Mikky's Journey
Yeshivat Ohr Dovid wanted to embrace video recruitment, but they had little time to devote to the project. We helped them tell one student’s story, creating a tool they could use to invite prospects on a similar journey of their own.
CHALLENGE
As recruitment season approached, Yeshivat Ohr David knew they needed to embrace video. The yeshiva had so much room to grow, but getting the word out was a challenge.
In order to reach a wider pool of applicants, they had to communicate their message more effectively. With video, they believed they could tell their story in a way that would draw in prospects to investigate the Ohr Dovid experience.
The only problem was, they didn’t have the time. The day-to-day realities of running an institution of learning were always the priority; the recruitment video, no matter how important it was, somehow kept getting pushed to the bottom of the to-do list.
By the time we took on the project, there was no way we could put together a full-length recruitment film before the deadline. The victory would be in figuring out an alternative that could do the job and do it well.
PROCESS
Our recruitment videos often feature students sharing their reasons for supporting a particular school or program. Through candid, on-camera interviews, we build a narrative that expresses the authentic core that defines an institution and sets it apart from other options. The work a school has done, the people they’ve helped, actually become their greatest resource.
Since we didn’t have time to achieve this full effect, we needed another angle. Instead of trying to capture the big picture, we decided to zoom in for a close-up. Maybe we couldn’t tell the whole story of Ohr Dovid, but we could tell one person’s story with depth and detail. By immersing prospects in his challenges and triumphs, we’d demonstrate the journey that was available to them, too.
We carefully selected a student who was articulate, thoughtful, and passionate about Ohr Dovid and its values. He was not only well-spoken in front of the camera, but active in his own growth process, having saved up the money for his plane ticket himself. While there were hesitations – we might have preferred someone with a more conventional background, or someone who’d been at the yeshiva longer – in the end, we believed that he was exactly the right choice to represent the yeshiva to the public.
Success stories are usually utilized as a follow-up for recruitment films, the social proof that persuades viewers that you can deliver on your promises. Ideally, we make a few different success story videos in order to show off a few different experiences and appeal to different kinds of people.
In this video, the success story was the promise. If you wanted an experience like this, Ohr Dovid was the place for you.
