For advertisers exploring ways to reach the 17 million college students who've returned to school for the fall term, there is a new program that employs students as brand ambassadors at their colleges and universities.

To find out how to get your client’s message in front of this elusive young adult audience, read on.

This is one in a Media Life series on buying the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.

Fast Facts 

What
A network of students promotes brands on their campuses through events and giveaways.

Who
Mr. Youth, headquartered in New York.

How it works
Students are hired to implement campus programs to promote a brand. Mr. Youth calls the program its Brand Ambassador Network. “They create a peer-to-peer channel on campus,” says senior director Brandon Evans. 

The type of on campus events will depend on the brand. The advertiser can sponsor already-scheduled campus events or have the rep develop an event.

Homecoming, tailgate football and sorority parties are examples of campus events that brands tie into.

In addition to having money in their pockets, college students are a prized demographic because they’re young, impressionable and at the stage of life when they're making product choices that could last for years to come. “Brand loyalty sets in. They’re making decisions that will last as they go on to careers and families,” says Tara Ryan, manager of national promotions for JetBlue, one recent sponsor.

The JetBlue campaign, to promote new flight routes, included on-campus contests with airline tickets for prizes.

Contests and buzz marketing work well on campus. A beauty client may use campus reps to alert women students to demonstrations at a particular store, where the student receives a gift. Says Evans: “We do programs where we team the client with a retailer who is knowledgeable about the gift product that students receive when they come into the store.”

Events and sampling are particularly popular programs, Evans says. “Posters and flyers are pretty standard, and typically we work directly with the client to develop the materials.”

An ongoing campaign for Shock, a new magazine from Hachette, has 100 reps active on campuses nationwide. One element of the program drives students to a web site to upload their photos. Students vote for their favorite submissions, which are then included in Shock. Prizes include $10,000 for the top vote-getter.

Students were targeted with copies of the magazine, posters, flyers, ads in student publications and through contacts at fraternities and other campus groups.

In such programs as the JetBlue and Shock efforts, the creative is tailored to the audience. “For instance, we can develop a micro site, a college-tailored version of the advertiser’s web site,” Evans says.

Segments within the college population can be targeted, and one way is by choosing reps with ties to that particular group.

“Some programs might be looking for someone in student government or someone who is tech savvy or a sorority girl,” Evans says. “Sometimes we use two reps from different social circles.”

Some programs are as short as two weeks, in terms of the period when product samples are handed out, says founding partner Matt Britton. “Others are more deeply rooted on campus with ongoing activities.”

Markets
The college rep program is available at public and private colleges and universities in all 50 states, Evans says. “We typically target larger campuses, especially the top 25 to 50 schools.”

Numbers
There are 17.4 million college students in the U.S., according to 2000 census data provided by Mr. Youth. Of those, 54 percent are female, 46 percent are male. Of those, 9.2 million are 18-24 and 8.3 million are 25 and older.

How it is measured
Measurement varies by program. For example, for the Microsoft OneNote campaign, the key measurement was the number of downloads.  

Other measures include attendance at events and the number of flyers and samples distributed.

Research
The average college student spends more than $1,100 on back-to-school items, and the annual disposable income per student is $2,600.  

What product categories do well
Automobiles, health and beauty aids, magazines, airlines, educational products, technology and retail are top categories. 

Demographics
Groups can be targeted by region of the country and by campus. JetBlue focused on schools on the two coasts and in markets corresponding to its flight destinations.

Shock Magazine avoided conservative campuses, Evans says. “The magazine is a little extreme, so we avoided campuses where students would not respond well.”

Making the buy
Lead time is eight to 10 weeks. Factors that affect cost include the number of reps, what kind of promotions the advertiser chooses, and how many markets they want to cover. 

Who’s already on college campuses
JetBlue, Shock Magazine and Microsoft are recent advertisers.

What they’re saying
“Basically we want to raise overall awareness and infiltrate the college market and let them be aware of the service we offer. We relied on reps to communicate that to their peers. We know they have the ability to influence their peers, and they know the lingo to use in terms of reaching out to students. They know the atmosphere they need to be in to talk to students.” – Tara Ryan, manager of national promotions for New York-based JetBlue

Web site info
Mr. Youth at www.mryouth.com

Etc.
To read about other programs aimed at reaching college students check the Media Life archives for “Your client at the campus movie house,” Sept. 18, 2006.

In an upcoming issue Media Life will feature the third in this series on reaching the college crowd.