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Marketing to College Students - US

Published by: Mintel International Group Ltd.

Published: Jul. 1, 2011 - 135 Pages

Scope and Themes: What you need to know; Definition; Data sources; Consumer survey data; Advertising creative; Abbreviations and terms; Abbreviations; Terms
Executive Summary: Recessionary pressures and social trends drove student body growth; Women and minorities represent growing proportion of student body; Finances, employment prospects, and grades primary concerns of students; Living situations are about equally split between “college living” and “family living”; School, working, and hanging with friends most popular activities; Most students are avid users of social networking sites; Most eat at home but fast food a relatively popular lunch and dinner destination; Texting among most common forms of communication; Students more likely to own many electronic devices; Verizon is the preferred carrier overall, good network coverage is a must; Students more likely to have debit cards instead of credit cards
Insights and Opportunities: Appeal to the idealism and social nature of students; KFC gets social to promote the Double Down; QR tagging could capture the attention of students; Linking brands with culture and authenticity; Offer sustainable food and drink options on college campuses
Inspire Insights: Trend: Access All Areas; Smartphones; Online; Trend: A Simple Balance For Health
The Student Body: Key points; Growth of student body slows after spike in 2008; Spending power spikes in 2009 as record numbers attend college; Women increasingly outnumber men in student body; Student body becoming more ethnically diverse; Full- and part-time segments growing at a similar pace
Marketing Challenges: On-campus bans of alcohol, tobacco, and credit card advertising limit reach; Online and for-profit colleges changing the nature of the student body
Market Drivers: Key points; Population growth will drive growth in student body; Hispanic and Asian segments growing quickly; Spike in attendance driven by high unemployment; Economy drives some young adults to postpone marriage and childbirth
Innovations and Innovators: On-campus brand ambassadors; MTVU; Target uses innovative techniques to attract college students; Red Bull positions as a part of college culture and student lifestyles
Marketing Strategies: Overview; For-profit schools focus efforts largely on minorities and working class; Taco Bell goes after college-aged men with steak value; Apple targets young adults with the emotional benefits of technology; Target uses comedy and lifestyle relevance to reach students
Personal Concerns: Key points; Students’ concerns more inwardly focused compared with nonstudents; Older students more aware of broader issues; Affluent students less concerned … about almost everything; Nontraditional students’ concerns generally reflect that of older students
School Year Living Situation: Key points; Off-campus apartments/houses most popular among students; Affluent students more likely to live in dormitories; Nontraditional students are most likely to live with spouse/family
Paying the Bills: Key points; Students are less likely to pay the bills in their household; Affluent students are the least likely to pay bills in their household; Employed students more likely to pay the bills in their household
Typical Weekday Activities: Key points; Male and female students generally spend time similarly; Older working students spend more time at work; Nontraditional students tend to spend more time working
Online Activities in the Last Seven Days: Key points; Students tend to be more active on social networking sites; Consider using social networking sites to target younger students; Online Search Engines Typically Used; Key points; Google the most popular search engine for students and nonstudents; Male college students somewhat more likely to use non-Google search; Older students notably less likely than others to use Google; Nontraditional students use Google less than traditional students
Attitudes Toward Shopping Online: Key points; Students are more likely than nonstudents to search online for coupons
Frequency of Eating Meals: Key points; Dinner is the most frequently eaten meal among college students; Younger college students least likely to eat breakfast; Affluent students more likely to eat breakfast; Nontraditional students are more likely to eat breakfast
Where Weekday Meals Typically Eaten: Key points; College students typically eat breakfast at home; Affluent students less likely to eat meals at home; Family living students much more likely to eat meals at home
Frequency of Leisure Activities: Key points; Hanging out with friends is most popular college student activity; Younger students more likely to hang out and play sports; Nontraditional students are more likely to eat out
Frequency of Communication: Key point; Text messaging very popular form of communication among students; Students less likely to use landlines and email to communicate
Electronics Product Ownership: Key points; Students more likely to own many electronic devices; Affluent students more likely to own smartphones
Cell Phone Ownership, Provider and Subscription Type: Key points; Ownership; Students somewhat more likely than nonstudents to own a cell phone; Service providers; Verizon most popular cell phone provider with students and nonstudents; AT&T more popular among upper-income students; Subscription type; Students more likely to use unlimited cell phone plans; Younger students more likely to have unlimited plans; Nontraditional students more likely to use “pay as you go” and no contract
Attitudes Toward Cell Phone Service Provider: Key points; Most important aspects of a service provider; Good network coverage is most important for students and nonstudents; Attitudes toward switching providers; Students are more likely to switch carriers for desired phones; Male students more likely to be currently shopping for a new carrier; Older students are more likely to be planning to switch carriers
Debit and Credit Card Ownership and Use: Key points; Students more likely to have debit cards than credit cards; Female students more likely to have a debit card; Employed students more likely to have debit and credit cards
Impact of Race and Hispanic Origin: Hispanics less likely to express concerns than non-Hispanics; Black students more likely to live off campus alone or with roommates; Non-Hispanics more likely to spend time on social networking sites; Hispanic students more likely to eat breakfast, less likely to indulge in late night snack; Hispanic segment has a concentration of Skype users
Cluster Analysis: Reading and Worrying; Demographics; Characteristics; Opportunity; Musically Social; Demographics; Characteristics; Opportunity; Sleepless and Inactive; Demographics; Characteristics; Opportunity; Characteristic tables; Demographic tables; Cluster methodology
Custom Consumer Groups: Traditional students spend more time on social networking sites; Nontraditional students more likely to own basic electronics; College living students more likely to use Verizon; Most want to stay connected, remain loyal to provider
Appendix—Other Useful Consumer Tables: Figure 84: Items/situations personally concerned about, by student gender, April-May 2011
Appendix—Trade Associations

Abstract

Americans are attending college in record numbers, and it is increasingly seen as a requirement for young people, rather than an option. The increase in college attendance is impacting the lifestyles of young adults in a variety of ways. Many are postponing marriage and childbirth as they seek education and training that will help them achieve financial security. It is also clear that the nature of the student body is changing in that it has become much more diverse than it was in the past. Hispanics, blacks, and Asian-Americans are attending in large numbers, and there has also been a sharp rise in recent years in students aged 25+. In short, while the college segment is a potentially lucrative one for marketers, it is morphing and hence should be examined carefully by those developing messaging or new offerings for college students.

As such, Mintel has prepared this report to address the following questions:

How have college attendance levels changed in recent years and how are they likely to change between 2011 and 2016?
How is the demographic makeup of the student body changing and how is this impacting the way that marketers need to approach the student segment to optimize effectiveness?
How are students who attend state and private universities distinct from those who attend more nontraditional or for-profit schools, such as those in which classes are commonly taught online?
What are the primary concerns of college students and how do these concerns seem to impact decision making?
What is the typical living situation of today’s college student and what is their level of responsibility for paying household bills?
What types of leisure activities do students commonly engage in and how much time do they spend going to school, working and having fun?

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Marketing to College Students - US

Table of Contents

Abstract

US: 800.298.5699

Int'l: +1.240.747.3093