Newsletter #65: Let’s (finally) meet in person; LSE is my favourite for Heist; Google’s new AR glasses put subtitles on the world
✏️ From the Education Marketer desk
4 thoughts on why universities could benefit from ungating content. Read
Why the role of a social media manager is like being a Hollywood casting director. Watch
Working with universities on content marketing, one issue comes up time and time again: The portfolio problem. Read
What the top 10 preferred brands of Gen A say about their future careers. Watch
📰 HE news
It’s taking longer for young people to find “good jobs,” according to a new report by Georgetown University. A typical grad entry role requires way more work experience, education and “industry knowledge” than it did just 10 years ago - the internet has seen to that. The report also highlights several speed bumps for young professionals: Education costs (are you listening, No.10?), limited access to high-quality work-based learning and stretched careers services. A lot of this could be addressed with better provisions for lifelong learning, but we’re not there yet. Read
Latest from the US’s enrollment crisis: Grand Valley State University is leading a group of 6 colleges on getting “fresh ideas” from high school students. It’s easy to dismiss this as lip service (“we’re listening to students!”) but the group’s REP4 (Rapid Education Prototyping) engine is delivering some compelling ideas. Students at San Jose State University came up with a hybrid support/career programme for first-generation students - which is remarkably thought out. Of course, ideas are free… It’s yet to be seen if REP4 will execute. Look
📊 Marketing and media news
Snap is partnering with Cameo to make it easier for advertisers to feature creator talent in ads - but at present, the tech doesn’t seem very democratic. You have to be a Snap Star in order to be considered for the programme. Meanwhile, over at TikTok, “Branded Missions” are a completely new way to work with creators. You specify the type of content you want and TikTok briefs its community at scale. Creators get rewarded based on performance and you boost the best posts with ad spend. It’s the first time I’ve seen user-generated content tools built into a social app, rather than being offered via a third party. Paid social is changing. Snap | TikTok
Product placement is getting an upgrade for streaming services. Peacock and Amazon have unveiled “In-scene ads” which will add products and advertisements to your favourite show (digitally) during post-production. Amazon is also working on tech that will show products based on your personal tastes, which - honestly - blows my mind. So, if you’re watching a show where the main character walks by a billboard, it could look different depending on who’s watching and the time of year. If you’re not comfortable with your friends seeing your “For you” feed - then you’re going to absolutely hate this. Look
🏫 What unis are doing
I’ve taken a look at some Heist nominations this week… Specifically, the “best use of content” category (my favourite.)
Podcasts are popular this year. University of Liverpool is running with “The Liverpool Welcome,” a six-episode series for students’ first few weeks at uni. First impressions: The production value is excellent. I can’t get over how natural the host sounds and the rapport she has with guests - I listen to marketing podcasts that don’t sound this good. So, why end it at six episodes? By broadening the scope, I think the University could have a longer running and (potentially) revenue-generating show on its hands. I wouldn’t be surprised if this picked up an award. Look
Birmingham City University has an entire content hub on “getting ready for uni.” You can search by theme or content type and it tackles a lot of common “welcome” problems like settling in and the jump for post-16 to university study. Feels solid, but I help but think it might be pipped to the post with projects focusing on just a handful of channels. Look
LSE is my favourite to win with its “Research for the World” collection. Here’s a university that understands the power of repurposing content. For each of its long-form research articles, it reformats content as posts and videos for LinkedIn. The results? Thousands of video views and astronomical reach on content that would have otherwise struggled for traffic. Research for the world | Repurposed content
🧑🎓 What students are saying
“My freshman year, I would have said I learned more by being outside the classroom and engaging with my peers and doing research on my own time. But post-COVID, I definitely learned more from being inside the classroom. I’ve come to appreciate much more the education and the resources that I’ve got here at the school in the form of my professors, which was something I think I took for granted before.” Students on how the pandemic has changed their perception of education. Read
👾 Culture shock
Video of Mark Zuckerberg (2004) explaining Facebook. He had me at “it’s a place you can check out people’s online identities.” Look
TikTokers are being accused of starting forest fires for views. Look
New Google AR glasses put “subtitles on the world.” But I still remember Google Glass. AR glasses | Google Glass 2013
