Newsletter #52: DMU is the undisputed king of big-budget ads; One uni is launching a metaverse project; Loughborough got a gold medalist to do a facilities tour
✏️ From the Education Marketer desk
Most Clicked #5: In today’s stream, Nathan, Matt, and I are joined by Jane Oswald (Head of Marketing at University of Sunderland) to talk about how some US unis are set to spend $500m on marketing over the next few years; Sunderland’s approach to its uni hero video; And how universities are rethinking their print publications. Watch
How top universities used their ambassadors in 2021: In our end of year webinar, my friend Georgia and I are looking back on a year’s worth of student-to-student marketing and sharing the best examples. We’ll also explore why community may be the next big thing. Register
33+ examples of community marketing in higher ed (Kyle’s version): 4 months on, I’ve cut some excess and rebuilt my popular community marketing article as a concise download. It should be a lot easier on your thumb now. Read
📰 HE news
“Students want in-person teaching.” I mean, sure… If it’s 2020 and you’ve been forced to isolate in your halls, the chance to pack into a lecture theatre at 9am would seem quite attractive - but is that still the case in 2021? New research suggests that undergrads may actually prefer a “flipped learning” model - 73% cent of respondents to THE’s “Differing Perceptions of Quality of Learning” survey, saying that the “recording of teaching materials” was the most valuable element of teaching. Isn’t that fascinating? Throw in recent ONS data about 40% of students receiving no in-person teaching (even though universities are offering it) and it’s clear that the desire for in-person isn’t as straightforward as once thought. Read
A group of “free speech warriors” have founded The University of Austin, which, to my knowledge, only seems to be a website right now. There’re no hallmarks of a university to be seen - like a campus, courses or students... but there does seem to be a truckload of Trumpisms floating about in its curriculum: the “fearless pursuit of the truth” and “preparing a generation of leaders to renew the promise of American society.” Honestly, do they ever read this stuff back and think “hmmm, that sounds a touch fascist, maybe we should tone it down a bit?” Reportedly, its “Faculty of Fellows” has shrunk somewhat since the institution was announced - probably because most were still employed at their respective “illiberal” and “censorious” universities. Austin’s website | WonkHE deep drive
📊 Marketing and media news
Canva rival, Picsart, has launched a new campaign positioning itself as the tool of choice for the creator economy. You wouldn’t have seen something like this just a year ago. According to a report by The Influencer Factory - 58% of users say that, in the next 12 months, they would pay a monthly subscription fee between $1 and $15 to access their favourite creator's content, while 63% have already tipped a creator at least once. The economy is growing and is a real route for the two thirds (!!!) of young people with their sights set on becoming YouTubers, TikTokers and all that is in-between. There are two things you should take from this: 1) Creators make most of their money (80%) through brand deals and Gen Z are more likely to take the word of an influencer than any other generation before them - which influencers are you working with? And, 2) there is a HUGE gap in the market for education in the business of content entrepreneurship - I’m amazed I haven’t seen a higher ed course pop up yet. Imagine the attractiveness of being a student and hearing from real creators on how they run their business, or having access to your own uni studio space and growing an audience. Lots of potential. Growth of creator economy | Picsart ad
Facebook’s reposition to Meta has started making waves. Nike’s come out with Nikeland, built in Roblox, offering users the chance to play games and try on Nike gear. Disney has also thrown its hat in the ring and there’s been a surge of interest in companies like Sandbox and Decentraland - places you can purchase digital plots of land. There’s plenty happening, but I’d say we’re not even at the 1.0 stage yet. A good strategy could be to skip the Alta Vista years, sit tight and wait for the next Google, but you’d miss out on getting a head start. All of this will become part of your day job sooner than you expect. Nikeland | Sandbox
🏫 What unis are doing
De Montfort University must be the undisputed king of big-budget ads. Its latest entry, Made From More, is another cracker and you can tell it’s been built to run in cinemas - makes sense, there’s probably a deal to be had on inventory. In terms of retargeting, I feel like someone has turned it up to 11. The only time I don’t see this ad is when my eyes are closed. Look
Loughborough University had an inspired idea to show off its facilities: Get famous people to do it for you. Adam Peaty, swimming gold medalist and Katya Jones, professional dancer, take us through the University’s “pool of dreams” and gym, Adam sharing how Loughborough made his career. There’s a small push for Strictly Come Dancing at the end, but the principle is sound. What alumni and friends could you call on for your next campus tour? Look
The University that launched a Bitcoin course in 2013 is now offering courses and research funding for building an open metaverse. Who says you can’t move quickly on these things? The University of Nicosia will also use NFTs to power campus activities, including a digital art gallery, as well as provide financial support for metaverse creators. Read
Bonus: I don’t know why this story suddenly resurfaced (it’s from 2015) but you can watch a tortoise open University of Lincoln’s laboratories. It’s cool. If you’re a long time Education Marketer subscriber, you’ll recognise that it’s the SAME TORTOISE that featured in Lincoln’s Clearing landing page, minus the blue fire. I’ve been at this for too long. 2015 tortoise | Clearing tortoise
🧑🎓 What students are saying
“The BTec gave me a great base for my degree. Why are they funnelling money, energy and time into changing qualifications which work and are accessible?” Students on the government’s plan to drop BTecs in favour of its new T-level qualifications. Read
👾 Culture shock
YassifyBot applies beauty filters to people until they are no longer recognisable. Look
The Meta unveil parodies are out. My favourite is Icelandverse. Look
An influencer in China shifted $1.9b worth of goods via live stream in a single day. A new world record. Read
