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Education
WATERBEAR
30% more leads turning into offers for the UK's fastest-growing music university.
How we balanced lead volume with lead quality for a forward-thinking music college, in a partnership now in its fourth year.
“
Their communication is incredibly frequent and unlike anyone we've worked with previously.
Eve Masaad · Head of Marketing, WaterBear
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Book a free 30-min strategy call. We'll audit your ad account and show you exactly where your next stage of growth will come from.
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©2026 DIGITALXPANSION LTD
York, England
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THE BRAND & THE CHALLENGE
The UK's fastest-growing music university.
WaterBear The College of Music was founded by music education pioneers Adam Bushell and Bruce John Dickinson, who bring over 30 years of professional music experience. It is now the UK's fastest-growing music university, offering BA (Hons) and Master's degrees for forward-thinking musicians.
WaterBear partnered with DGX in 2022 after being burnt by a previous agency. Confidence in their agency mattered hugely, and four years on, the partnership speaks for itself.
Founders
Adam Bushell & Bruce John Dickinson
Category
Music higher education
Offers
BA (Hons) & Master's degrees
We run
Paid Search, Paid Social
With DGX
Since Autumn 2022
More leads usually means worse leads.
In higher education, lead volume and lead quality rarely move in the same direction. Scaling one often comes at the expense of the other.
The challenge was generating enough enquiries to support growth while making sure those leads were genuinely qualified students, likely to enrol.
WHAT WE DID
We optimised WaterBear for enrolments, not just enquiries.
Four shifts that improved lead quality and kept WaterBear ahead in a crowded market.
Video
UGC-style creator ad
WaterBear
Video
Founder-led story
WaterBear
Static
Static ad
WaterBear
Video
Product demo
WaterBear
01
Lead quality over volume
Better targeting and creative raised the conversion rate from lead to offer by 30%, driving real business growth rather than empty enquiries.
02
Winning more search impression share
We restructured the Google account into a segmented set-up that mirrors the conversion path, so we could bid aggressively on top-performing keywords.
03
Creative that stands out
Iteration cycles let us scale spend behind the best-performing video and static content across Meta, TikTok and Performance Max.
04
Adapting to the AI landscape
As AI changes how students choose where to study, we introduced AI-led Google campaigns and ad copy built for longer, conversational search terms.
THE RESULTS
30% more leads becoming offers.
By focusing on quality over quantity, WaterBear now converts 30% more of its leads into offers, and four years on, the partnership is still growing.
Paid Search
Paid Social
6.1x blended MER on 7-figure ad spend for Horzehoods
Paid Social · Paid Search
Equestrian
HORZEHOODS
From 6 to 8 figures in revenue for Moda Minx
Paid Social · Paid Search
Swimwear
MODA MINX
30% more leads converting to offers for WaterBear
Paid Search · Paid Social
Education
WATERBEAR
381% YoY revenue growth for Prestige Locker in 2025
Paid Social · Paid Search
Sneaker Resale
PRESTIGE LOCKER
413% increase in sales revenue for Drimee in 90 days
Paid Social · Paid Search
Equestrian
DRIMEE
From 6 to 7 figures in revenue for PetJet
Paid Social
Pet & Equestrian
PETJET
NC-ROAS from 3x to 5x in 60 days for A Vintage Fit
Paid Social · Paid Search
Womenswear
A VINTAGE FIT
137% more sales in 3 months for Smoozle & Bone
Paid Social
Pet Accessories
SMOOZLE & BONE
7x blended MER for Overhype
Paid Social
Streetwear
OVERHYPE
6.1x blended MER on 7-figure ad spend for Horzehoods
Paid Social · Paid Search
Equestrian
HORZEHOODS
From 6 to 8 figures in revenue for Moda Minx
Paid Social · Paid Search
Swimwear
MODA MINX
30% more leads converting to offers for WaterBear
Paid Search · Paid Social
Education
WATERBEAR
Partner since Autumn 2022
Book a Strategy Call ↗
Free 30-min call · No obligation
+30%
Lead-to-offer conversion rate
4 years
Partnership and counting
3
Platforms: Google, Meta, TikTok
Our Work
Services
About Us
Book a Call ↗
← All case studies
WATERBEAR
30% more leads turning into offers for the UK's fastest-growing music university.
