CCA DMBA · 2025
From internal positioning to market reality.
— We turned an existing brand direction into a market-validated growth strategy.
Role
design strategist
TEAM
Team of 3
stage
Market validation
duration
3 months
What I did here
my focus
Reframing the problem
Shifted the challenge from positioning to top-of-funnel discovery—where the real breakdown occurs
Market-driven validation
Turned 5 CEP-based message directions into controlled ad tests to see what actually resonates
Message-to-system translation
Built a content and channel strategy anchored in the top-performing narrative
the outcome
Replaced an internal “leadership” narrative with a market-validated “MBA for Makers” direction—and operationalized it into a scalable system.
the problem
DMBA enrollment had dropped 76% in a decade. This is the dilemma of an MBA program in an art school.
CCA's MBA in Design Strategy (DMBA) is one of the first design-focused MBA programs in an art school. It sits at the intersection of business + design — a space with real potential.
At the same time, more than 90% of students came through word-of-mouth. That's a ceiling, not a channel. Most prospective students don’t even know the program exists.
This wasn’t a conversion problem. This was a visibility problem.
DMBA enrollment dropped by 76% in the last decade
the inherited brief
The previous team had done the research. We started from a positioning that was already validated.
A prior team spent 8 weeks on qualitative research — interviews with students, faculty, and alumni — and built a brand foundation around leadership aspiration: "Where creatives learn to lead." They identified a Makers framing, but filed it under secondary benefits. The lead was identity.
We inherited that direction. Our job was to take it to market.
There was one thing the qualitative research hadn't tested: whether that messaging could reach someone who had never heard of DMBA.
Work done by the previous team
the reframe
DMBA relies on CCA channels — but those channels don’t reach its audience.
Instead of iterating on positioning again, we looked at the funnel. Where exactly are we losing people?
What we found was simple but important. DMBA mostly shows up through CCA’s general channels, which are built for an art school audience. That audience doesn’t overlap much with people looking for an MBA. So even though content exists, it rarely reaches the right people.
At the same time, most engagement was happening within an existing network. The program wasn’t expanding its reach — it was circulating within it.
That’s when the problem became clear: this is a top-of-funnel issue.
Most of DMBA’s marketing lives in the middle of the funnel, where content is relevant but reach is limited. Meanwhile, top-of-funnel channels are owned by CCA and optimized for a different audience.
As a result, the program rarely enters new consideration sets.
the direction
To scale in TOFU, we needed a message people understand in seconds.
Reaching new people only works if the message lands.
The existing positioning (leadership, innovation) made sense internally, but required context. At first touch, it wasn’t clear what DMBA actually is.
So instead of refining it, we started from when people enter this category.
Using CEPs, we mapped the moments someone considers a program like this — and turned each into a distinct messaging direction.
Then we tested which one actually works.
Category Entry Points (CEP) we defined for DMBA
the testing
We tested messages in the real market.
5 messages. Same format. Only the headline changed.
Ran as ads on Instagram and Reddit — where our audience actually spends time.
2 channels. $300. 3 days.
We measured clicks because clicks don't lie.
5 distinctive directions with controlled visual factors. Guess which one won?
what the market said
Lead with “Makers.” Support with “Future.”
“MBA for Makers” is a clear winner on both platforms. Because people don’t have patience for interpretation. They need something clear at first touch.
“MBA for the Future” expands the audience — especially for people who don’t identify as makers.
So the strategy becomes:
Lead with something people understand. Support with something they aspire to.
Maker's MBA
CTR
CPC
CTR
CPC
Maker's MBA
0.96%
$1.13
0.47%
$0.81
MBA for the future
0.93%
$1.33
0.43%
$0.86
MBA for creative leaders
0.76%
$1.81
0.41%
$0.87
Human-centered MBA
0.61%
$2.00
0.37%
$0.69
MBA for multi-career
0.49%
$2.74
0.35%
$0.79
content strategy
We show what “making” actually looks like.
Instead of describing the program, we show it.
The content system is designed to make “MBA for Makers” visible, not just stated.
40%
Making in Progress
Work-in-progress sketches
Whiteboards, maps, messy thinking
Prototypes & iterations
Discussions mid-process
30%
MBA for the future
Future of work
Navigating uncertainty
Where this degree leads
20%
Makers in Practice
Student work
Mini case studies
Alumni spotlights
10%
Interactive
Q&A
Student tools & lessons
Faculty picks
Lead with Makers. Support with Future.
the result
We started bringing it to life.
Working with DMBA's marketing team, we applied the content system directly to DMBA’s Instagram.
Instead of polished, finished outcomes, we showed work in progress.
Instead of describing the program, we made it visible.
Early posts reflect a shift toward:
– more process, less polish
– more making, less messaging
– more clarity, less explanation
Screenshots from actual DMBA account
something more
What we couldn’t test (but designed for)
Right after implementation, CCA announced its shutdown.
We couldn’t scale paid media or validate long-term impact.
But the work doesn’t stop here.
This project shifted DMBA from internal positioning to something the market can actually understand — and created a foundation that can carry forward as the program evolves beyond CCA.
A heartbreaking news for all students and faculty