UNIVERSITY MARKETINSIGHT CONFERENCE 2016

INCORPORATING THE MARKET RESEARCH SKILLS ACADEMY

• 22 – 23 NOVEMBER 2016• ASTON UNIVERSITY, BIRMINGHAM

Trends in the Aspirations,

Motivations & Choices of

USA College-Bound

Students—UK Implications

Becky Morehouse

Senior Vice President

at Stamats

11/22/2016

Aston University, UK

Stamats is recognized and respected as the

nation’s higher education integrated-marketing

thought leader. Our comprehensive array of

innovative services has set the standard for

pairing insightful, research-based strategic

counsel with compelling creative solutions.

We promise our clients the highest level of

professional service and attention to detail in the

industry because, in the end, we know our

success is measured entirely by theirs.

Research, Planning, and Consulting

■ Brand clarification and development

■ Program marketability research

■ Image and perception studies

■ Recruiting and marketing assessments,

plans, and counsel

■ Tuition pricing elasticity and brand value

studies

Strategic Creative

■ Brand creative and campaigns

■ Websites and digital

■ Mobile and social media solutions

■ Recruiting and advancement campaigns

and publications

■ Full-media campaigns

Source: Meet Generation Z: Forget Everyting You Learned About Millenials, by Sparks & Honey

Photography from Creative Commons: Eirik Solheim, Darwin Bell, Jason Bachman, Kim Hill, Dustin Moore, and State Library of Victoria Collections

Source: Meet Generation Z: Forget Everyting You Learned About Millenials, by Sparks & Honey

Photography from Creative Commons: Eirik Solheim, Darwint Bell, Jason Bachman, Kim Hill, Dustin Moore, and State Library of Victoria Collections

Source: Meet Generation Z: Forget Everyting You Learned About Millenials, by Sparks & Honey

Photography from Creative Commons: Eirik Solheim, Darwint Bell, Jason Bachman, Kim Hill, Dustin Moore, and State Library of Victoria Collections

Source: Meet Generation Z: Forget Everyting You Learned About Millenials, by Sparks & Honey

Photography from Creative Commons: Eirik Solheim, Darwint Bell, Jason Bachman, Kim Hill, Dustin Moore, and State Library of Victoria Collections

Source: Meet Generation Z: Forget Everyting You Learned About Millenials, by Sparks & Honey

Photography from Creative Commons: Eirik Solheim, Darwint Bell, Jason Bachman, Kim Hill, Dustin Moore, and State Library of Victoria Collections

Teens want brands to entertain them. Forty

percent list this as an important

characteristic a figure that is more than

10% ahead of the equivalent for the

general internet population.

Teens are much more likely to look to a

brand to entertain them, improve their

personal image and connect them with

other people than other Internet users.

Teens also under-index on wanting to be

kept informed about products

(colleges/universities?).

Source: Global Web Index Teens report Q1,

2014

Explaining Complexity

Source: Nielson Norman Teenagers on the Web 2nd edition report. April 2013

Teens are self-reported visual learners. They prefer to see information in an image or

graph alongside text, rather than in text alone. Illustrations make learning more

enjoyable. Using judiciously-chosen pictures encourages teens to read (skim!), learn,

and explore.

Colors and FontsMatter

Especially for older teens, avoid

too many bright colors, big fonts,

and rainbows. Teens think these

design conventions indicate a

site is intended for youngsters.

Teens are particularly sensitive

about their age and image is

everything. Anything associated

with being childlike, such as

pastel colors and baby-like

cartoons or icons tends to offend

teenage sensibilities.

Source: Nielson Norman Teenagers on the Web 2nd edition report. April 2013

supersecret.com was for teens and

Online College Search Activities

Source: 2015 Social Admissions Report published in partnership between Chegg Enrollment Services and Uversity

Teen VideoPreferences

Source: Neilson

Keep videos short (less than 1 minute).

Include a “Play” button: a video should not automatically begin when a user goes to the page

Teens will expect standard video controls making the video easier to navigate (including pause,

rewind, fast forward controls).

