Stoa has rolled out a campaign ‘Stoa isn’t for you’ that harps on the message that a degree isn’t applicable in every situation.
Conceptualised by Vishal Dayama, an independent writer and creative director, the films showcase that while MBA is one of the most sought-after degrees, not all of them hold value. It uses reverse psychology to spread awareness about its management program.
The first film showcases a family of a patient with the doctor. The doctor tells the family that the patient has second-degree burns. Without listening to the harm the patient has been caused, the family starts rejoicing hearing 'second degree'. The film ends by emphasising that a degree is not valuable everywhere.
The second film features a protagonist on a date with his degree refusing to place an order at the restaurant and is just admiring it from the opposite seat. The film ends by saying that ‘if a degree fills your stomach, then Stoa isn’t for you’.
The third film depicts a protagonist showcasing his degree at a traffic signal to get away from the havoc he created. The film ends by highlighting that a degree can't get you out of an unpleasant situation.
Raj Kunkolienkar, co-founder, Stoa, said, “One of the ways we looked at the campaign is to make sure that customers can qualify themselves - we aren’t really for those who are just after a degree. Given the obsession in our society around that, I think the ad films make their point pretty clearly.”
Aditya Kulkarni, co-founder, Stoa, said, “Stoa is now a community of 1000 plus business professionals who are crazy enough to pursue this modern take on business education without the degree. Some of our alumni are already top operators at the fastest growing companies - but what gives us more joy is this sense of community - there is not any major city left where Stoa alums don't meet regularly.”
Rishabh Khatter, business head, The Rabbit Hole (Zoo Media Network), said, “At the Rabbit Hole we appreciate it when a brand stands out in thought, message and approach with a room to experiment on advertising narrative. Raj and Aditya provided that exactly to the creative and execution teams making it an absolute pleasure to be associated with this campaign. We look forward to disrupting a lot more for them in the future as we have previously in the ed-tech ecosystem.”
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