How can you effectively reach students? Innovate!

Moving beyond traditional advertising channels means leveraging the most innovative programmatic tools: gaming channels, podcasts, and DOOH. We’ll explain everything!

Are you still stuck on student fairs or running banners on letudiant.fr to try and reach your audience, hoping to generate leads or attract new applicants?

While these channels can be effective, behaviors evolve with generations and technology, and it would be a shame not to adapt your communication. It’s time to modernize your strategy!

💼 What is "student" targeting?

It is important to understand that this is a triple-layered target:

Future higher education students still in secondary school (ages 14-18)
Current students who may change their course of study throughout their academic journey in higher education (ages 18-24)
Working professionals who have finished their studies but may seek a career change later on (ages 24+)
👨‍💻 Innovate your communication with students

While essential for strong advertising campaign performance, traditional channels are no longer enough to reach the student demographic. We are talking about social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok) or websites and apps like Brut, Konbini, l’Etudiant.fr, Studyrama, Orientation.com, Melty, Topito, and Vice.

It is important to stay consistent with new habits and reflect that in your communication strategy.

In the following section, you will find examples of innovative activation channels to maximize the performance of your digital campaigns with this audience.

📈 Acquisition channels to prioritize for youth

Gaming channels

If there is one sector that has emerged particularly well from the crisis, it is the gaming industry. It is now valued at $160 billion—as much as the music and film industries combined!

Home consoles

Home consoles are highly popular: just look at the sales figures for the Xbox Series (6.5 million units sold in one year) and the PlayStation 5 (10 million). These consoles serve as true multimedia hubs, as it is possible to install video or audio streaming apps on them. This presents an excellent opportunity for advertisers to use them as an acquisition channel.

For example, there are now technologies available to serve ads on Xbox (1.9 million unique users per month in France). The gamer audience aligns perfectly with the 16-28 age group. The same processes are available on PlayStation.

Here is an example of a campaign Klox ran for the release of a Jul album.

In-Game Ads

Another activation lever is In-Game Ads, which allows a brand to be integrated into a selection of video games in the form of banners or billboards (static or GIF). The real value lies in encountering advertising within a memorable and intimate environment.

Here is an example of a campaign Klox ran for the release of the film Les Méchants.

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Finally, as the latest edition of Z Event has shown us, Twitch is now a leading communication lever in France. This streaming platform currently has 6 million users in France and is very popular with the target demographic (16-28 year olds).

Podcasts

In France, 1 in 4 podcast listeners is under 25. This format therefore has real impact for implementing effective campaigns. There is a multitude of podcasts available online that specifically address and reach young people.

The podcast format is increasingly used by young people because, unlike radio shows, it is possible to listen to podcasts whenever and wherever you want.

Some agencies specialize in the production and distribution of podcasts, some of which are relevant for reaching students. There are two categories of podcasts:

Those highly appreciated by students such as “À bientôt de te revoir”, “Popcorn”, “Change ma vie”, “Laisse-moi kiffer”, “Un bon moment”, “301 vues”
Those with an educational focus that directly target students: podcasts from L’Etudiant.fr, or “le podcast des étudiants” by Grégoire Dossier, for example.

We can also look at the various distribution platforms that act as giants in this field, such as Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Deezer. These include shows from more traditional radio stations, namely Skyrock, Radio Nova, or NRJ, but also those from other players like Les Inrockuptibles, Madmoizelle, or Le Figaro. The audiences for certain replays correspond perfectly to the target demographic (16-28 year olds).

These platforms also offer us the possibility of targeting by demographic criteria.

DOOH

DOOH, or Digital Out-Of-Home, refers to all digital screens seen outside the home (shopping centers, subways, stores, for example). Today, there are more than 8,000 screens connected to advertising throughout France.

We can imagine powerful strategies to try to reach students, such as targeting digital billboards around high schools or competing universities during open house events, at specific times of the day... 😉

For example, we offer business schools (Top 5) very precise targeting:

Targeting by region and/or geolocation around major cities throughout Europe to attract national and international students: Paris, Berlin, Madrid, London, Turin
Targeting by pack, by reinforcing displays near high schools and universities, department stores (Printemps, Les 4 Temps at La Défense, for example), or subway stations near universities, which are places frequented by the target audience.
Interest-based targeting by analyzing the lifestyle and profile of your target audience. For example, Galeries Lafayette is an ideal location to boost the reach of your campaigns.

🖊️ Final thoughts

Gaming, podcasts, and DOOH: we have shared three innovative ways among many others to reach students.

Whether for training organizations like IPESUP, or other advertisers such as Hachette, UCPA, or various federations, museums, and theaters looking to attract students, we are experienced in working with this audience.