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Dynamic marketing for February

06 Mar 2017

FutureIndex supplies the University with regular reports that showcase current trends and examples of excellence in the world of brands and marketing.

match sparks

Our February issue focuses on conversion in higher education (HE) and ways to really engage with applicants – answering questions, keeping them warm and helping to get them on board.

Highlights include:

  • Using the latest social platforms like Deakin University in Melbourne, who have launched a new explorer bot, integrating their course finder with Facebook Messenger. The bot was accompanied by its own Facebook identity and page, plus dramatic film-trailer style video content.
  • Using video for toolkit support, such as the University of South Queensland’s Social Hub, which offers help, advice and all sorts of tutorials for their students.
  • The importance of bloggers and influencers, as seen in the student-led series, Georgetown Stories. These first-person documentary-style videos follow 16 undergraduate students throughout the academic year, giving viewers a unique insight into their student lives.

From the wider HE marketing landscape, here are some interesting examples:

  • Founded by members of The University of Sheffield, #WeAreInternational’s engaging new video of international students offers reassurance following Brexit and promotes the HE experience in the UK.
  • Leeds universities come together to give a Virtual Landscapes experience that replicates the real world.
  • The Dance Your PhD craze relaunched in 2016, offering its inimitable take on studying science.

Finally, there are some innovative ideas from outside the HE sector:

  • Icelandic airline WOW Air appointed four lucky winners as SnapTravelers, who received all-expenses-paid trips in exchange for Snapchatting their experiences and showing off what the destinations had to offer – an idea universities could replicate to show off their locations.
  • Mercedes-Benz created the world’s first outdoor holographic prism – this poster in Berlin conjours a cyclist out of thin air.

Access the full report below: