The Top 5 SEC Universities:
- Mississippi State University
- University of Arkansas
- University of Mississippi
- Louisiana State University
- University of Alabama
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is compromised of 14 Universities. The largest school in this Top 5 is the University of Alabama, with a total of 38,563 students. Whereas the smallest is Mississippi State University, with only 21,974 students enrolled. For our series, University of Advertising Profiles, we delve into the top 5 SEC Universities, based on the U.S. News 2021 Best Colleges rankings.
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University (MSU) is a public institution, founded in 1878, located in Starkville, Mississippi. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 21,974 and a campus size of 4,200 acres. The acceptance rate for MSU is also relatively low, compared to average, falling at 53.9%. In addition, MSU is a part of the 2021 Best Colleges in National Universities (#206). The most popular majors in MSU include Engineering, Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services. Since MSU is also considered one of the members of SEC universities, the athletics in the university are important from football to golf, including men’s and women’s.
Based upon the characteristics of the university, if a brand would like to advertise their products amongst MSU students, we would recommend focusing on Newspaper Advertising. This platform is where all of the information of the university sports is located, so it can reach all students nevertheless their major or demographic.
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A) is a public research university, founded in 1871, and located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 27,778 with an acceptance rate of 77.1%. U of A is recognized for its programs in architecture, agriculture, communication disorders, and history, as well as for its business school. The business school is where the supply chain management program was ranked the best in North America by Gartner, in July 2020. U of A’s athletic teams competes in NCAA Division I as members of the SEC. Having eight men’s teams and eleven women’s teams in thirteen different sports.
Since the university hosts football and other sports games on their campus and has a transit system operation of 19 routes (one specialized for football game day), if a brand is looking to advertise their product inside U of A, the best way is Out-Of-Home advertising. By having advertisements on transit buses and in bus shelters you can reach not only the students of the university but also the visitors coming for the games.
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (UM) is a public research university, founded in 1848, in Oxford, Mississippi. UM is the state’s largest university by enrollment, having 22,456 students, and is also Mississippi’s flagship university. The most popular majors are General Studies, Accounting, Digital Communication, Finance, and Psychology. The University of Mississippi has one of the largest Greek systems in the country, having more than 32 organizations. The athletic team of the university competes as the Ole Miss Rebels in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, SEC, Division I.
With a large Greek life, the most effective way to advertise to UM students is by Greek life “drops.” Meaning that the campaign should focus on delivering your product straight to a Sorority or Fraternity house. This way these large chapters can use your product. Typically with these types of campaigns, the chapters also tend to post on social media, regarding your business, and it leads to a lot of potential impressions for your business.
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (LSU) is a public institution, founded in 1860. There is a total enrollment of 34,290 and an undergraduate enrollment of 25,826 students. The university has an acceptance rate of 74.6% based on 2020 numbers. LSU’s athletics department fields in 21 different sports, with 9 for men’s and 12 for women’s. It’s also a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the SEC. Mike the Tiger is LSU’s mascot and their logo. LSU has its stadium, being the seventh-largest on-campus stadium in the nation.
Because LSU has its stadium with a capacity of 92,400 people and they host a lot of home games there if a brand is looking to advertise their products and be known by the students of the university one of the best ways to do it is with a brand ambassador. This person can be responsible for giving flyers, or other items of your company’s choice in order to reach a large audience and inform them of your brand and/or product.
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (UA) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 it did not open to students until 1831. UA is the oldest and largest of the public universities in Alabama. The university offers 13 programs of study. UA has a total enrollment of 38,563 with an acceptance rate of 82.7%. This acceptance rate is much higher than that of the average around the nation. UA offers different sports from women’s and men’s including basketball, swimming, etc. UA’s team is known as the Alabama Crimson Tide. They compete primarily in the SEC or the NCAA’s Division I.
Because UA is a big university, it is difficult to reach all students. Because of that, the best way to advertise a product/brand in situations like this is through social influencers. Each influencer can post about the campaign, and have a quick link for followers to use. This creates a great campaign since it will have a large and diverse reach with measurable outcomes.
