AZ529 Arizona’s Education Savings Plan

In 2020, the Office of the Arizona State Treasurer (OSTA) became the new steward and administrator of the State’s 529 Education Savings Plans. Treasurer Kimberly Yee led efforts to build strategic partnerships that would help fulfill her vision of bringing 529 plans to families across the State who may not otherwise consider college, vocational school, or post-high school education opportunities. Davidson Belluso led statewide, bilingual advertising and public relations efforts to educate key audiences about the program, increase awareness, and encourage underserved communities to invest in education. In addition to traditional advertising, the marketing strategy included art, essay, and photography contests to encourage engagement among Arizona’s K-12 students.

Marketing Objectives

• Refresh and relaunch the AZ529 brand, leveraging Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee’s image and platform to establish continuity and program recognition
• Increase awareness and enrollment in the AZ529 Arizona’s Education Savings Plan, expanding target audience, promoting all eligible educational opportunities (not just college), and encouraging participation among a broader audience
• Increase traffic to the AZ529 website through media, public relations, and creative efforts

Results

• 39% increase in new AZ529 accounts under OSTA stewardship, compared to the prior 26 months (29,244 new accounts were opened)
• 18.3% increase in plan assets (up to $1.92 billion)
• 504% increase in essay contest submissions
• 71% increase in art contest submissions