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College Students 101:
10 tips for Successful Marketing to this Elusive Demographic.

Derek White, Alloy Media + Marketing
(Article abbreviated and amended)

While few among us care to admit it, the world has changed a lot since we graduated from college - even if it does seem like "only yesterday."

As a result, the interests, concerns, and aspirations of today's "Gen-Y's" are significantly different from those of Generation X'ers or Baby Boomers.

Staying current on the pulse of this dynamic generation is a never-ending job. Just when you think you have fashion, lingo, music and trends down pat, everything changes.

Twice a year, during spring and fall semesters, company X, conducts a comprehensive national survey of college students about their lifestyles and preferences in partnership with Harris Interactive. Taking nothing for granted, they query them about their sources of income, media consumption, Internet behavior, retail preferences, brand loyalty, entertainment spending and personal care product spending.

The results never cease to amaze us. For one thing, the U.S. college population today is older, more fiscally responsible and bankable than you might have thought. Forty percent of today's college students are 25 years or older. Two-thirds (67 percent) of them have paid jobs; 65 percent have a major credit card and an equal number have loan payments. Finally, over half of these college students are women.

The purchasing muscle of this youthful demographic also may surprise you. Last year alone, college students were responsible for more than $210 billion in sales.

Unfortunately, it's impossible to detail all of the information uncovered in the “College Explorer Survey”. However, here are the top 10 marketing tips for reaching the college market that resulted from recent study's findings.

Tip #1: Recognize their potential.

There are 15.3 million college students in the United States. They represent one of the highest percentages of discretionary income in the nation - $53.9 billion. When it comes to spending, they like the "good things in life:" entertainment and travel, the latest electronic and digital equipment, snacks and beverages, apparel and personal care products.

Tip #2: Make them laugh.

Although students report that they do not pay a lot of attention to any particular type of advertising, most reported they pay at least some attention to the following kinds of ads: television, magazine, outdoor/billboards - Posters & Flyers, etc.., movie, radio and college newspapers. Therefore, it is important to hone in on what snags their attention. When asked what they want in advertisements, the top choices were humor (36 percent) and affordable product cost (44 percent). Bear in mind, there are gender-based preferences. Females like everyday people featured in ads, while male students want ads to be sexy.

Tip #3: Don't forget the 'rents.

The "generation gap" is less evident than one might expect. Parental influence remains strong. For example, more than half of college students polled use the same brand of bar soap (55 percent), toothpaste (54 percent), and laundry detergent (60 percent) that they were introduced to by their parents. And while they like their ads to be funny, they don't want the joke to go over their parents' heads. In fact, eight in ten college students want advertisers to appeal to both them and their parents.

Tip #4: Have a heart.

While you may be nostalgic for your younger, more carefree days, so too are college-aged youth. College students today are dealing with global uncertainties and a tough economy; the majority (61 percent) believes that it is harder to be a young person today than it was in their parents' day. They care about community and global problems and, according to our survey, their most pressing concerns are environmental causes (56 percent), the potential for war (53 percent), unemployment and lack of job opportunities (51 percent), and rising poverty levels (51 percent).

Tip #5: Give them credit.

As previously mentioned, few college students today are getting the proverbial "free ride." Most are contributing financially toward their own education and more than 41 percent of freshmen own a major credit card. Notably, that percentage balloons to 79 percent by senior year.

Tip #6: Think active.

Don't assume that college students are always in class, hanging out in the student lounge or in their dorms watching TV. A full quarter of them own or lease a car and, as a group, they are anything but sedentary. In the past year, U.S. college students spent almost $5 billion on travel. Other popular entertainment pursuits are movies ($790 million), music concerts ($390 million), amusement parks ($318), and professional sporting events ($272 million).

Tip #7: Be connected.

There is no denying that today's youth are "wired," and the college population is no exception. The vast majority (93 percent) goes online in a given month, and nearly nine out of ten have made an e-commerce purchase. More than half of online students have broadband connections. And within this vast universe of users is a smaller, but substantial, subset of early technology adopters. Our survey shows that one in eight college students consider themselves technology leaders; they are among the first to buy cutting-edge electronic devices and gadgets.

Tip #8: Give them what they want.

When marketing to the college audience, it is important to understand that, similar to adult consumers, they are price conscious. More than half will owe more than $25,000 upon graduation and this makes them hungry for bargains. An overwhelming 93 percent of survey respondents cited low prices as important when shopping. Furthermore, our survey reveals that college students are more than twice as likely to buy brands that are on sale than to consistently use certain brands. In fact, 57 percent of the male respondents and 74 percent of the female respondents "usually try to buy brands on sale."

Tip #9: Plug in.

Campus life today is all about access. Nearly nine in ten students own a computer, calculator, and television. Two-thirds own cell phones – and 36 percent use them to access the Internet. Other big items are DVD players (58 percent), video game systems (45 percent) and digital cameras (24 percent). This trend apparently is not abating anytime soon. In years to come, college students intend to purchase digital cameras, DVD players, computers, cars, (18 percent) and cell phones (18 percent).

Tip #10: Figure them out.

College students do not fit a single demographic mold. We're dealing with people ranging from their mid-teens onward. Some live at home, some live in dorms. Some are enrolled in a two-year program, others a four-year. The graduate students are more likely to be married and have a mortgage. Tuition runs the gamut from pricey private schools to state-subsidized universities and community colleges.

Obviously, all of the above factors affect income and spending levels. For example, on a per-capita basis, spending is greatest among full-time students and four-year students. However, tuition and school expenses eat up the highest proportion of these expenditures. In terms of discretionary spending, part-time students enjoy the highest levels among college student population. Those who are not in school have on average the most discretionary income.

This college survey shows that chronological age impacts brand loyalty, access to credit, and wallet size. For those in college, spending clout typically increases with age. The monthly amount of discretionary spending averaged out by age group is $163 (ages 18-19), $217 (ages 20-21), $362 (ages 22-24) and $432 (ages 25-30).

First year students are more susceptible to peer pressures. Freshmen (35 percent) are more likely than seniors (13 percent) to use the same brands as their friends do. However, seniors will make larger first-time purchases. With more discretionary income, one-quarter of seniors surveyed intend to buy a digital camera within the year, as opposed to only 14 percent of freshmen. Then there are the stated differences between the purchasing trends and product preferences of women versus men. For instance, college females spend twice as much on personal care items than their male counterparts do. Men are more likely to shop in a computer or electronics store, and they're more interested (30 percent versus 13 percent) in having salespeople be versed in what's cutting-edge.

Putting it all together

In summary, marketing requires unbiased observation and scrupulous attention to detail. And when it comes to targeting today's college market, being attune to the demographic's unique interests and issues can make or break you.

While college students may all act, dress and sound alike at a distance, the closer you get, the more that 'undifferentiated mass' crystallizes into groups of individuals with distinct likes and dislikes. For marketers in particular, the ability to separate out and identify a brand's core audience is the first step toward achieving precision marketing within the Internet Age. The more you know about the person receiving your e-mail or reading your print ad, viewing and responding to your poster placements, the more targeted and persuasive your message can be.

NewAge College Marketing, Inc. is a college media and marketing company targeting such students. NAM offers Fortune 500 companies and smaller companies alike a unique opportunity to this elusive marketplace.

NAM - together with its Media and Marketing Divisions- affords unparalleled reach to this highly sought-after demographic, delivering customized programs that drive brand equity and generate sales.

Derek White, Alloy Media + Marketing
(Article abbreviated and amended by NewAge Marketing, Inc. 10/18/05)

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