EXPLORE Group specialises in data software and data science consulting services. The business is led by top global academics and practitioners with decades of experience in real-world problem-solving.
Explore Data Science Academy is the training arm of the business; its philosophy is to teach students how to solve problems in the real world, emphasising teamwork, collaboration and working within constraints, under deadlines, while understanding context, audience and implementation challenges.
The Challenge
Explore Data Science Academy (EDSA) has been a pioneer in the field of education and training in South Africa for skills in data science and data engineering.
Launched in 2017 by founder and CEO Shaun Dippnall, EDSA offers expertise in data subjects, technology design and experiential education. It works with major companies across the globe using data science to find the solutions to complex questions.
In the UK, it’s been widely reported that there is a data science skills shortage. Following the success of its programs in South Africa and the credibility of its work with Thames Water in the UK, the company sought to leverage media relations to launch its academy and data courses to UK graduates.
Context’s brief was to raise the launch of EDSA in the UK in order to attract candidates to the program through a two-month news and thought leadership campaign.
The Strategy
Explore’s UK launch campaign started with targeting national and sector media (education, technology, careers, utilities and business).
Press releases were launched announcing the academy and its range of course followed by a press release announcing a limited number of free scholarships for exceptional candidates.
Context regularly monitored the media for reactive comment opportunities within data science, skills shortage, AI etc. Other showcase opportunities included leveraging Shaun Dippnall (CEO) for comment and interviews and pitching proactive thought leadership ideas.
The Result
Context’s comprehensive media campaign resulted in 43 pieces of coverage generated over two months.
Highlights include Education Technology, Training Journal, The Water Report, Business Express, Further Education News and a comment from Shaun in Technology Magazine.
We also secured a podcast interview at The Data Scientist where Shaun speaks about educating new data scientists and shares his views on what it takes to create a successful data science program.
Context’s launch campaign for Explore was a success and EDSA hit its target for UK applications.