We recently had conducted marketing research with diverse groups of prospective students to better understand their needs, perspectives and the criteria they use when looking at colleges. This research found that Gen Z in general is turned off by "slick marketing" and wants to know what it would "really be like" to attend a school and if they would "fit in and find community" there. They are interested in attending a good school with a positive reputation (prestige). Using these insights, we developed a new recruitment video that mimics the YouTube-style videos with student-generated content capturing what it's like at U-M and how students find their way and community.
From the Judges
Creative and straightforward, this video did exactly what it needed to do. Allowing each student to present a slice of life gave broad, authentic representation, and effectively conveyed a sense of the Michigan experience. The transitions from student to student were well handled. There was a nice balance of selfie-style video with other footage, and the occasional animations/illustrations were fun. The audio across each video segment was even balanced, which was an impressive feat. The survey they conducted to measure success also seemed promising.
