Industry overview
What is shaping shipbuilding
Shipbuilding and maritime services depend on a deep supplier ecosystem, skilled workforce and port infrastructure, with long project cycles and strict standards.
- Supplier capability limits how fast yards can scale
- Skilled trades are scarce and ageing
- Port users judge performance on turnaround and reliability
Client background
A maritime training institute, working in India, Indonesia & Malaysia. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A maritime training institute
- Sector
- Shipbuilding
- Team engaged
- Digital Marketing
- Services
- Lead generation, Content marketing, Social media advertising
Client challenge
The institute received many enquiries from students who did not meet medical or academic requirements, and parents had concerns about safety and career prospects at sea.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: attracting qualified students to a maritime training institute.
- Set measurable targets and a tracking baseline before launch.
- Improve results through structured testing, reported in plain language.
Target audience
Scope: Website, social and search campaigns.
Audiences we typically reach in shipbuilding
Shipyards and project managersMarine equipment suppliersSkilled workers and traineesPort users and shipping linesMaritime regulators
Geographic coverage
Coverage: India, Indonesia & Malaysia. Markets: India, Indonesia and Malaysia.
- India
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
Research methodology
A test-and-learn programme: a clear baseline, focused campaigns and weekly optimisation against agreed targets.
- 1Brief
- 2Career guidance content
- 3Targeted campaigns
- 4Counselling workflow
- 5Insight
We created honest content explaining eligibility, medical standards, costs, training and career paths, including interviews with working seafarers. Campaigns targeted students and parents in coastal and inland states, and enquiry forms collected eligibility information upfront. Every campaign was linked to tracking, so the institute could see which channels produced eligible applicants rather than just enquiries.
Lead generationContent marketingSocial media advertising
Sampling strategy
- Audiences were defined from the client's customer data and platform targeting, with test and control groups where possible.
Data collection
- Campaign, website and CRM data were tracked daily through analytics and ad platforms.
Data quality & validation
- Conversion tracking tested end to end
- Consistent UTM tagging on every link
- Numbers reconciled between ad platforms and analytics
- Two-person check before anything goes live
Data analysis
- Funnel analysis from impression to lead or sale
- A/B test results on creatives, keywords and pages
- Channel and campaign attribution
Key findings
- Counsellors spent more time with eligible students, and parents engaged more with content addressing safety and careers.
Addressing parents’ concerns directly was as important as attracting students.
Recommendations
- The institute filled its batches with better-prepared students.
- Keep testing creatives, keywords and landing pages against the new baseline.
What we recommended, and the client put into practice
Business impact
- Counsellors also reported more productive conversations with parents, who arrived better informed about training, costs and life at sea.
Deliverables & next steps
- Campaign assets and landing pages
- Monthly performance report
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: what would attract more skilled workers?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.