More ways to reach London students

The student marketing environment is more competitive than it ever was, with all sorts of university keyholders and start-up media owners offering new ways to reach students.

Universities are thinking more commercially than they ever have, whether it's about their student recruitment markets or monetising their own assets.

It's a trend that I believe will only grow.

Here's an example. University of London Housing Services have traditionally relied on funding from the various colleges that make up the University of London. They topped this up with income from landlords, letting agents and private companies.

Now they are widening their net to capture broader student marketing spend, offering a range of opportunities to anyone interested in targeting London students, including print, email and web advertising.

They are the largest private sector housing advice service for students in London, with more than 40,000 regular users of their service.

To have a look at their rate card, contact Roland Shanks on 0207 862 8071.

It's clear that universities could exploit their situation and create complete, integrated marketing environments if they wished. To date, most haven't been interested, preferring to focus on the job of educating and supporting their student cohort.

However, slowly we are seeing universities becoming more inclined to consider their students as assets.