Descriptive titles are best.

No Commercials!

Embedded videos create context and make your site more interesting—even if a teen only skims

it!

Teens will not search for a separate “video” section.

Any video should add to the page—an unhelpful video is worse than no video.

Including text/other content on video pages gives users activity while video loads.

Messaging: BeAuthentic

Source: Adweek, October2014

Focused, action-based, authentic messages resonate best with teens

Avoid loaded language; university-speak gets nowhere

Millennials “can spot a phony a mile away,” so practice what you

preach

Teens prefer messages that are entertaining and informative; but

messages must be relevant to their lives and interests

Laser-focused

Millennials are easier to reach, but harder to influence—pomp and

circumstance will turn millennials away

Messaging: Don’t Be Obtuse or Flip

Source:

Don’t talk down to teens

Proper tone is essential

No condescension

Teens relate to their peers—content developed by current

students is often very successful

Think “conversational, engaging, and authentic”

College websites should NOT be cool (see sidebar)

Teens understand what an investment college is; this is a serious

decision, so language and flashy, superficiality is not received

well.

“The best university

websites speak

clearly, and make it

easy for everybody

to find what they

want. The rest fail.”

Messaging: Don’t Be Slow (on the Web)

Source:

Slow-loading content is a “deal breaker”—if a widget is buggy, forget it!

Overall slow sites are killers—impatient teenagers

Site performance is critical. Parallax, animations, video, slideshows, etc. can

increase engagement, but carefully consider the impact on load times. Slow

loading sites will cost you credibility and users.

Teens,SocialMedia,andTechnology

A typical teen sends and receives 30 texts a

day.

72% of teens play video games on their phone

Middle and upper income teens lean towards

Instagram and Snapchat.

Girls are more likely to use social media while

boys are more likely to play video games.

71% of teens are Facebook users; less well-off

teens are more connected to Facebook than

those from wealthier families; a typical teen has

145 Facebook friends

50% of teens use Instagram; girls are

substantially more likely to use it than boys

(61% to 44%)

Source:

Teens,SocialMediaandTechnology

41% of teens are Snapchat users; 31% of boys

use it and 51% of girls use it

33% of all teens use Twitter; the oldest girls (15-

17) are the most likely to use Twitter

Typical Twitter users have 95 followers.

33% of teens use Google+; Hispanic teens are

the most likely to use this network

33% of girls use sites like Pinterest compared to

11% of boys

Source:

Social Media: How it’s Changing

Source: 2015 Social Admissions Report published in partnership between Chegg Enrollment Services and Uversity

Social Media: What They Want

“It helps students or possible future students learn about the college and

get a feel of the environment. Plus students can hear the truth from people

their own age, compare and contrast different views, and even keep in

touch with friends on campus."

Source: 2015 Social Admissions Report published in partnership between Chegg Enrollment Services and Uversity

UXDesign

Source: http://www.o3world.com/blog/web-myths-designing-for-teens-and-young-adultshttp://www.nngroup.com/articles/university-sites/ http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-of-websites-for-teenagers/

What can you do to engage and retain teen

users? Step up your UX design!

Teens are increasingly mobile: 74% of teens

12-17 are primarily “mobile internet users.”

42% of teens spend 2+ hours a day online

Multiscreen strategies are becoming more

important. Second-screening (using multiple

screens at once) is widespread in this age

group.

Expect teen audiences to have smaller

screens—responsive design that works on

a variety of screen sizes is essential!

4 out of 5 students visit college websites on

mobile devices; with one-third of these

students submitting a college application via

mobile devices (Pew Research).

Website CheatSheet

From the Teenagers on the Web, 2nd Ed. Neilson Norman study

For the findings about children (aged 3- to 12- year-old users) see

http://www.nngroup.com/reports/children-on-the-web.

For the findings about college students (18- to 24-year-old users) see

http://nngroup.com/reports/college-students-on-the-web.