How we balanced lead volume with lead quality for a forward-thinking music college, in a partnership now in its fourth year.
“
Their communication is incredibly frequent and unlike anyone we've worked with previously.
Eve Masaad · Head of Marketing, WaterBear
More case studies
View all →
Want results like WaterBear?
Book a free 30-min strategy call. We'll audit your ad account and show you exactly where your next stage of growth will come from.
Book a Strategy Call ↗
VISIT
Home
Our Work
Services
About Us
CONNECT TO US
Get in Touch
©2026 DIGITALXPANSION LTD
York, England
THE BRAND & THE CHALLENGE
The UK's fastest-growing music university.
WaterBear The College of Music was founded by music education pioneers Adam Bushell and Bruce John Dickinson, who bring over 30 years of professional music experience. It is now the UK's fastest-growing music university, offering BA (Hons) and Master's degrees for forward-thinking musicians.
WaterBear partnered with DGX in 2022 after being burnt by a previous agency. Confidence in their agency mattered hugely, and four years on, the partnership speaks for itself.
Founders
Adam Bushell & Bruce John Dickinson
Category
Music higher education
Offers
BA (Hons) & Master's degrees
We run
Paid Search, Paid Social
With DGX
Since Autumn 2022
More leads usually means worse leads.
In higher education, lead volume and lead quality rarely move in the same direction. Scaling one often comes at the expense of the other.
The challenge was generating enough enquiries to support growth while making sure those leads were genuinely qualified students, likely to enrol.
WHAT WE DID
We optimised WaterBear for enrolments, not just enquiries.
Four shifts that improved lead quality and kept WaterBear ahead in a crowded market.
THE CREATIVE
A few of the ads we made for WaterBear.
Video
UGC-style creator ad
WaterBear
Video
Founder-led story
WaterBear
Static
Static ad
WaterBear
Video
Product demo
WaterBear
01
Lead quality over volume
Better targeting and creative raised the conversion rate from lead to offer by 30%, driving real business growth rather than empty enquiries.
02
Winning more search impression share
We restructured the Google account into a segmented set-up that mirrors the conversion path, so we could bid aggressively on top-performing keywords.
03
Creative that stands out
Iteration cycles let us scale spend behind the best-performing video and static content across Meta, TikTok and Performance Max.
04
Adapting to the AI landscape
As AI changes how students choose where to study, we introduced AI-led Google campaigns and ad copy built for longer, conversational search terms.
THE RESULTS
30% more leads becoming offers.
By focusing on quality over quantity, WaterBear now converts 30% more of its leads into offers, and four years on, the partnership is still growing.
Education
Paid Search
Paid Social
6.1x blended MER on 7-figure ad spend for Horzehoods
Paid Social · Paid Search
Equestrian
HORZEHOODS
From 6 to 8 figures in revenue for Moda Minx
Paid Social · Paid Search
Swimwear
MODA MINX
30% more leads converting to offers for WaterBear
Paid Search · Paid Social
Education
WATERBEAR
381% YoY revenue growth for Prestige Locker in 2025
Paid Social · Paid Search
Sneaker Resale
PRESTIGE LOCKER
413% increase in sales revenue for Drimee in 90 days
Paid Social · Paid Search
Equestrian
DRIMEE
From 6 to 7 figures in revenue for PetJet
Paid Social
Pet & Equestrian
PETJET
NC-ROAS from 3x to 5x in 60 days for A Vintage Fit
Paid Social · Paid Search
Womenswear
A VINTAGE FIT
137% more sales in 3 months for Smoozle & Bone
Paid Social
Pet Accessories
SMOOZLE & BONE
7x blended MER for Overhype
Paid Social
Streetwear
OVERHYPE
6.1x blended MER on 7-figure ad spend for Horzehoods
Paid Social · Paid Search
Equestrian
HORZEHOODS
From 6 to 8 figures in revenue for Moda Minx
Paid Social · Paid Search
Swimwear
MODA MINX
30% more leads converting to offers for WaterBear
Paid Search · Paid Social
Education
WATERBEAR
Partner since Autumn 2022
Book a Strategy Call ↗
Free 30-min call · No obligation
+30%
Lead-to-offer conversion rate
4 years
Partnership and counting
3
Platforms: Google, Meta, TikTok