Business Challenges & Objectives

Formerly a family-owned flight school, Sterling built a strong sense of community and connection between students, flight instructors and campus leadership. Under new ownership by experienced airline executives, however, the vision for Sterling’s ability to expand its student population and geographic footprint raised a critical need to rethink the visual and written positioning of the institution.

Sterling engaged W. BRADFORD to reimagine the institution’s brand identity and foundational marketing channels for appealing to future pilots and their parents. As part of the new vision, W. BRADFORD sought to convey the advantages students have at Sterling as a result of leadership with over 100 years of collective experience developing highly successful pilots, in addition to creating a sleek, premium brand that would itself be a differentiator among other flight schools. Additionally, Sterling sought to leverage the broad branding and lead generation experience the W. BRADFORD team has accumulated on behalf of higher education clients.

Brand Identity Development

To achieve the client’s objectives, W. BRADFORD first sought deeper insights into aviation career trends, the flight training process and the vision the institution’s new leaders had for Sterling. We discovered not only the growing shortage of regional and commercial pilots in the U.S. and around the world. In fact, more than 637,000 new commercial pilots will be needed worldwide by the year 2036.

Website Redesign

To achieve the client’s objectives, W. BRADFORD first sought deeper insights into aviation career trends, the flight training process and the vision the institution’s new leaders had for Sterling. We discovered not only the growing shortage of regional and commercial pilots in the U.S. and around the world. In fact, more than 637,000 new commercial pilots will be needed worldwide by the year 2036.

Following onboarding, we developed an overarching brand strategy and elevated brand identity, redesigned the website with SEO-optimized copy and launched a highly engaging social media program.

Social Media

To achieve the client’s objectives, W. BRADFORD first sought deeper insights into aviation career trends, the flight training process and the vision the institution’s new leaders had for Sterling. We discovered not only the growing shortage of regional and commercial pilots in the U.S. and around the world. In fact, more than 637,000 new commercial pilots will be needed worldwide by the year 2036.

Following onboarding, we developed an overarching brand strategy and elevated brand identity, redesigned the website with SEO-optimized copy and launched a highly engaging social media program.

Advertising & Promotional Elements

Beyond the foundational branding components that define the Sterling Flight Training student experience, W. BRADFORD developed a series of promotional and advertising elements to raise visibility for the flight school and spur future pilots to see the advantages a Sterling pilot license can provide.

Exterior Signage & Design Concepts

Beyond the more foundational components of the successful brand and digital marketing initiatives led by W. BRADFORD, we utilized the industrial design skills among our team to create renderings of new paint colors, signage and interior decor to formulate a fully seamless brand experience for Sterling students and staff.

The Sky’s The Limit

Further, the target audiences for Sterling’s brand and social media and other digital marketing initiatives responded to the bold evolution of the institution’s marketing approach, with skyrocketing social engagement and website traffic that increased in both volume and quality of generated leads.