While mainstream cable as well as the major networks scramble to retain their dwindling young adult audience, cable networks that are wired directly into student housing enjoy a special advantage.
To find out how to get your client’s message in front of college students while they lounge in front of the TV, read on. This is the fourth in a series on reaching young adults on campus.
This is one in a Media Life series on buying the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
Fast Facts
What
Ads placed on narrowcast television networks targeting college students on their campuses.
Who
Zilo Networks, headquartered in New York.
How it works
Ads support programming on cable stations that are primarily college-run and are available in dormitories and in off-campus housing.
“Basically we work with colleges’ own cable television stations, with the channels they’re already inclined to watch,” says CEO David Isaacs. "It's something that’s already engaging them."
The ads air with programming that includes Zilo-produced shows.
“We show them things they’re not going to see other places,” Isaacs says. “You’ll see event specials and shows ranging from animation to reality to full sitcoms. We produce a variety of stuff.”
Other programming includes shows from sources like The History Channel, HBO and Court TV.
Zilo also airs student-produced media and campus events that they sponsor like concerts and comedy hours. Programming is aired in three-hour blocks that are broadcast four times a week for a total of 12 hours per week. A typical hour includes 44 minutes of program and 16 minutes of advertising.
In addition to running their ads, advertisers can sponsor programs, produce custom programming, and support user-generated content. Creative is a mix of existing spots and ads created specifically for this audience, Isaacs says.
The broadcast season follows the college calendar with reruns playing during spring break and at the end of December.
Markets
The network is available on 352 public and private college campuses in 37 states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, Maine, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico and the District of Columbia.
Numbers
Total reach is 5.6 million viewers, according to Zilo Networks.
How it is measured
Nielsen will begin tracking the viewing habits of college students in January.
Research
Forty four percent of students living in dorms watch the college cable station, according to Student Monitor data provided by Zilo.
What product categories do well
Anything that’s used by this target group, Isaacs says. “We’ve had auto to beverage to political ads. It’s really across the board.”
Ads for alcohol, tobacco, firearms or pornography aren’t accepted.
Demographics
The broad target group is college students with some more specific targeting available.
Making the buy
Lead time is two weeks with creative in hand. Factors that affect cost include the length of the ad and whether creative services are required. A standard spot is 30 seconds but can run up to two minutes.
The minimum buy is four spots for four airings or a total of 16 airings for $1,000. The gross CPM is $5.11.
Who’s already on Zilo Network
Yahoo, General Motors, Powerade, ABC and the ACLU are recent advertisers.
What they’re saying
“We’ve grown to understand that the History Channel attracts people of all ages. Our strategy is basically to reach many different groups in many different ways. ‘Digging for the Truth’ is really an adventure show and adventure seems to appeal to young people. That’s why we felt it was a natural fit. So this reaches not only kids who have TVs but it’s fed into student areas where television runs, and all of the sudden you have a captive audience.” -- Michael Mohamad, senior vice president marketing for the History Channel
Web site info
Zilo Network at www.zilo.com
Etc.
For additional college coverage, see “Put your client between the goal posts,” Oct. 16, 2006, “Getting the message out on campuses,” Oct. 2, 2006 and “Your client at the campus movie house,” Sept. 18, 2006 in the Media Life archives.
