Category
Lifestyle
Assisted Choices
Trend cluster
Category
Empathetic
College
Brands create a sense of social community through age-specific ads.
3.3
Trend score
Trend
What is the Empathetic College trend?
Empathetic College: Focusing on the back-to-school season, brands market their products and services using humor and relatable characteristics that appeal to young people. Brands utilize spokespeople and campaign tactics that mirror the lives of modern students, which builds on the preconceived thoughts that Gen Z or Millennials have about a fun, upbeat college lifestyle. This shift in campaigning stresses that brands can create better consumer relations through humanization.
Trend themes
Themes within the Empathetic College trend
Three behaviours holding the trend together01
Humanizing Brand Campaigns
Brands create relatable campaigns that appeal to young people and build better consumer connections through humanization.
02
Student-Focused Financial Services
Financial services implement creative marketing strategies that focus on students with events, competitions, and social media campaigns.
03
Stress-Relieving Student Campaigns
Brands use popular stress-relievers, such as coloring books and artistic campaigns, to encourage student engagement and alleviate exam stress.
Industry implications
What the Empathetic College trend means for industry
Where the trend changes the playbookFor
Marketing and Advertising
Marketing and advertising professionals can adopt creative marketing techniques and campaigns to reach younger audiences and build better consumer relationships.
For
Finance and Banking
Finance and banking professionals can develop services that cater to students' unique needs such as student loans, financial aid, and incentives for financial responsibility.
For
Education and Technology
Education and technology industries can work together to create innovative technologies and tools for students to improve their education experience.
Workshop question
What are some less glamorous parts of your customer's day that you could tap into to humanize your brand?
Trend signals
Trend signals for Empathetic College
Trend score 3.3 out of 10, from popularity 44%, activity 48%, freshness 8%.
Popularity44%
Activity48%
Freshness8%
Audience
50%Men
50%Women
- Gen Alpha
- Gen Z
- Millennial
- Gen X (not a primary audience)
- Boomer (not a primary audience)
Market
North America
Europe
Asia-Pacific
Evidence
Examples of the Empathetic College trend
5 featured examples from Mar 17, 2016 to Jan 11, 2017CategoryMarketing
Student Loan Finance Activations
Future Finance Launched a Publicity Stunt Around London Students
The student loan debt epidemic presents an opportunity for education companies to address the issue and create more affordable options for students.
CategoryMarketing
Back-to-School Retail Events
Macy's is Preparing Students for College with Special In-Store Events
Retailers can innovate by personalizing in-store experiences, offering innovative small space solutions and partnering with DJs, beauty salons, and photobooth companies to attract…
CategoryMarketing
Stress-Relieving Coloring Campaigns
The Art with Edge Campaign Helped Students Relieve Exam Stress
The art supplies industry can leverage the adult coloring trend by developing innovative and high-quality coloring products specifically targeting adults.
CategoryTech
Scanning App Commercials
This Commercial Was Created for a Scanning App Targeted at Students
The education technology industry can explore the development of user-friendly scanning apps that optimize learning experiences and streamline academic workflows for students.
CategoryMarketing
Student-Targeted Tech Giveaways
The #GetCollegeReady Campaign Helped Prepare High School Grads
Disruptive innovation opportunity to utilize technology and social media to reach and engage with younger customers.
