the Int’l Assn. for K-12 Online Learning, there are an estimated 320,000 course enrollments in state virtual schools, up from roughly 45,000 in 2000. The organization estimates the size of the K-12 online learning market in the U.S. to be $300 million and growing at a rate of 30 percent annually.
Despite those numbers, online K-12 education programs are still unfamiliar to many consumers, including families with children and teenagers. Thus the need for marketing in general and sponsorship in particular.
Sponsors in the category include Herndon, Va.-based K12 Inc., which last month came on board as presenting sponsor of the Sports Challenge exhibit at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute Science Museum, and Connections Academy, LLC, which recently signed a first-time tie to Wyoming’s Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo.
K12 also is a sponsor of Cheyenne Frontier Days, in its second year on behalf of its Wyoming Virtual Academy.
In addition, Insight Schools, Inc. signed a last-minute deal to sponsor July’s Comcast Bite of Seattle on behalf of Insight School of Washington.
Sponsorship Objective: Reach Families
Most K-12 online educators focus sponsorship activity on fairs, sports, museums and other properties that can deliver one-on-one marketing opportunities with families.
That was the primary driver behind Connections Academy’s new partnership with Cheyenne Frontier Days.
“We need to be in front of people, and sponsorship lets us talk to them and help them understand this is an available education option,” said Susan Fancher, the company’s senior vice president of marketing.
The company is using the partnership to promote the recent opening of a virtual charter high school in Wyoming, the Jackson Hole Connections Academy. Connections opened the school in partnership with Teton County School District No. 1.
Connections also uses the sponsorship to reach families and students from neighboring Colorado, another state where it offers a virtual high school.
In addition to attendees, the company also is looking to build its presence in front of students who participate in the rodeos and other activities during Cheyenne Frontier Days.
“We have a number of students who participate in equestrian and other types of events,” Fancher said. “This is a good audience to get in front of because our personalized approach is appropriate for younger students who participate in these types of activities.”
The company also may sponsor a figure skating event as a platform to reach skaters, said Fancher, noting that a nationally ranked skater is enrolled in a Connections Academy program.
Below,
IEG SR offers two tips on selling sponsorship to K-12 online educators.
Look for the local angle. While online education providers offer both public and private schools, most sponsor on behalf of their public offerings that are tied to state and local education systems. Proposals should reflect that interest in promoting to a local audience.
Know who to approach. Most online education companies spearhead and fund deals out of their corporate headquarters.
For example, Insight Schools, Inc. spearheaded its partnership with the Comcast Bite of Seattle out of its Portland, Ore. headquarters, despite the tie being on behalf of Insight School of Washington.
Sources
Connections Academy, LLC, Tel: 443/529-1000