Introducing the YMC Student Scholarship Program

We’re excited to share some great news—we’re launching the YMC Student Scholarship program!

As the leading Millennial and Gen-Z marketing agency in the U.S., Youth Marketing Connection (YMC) authentically connects brands with today’s young consumers.

We pride ourselves on creating incredible learning and development opportunities for the students we work with—now we’re looking to take that one step further.

About the Scholarship

The YMC Student Scholarship will recognize students in our network who excel in both their marketing program and, more importantly, in their efforts to positively impact their community.

Beginning in Fall 2019, we’ll be awarding our first-ever YMC Student Scholarships. Each semester (twice a year) we’ll select two students to receive the award. Selected students will receive a $1,500 scholarship towards their tuition.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible, students must meet the following criteria:

They must either work with YMC currently, or must’ve worked with YMC within the past 12 months at the time of application.
They must be full-time students. For fall semester scholarships, first-year students and final semester graduating seniors aren’t eligible. For spring semester scholarships, first-year students and students in their final year of school are not eligible.
They must have active involvement in a minimum of 2 on-campus clubs/organizations.
They must have a leadership role in at least 1 on-campus club/organization.
They must have a 2.5 GPA or higher.

How to Apply

If you meet the listed requirements, we hope you’ll consider submitting an application online! The application includes the following sections:

About You
Your School & Campus Involvement
Your YMC Work Experience
Content Creation Challenge (submit a blog, video, or Instagram/Snapchat story that shows how you use your influence to not only represent brands but also to positively impact those around you)

All applications for Fall 2019 scholarships are due by Thursday, November 21. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to [email protected].

Apply today >>

4 Ways to Reach Gen-Z IRL: The Power of Experiences

The newest generation of consumers isn’t messing around when it comes to making purchases. Gen-Z currently holds up to $143 billion in direct buying power, and they’re spending their money where it counts—on brands they love, trust, and want to share with others.

So, how can brands capture the attention (and dig into the pockets) of Gen-Z? It’s easier than it seems. Simply do something different from the norm. Instead of targeting them with just another social media ad campaign, grab their attention in the real, physical world.

Here are a few of the ways your brand can capitalize on IRL experiences…

Grab Gen-Z’s attention in an authentic way

During a typical day, the average American is exposed to somewhere between 4,000 and 10,000 ads. As you can probably imagine, these ads eventually start to blur together. The constant influx of paid advertisements leaves Gen-Zers desiring real experiences and content that allows them to interact, engage, and come away with the feeling that they’ve bettered themselves and others.

Brands can fulfill these desires with real-world experiences that grab Gen-Z’s attention in a way that feels unique and authentic when compared to the norm.

Create an experience that can be shared

Despite being the first generation born into a world where the internet already existed, Gen-Z tends to gravitate towards brick-and-mortar shopping experiences. But, they aren’t looking for the standard retail experience. Gen-Z wants brands to create collaborative and engaging moments that blur the lines between physical and digital.

Your brand can meet these needs by crafting physical experiences that bring like-minded communities together. And, don’t forget to encourage the sharing of these physical experiences on digital platforms like social media.

Aerie’s recent Camp Aerie mobile pop-up shop is a great example of a successful marriage between a physical experience and digitally-shareable moments. The popular clothing brand popped-up on select college campuses to give students the opportunity to shop their favorite Aerie pieces in person. At each pop-up event, students were encouraged to share their experiences on social media, which created a digital buzz.

Generate a feeling of exclusivity

Experiential marketing tactics, such as pop-up shops or interactive events, have proven to be very successful among the Gen-Z demographic. This is thanks, in part, to a specific feeling that many of these events elicit—exclusivity.

Pop-up shops and other physical brand activations are often designed to be temporary. The limited nature of an experiential event can create buzz and a sense of urgency among consumers.

In other words, physical events have the power to make targeted consumers feel special. That exclusive feeling helps to foster trust, which creates brand advocates.

Create traditional, face-to-face relationships

Gen-Z is overwhelmed by choices. And why wouldn’t they be? With a plethora of brands and products to choose from, this generation tends to approach decisions in their own unique way. They lead with their emotions.

Research shows that 82% of consumers (Gen-Z included) buy from brands they feel emotionally connected to. And, people are equally as likely to share brands with their friends and family if they feel and emotional connection. This data demonstrates that brand/consumer relationships and trust are crucial to building brand loyalty and making sales.

But, how exactly does a brand go about building strong connections and gaining trust from Gen-Z consumers? The answer lies in physical, authentic experiences.

Physical events provide brands with the opportunity to highlight how they align with their consumers’ lifestyles and values face-to-face. These real-world experiences feelings and behavioral responses that promote trust.

