How Paul Mitchell Schools audio campaign generated 775% ROI — and enrolled 3 new students.

Overview

Four Paul Mitchell Schools in the Salt Lake City area needed a way to drive awareness and enrollment for a major scholarship campaign. Their existing social media channels — Instagram and Facebook — were reaching a ceiling. Working with digital agency Elytics, the schools turned to AudioGO to reach a highly engaged, younger audience through streaming audio.

The result: 250,000+ ad plays, measurable social lift, 3 new student enrollments, and a 775% return on a $6,000 investment.

At a Glance

About Paul Mitchell Schools

Paul Mitchell Schools is one of the most recognized cosmetology education brands in the country. With 118 campuses across 35 states, it carries the heritage of celebrity hairdresser Paul Mitchell and a long-standing reputation for training the next generation of beauty professionals.

The four Salt Lake City–area campuses partnered with Elytics — a data-driven digital marketing agency — to explore audio advertising as a new channel for student recruitment. The target audience: college-aged women (18–24) who were already spending significant time on streaming audio platforms.

Campaign Objectives

The schools were running a limited-time "One Million Dollar Scholarship Give-Away" — a high-stakes enrollment driver with a clear call to action. The campaign goal was straightforward:

• Build awareness of the scholarship program among 18–24 year-old women in the Salt Lake City market
• Drive visits to the campaign landing page
• Generate inquiries and enrollment activity at local campuses

Strategy & Execution

Elytics used AudioGO to plan, build, and launch the campaign — all within 24 hours of ad creation. Here's how it came together:

Ad format

30-second digital audio spots, paired with companion display banners, ran across streaming audio and podcast inventory throughout the 30-day campaign window.

Speed to launch

Campaign setup was completed in under 5 minutes. The audio ad itself was produced and uploaded in under 24 hours — a fraction of the time and cost associated with traditional radio buys.

Budget

Total campaign spend: $6,000. No minimums, no contracts, no agency overhead for media buying.

Targeting Approach

AudioGO's precision targeting was central to the campaign's efficiency. Rather than broad market reach, Elytics focused the budget tightly on the most likely prospects:

This hyper-local, demographic-specific approach ensured every dollar was working against the most qualified audience — young women in market who were actively streaming content.

Results & Performance

The 30-day campaign delivered measurable results across awareness, engagement, and enrollment:

Detailed performance breakdown:

• 250,000+ ad plays delivered to the target audience
• 958 Facebook page engagements driven by the campaign
• 1,239 clicks to the campaign landing page
• 515 new Facebook page likes
• 3 students enrolled directly from campus visits attributed to the campaign
• $17,500 tuition value per enrolled student — yielding a 775% ROI on the $6,000 spend

Why it Worked

Several factors contributed to the campaign's outsized return:

1. The right audience, in the right place

College-aged women are heavy consumers of streaming audio. Reaching them in that environment — when they're already engaged and not fighting for attention against visual clutter — made the message land.

2. Speed and simplicity

Elytics had the campaign live in under 24 hours. AudioGO's self-serve platform removed the friction of traditional media buying, freeing the agency to focus on strategy and creative.

3. Audio complements social — it doesn't replace it

The campaign drove measurable lift on Paul Mitchell Schools' existing Facebook presence: nearly 1,000 engagements and 515 new followers. Audio advertising amplified what was already working.

4. A compelling offer, precisely delivered

The "One Million Dollar Scholarship Give-Away" was a strong hook. AudioGO's targeting ensured it reached exactly the people who were most likely to act on it.