The table summarizes the main similarities

and differences in web design approaches for

young children, teenagers, college students,

and adults

SuggestedReading

2016 TeensTALK®StudyCollege Search and Selection Preferences and PracticesAmong US Teenagers

Introduction

Our goal with this research study is to share with the higher ed community key findings from the study relating to:

Research tools and resources students use to familiarize themselves with colleges and universities

Institutional characteristics and recruitment strategies that influence a student’s decision to apply

Effective communication mediums for the appropriate stage of the admissions process

Parents’ roles in the recruitment process

Emerging and ever-increasing importance of social media in college search and selection

Respondent Characteristicscont.

In order to provide meaningful and generalizable results, respondenttypes were recoded in the following manner:

High School Junior: 164 (21.0%)

High School Senior: 570 (73.0%)

College Student: 47 (6.0%)

All

High School Seniors Only

Respondent Status Count (n) % Count (n) %

Not Applied 185 25.0% 44 8.1%

Awaiting Decision(s) 58 7.8% 50 9.2%

Undecided on Enrollment 219 29.6% 215 39.4%

Decided on Enrollment 200 27.0% 199 36.5%

Already Enrolled in College 74 10.0% 35 6.4%

Other 5 0.7% 2 0.4%

Respondent Characteristicscont.

27.5%

36.8%

21.6%

8.8%

2.3%0.9%

2.0%5%

0%

10%

20%

15%

30%

25%

40%

35%

4.1 or Greater3.6 - 4.03.1 - 3.52.6 - 3.02.1 - 2.52.0 or LowerDon't Know

Gender and GPA

The table at right provides the composition of respondents according to their self-identified gender while the chart below illustrates the distribution of respondents by GPA.

Respondents by Reported High School GPA

Gender

Count (n)

Percent of Total

Male 94 27.2%

Female 251 72.8%

Respondent Characteristicscont.Race/Ethnicity

The table and chart below illustrate the composition of respondents according to theirrace/ethnicity.

Although comprising a minority of the total respondents, sizeablenumbers of Black/African American,Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial respondents still allow for meaningful insight and analysis.

56.7%

15.5%

13.3%

6.4%

4.7%

2.7%

White/Caucasian

Black/African American

Hispanic

Asian

Multiple Races

American Indian or Alaskan Native

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.7%

Respondents by Race/Ethnicity

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Count (n)

Percent of Total

White/Caucasian 230 56.7%

Black/African American 63 15.5%Hispanic 54 13.3%

Asian 26 6.4%Multiple Races 19 4.7%

American Indian or Alaskan Native 11 2.7%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 3 0.7%

Researching Colleges and Universities

NumberofSchoolsResearched Approximately half (50.6%) of high school seniors and current college students report having

researched seven or more schools before deciding to apply.

Q: How many colleges did you research or engage with before deciding to apply? (results for high school seniors and current college students only)

35.0%

31.6%29.9%

30.0%

25.0%

20.0% 19.0%17.1%

15.0%

10.0%

5.0%2.2%

0.2%0.0%

0-3 0-6 7-10 More Than 10 No Intention to Still

n=579 Apply Looking/Researching

Timelineof Students’Research Students increasingly begin their college research at earlier points in high school and have a

firm understanding of which schools they will apply to by the fall semester of senior year.

Q: At what point in your college research process did you add colleges to your list of schools to which you wouldapply?

70%

Junior Year - Spring

2015 2016

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Freshman Year Sophomore Year Junior Year - Fall Senior Year - Fall Senior Year - Spring

n=720 2013 2014

ResourcesUsed Direct mail and the College Board continue to be the primary means through which students

are encouraged to research a college or university.

53.4%

6.3%

%

4

40.7

32.9%

29.1%

25.5%

25.2%

23.0%

15.6%

9.1%

30% 40% 50% 60%

Mailings

Suggested by Family or Friend

College Fair

Family Member Attended

Friend Attended

AlwaysKnown

Suggested by Teacher or School Official

Suggested by School Counselor

College Recruiter

Other

Non-Online Resources

0% 10% 20%

62.9%

59.9%

College Board

Search Engines

Cappex 31.3%

USN&WR 26.2%

Princeton Review 20.1%

Facebook 20.1%

YouTube 14.1%

Instagram 13.9%

Twitter 12.3%

Zinch 10.1%

CollegeWeekLive 9.6%

Google+ 5.3%

Pinterest 3.7%

Tumblr 3.0%

Q: How did you hear about the colleges youresearched?

n=678

Q: Through which online resources did you hear about the colleges youresearched?

n=626 Online Resources

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Qualities and Characteristics Institutional quality and fit as well as a school’s value/affordability are rated as the most

influential factors when students develop their consideration lists.

