Some Internet users are uninterested by targeted ads, believing they are creepy or invasive to privacy. Therefore, marketers tend to stray away from this tactic in favor of other strategies that would not turn their consumers away. However, this is not the case for college students, as discovered in a recent survey in early March 2016. This generation is more likely to click on an ad if it is relevant to something they are interested in that is relevant to their lives. Fluent recently surveyed over 1,000 US students ranging from age 17 to 24 enrolled in a 4-year college. Over half of the students surveyed said they wanted to click on an ad on Facebook because it was related to something they needed or cared about. 49% also said they would click on a relevant YouTube ad as well.
The responses mirrored each other in regards to other social media, such as Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram or Vine, because the advertisements were for products that peak their interest. Targeting advertising can be considered a turn-off to some consumers, which makes marketers skeptical of its effectiveness. However, college students want to be marketed to in a relevant way that suits their needs and wants. College students do not want to feel neglected in the eyes of advertisers, and targeted advertising is a way to show your consumers that you hear what they want from your brand and are ready to deliver. Millennials are more likely to make a purchase from a brand that specifically targets them in their advertising. The key is to include personalization, relevance and targeting in order to capture loyalty to your brand by college students.
For more information on targeting college students in a personalized and targeted way, contact us at OnCampus Advertising.
