The Power of Collaboration – Redefining What’s Possible

Case Study: The Explore It. Achieve It. Campaign

California’s workforce is shrinking. Over the past two decades, labor force participation in the state has dropped from 67% to 62%, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. As the population continues to age and key industries face critical talent shortages, it’s clear that traditional education and workforce pipelines must evolve.

In response to these challenges, regional leaders who are part of the Central San Joaquin Valley K-16 Partnership (Partnership) are executing proactive strategies to prepare 300,000 K-16 students and adult learners in the Central San Joaquin Valley for success in a rapidly changing economy.

The macro-regional Partnership is a collaboration between the Fresno-Madera K-16 Collaborative (FMK16C) and the Tulare-Kings College and Career Collaborative (TKCCC), two micro-regional organizations committed to achieving equity. The Partnership has successfully engaged 42 K-16 institutions, demonstrating a collaborative educational network designed to enhance student outcomes.

Additionally, almost 100 industry partners work with the Partnership to support intentional student work-based learning (WBL). WBL partners such as the California Teaching Fellows Foundation (CTFF), True North Physician Agency, and HealthForce work with multiple K-16 institutions to expose students to career pathways, specifically in Education and Health.

The Partnership is driving educational and economic opportunities through strategies that develop students’ technical and employability skills and connect them with employers. These outcomes align with Governor Newsom’s vision for the California Master Plan for Career Education, ensuring that individuals have opportunities to explore paths in a hands-on manner, build connections with employers, and create dynamic talent pipelines that can drive economic growth and foster more resilient communities.

About the Explore It Achieve It Campaign

As part of these efforts, the Partnership launched the Explore It. Achieve It. initiative to raise awareness about K-16 opportunities that support student success in various career pathways, early college credit, and certificate or upskilling programs. The goal is to inform students and adult learners about career pathways and the benefits of career exploration in health, education, business, and engineering.

Additionally, the initiative aims to align education with industry needs to strengthen the local talent pipeline. It promotes hands-on exploration, work-based learning, and skill development across the macro-region.

FCM’s Involvement

To bring this multi-county initiative to life, Full Capacity Marketing (FCM) designed and implemented a comprehensive integrated marketing strategy based on a deep understanding of the workforce and education sectors.

FCM began with targeted market research to uncover the motivations and challenges faced by parents, adult learners, college seekers, and employers within the region. This research included a thorough brand sentiment analysis, a communications audit, and focus group interviews with key stakeholders. The insights gathered from this research informed all aspects of the campaign, including messaging, tone, and engagement strategy.

After establishing the overarching campaign theme of “Explore It. Achieve It,” FCM created and launched ExploreItAchieveIt.org. This user-friendly website features career pathway breakdowns, skill-building resources, work-based learning opportunities, and tools for employer engagement.

FCM also developed a communications toolkit featuring campaign materials in multiple languages (English, Spanish, Hmong, and Punjabi) to assist school districts and community-based organizations with their student outreach and recruitment efforts. Toolkit materials include fact sheets about the four career pathways, ready-made campaign posters and direct mailers, a social media post bank, a customizable press release, and eNewsletter templates.

To drive visibility to the site, FCM utilized earned media and a combined paid and organic social media campaign, ensuring connection with the campaign’s target audiences. Each element of the strategy was crafted to build awareness, encourage career exploration, and ultimately drive users to take the next step in their career journey.

Integrated Marketing Strategy

FCM implemented a strategic integrated marketing approach to raise awareness of career exploration opportunities and the Partnership’s initiatives across the Central San Joaquin Valley.

To enhance the impact of the Explore It. Achieve It. campaign, FCM executed a strategic public relations (PR) effort targeting regional, statewide, and national media. The outreach prioritized local business and education journalists in the Central San Joaquin Valley. A press release announced the campaign launch, followed by direct media outreach that positioned key partners as thought leaders in workforce and education. FCM facilitated opportunities to share student success stories, highlight employer-education collaborations, and connect the campaign’s outcomes to broader state workforce goals. This PR strategy not only increased visibility but also ensured that the voices behind the campaign were heard at every level.

To further drive traffic and awareness, FCM launched targeted paid advertising campaigns aimed at key demographics across Fresno, Madera, Tulare, and Kings counties, including parents, students, adult learners, and education advocates. The goal was to direct traffic to the Explore It. Achieve It. website while promoting high-growth, high-wage career pathways. By utilizing a strategic mix of platforms—Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Google Search, and TikTok—the campaign delivered targeted messaging through dynamic creative formats designed to capture attention and inspire action.

Additionally, FCM executed a robust organic social media campaign aimed at deepening engagement and enhancing visibility. The organic campaign was built around three core content pillars: educate, raise awareness, and promote. By delivering relevant, high-value content across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X, FCM focused on career pathway education, work-based learning opportunities for employers, and compelling storytelling through video content and success stories from partners. This organic strategy not only amplified the media coverage but also complemented the paid campaign, creating a cohesive digital presence that extended the campaign’s reach and impact.

Together, these integrated efforts created a cohesive digital presence, broadening the campaign’s impact and effectively promoting career exploration resources among stakeholders.

The Results
The integrated strategy of the Explore It. Achieve It. campaign highlights the importance of strategically leveraging paid, earned, and shared media to build trust and engage key stakeholders.

The campaign gained early momentum through organic social media posts and public relations efforts, laying the foundation for an effective paid campaign. Our public relations initiatives achieved a news reach of 2.8 million, with 248 mentions in outlets like The Fresno Bee and The Business Journal.

Organic efforts began in January 2025, three months prior to the paid launch. The organic campaign established credibility for the paid campaign, resulting in 38,000 post impressions (an increase of 2,450%), 1,320 post engagements (increase of 951%), over 550 new followers, and more than 200 link clicks across various platforms.

In the first two months, the paid campaign generated 3.42 million impressions and drove a total of 12,609 clicks to the campaign website. Ongoing optimizations and adjustments across channels kept the campaign competitive, with refinements in targeting and budget helping to improve lead quality and relevance.

These efforts illustrate the value of an integrated communications strategy in maximizing reach, building trust, and driving meaningful engagement across target audiences.

Explore the campaign site: ExploreItAchieveIt.org

Want to replicate this impact in your region? Contact Full Capacity Marketing to schedule a free consultation.