China Case Study: Iowa State University’s Localized Outreach Strategy
As more Chinese students and families turn to digital channels to research overseas education options, Iowa State University (ISU) recognized the need to deepen its engagement within this critical market. Partnering with Sunrise, ISU set out to refine its online presence through customized platform strategies, localized content, and culturally resonant campaigns that speak directly to Chinese families. This case study explores how ISU leveraged website localization, social media optimization, and multi-channel campaigns to connect with prospective students and parents across China, achieving measurable growth in visibility and engagement.
Foundations of Engagement: Website Localization and Search Visibility
To establish credibility and accessibility, ISU prioritized the creation of a fully localized Chinese website (www.iowastate.cn). Sunrise developed a mobile-first design that emphasized intuitive navigation, integrating ISU’s brand elements—such as its cardinal-and-gold color scheme and iconic campus imagery—to foster familiarity. Floating application buttons and device-responsive layouts ensured seamless access for users across regions.
Hosting on a .cn domain minimized latency issues common with overseas servers, ensuring faster load times for mainland users. This optimization proved vital for engaging parents, who often spearhead education decisions but may lack English proficiency. Over the past year, the website attracted significant traffic, with a large proportion of users accessing the site in Simplified Chinese—underscoring the success of localization efforts. Top traffic sources included Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing, aligning with key recruitment regions.
Dual-Platform Social Strategy: WeChat and Weibo Integration
ISU adopted different approaches on WeChat and Weibo, recognizing the distinct audiences for two platforms:
WeChat Official Account (爱荷华州立大学):
Sunrise managed overseas account verification and weekly content updates, growing engagement with 115 posts. Gender distribution skewed slightly female, with 34.43% of followers aged 26-35—a key demographic for graduate recruitment. Top-performing posts, such as virtual campus tours and alumni career stories, achieved high interaction rates, resonating particularly with younger generations.
Weibo Lite Account (@美国爱荷华州立大学):
On Weibo, Sunrise shared bite-sized news and event highlights. The account was verified as an official university account with a blue checkmark and continued to grow. Given Weibo users‘ preference for consuming fragmented information, our posts were kept concise and to the point, delivering key messages directly. Campaign-driven content, such as “ISU Admitted Students Meetup,” garnered 19,000 views and “The 2025-2026 OneApp is OPEN” reached 16,000 views—surpassing peer benchmarks by 63%. This strategy effectively engaged the target audience and contributed to the account's continued growth.
Video-Driven Engagement: Bilibili and Douyin Campaigns
To further captivate younger audiences, ISU tapped into Bilibili and Douyin—platforms synonymous with short-form video consumption. Known as the “YouTube of China,” Bilibili is dominated with over 70% of its 300 million monthly active users aged 16-25, making it ideal for showcasing campus culture and student life. Its interactive feature, bullet comments, and community-driven content allow universities to build authentic connections. Douyin (TikTok China), on the other hand, dominates short-form video consumption with 700 million daily active users, leveraging AI-powered algorithms to amplify viral reach. The platform’s ability to serve highly personalized content to users who are genuinely “in market” for studying overseas makes it a powerful tool for increasing visibility among younger demographics.
To maximize these platforms’ distinct strengths, Sunrise crafted tailored content strategies. For Bilibili, Sunrise produced 15 original Mandarin videos and built out a curated thematic collection called “Innovate at Iowa” series. It is a structured program featuring interdisciplinary industry partnerships where students transform technical expertise into industrial solutions through executive-mentored projects. “Innovate at Iowa” series complemented ISU’s "Faculty Spotlight" interviews that provide institutional thought leadership perspectives. Bilibili’s chapter-based content organization enabled targeted audience navigation through specialized interest areas.
On Douyin, platform naming restrictions prompted creative adaptation: the account “The Mascot Cy” (inspired by ISU’s cardinal mascot) became the vehicle for bite-sized, trend-aligned content. Despite posting only 9 videos, the account quickly gained a solid follower base. Douyin channel’s performance revealed meaningful engagement patterns,demonstrating Douyin’s ability to transform niche topics into viral moments through algorithmic amplification.
Targeted Advertising: Bridging Generational Preferences
Sunrise orchestrated parallel campaigns to address the priorities of students and parents:
Student-Facing Campaigns: On platforms such as Weibo, Bilibili, and Douyin, Sunrise targeted younger audiences with content that balanced academic rigor and student life. For example, Bilibili’s community-driven features allowed ISU to showcase immersive campus tours and student organization highlights, fostering authentic connections. Similarly, Douyin stood out with its trend-driven, short-lived content formats that quickly adapted to the latest youth interests. Its interactive nature encourages users to creatively transform messages into viral content, amplifying key messages through user-generated videos. Additionally, augmented reality (AR) tools added an interactive dimension to ISU’s outreach, providing students with a fun, engaging way to explore the university and connect with ISU’s community. We also applied geo-targeting approach to prioritize high-potential cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, ensuring the campaigns resonated with the right demographic.
Parent-Facing Campaigns: To engage parents, we developed value-driven content focused on post-graduation outcomes and career opportunities, which are critical factors in their decision-making process. This content was delivered through platforms like WeChat and Weibo. Key campaign messages such as "MONEY Rates Iowa State as the Best Large University in the State" attracted significant attention, with posts reaching over 14,000 views. These campaigns were further supported by retargeting tactics that drove lead generation and engagement.
Augmented Reality: Interactive Experiences for Deeper Engagement
Beyond traditional digital content, ISU also partnered with Sunrise to introduce several augmented reality (AR) interactive experiences, adding a new dimension to its engagement strategy. The AR Multivideo Postcard, AR Smart Business Card, and AR Greenscreen Mascot brought an interactive element to ISU’s outreach, enriching the student experience and enhancing their connection to the university.
By scanning QR codes on the cards, users could instantly view promotional videos, access contact details, and visit social media platforms for more information. A particularly popular feature was the AR Greenscreen Mascot, which allowed users to interact with ISU’s mascot, Cy the Cardinal, in real time and environment through their mobile devices. This fun, engaging experience created a sense of connection and community, making ISU’s outreach more memorable for students and families. These AR tools were also a step toward sustainability, reducing paper waste and offering a more engaging alternative to static promotional materials.
