Newsletter #98: The no.1 social channel for researching universities overseas; The “coolest” brands for youth audiences; EU bans targeted ads for teens
✏️ From the Education Marketer desk
The no.1 social channel for researching universities overseas. Look
“Attention spans are getting shorter.” Look
3 quiet truths about AI for higher ed marketers. Read
How not to suck at personalisation. Listen
📰 HE news
As expected, the entry rate for 18-year-olds has taken a slight hit this year - down 2.5% from 2022. According to dataHE, in England, we are set to see back-to-back falls in the entry rate for the first time, despite a growing population of 18-year-olds. But I don’t think this is cause for alarm. It feels more like an adjustment to the pre-covid trend line. Entry in 2019 was 34.5% and according to UCAS it currently stands at 35.6% with a record number of students still in Clearing. Demand exists. There are a couple of factors contributing to the decline, one is grade deflation which has blocked some students starting at their ideal school. But interestingly, we also have a high rate of unplaced students “not seen in a decade” as per Mark Cover, Founder of dataHE. Part of this is students, even though they have the required grades, deciding not to enter higher education. News that some major employers no longer require a degree for entry roles won’t have escaped students’ attention with LinkedIn reporting a 90% increase in the share of UK job postings not requiring a degree between 2021 and 2022. We’re shifting to skills-based hiring and that changes the kind of education young people are searching for. Entry rate insight | Skills-based hiring
Extra: Universities offer students a three-day week to find part-time work. Read
📊 Marketing and media news
Beano Brain released its annual report on the “coolest” brands for youth audiences. Based on 120,000 responses from those aged 7-14, the top 3 this year are 1) Netflix, 2) YouTube and 3) McDonald’s. All brands with exceptional digital, community-driven and personalised experiences. There’s been some interesting movement in the ranking too. The BBC dropped twenty-eight places (!!!) from 43 to 71, probably due to youth audiences increasingly using social media to discover what matters. Also, Oreo finished ahead of Disney (🤣) which I have no insight for - it’s just funny. Nintendo moves from 9th to 6th by simultaneously trading on nostalgia and attracting new audiences. The brand's not afraid to reimagine its IP either: "I love Princess Peach because she is brave and confident and helps people who don't understand things." When I was a kid, she was just in another castle. In fact, most brands in the top 25 have reinvented themselves every generation i.e. Netflix used to be DVDs in the mail. Now, it’s a category lead for streaming... In a sector like higher ed, where we pride ourselves on iterative improvement, we shouldn’t write off bold reimaginations. In two years, these kids will be attending open days. Read
The EU’s Digital Services Act is now in force, banning targeted ads at children i.e. those aged 13 - 17 on social media apps - so if you’re running ads/sponsored content to those groups, expect to see an impact to performance. The new laws extend to personalisation too which has led to TikTok, Instagram and Facebook making radical changes to their platforms. In Europe, Facebook and Instagram gave users the option to view Stories and Reels only from people they follow, ranked in chronological order. TikTok did similar. Not even Amazon is exempt and has taken legal action to contest its designation as a “very large online platform” which is hilarious, given that it’s a very large online platform. All of this has profound implications for marketing. Without algorithms, TikTok will instead favour local popular content and your location, but according to Digiday, almost two-thirds of marketers (64%) target users with ads that use personal behavioural data, rather than contextual (non-personal) data. It’s a hell of a shift, and a lot of youth media campaigns in the EU are going to have to be redrawn as a result. New EU safety laws | Marketers’ data preferences
🏫 What unis are doing
University of Tasmania rolled out personalisation to its website. It’s subtle, but you can toggle your preferences in the top-right-hand corner of the site. For example, if you’re an international student interested in undergraduate study, you can simply check the relevant criteria and see stories from other students like you. These things don’t need to be complicated. Look
MIT has nailed educational YouTube content. In a recent video about dark matter, it blended academic insight with attention-retaining editing. Simple stuff like animations with voice-over, text on screen at key moments for emphasis, and an engaging speaker - it all works together to keep your interest. Look
Ohio State University is dominating higher ed TikTok. According to Rival IQ, its engagement rate is twice the rate of the average institution on TikTok - standing at 12.5%. It also posts 4x more than the average school. One post, “POV: It’s your very first Buckeye home game 🤩” hit an engagement by follower rate of 19.2%! Ridiculously high, even for TikTok. Look
🧑🎓 What students are saying
"It's hard being a student - rental prices have shot up and it is tough for students. There are people that advise you to take a student loan - but you are never really taught how to keep your own finances in check and how to save." Students speak about taking on (increasingly more) part-time work to support their studies. Read
👾 Culture shock
AI phone calls are a thing. Look
Meta designed a universal translator. Read
I want this guy’s hype crew. Look
