Newsletter #59: Miami Ad School exists for Generation Z; Morning Brew launches its “no BS” business education programmes; Big Jet TV is everything I love about the internet
✏️ From the Education Marketer desk
Today on Most Clicked, Nathan I discuss University of Kent’s super simple use of course page video. Watch
📰 HE news
Universities may soon have to publish dropout rates on course advertising, whether it’s a billboard, digital ad or influencer partnership. Can you imagine? “I landed a £30K graduate role after university, but results aren’t typical. Drop out rate 15%, terms and conditions apply.” Universities Minister, Michelle Donelan, went on to compare higher ed marketing to that of credit card advertising (because of course she did) but she misses the irony. Her party is proposing changes to the student loan system that will see lower salary grads pay back more than their peers with incomes in the top 10% of earnings. Astounding. Drop out rate ads | Loan changes
A recent study between WonkHE and Pearson revealed that students starting university during the pandemic had a great deal of “imposter syndrome,” but those who felt they “belonged” suffered less. I think by now we’re innately aware of the power of belonging in higher ed, but this is the deepest study I’ve ever come across on the topic. Alarmingly, only 39% of students surveyed agreed that they had a sense of connection with their university community. With the right approach, marketers can make a difference here. If one of your pillars is creating a sense of belonging then this is my recommended read for the week. Read
📊 Marketing and media news
“Business Education without the BS” - Morning Brew (the company that does awesome business newsletters) is launching Learning Brew, another challenger to professional education providers. So, let’s do a count: 1) Amazon, Google and Apple running their own in house education programmes 2) A rise in niche institutions providing “best in class education” on very specific topics and 3) digital media giant Morning Brew offering new “hyper-relevant” courses with a direct line to 3 million subscribers… Traditional education is being squeezed. Whereas your typical degree course is updated once per year, Learning Brew revises content at the pace of industry. It recently redesigned modules on its MB/A (Morning Brew Accelerator) within 30 days of Netflix announcing it would be adding gaming to its portfolio. Hyper-relevant, indeed. Look
Podcast advertising revenue across some networks is up as much as 130% YoY. Spotify’s podcast ad growth is more modest at 40%, but I’m surprised that a relatively established medium is still drawing so much spend. The market is hot right now, so I’m pretty sure if you’re looking for new ways to reach niche audiences there’s a deal to be had. My advice is to be nuanced though - the most effective podcast advertising is when you sponsor shows directly, rather than paying an ad network. For instance, it’s still best for a podcast host to share your message, rather than a mid-show programmatic ad. Read
More brands are experimenting with sponsoring creators and thought-leaders. Ahrefs recently reallocated their entire monthly paid traffic budgetinto partnerships with podcasts, blogs, video channels and events. Deals range from as little as $140 for podcast ads to big money ($20,000) for digital community sponsorships. I love this and while it’s labour intensive, they seem to be getting some really nice results, like sponsored platforms continuing to promote their brand organically after the deal is done. Read
Bonus: Meta is rolling out reels to Facebook, so now you have more places to post TikTok content. Read
🏫 What unis are doing
Miami Ad School taps into the career desires of Gen Z. Firstly, creative freedom: “This is the job where we can do anything we want.” Secondly, practicality: “Every job I have gotten has been a result of a connection from Miami Ad School.” And finally, purpose: “Nothing gives me more happiness right now than getting to go and do my job.” The School positions itself as a portfolio-first institution and offers a range of focused programmes across Advertising which, of course, can be studied remotely. The School’s outreach programmes are impressive too, taking advertising education directly to classrooms to bolster its recruitment pipeline. Look
Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences (I’m sure the name played well in focus groups) is still in the process of accreditation, but has a fresh take on what a “digitally native” university can be. Programmes centring on sustainability, Slack channels to govern learning (😱), 24-hour student support and mentorship built-in from the ground up. Throw in a range of partnerships from Google and a personalised learning schedule (there are no timetabled lectures) and you can see where education could be heading over the next 10 years. Look
University of Northhampton has pulled its “student perks” into one place. How is this still rare across the sector? Sure, some universities won’t have a lot of differentiating extras, but many do - why don’t they shout about them? Northhampton offers a new laptop for incoming students, but also the chance to trade the tech for an accommodation discount. If that’s not enough, all student societies are free and students get full access to LinkedIn Learning. Individually, stuff like this may not move the decision needle, but listing everything together may just turn a few heads. Read
🧑🎓 What students are saying
“It feels soul-crushing. It really makes me feel like I can't accomplish certain things now. I would love to go to university. As long as you're on that path to figuring out [what you want to do], that's okay.” Students on the planned changes to student loan eligibility, requiring a pass in both English and Maths to receive funding. Read
👾 Culture shock
Someone spent $450,000 to be Snoop Dogg’s neighbour in the metaverse. Read
Big Jet TV found new fame after its host, Jerry Dyers, provided live commentary of planes landing during storm Eunice. I’m buying a mug. Look
Coinbase’s CEO got called out on Twitter for saying “no agency” would have ever come up with the QR code concept for its Super Bowl ad, when it fact the same idea was pitched (by an agency) just months earlier. Call out | The ad
