Natasha White, Author at Next-Gen Media

Embed your Brand into their University Experience this Freshers’ 2024.

Natasha White — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 11:52:52 +0000

Embed your Brand into their University Experience this Freshers’ 2024.

If Freshers’ isn’t on your radar, are you even trying to reach students?

You’ve probably heard the term being thrown around – and trust us, for good reason.

With around 600,000 students starting university this September, it’s a prime opportunity to start a conversation with them and embed your brand into their new lives.

Why Freshers’ matters

This event isn’t just another blip on the student calendar, it’s a prime opportunity for brands to get in front of thousands of young people and make an impact. Students are stepping into their first real taste of independence: moving away from home, managing their finances and experiencing the thrill of their first loan payment. This mix of excitement and transition makes them highly open to discovering new brands and services.

Why reach them at home?

Want to connect with them in the safe space they call home? Here’s why our network is the right choice:

First Impressions: Accommodation is their first stop before anywhere else. Our screens are the first media they will see, helping you make an impact from day one.

Repeat Exposure: Our screens are placed in high-traffic and dwell time areas such as receptions, main entrances and lift lobbies, ensuring multiple touchpoints with them throughout the day.

Stand Out from the Crowd: Freshers’ Fairs can be chaotic. Our screens provide a calm, focused environment where your message is guaranteed to be noticed when students are most receptive.

Social Hotspot: Just a place to sleep and eat? We think not. 60% of students view their accommodation as a social space, with 74% of students inviting friends who don’t live there and 65% taking advantage of the social spaces and facilities available in their accommodation. (NGM Student Panel, 2024)

No Place like Home: 79% of students want their accommodation to “feel like home,” and 55% are on the lookout for homeware brands when they move in. Plus, 77% arrive without essential items like bedding and kitchenware.

Freshers’ 2023 highlights

Last year, we delivered campaigns for top brands like Just Eat, HP, BoohooMAN, HSBC, Fruits Dating App, Papa Johns, Camp America and many more.

Take a look for yourself

At NGM, we’ve been busy expanding our reach to help brands connect with students across the UK, from bustling cities to smaller towns. With over 350 full-motion D6 screens in more than 60 locations, we can support your campaign, whether it’s national, regional, or city-specific.

Connecting with open-minded, tech-savvy students during one of their most significant life events can create lasting loyalty. If you can make an impression during the chaos of Freshers’ Week, you’re likely to win their loyalty for years to come.

Sounds exciting, right?

Get in touch with one of our student marketing experts to discuss your Freshers’ 2024 campaign today.

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Blog Archive.

A note from the founders.

A true bromance for brands?

What To Expect In Local Media Advertising in 2021.

2021, our humble beginnings.

Keeping it… Fresh.

Phase 1? Completed it.

The post Embed your Brand into their University Experience this Freshers’ 2024. appeared first on Next-Gen Media.

Leadership Wins: Proud Moments for Our Team.

Natasha White — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 09:43:05 +0000

Leadership Wins: Proud Moments for Our Team.

At Next-Gen Media, we take immense pride in the achievements over recent years, showcasing how our innovative approach has made a significant splash in the industry.

The recent recognitions of our Co-Founder and Commercial Director, Guy Thurlow, are a testament not only to individual brilliance but also to the collective spirit of our entire team.

Media Week’s 30 Under 30 Winner 2024

Drumroll, please! Earlier this year, our Co-Founder was recognised as one of Media Week’s 30 Under 30 winners for 2024 by Campaign UK.

More details here.

Rising Star at The Media Week Awards 2023

In another fantastic achievement, our Co-Founder secured the Gold award in the Rising Star category at The Media Week Awards 2023 by Campaign UK.

More details here.

ALF Awards Special Recognition Award 2024

And the hits keep coming!

Our Co-Founder was selected for the ALF Special Recognition Award by ALF, a category created especially to honour his entrepreneurial spirit and vision as a recent graduate who founded his own media owner company, alongside our Partnerships Director, Andy Francksen, that we now call Next-Gen Media.

We’re excited to keep pushing the boundaries of innovation and creativity, inspired by the dedication that has earned us these honours. Here’s to many more milestones and achievements for our company and our remarkable team!

Sign up today

Join our newsletter today for updates on Next Genmedia.

Blog Archive.

A note from the founders.

A true bromance for brands?

What To Expect In Local Media Advertising in 2021.

2021, our humble beginnings.

Keeping it… Fresh.

Phase 1? Completed it.

The post Leadership Wins: Proud Moments for Our Team. appeared first on Next-Gen Media.

TS Onboards Collegiate into a Full Partnership

Natasha White — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 10:49:19 +0000

Following a successful pilot, we are delighted to announce our continuing partnership with the award-winning student accommodation provider, Collegiate.

We’re extremely proud to have the opportunity to continue working with Collegiate and their brilliant onsite teams and to have expanded our accommodation reach into a number of key cities.

We think our signage is the perfect addition to Collegiate’s sleek, effortlessly cool and modern design – would you agree?

With the addition of our network, their residents are at the forefront of exclusive student-focused deals, up-and-coming job opportunities and much more.

A big thank you to the wonderful people over at Collegiate, here’s to an exciting, jam-packed journey ahead!

The post TS Onboards Collegiate into a Full Partnership appeared first on Next-Gen Media.

READY. SET. GROW.

