Acing its biggest test yet Education and test prep company Flocabulary is making the most of a new product that helped it avoid bankruptcy.
The Problem
After narrowly skirting bankruptcy in the spring of 2007, Flocabulary, an education start-up, buckled down and created a more comprehensive line of products for the upcoming school year. That September, Flocabulary launched the Word Up! series, a new hip-hop-based study guide designed specifically as an aid for national standard tests given to third to eighth graders. Flocabulary corralled 30 independent agents across the country to peddle Word Up! to school administrators and threw money into commissioning a study to measure the efficacy of the program. The study found that the series increased students' vocabulary test scores by upward of 20 percent. These findings helped Flocabulary double revenue in 2008. Still, Flocabulary co-founder Alex Rappaport was unsure of where the company could go from there. "The idea is the strength of this company," he said. "It's what we do in the future that is uncertain."
What the Experts Said
Aaron Arnold, CEO of MusicIsMyBusiness.net, suggested that Flocabulary get in touch with PBS or another network with children's programming that could help expand the reach of the brand. Charlie Kireker of FreshTracks Capital thought Flocabulary needed to push the results of its Word Up! study with new marketing materials. And David Kim of C2 Education said a celebrity promotion could do wonders for the business.