This blog contains archive material

This blog stores archived content about student marketing in the UK.

Large parts of it are taken from the 2005 book Targeting Students: A Marketing Guide.

It is owned by Reach Students, a marketing consultancy specialising in youth, student and graduate marketing. Find out more here: http//:www.reachstudents.co.uk

Conference: Inspire Student Spend

Haymarket’s annual student marketing conference is drawing closer, and this year’s event looks strong on brand representation with presentations from big names like Nokia, HSBC and Channel 4.

For the first time, delegates will also hear from Burger King, Flybe and The Co-operative Group.

The event, which takes place on 29 April 2008, is titled:

'Optimise New Media And Gain The Latest Behavioural Insights To INSPIRE STUDENT SPEND For Long Term Loyalty And Engaged Brand Ambassadors'

If you book before 13 March 2008 you’ll save yourself fifty pounds.

To find out more go to the conference website.

Here's the full programme:

8.30 Registration And Coffee
9.00 Chair's Opening Remarks

Go Beyond The Student Stereotype: Update Your Preconceptions And Tailor Your Campaign Accordingly To Resonate With Today's Sophisticated Student

9.10 Get To Know The Class Of 2008: Keep Abreast Of This Quickly Changing Demographic To Stay Ahead Of The Competition
- What does today's student look like? Refresh your knowledge of the multi-tribe student demographic to engage with this increasingly diverse population
- Apathy and cynicism: why does it happen and how can you tackle it?
- The truth behind skint students' spending sprees: examine the facts and figures of debt and disposable income in the new top-up era. What are the new spending habits and tactics that turn students from gruel to gourmet, snakebite to champagne?

David Lewis, National Treasurer, NUS
Nick Emms, Sales and Marketing Manager, NUS Services Ltd

9.40 Money, Money, Money: Hear An Illustrated Presentation On HSBC's Groundbreaking Online Student Campaign 'Talking Money'
- Maximise your profits by avoiding potentially problematic approaches: find out what the critical success factors were, hear reflections on what could have been done differently and see how this translated into student spend
- See an exclusive snapshot on what students are saying about money in the new top-up era

Lucy Payne, Marketing Manager Youth, Students and Graduates, HSBC
Alistair Lomax, CEO, UNIAID

10.10 The What, Where and Which Of Student Media Consumption: Gain Insights Into Student Time Spend To Make Your Marketing A Success
- What media are students using? They may tell their tutors they are in the library, but where are students really spending their time? Get to know their on and offline habits to find the best environments for your brand
- Which new technologies are here to stay, and which are just a flash in the pan? Get to know the truth behind the trends to make sure your message is absorbed effectively

Tony Foster, Communications Officer, Edinburgh University Students' Association

10.40 Refreshment Break And Informal Networking

11.00 Hear Student Debate On Social Networking As A Marketing Channel
Hear our panel of students' reactions to a series of diverse marketing campaigns. Hear them pull apart what works and what doesn't for take-away tips on what appeals to the student demographic.

Facilitated By: The Youth Conspiracy

New Technologies And New Techniques: Use Fresh Channels To Get Through To Your Student Audience

11.30 What's Hot Right Now: Use New Media For Innovative Up-To-The-Minute Campaigns That Turn Heads And Capture Student Spend
- Podcasts, YouTube, Blogging: what is at the cutting edge of new media, and how can you harness the latest technologies to promote your brand?
- New media: what gets passed over and what makes students sit up and pay attention?
- Students hate space invaders: find out which media areas can be used for skilful marketing campaigns that ensure students view your brand with enthusiasm rather than distrust

Marketing Guest Speaker To Be Confirmed

12.00 User-Generated Sites And Social Networking: They Have Revolutionised Student Interaction But How Can They Revolutionise Your Brand?
- Learn how to make social networks complement your current marketing activities
- Play to the strengths of each individual network to maximise interaction for new and established brands
- Engage the "why should I care?" generation for positive brand affinity and make sure your virtual popularity translates into real-life customer consumption

Steve Forde, Marketing Manager New Media, Channel 4 Television

12.30 Lunch and Informal Networking For Delegates And Speakers: Chat To Students Informally

Web, WAP And Mobile Marketing: Refresh Your Campaign To Capture Student Media On The Move

13.30 Harness The Text Generation: Share Your Peaks And Pitfalls In Our Mobile Marketing Masterclass
- How can you use SMS without immediately arousing suspicion and make your mobile marketing campaign a success?
- Timing targets: learn how to create interest by texting at the right moment with the right information

Will Harris, Marketing Director, Nokia

14.00 Surfing, Searching And Purchasing: Gain Insight Into Students' Relationship With The Web To Create Real Impact Online
- Where do students spend their online lives? Gain insight into student web habits and preferences to make sure you get clicked not blocked
- From email ads to banners and buttons: maximise brand exposure to make students notice you when surfing and searching online
- Online messenger: a unique opportunity to connect to the right audience, or a haven from adverts? Get the right balance to spread the word

