• by Fern Siegel , Yesterday

Some 10 years ago, graduate schools began making the GRE exams optional. But the COVID pandemic created an industry shift. The reasons are various, but the bottom line remains. Requirements are specific to university departments — and many consider the test optional.

So how does a 78-year-old brand survive?

Using audience research, Bindery produced digital-first creative, running on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn, to cast the GRE as a “Step Forward.” The spot suggests the exam will help grad-school applicants stand out. 

The agency also added a new visual identity, with an updated color palette and typographic design, to establish a refreshed look with an ongoing goal: securing admission.

“Students weren’t rejecting the GRE,” said Greg Beauchamp. Bindery CEO. “What we found was a generation navigating unprecedented optionality. Their questions weren't really about a test. They were about who they wanted to become and how to move forward with confidence.”

The research identified a key audience segment, what Bindery calls the “motivated middle,” to help them navigate the complicated landscape.

According to ETS, approximately 256,215 individuals took the GRE in the 2023–2024 testing cycle, down from over half a million a decade ago.

“This work elevates the GRE from a trusted test to a defining force in graduate admissions, one that meets today’s learners with clarity, confidence and purpose,” said Paul Gollash, senior vice president of TOEFL and GRE at ETS. “It signals a clear step forward, one where rigor and relevance go hand in hand."

Bindery’s client work includes Apple, Nike, Walmart and Land Rover.