Campaign Management, Performance Marketing, PPC Management

GIFT IFI: Ramping Up a High-Velocity Lead Engine on a War Footing

GIFT IFI: Ramping Up a High-Velocity Lead Engine on a War Footing

The Brand

GIFT IFI (International Fintech Institute) is a premier, first-of-its-kind fintech education institute established at GIFT City, in academic collaboration with Ahmedabad University, IIT Gandhinagar, and UC San Diego.

Its flagship offering – a rigorous 24-week Professional Certificate in Digital Payments and Banking Technology – is a high-consideration, premium-ticket programme engineered for graduates and ambitious working professionals looking to break into elite fintech roles.

The Brief

With an immovable admissions deadline of 31 January 2026, GIFT IFI needed to build and scale an admissions lead generation engine from a standing start in under 45 days.

The mandate was clear but demanding: execute on a war footing at high velocity and substantial budget, without compromising creative quality, brand positioning, or campaign architecture. Beyond raw volume, the true benchmark was lead pedigree – attracting serious, qualified applicants capable of clearing institute screening rather than inflating top-of-funnel numbers with superficial clicks.

5000+

Total Leads (45 Days)

₹259

Blended Average CPL

₹186

Meta Lead-Gen CPL

What we do
Performance Marketing
Campaign Management
PPC Management
Creative Delivery
Industry
Education / FinTech
Platforms
Meta Ads
Google Ads
LinkedIn Ads

Challenge

  1. High Ticket, High Consideration in a Compressed Window: At ₹1.2 Lakhs, for a certificate course, sits firmly in the considered-purchase bracket. Unlike low-ticket mass edtech products, every lead required active qualification and genuine career intent. Delivering this in an ultra-tight 45-day window required instant market traction.
  2. David vs. Goliath Competitive Landscape: Search and market data revealed prospects were actively cross-evaluating GIFT IFI against well-funded, established edtech giants (upGrad, Imarticus Learning, Great Learning). GIFT IFI needed to establish university-backed authority and distinct pedigree immediately.
  3. Multi-Channel Orchestration Without Quality Leakage: Scaling budgets rapidly across Meta, Google, and LinkedIn typically runs the risk of audience fatigue, rising CPLs, and diluted lead quality. The campaign setup had to be airtight from Day 1 to ensure that rapid media spend translated directly into high-pedigree candidates.

Bonoboz demonstrated exceptional speed, strategic clarity, and creative agility in ramping up our admissions campaign on a war footing. Their ability to deliver high volume while maintaining strict lead pedigree and cost efficiency was instrumental in building our flagship cohort.

Shohini Ghosh,

Chief of Staff, Ahmedabad University

What we didwe did

1. Purpose-Built Multi-Platform Architecture

Rather than mirroring identical assets across channels, we designed a synchronized ecosystem tailored to each platform’s user behavior:

  • Meta Ads (Volume & Rapid Testing): Implemented high-converting native instant lead forms to minimize friction within the 45-day runway. Ran 6 segmented campaigns simultaneously (hyperlocal, state-wide covering Gujarat & Maharashtra, and pan-India talent hubs), generating 5,019 leads at an average CPL of ₹186.
  • Google Search Ads (Intent Capture): Captured active demand for high-intent queries (“fintech certification courses,” “digital banking course,” “fintech course”), securing 309 highly qualified bottom-of-funnel leads.
  • LinkedIn Ads (Targeted Professional Reach): Deployed ABM-style targeting covering working professionals at 25+ marquee fintech employers (Razorpay, CRED, BharatPe, Cashfree, Jupiter) across brochure downloads and native lead forms to build high-level brand awareness.
2. Fast-Cycle Creative Engine & Hypothesis Testing

We designed and produced 20+ creative assets and variants – including static key visuals, faculty video snippets, carousels, and webinar toolkits. Every creative was treated as an empirical test to discover what actually converts high-calibre candidates.

  • Top Performing Asset: “Future-Proof Your Finance Career” static creative delivered 1,517 leads at ₹165 CPL.
  • Specification-Led Asset: Digital Payments Certificate static visual delivered 1,424 leads at ₹154 CPL.
  • Faculty-Led Video: Video feature with Prof. Sankarshan Basu generated 890 leads at ₹263 CPL.
3. Scaling Spend 5x Without Diluting Efficiency

We used December as an agile testing ground to identify winning creative hooks, geographic hotspots, and search keywords. In January, we ramped spend 5.3x on Meta while managing targeting broadening systematically:

  • December: 1,391 leads generated at a blended CPL of ₹202.
  • January: 3,942 leads generated at a blended CPL of ₹279 (a 183% surge in volume with controlled efficiency).
  • Google Optimization: Google CPL dropped by 76% (from ₹2,620 in Dec to ₹623 in Jan) as search learning and keyword negatives matured.
4. Nurturing Intent via Faculty-Led Masterclasses

To warm up prospects before they committed to the programme, we promoted three live webinars led by senior faculty and institute leadership (including Prof. Parag Patel and Project Director Sandeep Dixit). This created high-trust touchpoints for prospects seeking academic depth.

The Insight

Transparency Acts as a Natural Quality Gate.
For high-ticket, career-defining certifications, clean and information-dense creative (explicitly highlighting the 24-week hybrid format, academic pedigree of IIT Gandhinagar & UC San Diego, and curriculum structure) consistently outperformed generic aspirational or lifestyle advertising. Transparent facts pre-qualified candidates before they clicked submit – ensuring high lead pedigree throughout the institute’s admissions pipeline.

Impact & Results

In 45 days, GIFT IFI transitioned from a standing start to a thriving admissions pipeline:

  • 5,333 Total Leads Generated across 45 days.
  • ₹186 Meta Lead-Gen CPL across 5,019 leads (94% of total volume).
  • 76% Reduction in Google Search CPL from Month 1 to Month 2.
  • 183% MoM Growth in Lead Volume while keeping acquisition costs predictable and healthy.
  • High-Pedigree Pipeline: Consistent flow of qualified graduates and finance professionals advancing to interview and enrollment rounds.

Looking Ahead

Building on the foundation of Cohort 1, the strategic roadmap for subsequent cycles includes:

  • Automated WhatsApp Qualification Triggers: Instant, interactive conversational flows to fast-track high-intent applicants.
  • Structured Drip Email Nurture: Multi-stage curriculum breakdowns, faculty spotlights, and alumni outcomes.
  • Dedicated Video & Campus Production: Expanding faculty and campus storytelling assets to build early organic and paid recall.
  • Refined ABM on LinkedIn: Dedicated institutional and corporate sponsorship campaigns.

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