Total

High School Junior

High School Senior

College Student

Offers My (Intended) Major 4.62 4.69 4.60 4.74

Potential to Succeed at the School 4.39 4.43 4.37 4.62

Reputation for Quality of Education 4.37 4.29 4.41 4.10

Merit-Based Financial Aid 4.15 4.42 4.06 4.64

The "Feel" of Being on Campus 4.09 4.00 4.13 3.79

Cost of Tuition, Fees, Room & Board 4.05 4.16 4.00 4.31

Need-Based Financial Aid 3.98 4.13 3.97 3.62

Probability of Being Admitted 3.83 3.85 3.79 4.48

Professional Preparation 3.78 3.83 3.80 3.20

Graduates' Success 3.77 3.79 3.79 3.30

Location 3.66 3.79 3.65 3.41

Overall Prestige 3.62 3.79 3.60 3.30

Size of Enrollment 3.42 3.37 3.45 3.19

4.62

4.39

4.37

4.15

4.09

4.05

3.98

3.83

3.78

3.77

3.66

3.623

3. 42

0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00

Offers My (Intended) Major

Potential to Succeed at the School

Reputation for Quality of Education

Merit-Based Financial Aid

The "Feel" of Being on Campus

Cost of Tuition, Fees, Room & Board

Need-Based Financial Aid

Probability of Being Admitted

Professional Preparation

Graduates' Success

Location

Overall Prestige

Size of Enrollment

Q: When putting a college on your list of schools youare considering applying to or are attending, howinfluential

are/were each of the followingfactors?(5-Point scale: 1 = Not At All Influential; 5 = Very Influential)

n=485

Qualities and Characteristics cont.

Total

High School Junior

High School Senior

College Student

Acceptance of Transfer Credits 3.35 3.75 3.23 3.53

Social Life 3.19 3.44 3.15 2.67

Diversity 3.06 3.79 3.65 3.41

Close to Home 3.02 2.78 3.03 3.78

College Focus (e.g. Religious School) 2.94 2.98 2.93 3.00

Recommended by Teacher/Counselor 2.89 3.16 2.83 2.71

Intramural/Club Sports 2.88 3.17 2.84 2.14

Far from Home 2.78 3.08 2.70 3.07

Knowing People in the Area 2.54 2.66 2.51 2.60

Knowing Current Students 2.38 2.41 2.36 2.67

Prestige of Athletics 2.29 2.81 2.19 1.89

Friend Attended 2.22 2.35 2.17 2.50

Family Member Attended 2.03 2.12 1.99 2.17

Athletic Scholarships 1.97 2.59 1.82 1.92

Q: When putting a college on your list of schools youare considering applying to or are attending, howinfluential

are/were each of the followingfactors?(5-Point scale: 1 = Not At All Influential; 5 = Very Influential)

3.35

3.19

3.06

3.02

2.94

2.89

2.88

2.78

2.54

2.38

2.29

2.22

2.03

1.97

0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00

Acceptance of Transfer Credits

Social Life

Diversity

Close to Home

College Focus (e.g. Religious School)

Recommended by Teacher/Counselor

Intramural/Club Sports

Far from Home

Knowing People in the Area

Knowing Current Students

Prestige of Athletics

Friend Attended

Family Member Attended

Athletic Scholarshipsn=485

ResourcesforEachPhaseof theProcess

30%

40%

50%

60%

80%

20%

Initial Research Decided to Apply Applied Admitted

Campus Tour Information-Rich Resources People-Oriented Resources

Q: Which resources did you or would you use during each phase of the college applicationprocess?