The takeaway

Gen-Z consumers crave authenticity and relationships—even from brands.

So, it’s important for brands to step outside the digital space to meet young consumers in person through immersive experiences.

To find success in the world of experiences, brands should give Gen-Z the opportunity to experience a pause from the everyday advertising norm they’re used to, encourage their participation and engagement in events, and make them feel special. Chances are, they’ll become loyal brand advocates.

How can YMC help?

Want to step into the experiential marketing game? Finding the right partner is key to your success. Here at YMC, we’ve been helping brands connect with 15- to 29-year-old consumers for two decades—we’d be happy to share our wealth of knowledge with you. Contact us today!

5 Ways Your Brand Can Vet Its Collegiate Influencers

People, especially influencers, present their best selves on social media. Their pictures are photoshopped, their captions are thoughtfully crafted, and their aesthetics are carefully developed. But, things aren’t always as they seem! The recent college admission scandal, known as “Operation Varsity Blues,” is proof that what collegiate influencers put out on social media does not always translate to real life.

Each year, more brands are turning to Gen-Z collegiate influencers—like Olivia Jade, who we followed in the “Operation Varsity Blues” scandal—to promote their products through social media marketing and partnerships. And, given the current industry climate, it’s extremely important to thoroughly vet your collegiate influencers.

The following are five ways to evaluate future collegiate influencers to ensure that they’re a great fit for your brand and can effectively engage with your targeted audiences on campus.

1. Seek out on-campus involvement

In order to promote a brand on campus, a collegiate influencer needs to be plugged into their campus community. So, it’s a good idea to look for students who have a variety of involvement across different campus groups.

Ask each student about the leadership roles they hold and what their responsibilities are as a member or leader in each group. Meaningful involvement in on-campus groups can be leveraged for the brand, so make sure you delve deeper into their connections.

2. Look into secondary social media channels

While your brand might only be searching for collegiate influencers to assist with campaigns on a single platform, it’s important not to forget about other social media sites. Your brand should evaluate potential student influencers’ online personas as a whole.

Many students use different channels to express different sides of themselves (ex: Twitter = politics, Instagram = lifestyle, YouTube = beauty). Evaluating each of these channels in close detail is a simple way to ensure that each of your future influencers embodies the values of your brand—on each and every platform. Not to mention, it will help your company to avoid any not-so-happy surprises down the line!

3. Ask them about their studies and career aspirations

Evaluating influencers is much more than exploring their online personas. It’s important to have thoughtful conversations with potential collegiate partners to get to know their personalities.

The best influencers are those who are passionate about what they do. We encourage brands to ask students about their studies and career aspirations. Often times, students interested in social media, marketing, and public relations turn out to be fantastic collegiate influencers.

It’s always a great idea to seek out highly-ambitious students, but be sure to ask them about their course load and schedule. Students with too much on their plates may not be able to devote the necessary amounts of time and energy to your brand’s campaign.

4. Make sure their brand is aligned with yours

Collegiate influencers use their personal brands to promote products and services. Gen-Z has grown up surrounded by influencer marketing, and they can tell when posts feel forced or inauthentic.

To ensure a successful campaign, evaluate potential college influencers’ social media content thoroughly—this includes reading through captions and looking at Instagram stories. Also, look for diversity in your influencers’ content. Great student influencers are well-rounded (i.e. they post a variety of photos that show different aspects of their lives).

Lastly, if you have very specific content requirements for your campaign, make sure your potential student influencers already meet those requirements. It’s unlikely that influencers will change content or posting style drastically for your brand.

5. Take cues from your interactions

If potential influencers don’t sound interested in an interview, then it is highly unlikely that they’ll be able to convey authentic enthusiasm for your brand when it’s time for them to begin posting. So, don’t let content quality blind you. Trust your gut in initial conversations and interactions. You can help someone craft better posts, but you can’t craft excitement.

The takeaways

As brand managers, there are two very important lessons to take away from the “Operation Varsity Blues” scandal. First, social media reality doesn’t always equate to a potential influencer’s real life. And second, it’s important to thoroughly vet each and every individual that represents your brand— including any collegiate influencers.

At YMC, we work with a network of thousands of thoroughly-vetted collegiate influencers across the country, so you can feel confident knowing that we have the right college connections for your brand. Our team carefully reviews each potential hire to ensure they are right for the brand, motivated about the job, and are involved in campus life.

If you’re tackling collegiate influencer recruitment internally, we hope these tips serve as a great starting point for properly evaluating your future collegiate representatives. If you’re still feeling nervous about where to start, YMC can help!

Want to learn more?

Check out a few other articles we’ve written on this topic: