OPEN UNIVERSITY

BACKGROUND

Young people today face more uncertainty than ever — nearly half don’t know what career they want, and rising costs mean many can’t afford to leave home. Feeling unseen and under pressure, they’re turning away from traditional university routes.

The Open University offers a way forward — flexible, career-focused learning that fits around real life. If more 18–19s knew the OU could give them control and confidence, it could be life-changing.

WHAT WE DID

Over 6 million young people turn to gaming for escape – so we worked with the OU to meet them there and turn gaming fantasy into real-world opportunity.

Career Quest reimagined six classic NPCs as Open University graduates, from a Sport & Fitness Warrior to a Law-studying Oracle — each showcasing a real OU course and career path. These characters came to life through cinematic, game-style storytelling across TikTok, Instagram, and GAMINGbible, fronted by popular creator Shabaz. His unique style blended humour and insight, sharing the “academic backstories” of each NPC and highlighting OU’s key benefits: flexibility, support, and employability.

An interactive Snapchat AR filter then let users discover which NPC matched their study style, linking directly to relevant OU degrees – making the leap from gaming to real-life goals at the touch of their fingertips.

To showcase this filter we teamed up with five creators — Sharky, Yammy, Megan, Jake, and Shauni – bringing their unique styles and a combined 36.8M TikTok followers to turn views into real engagement and supercharge campaign reach.

RESULTS

Career Quest didn’t just grab attention — it sparked real action, driving a year-on-year increase in 18–19-year-old recruitment to The Open University.

With 13.4M impressions, 92K+ engagements (2x benchmark), and the most-liked branded IG Reel across LADbible Group in 2024, platform performance soared. But more importantly, perceptions shifted:

• +6% uplift in young people discussing OU
  
• +16% saw OU as “exciting”
  
• 4 in 10 gamers now say “OU is for someone like me”
  

Thousands also used our AR filter to discover their NPC identity and explore OU career paths – showing this campaign didn’t just entertain, it empowered a generation to take the next step.