College Students
Meet Jenna and Matt. They are undergraduate students at a local university. Working part-time for 8 to 10 hours a week, they have about $300 in monthly discretionary spending.
Students like Matt and Jenna present an attractive audience to advertisers because they purchase items for themselves and buy gifts for their family and friends. They also strongly influence the purchases of the people around them. If they become loyal to a brand, they represent an enormous lifetime value in potential revenue.
Overview
SeeSaw Networks has the most extensive network in the United States to reach college students who are out and about both on campus and off campus.
With digital signs on 469 college campuses with over 7.2 million enrolled students across the United States, SeeSaw provides advertisers with the most extensive on campus network for digital out-of-home media.
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On Campus Bars & Restaurants - Buzztime Bars & Restaurants - Ecast Bookstores - BordersTV Coffee Shops - Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Coffee Shops - Tully's Convenience Stores - TMI Gas Stations - PetroTV Gas Stations - PumpTopTV Grocery Stores Health Clubs - Cardio Health Clubs - WHEN Information Kiosks - Hotspot Juice Bars - Juice It Up Juice Bars - Robeks QSR - Jack In The Box QSR - Noah's/Einstein's Retail - Bookstores Sports Bars - BRANDitTV Sports Bars - MJM Travel Centers University Bookstores University Campuses University Dormitories |
Day in the life
A Day in the Life of College Students
As college students go about their day, out-of-home digital media engages them across a variety of venues:![]() |
9:35AM – Coffee at the Student Union
9:35AM – Coffee at the Student Union
Jenna and Matt are up and about campus on the way to their first class. They stop at the student union to grab a cup of coffee and the student newspaper.
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12:00PM – Workout at the Recreation Center
12:00PM – Workout at the Recreation Center
After morning classes, Jenna and Matt head to the recreation center where they get in a midday workout.
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1:15PM – Lunch at the Student Union
1:15PM – Lunch at the Student Union
Back at the Student Union, Jenna and Matt grab a slice of pizza and catch up on their morning classes.
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4:30AM – University Dorm
4:30AM – University Dorm
After afternoon classes, Jenna and Matt hang out in their dorm room where they watch the university channel.
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5:15PM – Gas Station
5:15PM – Gas Station
On the way to the local bookstore, they stop to put gas in their car.
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5:25PM – Retail - Bookstore
5:25PM – Retail - Bookstore
Jenna and Matt meet their friends at the local bookstore where they flip through some of the magazines until their last friend arrives.
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6:59PM – Dinner at a Local Restaurant
6:59PM – Dinner at a Local Restaurant
Jenna and Matt grab dinner with their friends at a local restaurant and put some music on the digital jukebox.
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8:25PM – Sports Bar - MJM or Sports Bar - BRANDitTV
8:25PM – Sports Bar - MJM or Sports Bar - BRANDitTV
After dinner, Jenna and Matt stop by a local sports bar to play a game of pool with their friends. Matt stops by the fantasy kiosk to check his sports stats.
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9:05PM – Grocery Store
9:05PM – Grocery Store
Before heading back to finish studying for the night, Matt and Jenna pickup some snacks at the grocery store close to campus.
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Activities
Activities for College Students
College students spend their days and evenings both on and off campus engaged in the following activities:- They spend 8 to 10 hours per day on campus
- They work as marketing interns 10 hours per week for spending money
- They hang out with friends at the local bar on Friday and Saturday nights
- They spend eight hours per week on the phone with family and friends
- They spend an additional 8 to 10 hours per week on the Internet, downloading music, keeping in touch with friends from home on social networking sites like facebook and myspace, and all the while instant messaging their college friends to make plans for the evening
- They read the college newspaper 3 to 4 times per week
- They watch 1 to 2 hours of TV in the dorm
- They go to the school recreation center to exercise 2 to 3 times per week
- They take road trips with friends and road trips home a few times a quarter
- They go grocery shopping once a week to stock up on the basics
Research
Research About College Students
"College students present a unique audience to advertising and marketing agencies because not only do they buy presents for their family and friends, but they also receive presents from family and friends. They may not be the ones controlling the dollars being spent, but they influence the purchases of the people around them. Advertising to college students tends to focus on entertainment products, communication products, and fashion and personal care products. "Tobe Berkovitz
Dean of College of Communication, Boston University
College Students' Awareness of Digital Out-of-Home Media
- College Students are exceptionally aware of digital signage advertisements, which intercept them in many places both on campus and off campus. 75% of college students are aware of digital signage advertising vs. 62% for general adults.
- Students are both more aware and even more engaged than general adults with digital signage advertising. When college students who have seen digital signage advertising over the past year were asked about it, more than half said that they pay some or a lot of attention to this media vs. 44% for general adults.
- College students find digital signage advertising to be more unique than traditional advertising media such as television, magazines, news papers and radio.
- Nearly half of college students (49%) report that they took an action such as purchasing a product or telling a friend about a product or service after seeing digital signage advertising.
Source: OTX Digital Out-of-Home Media Awareness and Attitude Study - 2007
Download OTX College Students ResearchDownload OTX Full Report Spending and Media Consumption Patterns of College Students
- They will be the next dominant generation of Americans. It's predicted that by 2010, the Gen Y population will be 32% of the total population.
- Their spending is already making an impact on the economy. They're big spenders - $170 billion of own and parents' money 66% have savings accounts; 22% have checking accounts; 18% have their own stocks and bonds
- They're dollar savvy with adult buying habits and sophisticated tastes
- The majority of them grew up in dual-income families. This afforded Gen Y the opportunity for more sophisticated tastes in clothing, dining and recreation
- They grew up in a media-saturated, brand-conscious world, (i.e., they were raised as consumers)
- Over 15 million people in the U.S. are between 18 and 24.
- Spending Power (From: National Center for Educational Statistics)
- College and university students spend well over $200 billion annually.
- Over $275/month in discretionary spending (spending on anything other than tuition, room/board, rent/mortgage, books/school fees etc.).
- 81% of college students hold paid jobs
- 84% of young adults have made at least one purchase online in the past year.
- Marketing to them
- 54% of youth women say that a Free Sample is the best way to get them to try a new hair and skin care product
- According to a study, 64% of teens feel that humorous ads resonate the most
- 69% of students download music from the internet
- 85% of young adults play music while studying










