Deakin Res
From local campaigns to global student reach: Driving student accommodation growth for Deakin University
Deakin Res are the Student Residential arm of Deakin University.
Client: Deakin Residential Services
Industry: Higher Education, Student accommodation
Speciality: On-campus accommodation
Established: 1973
Team: Operates under Deakin University
Locations: Melbourne Burwood, Geelong Waurn Ponds, Geelong Waterfront, Warrnambool, Indonesia, & India
Partnership since: 2027
Origin
Red Herring Digital has supported Deakin University Residential Services since 2017, helping to grow awareness of its on and off-campus student accommodation offering.
During this time, we have worked alongside Deakin Res running nationwide and international paid ad campaigns across Meta and Google, while also managing their social media channels. Our focus has been on attracting future residents to the university’s accommodation services and increasing awareness of their facilities through relatable, reassuring messaging tailored to students living out of home for the first time.
Today, Deakin Res is an award-winning service, recognised for its inclusive student experience, wellbeing initiatives, strong community and modern accommodation facilities, making it a trusted choice for students both locally and abroad.
The report card
The latest application cycle demonstrated a solid performance and steady growth in new student applications (YOY):
Domestic Applications: Achieved a 15% YOY Increase
International Applications: Maintained upward momentum with a 6% YOY increase.
Total market impact: 11% increase in overall application volume
Growth timeline
1973: The first student accommodation opened at the Waurn Ponds campus in Geelong (then known as The Gorden), laying the foundations for the residential services to come.
1977: Deakin University officially opens to students, welcoming 2445 students and 404 staff members in its first year.
1984: By 1984, Deakin University expanded its campus infrastructure, including student residences, a 300-seat lecture theatre, laboratories and administration facilities.
1990: Deakin University connects to the internet, marking a commitment to digital innovation and connected learning.
1994: Deakin establishes operations in India.
1996: The Geelong Waterfront Campus opens, bringing student life into the heart of the city.
2018: Student accommodation at the Waterfront campus is announced, with 400 students to be lodged at Brougham House.
2021: Deakin Residential Services receives recognition and awards for its student accommodation experience, celebrating its focus on inclusion, well-being initiatives, community, and modern facilities.
Launched a campaign featuring Deakin University students speaking in their native languages to create authentic ads targeted at prospective students in their home countries.
From Move-In to belonging
For nearly a decade, we have partnered with Deakin Res to strengthen student accommodation recruitment through strategic Meta and Google Paid ad campaigns. Targeting both domestic and international audiences, our approach has evolved alongside Deakin Res. Our focus has been to showcase its award-winning facilities, strong sense of community and inclusive student experience, positioning it as a leading choice for prospective students while studying at Deakin University.
Client testimonial
We were drawn to Red Herring Digital initially as we were looking for an agency that could implement advertising strategies for us that would generate leads for both our student and short state business arms and manage our social media channels.
Only having to liaise with one agency has saved me so much time and we get real brand consistency across all platforms. They understand our brand and assist us to authentically share our story to future residents both on Instagram and Facebook and they’ve used Google AdWords to effectively generate quality leads for us.
If you’re looking for an agency that can do it all then I encourage you to consider Red Herring Digital.
Angela – Marketing & Communications Manager at Deakin Residential Services