Newsletter #54: University of Leeds goes Lo-fi; Meta’s taken its first stab at the metaverse; Partnering with creators is the big opportunity for 2022
✏️ From the Education Marketer desk
How top universities used their ambassadors in 2021: My friend Georgia and I share how 14 universities are redefining their work with ambassadors. We cover managing student reviews, running digital ambassador teams, and even how one alumni department is exploring a new kind of revenue stream. Watch
Everything will be fine… Probably: Me and long time Education Marketer collaborator, Nathan Monk, unpack some of the biggest higher ed marketing trends of 2021. We even had a crack at predicting some award winners. Watch
📰 HE news
Student accommodation prices have surged 16% since the start of the pandemic (🤯) and 60% in the last 10 years. Fuelled by the growth of “luxury” student accommodation targetting international students, you have about as much chance of securing an affordable room as you do a PS5 this Christmas. The economics are wild - the average maintenance loan no longer covers the cost of accommodation, so, what happens when students can no longer afford to live at university? Expect to see a sharp rise in the demand for online courses over the next few years. Read
The government has plans for a minimum GCSE entry requirement for student loans. Stuff like this used to shock me, but after Michelle Donelan’s announcement that universities should support prospective students’ attainment, rather than aspirations, it feels pretty on-brand. Achieving a level 4 for both Maths and English is like reaching the stars for some of the most disadvantaged students - now, the government is exploring ways of making their access to funding just as challenging. For me, this will just accelerate the move to shorter, more affordable and practical courses. We’ve seen a similar shift in the US already with providers like Western Governors University focusing on courses that drive “social and economic mobility.” Student experience and attainment are very much part of the same conversation, but (as always) it’s at the expense of creative subjects. Government plans | Western Governors University
📊 Marketing and media news
Meta’s taken its first stab at the metaverse with the opening of Horizon Worlds - a free to play, social VR experience. The first phase is wholly creation focused - there’s no economy here just yet, unlike in other web3 projects like Decentraland and Sandbox. That said, Meta’s world-building tools are innovative - they use “script blocks,” which behave the same way as layering rules in apps like Photoshop i.e. you can make objects do stuff by affecting other objects. It’s pretty cool, but I’m struggling to share Bill Gate’s opinion that most meetings will take place in the metaverse within three years. It normally takes a decade for tech to catch up with the vision - we’ve only just got “Google docs for video” (frame.io) and that idea’s been knocking around since 2010. Read
After reading that people spent 15 hours roleplaying a McDonald’s drive-thru on Twitter Spaces, I couldn’t help but notice how much Twitter had changed in the last year. In fact, Twitter acquired 7 companies in 2021. What’s interesting is the group the majority of these acquisitions serve: Creators. It’s true that social media grew up on ad revenue, but with Gen-Z’s resentment of the 9-to-5 (and almost half wanting to be a creator of some sort) big social is now pivoting to take a cut from creator fees. It’s a fascinating shift and one that’s been accelerated by TikTok - an algorithm that surfaces the most engaging content, rather than the creator with the highest follower count. For universities, it’s worth exploring creator partnerships in 2022. There’s obscene growth in the creator economy ($9.7 billion in 2020 to $13.8 billion in 2021) and there is potential to build a level of trust with your audience that cannot be achieved through ads alone. Twitter acquisitions | Drive-thru spaces
In other acquisition news, Nike bought RTFKT which creates and sells digital fashion items, as well as NFT collectables. Until now, we’ve only seen brands dipping their toes into web3 with NFT drops and PR stunts in Roblox. But buying RTFKT is a strategic play. The audience for digital collectables is hot and growing rapidly. Likely, as with the early days of the internet, there will be a winter or two before the tech and culture finds its feet, but there’s so much momentum (and money) in the space that something will undoubtedly stick. Read
🏫 What unis are doing
University of Leeds wins with its “University of Leeds vibes 📚 ~ lofi hip hop mix ~ beats to study/relax to” playlist - absolutely brilliant. For those new to Lo-fi, it’s a music genre that exploded in popularity during the early pandemic, probably due to the rise in remote work. The communities around these playlists are often incredibly supportive, handling topics like mental health or celebrating nostalgia. It’s perfect deep study music and the 4000+ views and positive comments shows that Leeds knows what its audience wants. Top stuff. Listen
Hyper Island is using its alumni community in new and interesting ways. Rather than creating a publication for alumni, it shares a newsletter written by them that anyone can sign up to. It’s really good too - all about tech and its impact on business and culture. Why do this? Revenue generation. After receiving a couple of editions, I’m already considering a short course. I’m surprised more universities aren’t doing this. Look
Well, it’s time for university advent calendars, one of (if not the greatest) tests of the education marketer. This year, a couple stood out: University College Oxford brought back the 2009 web aesthetic with its Choral Advent, but the content is impressive. Each day, you get a carol from its Chapel Choir and it’s, well, quite lovely really. In contrast, University of San Diego’s calender probably had a stakeholder matrix. With the right kind of ears you can almost hear the web team’s screams the moment they were asked to lightbox 27 videos in a single page. But hey, it’s a solid piece of work and probably one of the best calenders I’ve seen this year. Oxford | San Diego
🧑🎓 What students are saying
“I guess my Covid concerns are the same as [those of] most people my age. We want to see our friends, go out drinking and make memories, but at the same time Christmas is a time of year you spend predominantly with family. I'm still planning on seeing [friends], just being a bit more cautious about social distancing, making sure we're all testing negative, things like that.” Students on how they are approaching Covid this Christmas. Read
👾 Culture shock
DressX sells digital clothes for over $1000. Look
A chocolate company left one of its advent calendar doors empty to teach kids about equality. But it just made them cry. Read