70%

n=252

ResourcesforEachPhaseoftheProcess cont.

Q: Which resources did you or would you use during each phase of the college applicationprocess?

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

Initial Research Decided to Apply Applied Admitted

College's Website Ratings Websites

Affiliated Social Media Accounts College Search/Information Websites Othern=234

Communication

RetargetedandSponsoredAdvertisements Students are more likely to respond positively than negatively to retargeted or sponsored

advertisements placed throughout the web and social media outlets.

Q: Have you ever seen sponsored posts or ads from colleges on

Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? [If yes,] how did seeing those ads make you feel about thecollege?

Q: Have you ever visited a college’s website and then seen ads for the college elsewherewhile you were

browsingonline?[If yes,] how did seeing thoseads make you feel about thecollege?

36.2% 41.4% 22.5%

36.7% 39.6% 23.7%

0% 10% 20% 30% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Retargeted Ads

Sponsored Ads

Positive

40% 50%

No Effect Negativen=307

n=384

Social MediaChannels

45.4%

35.1%

19.0%

15.5%

14.9%

9.5%

6.9%

5.7%

2.9%

1.7%

1.1%

40% 45% 50%

None

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Google+

Snapchat

Pinterest

LinkedIn

Tumblr

Other

Vine

Q: Through which social media (if any) wouldit be okay for a school to contactyou?

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

n=348

PreferredContactatEachStage

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%First Contact Follow-Up Prior to Campus After Campus Deadline Confirm RE: Application Application After Being

Contact Visit Visit Reminder Submitted After Submission Decision AdmittedApplication

Email Phone Calls Mailings Text Messages Online Chat/Skype Social Media

Q: What are your preferred methods of being contacted bya school in these stages of the applicationprocess?

n=338

Influences on Applications and Enrollment

Effects of Admissions Policies on Applications

High “positive”

Accepts the Common Application (this year nearly 700 US institutions); 60%

Offers Early Decision/Action; 58%

High “neutral”

Requires supplemental essay; 63%

Offers rolling admissions; 57%

Requires alumni interviews; 50%

High “negative”

Application fee is required; 55%

More than one essay required; 39%

Number ofApplications

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 More

Fre

qu

ency

Number of Applications

Q: To how many colleges do you plan to apply or did you apply? (verbiage varied byaudience)

Number of Applications

High School Junior

High School Senior

College Student Total

Mean 6.0 6.4 4.6 6.2

Median 5 5 4 5

# of Apps Frequency

Cumulative Percent

1 18 5.16%

2 36 15.47%

3 40 26.93%

4 49 40.97%

5 41 52.72%

6 33 62.18%

7 31 71.06%

8 18 76.22%

9 13 79.94%

10 28 87.97%

11 7 89.97%

12 7 91.98%

13 6 93.70%

14 5 95.13%

15 7 97.13%

16 1 97.42%

17 3 98.28%

More 6 100.00%n=349

Factors InfluencingEnrollment

27.5% 65.7% 6.9%

19.2% 74.0% 6.7%

18.3% 78.3% 3.4%

Q: How did the following impact your decision on where toattend?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Know Several Current Students

Parents Attended

Parents Encouraged Me to Attend

Positive No Impact Negativen=175

Parents’Role(s)andInfluence

Q: How did the following impact your decision on where to attend?

4.9%

25.4%

20.5%

17.8%

26.4% 27.0%

24.3% 24.3%

21.6%

2.7% 3.3%1.8%

0.0% 0.0%0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

Not Involved Made Suggestions; I Led the Process

Planned/Attended College Visits with

Me

Helped Me with Applications/Essays

Recommended Specific Colleges

Only Allowed to Apply to Specific

Colleges

Hired a College Coach

High School Senior College Student

Q: How involved are/were your parents in your college searchprocess?

n=346

UNIVERSITY MARKETINSIGHT CONFERENCE 2016

INCORPORATING THE MARKET RESEARCH SKILLS ACADEMY

22 – 23 NOVEMBER 2016ASTON UNIVERSITY, BIRMINGHAM