Q+ A with Our Advertising Manager, Courtney Eastes

We sat down with Courtney Eastes to talk about advertising to students and the value of the college student market. Here is what she had to say:

Aren’t college students broke? Why advertise to them?

College students are known to possess a high level of discretionary spending and have both buying power and influence over what is the next hot trend. Their expenses are largely covered by their parents and student loans, so the money they make is theirs to spend as they please. According to Sallie Mae, 78% of students have a credit card. Students are often making their financial decisions on their own for the first time and are not shy to satisfy the “I need it now” urge.

College students also spend tons of money on the once-in-a-lifetime experiences that they can only have while in college, including Spring Break, studying and traveling abroad, graduation, and more. They represent a unique audience that is monetizable today with a high lifetime value.

Why do our advertisers use StudentUniverse?

We clearly love college students  – our service and technology are catered to them. We consider ourselves to be advocates for the college market. We work hard to find them the best products, services, and deals.

Our advertisers choose StudentUniverse because they are able to reach a very niche audience who are actively engaging with our brand, and are genuinely interested in our products/services. We allow our partners to seamlessly blend their content and brand into our site, so it is seen more as an endorsement than direct advertising.

Students want to make a difference, they want to travel, they want to experience life. StudentUniverse (and our brands) allow students to experience life as they want it.

Why do students matter?

College students are early adopters. They are the first to buy the latest devices and software and are the first to sport the latest trends. Not only do they adopt early, but they also share their brand experiences with their networks. Word of mouth testimonials are what students trust and are looking for. Students are known to document their lives – and they have tons of friends to share with.

What’s more is that millennials are expected to spend more than $200 billion starting in 2017 and $10 trillion in their lifetimes. They form fierce brand loyalty, and according to Advertising Age, 70% always come back to brands they love. Building connections with students when they are young could be the start of a lifetime of brand loyalty.

Interested in learning more about our advertising options? Email advertise@studentuniverse.com.

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