Student Marketing... What can we learn?

Are your student campaigns having an impact? Is being on campus where you really need to be to reach 18 - 24 year olds – and what do you need to do to stand out from the crowd?

We sampled over 800 students across 42 universities to find out what campaigns they recalled over the last academic year, which they thought were the best and which activities had the most impact upon them.

Domino’s is the king when it comes to student activity, being by far and away the most frequently recalled campaign, with 44% of students identifying this through unprompted recall. Domino’s was closely followed Red Bull (37%), O2 (32%) and Coca-Cola (27%). Domino’s deal clincher was their ‘free pizza and 50% discount voucher’ combo, on free flow at the Freshers’ Fair and continued on campus all year round.

Although not as frequently recalled, Red Bull activity stood out the most. Students are big fans of the adapted Mini Cooper (complete with super-sized Red Bull can on the back) and state that knowing people who work for Red Bull had increased the positive image of the brand. Red Bull also provided freebies throughout the year on campus as well as at Uni sporting events and parties, which only further supported their popularity. Other influential factors included “good looking” promotional staff, posters and advertising.

Whilst quirky and creative marketing does help stand out, students felt that the most successful campaigns (i.e. campaigns they participate in or acted up) were based around flyers and posters around campus (53%). Free samples (51%), discount vouchers and coupons (38%) and having a presence at the Freshers’ Fair (28%) were other activities that students considered to have most effect on them.

With more and more brands targeting the student audience you may think the market place is becoming too crowded, but only 6% of students think there is too much promotional activity on campus. So there is still room for brands to reach students this year and you now know the best way to engage them.

If you want to know how social media, online, events or other media channels impact upon students then please give us a call. If you want to target students this year and need help creating a campaign or even delivering the activity, then please contact the Dubit Marketing Team on 0113 3947920.