Newsletter #108: An odd trend from the education marketer wilds; How students rate their parents as influencers; Let’s talk about student confidence
✏️ From the Education Marketer desk
To what extent do students rate their parents as influencers? Read
An odd trend from the education marketer wilds. Read
Let’s talk about student confidence. Read
How higher ed marketers can differentiate in 2024. Listen
📰 HE news
Looks like the UK gov’s changes to visa law, crackdown on “low-value courses” and crosshairs on the graduate route have had their desired effect - international student deposits are down by 37% (!!!) compared with this time last year (Enroly.) This doesn’t just affect a handful of schools, PwC’s analysis reveals that around 40% of UK institutions are expected to be in a deficit in 2023-24, falling only to 19% by 2025-26. Universities shouldn't expect the government to let up any time soon either. New data from the IFS reveals that student loans (even in their failure to keep pace with inflation) are a financial blackhole for the government, leading to an annual £11bn shortfall. So with the funding model for domestic students under threat and international recruitment in decline - where do universities look? It’s not like short courses, apprenticeships and corporate training alone will plug the gap. Welcome to 2024. Gov loses loan money | Financial impact
📊 Marketing and media news
TikTok… you okay, hun? What started as a few creators turning on TikTok Shop’s e-commerce tools has devolved the app into the QVC of 2024. Worse, TikTok’s algorithm is prioritising commerce-based content, meaning a) your feed increasingly feels like an infinite commercial break and b) people are growth-hacking it to the moon. Simply tag a product in a video and it gets an unnatural boost. Just today I watched a creator set up a virtual sweet shop. She takes orders on TikTok Lives, bags them up and then ships them out. Innovative? Yes. Entrepreneurial? Yes. The reason people open TikTok? It’s up for debate… While TikTok Shop is an indisputable financial success, the change is irritating millions of users. Some mainstay creators have gone as far to say that they now visit Instagram Reels for restbite (LOL) so no doubt Adam Mosseri will be rubbing his hands. Flash sale on Clearing places, anyone? Junk in the feed | Frustrated users
We spent a lot of 2023 considering AI, but most of it was caught up in software and generative AI specifically. In 2024, you’re going to see more hardware. While a few companies are competing in this space, the rabbit r1 is probably one to watch. Whereas with a smartphone you have to use multiple apps to complete tasks, the r1 does it all through one interface. So if you work in international recruitment and want help sorting your itinerary (flights, hotels, national travel) simply tell r1 what you need and it will set it up. Pretty awesome. ChatGPT does similar, but it still uses an app store-like environment for its various plugins. Also, it doesn’t look like OpenAI is in a hurry to break old models, even its newly released GPTs (custom chatbots) are monetised in a similar way to social media (the most engaged content wins the biggest monetary share) and as we’ve seen with YouTube, that causes all kinds of issues. rabbit r1 | How GPTs are monetised
Extra: The Student Room rolled out a new brand identity. Look
🏫 What unis are doing
I find it laughable that in 2024, University of California is only just “taking another look at online education,” but I think it’s important to share these stories. Apparently, the institution’s been “erring on the side of boldness” since 2010, yet has been caught off guard by the rise of online education around it. Take courage, you’re not as behind as you think. Read
Haaga-Helia’s students’ union runs “Self Hacks,” best described as a mashup of professional development and wellbeing activity. Students are trained to think critically about their careers and make small adjustments to their actions to build confidence. With “critical thinking skills” forever appearing on employer laundry lists, I don’t think this is a bad shout. Read
Los Rios Community College came up with a novel way to promote courses - a drone show. It kinda makes sense. Colleges are regularly part of urban areas, yet benefit from playing fields and open spaces (especially in the States.) You may need to obtain a license to take drones above a certain height, but if you put on a show, your local catchment is going to see it. Look
🧑🎓 What students are saying
“I want to live my life independently. I want to make my own empire with own hands and my own legs. That’s why I chose to go abroad.” Indian students share why they chose to study at one of Canada’s most remote colleges, where 82% of students are from overseas and pay around 4x the rate of domestic fees. Read
👾 Culture shock
Someone built their own “Nintendo PlayStation.” Skills. Look
That rare moment when University Challenge becomes a meme. Look
