Featured Project - American Institute of CPAs
03.04.2010
In:
Professional / Financial Services,
Interactive,
Advertising / Design
Among students, dated stereotypes about accounting are common, so we had to debunk the "colorless number-cruncher" perception immediately. Second, we needed to open students' eyes to the world of opportunity provided by the CPA credential.
FutureMe TM — the central feature of the site — lets students assume the persona of a CPA complete with the job, salary, location and perks of their choosing. Students build a FutureMeTM by navigating a rich Flash interface and identifying their likes and dislikes. Behind the scenes, the site builds a custom personality model that delivers a shortlist of jobs they are best suited for. Potential FutureMe TM jobs range from CFO for Tiffany & Co. to special agent for the FBI. Students save their FutureMes TM in the form of a customizable profile.
Besides allowing students the opportunity to explore careers, the project provides analytical data to the AICPA that helps them track and communicate with students, building relationships that will last beyond their high school years.
StartHereGoPlaces.com was formally announced to students with a bang: The Start Here, Rock Out Sweepstakes. Running from October to December 2009, this contest encouraged students to explore the site and build their FutureMe TM profiles for a chance to win one of 120 customized iPod touches.
True to our spirit of data-driven analysis, we monitor the site for performance, investing the most time and effort on sections that draw the most visitor attention.
In February 2010, for example, we updated the home page to entice even more users to create FutureMe TM profiles. To mitigate risk, we are running this as an A | B test — randomly serving either the old or new version and assessing which performs best with visitors. The updated homepage is 70 percent more likely to convert visitors into account holders.
In addition to the website, Capstrat has extended this campaign into other media: a magazine, teaching materials, a poster series and giveaways.
We're on the way to our goal of getting tens of thousands of students registered on the site, inspired by the opportunities in accounting and the CPA profession and looking toward future membership in the AICPA.