Simon Lilley, Director of Marketing, Flybe

Make Students Your Best Marketeers: Work With Students And Universities To Make Your Brand Sell Effectively

14.30 Learn How To Turn Students Into Brand Advocates For Long Term Value
- Generate and sustain brand loyalty by getting inside the student mind
- Be a 'cool uncle' not a 'disco dad': hit the right tone to resonate with students and build powerful connections for long-term brand advocacy

David Kisilevsky, Senior Marketing Director North West Europe, Burger King

15.00 Refreshment Break And Informal Networking

15.20 Case Study Success Story: Revitalising One Of Britain's Oldest Brands To Inspire Student Choice
- Hear how the Co-op brand was reinvigorated to engage a younger audience

Patrick Allen, Director of Marketing, The Co-operative Group

15.40 Learn How To Get Students Talking To Each Other About Your Brand To Establish A Credible Reputation
- Word-of-mouth really works in a campus environment: ensure you're capitalising on concepts which get students talking
- Create credible brand buzz by highlighting USPs and find the best access points in institutions to gain university reach
- Grasp how to effectively double-target: make your campaign stylish enough to catch a student's eye, but authoritative enough to open a parent's wallet

Ian Passmore, Sales and Marketing Director, Endsleigh Insurance Services Ltd
Tony Smith, Head of Marketing, Endsleigh Insurance Services Ltd

16.10 Ask The Questions You Need Answered: Find Out From Our Student Panel How To Make Your Marketing Fit Your Market
- Discover what appeals to students today: is it a retailer that is ethical? Cool? Trustworthy? Innovative? Good value? Or one that just makes their life easier?
- Cut the cringe factor: learn how to tread the fine line between speaking the language that will resonate with students whilst maintaining your professional integrity

Facilitated By: The Youth Conspiracy

16.40 Campus Coverage: Work With Institutions To Hammer Home Your Message And Make Your Campaign A Smash Hit
- Campuses, institutions and organisations: hear how Cobra Beer worked with the NUS to drive brand awareness with students

Will Ghali, Marketing Director, Cobra Beer

17.10 Chair's Closing Remarks
17.15 Close Of Conference

Primark is a top student brand

Research from student market specialists Opinionpanel reveals that students' favourite brands are consumer electronic and value brands such as Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Topshop and Primark.

This year Opinionpanel are launching Student Brand Scores (SBS) to investigate preference and loyalty. Highest scoring so far is Apple, followed closely by Amazon, Google and Facebook. There are eight new-media and technology brands in the top ten. M&S food also made it into the top ten - showing even the value-obsessed can't resist Fair Trade Rich Chocolate Truffle Sauce on Strawberries.

For more details about Student Brand Scores and to find out where your brand features please contact Becky Lewis at Opinionpanel.

Beach Break decline Dragon's offer

Fans of Dragons’ Den may remember student festival organisers Celia Norowzian and Ian Forshew, who gave an impressive pitch and won a deal with Peter Jones. The confident duo sought investment to turn their Beach Break Live event into a major date on the student calendar.

In an audacious move, the couple actually turned down Jones’ offer before the show was broadcast. Viewers will have been unaware, but a partnership with event and travel specialist Outgoing Ltd, had already been agreed.

The show went out in October, but during the summer Beach Break Live had received some key accolades – including a nomination for Best New Festival at The UK Festival Awards.

This had created interest in the music industry and attracted Outgoing, who are involved with the highly-regarded Bestival event and sell student party packages across Europe.

Celia Norowzian says: “Peter totally understood and accepts that this is a great opportunity for us. When we were frank and open with him regarding alternative options, Peter personally advised us to pursue this opportunity further.

“Peter is delighted to see young entrepreneurs pursuing their dream and agrees that this opportunity should be better for us at the current stage of development.

“We’re going to be working with some of the biggest pros in the industry. After a lot of thought and debate, we decided that the opportunity to work with the people responsible for events such as Bestival and Snow Bombing was simply too good to refuse.”

Peter Jones says: “I wish them all the very best. There are many elements that come together to make the right business deal, and this clearly looks just as good going its own way. We shall keep in touch and they have my number if they need advice.”

New paper for Edinburgh

We couldn’t help but be impressed by a new student newspaper that arrived in the office recently. The Journal, an independent title for the 100,000+ students in Edinburgh, is elegant, professional and brazenly serious.

The quality of student newspapers varies enormously across the UK. Which means running a nationwide newspaper campaign can never be comprehensive if you care about where and how your ad is presented.

There are some strong local publications out there, papers that have been established a long time like http://www.epigram.org.uk/ , http://www.varsity.co.uk/home/ and Gair Rhydd.

If you were thinking of putting together a national campaign that uses the best quality UK student media, The Journal would be worth examination.

Contact Devon Walshe, general manager, for more details: Devon@journal-online.co.uk