NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Barnes & Noble College Marketing (BNCM), a division of Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, today released the results of its proprietary 2012 College Marketing Report. The results reveal some key findings about students’ media habits, social and digital behaviors, and marketing preferences. Despite the prevalence of social media and Internet usage, college students still consider TV ads the most effective form of advertising; they prefer to receive emails over texts from marketers; their engagement with brands on Facebook tops all other social networks; and most are very open to direct brand engagement, including supporting on-campus ambassador programs.
The 2012 College Marketing Report was based on a survey of Barnes & Noble College Next Gen Research Panel, a network of more than 7,500 college students from campuses across the nation. Reaching nearly five million students through more than 650 Barnes & Noble College stores, BNCM is able to glean a deep understanding of today’s college student, and utilizes these insights to connect students with brands, products and services that enhance their social and academic experience.
College Marketing: Understanding Today’s Students
A few interesting findings from the 2012 College Marketing Report include:
- The Mad Men Era Lives On: Believe it or not, although Internet and social media usage is strong among college students, 42 percent still say TV ads are the most effective form of advertising.
- 'Like' It or Not: 65 percent of college students engage with brands via social media at least weekly – primarily on Facebook – and a third do so at least three times a day. At the same time, brands have to be careful with how they approach students in this environment – 55 percent do not think Facebook is a good place for brands to advertise to them.
- What Moves You: Not surprisingly, students are most motivated by brand loyalty as a key driver of social engagement (26 percent), although they also love a good coupon offer (26 percent) or fun contest (19 percent).
- Pls Dnt Txt Me: With the prevalence of smartphones, one would assume students prefer to be contacted on their mobile device. Surprisingly, 61percent do not believe a text message campaign is a good way for a brand to connect with them. And further, most students (58 percent) view the majority of their emails on their laptops.
- Lip Service: There’s no substitute for word of mouth, especially on college campuses. More than half (59 percent) of respondents say friends have the biggest influence on their purchasing decisions, both online and off.
- Are QR codes DOA? QR codes aren’t very popular among college students – according to the survey, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) never scan QR codes located on ads.
- Have Dorm, Will Work for Freebies: Today’s college students are proactive and very open to direct brand engagement. More than two-thirds (68 percent) of college students would be interested in becoming an on-campus student brand ambassador, while half of students would like brand ambassadors to help during move-in.
- Shop for the Greater Good: 70 percent of students say they're more likely to buy from a brand that supports a charitable cause and the majority (63 percent) is willing to spend more on products tied to a charity.
“Understanding student attitudes and preferences is paramount to reaching them in the right way and delivering a shopping experience that enhances their overall college experience,” said Lisa Malat, Barnes & Noble College’s VP, Marketing & Operations. “That deep commitment to student insight drives our success with both our campus partners around the country and the brands we work with at BNCM.”
The 2012 College Marketing Report is just one of the offerings that BNCM provides to leading brands, products and services. For years, BNCM has successfully guided top companies, including Symantec, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, L’Oreal, General Motors, Wrigley, American Express and others on how to deliver value and connect authentically with college students.
For additional information about BNCM, its capabilities and initiatives, visit www.bncollegemarketing.com.
About Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC and Barnes & Noble College Marketing
Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC (BNC), is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS). Barnes & Noble College Marketing (BNCM) is a division of Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC. Barnes & Noble College operates 667 campus stores across the country and serves nearly five million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. BNCM is the leader in helping brands understand and connect students with products and services that enhance their social and academic experience.
About Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, operates 689 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, also operates 667 college bookstores serving over 4.6 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through BN.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web's largest e-commerce sites, which also features more than 2.5 million titles in its NOOK Bookstore™ (www.bn.com/ebooks). Through Barnes & Noble’s NOOK® eReading product offering, customers can buy and read digital books and content on the widest range of platforms, including NOOK devices, partner company products, and the most popular mobile and computing devices using free NOOK software. Barnes & Noble is proud to be named a J.D. Power and Associated 2012 Customer Service Champion and is only one of 50 U.S. companies so named. Barnes & Noble.com is ranked the number one online retailer in customer satisfaction in the book, music and video category and a Top 10 online retailer overall in customer satisfaction according to ForeSee E-Retail Satisfaction Index (Spring Top 100 Edition).
General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company's corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.
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