Newsletter #62: University of Law earns all the media; Podcasts are losing out to TikTok; The answer to rising tuition in the US? Sponsored degrees…
✏️ From the Education Marketer desk
Why print is still a great opportunity for higher ed marketers. Read
Let’s talk about “authenticity.” Read
How Disney’s approach to content in 1957 can work for university marketing today. Watch
📰 HE news
I joked in the paid edition of Education Marketer that corporately sponsored education wasn’t far off. Well, the US never disappoints! Deloitte is rolling out a two-year “sponsored degree” programme with Arizona State University. However, let’s be clear: Degree apprenticeships are a far superior product. For sponsored degrees, students are still expected to pay for the first two years of their education, before being “auditioned” (yep) for a further two years of funding. It feels very Shark Tank. Read
The new director for fair access at the OFS suggested it was “hidden hierarchies” endangering young people’s access to higher ed. I wonder if that includes the government’s proposed “entry requirements” for student loans and the extension of their payback period to 40 years? I despair. Of course, these speeches are designed to ruffle feathers, but surely there’s a better way to start a conversation? I’ve read this several times - I still have no idea what the OFS plans to solve. Vague. Read
📊 Marketing and media news
Podcast listens have taken their first significant dip since 2013. Sure, the pandemic is a factor (we have new habits now) but looking at the data, it’s more a question of “attention” and where it’s been redirected. The biggest listener drop is amongst those aged 12 to 34, suggesting TikTok is taking all the air time. Spotify is set to counter this by introducing a “TikTok like feed” for podcast discovery - long overdue in my opinion! For those managing HE podcasts, get ahead and think about how you could repurpose content into a series of audio hooks. Podcast trends | Spotify TikTok feed
Meta is taking steps to develop “creator coins,” which its teams refer to internally as Zuck Bucks (😂). Away from the din of cryptocurrencies and NFTs, creator coins genuinely interest me. I’ve long been a fan of Rally, where rather than investing in a currency, you support a creator - hence: “creator coin.” You essentially have a stake in someone's success, which feels more accessible to me than the majority of web3 right now. I still think HE is way off from using tech like this, but as institutions invest in digital communities and treat their ambassadors more like creators - it’s worth taking a look. It could be a model that gains traction over the next few years. Rally.io | Zuck Bucks
Bonus: The AI set to put Getty Images out of business. Look
🏫 What unis are doing
The University of Law cracked the code on media coverage for a seemingly (routine?) overseas recruitment trip to India. 8 local media companies interviewed the uni’s delegation, covering topics like work placements and scholarships. At first, I thought “this must be paid media,” so I reached out to the University’s Director of Recruitment for clarification - but no, everything was due to the recruitment team’s networks and joint effort pounding the pavement. Fair play. Look
Nexford University offers “pay as you go” tuition for all of its courses. You’re never locked in for more than a month and like Netflix you can “cancel anytime.” Its website even has a section about refunds - when’s the last time you saw that on a university site nav? Education via subscription isn’t new, but for bachelors and masters degrees, it certainly is. Another sign that the cost of tuition in the US is out of control - I’m seeing higher ed disruptors pop up almost weekly now. Look
Aston University has launched a second YouTube channel: Aston Originals. It features interviews with academics and links research with topical events - why wait for the media to get in touch when you can publish your own POV on breaking news? New channels can seem bold, but for a content marketing play like this - it makes sense. The format is consistent, it publishes weekly and has a strong host guiding editorial. Looking forward to seeing where it goes. Look
🧑🎓 What students are saying
“There’s just some things where I look at them and I’m just like, ‘where’s the math? I just see letters,’ I don’t understand anything. I’ll just sit there, kind of lost.” Students on adapting to university life after learning online for two years. Read
👾 Culture shock
Dyson’s “air-purifying headphones” are perfect for your Bane cosplay. Look
Introducing the latest viral trend: The water cup challenge. Look
