Do you remember your first day of college? Move in day: freedom from parents and finally the chance to be on your own. Although these days, you are not so on your own. Peer leaders, football players and volunteers help move the carload of stuff into your tiny 8 x 8 shoebox of a room. Well, now companies are taking advantage of this time in college student’s lives. Companies like American Eagle Outfitters are hiring students as “brand ambassadors” or “campus evangelists” to help promote their brand.
“I saw Cady Heron wearing army pants and flip flops, so I bought army pants and flip flops”
Let’s face it–no matter how old we are, when we see someone of importance wearing something, we want it for ourselves. American Eagle is using this to their advantage. A group of students at University of North Carolina were recruited by American Eagle as a move-in crew and wore American Eagle clothing with their brand clearly advertised on the shirts. They handed out coupons, water canisters and pens with their logo plastered all over them.
American Eagle isn’t the only company taking advantage of advertising their brand on college campuses. Red Bull, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and Target are aware that students are spending loads of money each year going back to school, so why not get their name out there?
Having thousands of Friends on Facebook is cool!
We all know that by now, if you don’t have Facebook you’re not cool. Companies believe this too; with thousands of Facebook fans on these popular company’s pages it is hard not to recognize them. Companies know that people are using social media, with over 500 million Facebook users, it makes as an easy target. They are relying on students to talk about their brand and create buzz, which is something they can’t get with TV ads or magazines.
So what do you think? Is it right to target college students to help bring brand awareness to campuses across the country?