Natasha White — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 15:35:13 +0000

We’re proud to be supporting The Movember Foundation for our Charity of the Month initiative

As of late, we’ve been spreading the word for Movember – take a look!

what's movember?

“Movember” has become known as the month when men put down their razors and grow mustaches, but very few are aware of the deeper meaning behind this symbolic act and we want to do our bit to shout about it.

Let’s take a closer look

The Movember Foundation is the leading charity challenging the face of men’s health, addressing some of the biggest health issues faced by men; prostate cancer, testicular cancer, suicide and mental health prevention.

it's grow time.

Our mission is to help Movember start endless conversations surrounding men’s health among students, change attitudes and break down stigmas.

What better environment to do this in than their halls?

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Students aren’t just for Freshers.

Natasha White — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 13:19:59 +0000

With Freshers period underway, we’re here to remind you that all the excitement, jubilation, (and spending) doesn’t stop here. There’s a common misconception that students have little to no money during their university years, but the data suggests otherwise, and that trend appears to be going only one way – up.

Student spending on the rise.

“In a typical week in 2019, students spent £214. In 2020, £229. In 2021, £235.” UCAS Report 2022

That’s a 12% increase in student expenditure during a period that saw multiple national lockdowns, limited inflation, and a stunning lack of 3 VKs for a fiver. It appears that students have been somewhat immune to the impacts of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, with many spending like never before.

It seems “Treat yo’ self” has become a motto among Gen Z who are looking for the extra encouragement to splurge (Y Pulse 2018).

Money Savvy Gen-Z.

There are many factors that come into why students are displaying this increase in expenditure. The rise of the ‘side hustle’ has seen much of Gen-Z embrace new ways to earn money, with the job market becoming increasingly globalised and remote-friendly. This provides students with the flexibility to both study and work, leading to increased expendable cash. Gen-Z also appears to be much more financially savvy than their predecessors, with access to tools such as peer-to-peer payments, crypto, challenger banking, and the shrewdness to make the most of them (UCAS Report 2022).

What we are seeing, as a result, is a generation of students that are increasingly financially independent and capable of purchasing.

Here for a Good Time & a Long Time.

With over 600,000 international students in the UK, the need for housing year-round has increased (Higher Education Statistics Agency). As a result, PBSA sites are typically offering 48 to 51-week tenancy agreements. This means that students, both international and domestic, are spending longer in their university location and in their student accommodation. So rather than being seasonal guests, students are more commonly year-long dwellers of their establishment.

This means that brands should be targeting students throughout the year, and not just during the typical (and often saturated) windows of freshers and re-freshers.

Dates you don’t want to miss.

As you can see, there are major events throughout the year that are prime for advertisers:

There’s one date we haven’t included and that’s because we think that it deserves its own section. Did you know that ‘Singles’ Day’ is now the world’s largest shopping event? It started in China as a sort of protest against Valentine’s Day and is now the world’s largest shopping event by quite some distance – it’s 4x bigger than both Black Friday and Cyber Monday (UCAS Report 2022). Despite its relatively low profile in the UK, Singles’ Day focuses on sustainability and inclusiveness – two major selling points when targeting Gen-Z. Singles’ Day 2022 is set to be the biggest yet, with Gen-Z looking primed to jump on it.

Where we step in.

Our digital screens are located in high dwell and high footfall locations within student living spaces, and did you know that over 77% of students do their online shopping when they’re at home, rather than when they are on the move? (Digin, 2021).

Picture this – you open up your cupboard and find nothing but a tin of beans and three strands of spaghetti. You turn around and see an advert for a tasty burger and in one quick scan of a QR code, you’re taken straight to a menu, and… the rest is history.

We’ve taken a traditionally hard-to-reach student audience and brought the power of advertising to the comfort of their own homes. Now, with all that in mind, imagine being able to target this audience for 48-51 weeks a year in their own home… sounds like you’re on to a winner to me.

Come and chat with us today to find out more about booking our network for your Gen-Z targeted campaign.

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Livin’ La Vita Loca.

Natasha White — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 08:17:39 +0000

This summer has been all go for Target Student, and to end with a BANG we’re delighted to announce that we are now working with Vita Student!

“Strive, achieve, push further.” Vita Student

We created our forward-thinking network with the same values in mind: to help students thrive during their time at university. With this shared goal, Vita and Target Student will use the platform to inform, inspire and enrich.

Here is a sneak peek into their London Lewisham location – matches the wallpaper don’t you think?

Vita can now utilise the dual-purpose model to put up announcements in real-time, virtual viewings, driving traffic to their existing platforms, and much more – the sky really is the limit.

INSPIRATION, MOTIVATION & OPPORTUNITIES.

With the addition of our network, Vita residents have access to up-and-coming job opportunities and initiatives, mental health support, and nightlife safety from our collaborative partnerships, not to mention special discounts on their favourite brands!

We’re thrilled to extend our accommodation reach with the wonderful people over at Vita Student. Here’s to an exciting journey ahead!

The post Livin’ La Vita Loca. appeared first on Next-Gen Media.

THE GLOW-UP STUDENT ACCOMMODATION PROVIDERS DESERVE.

Natasha White — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 07:34:45 +0000

Notice boards and posters are still commonly used by accommodation providers to engage and communicate with their residents… you know who you are!

As former university students who’ve experienced living in halls first-hand, we know that these outdated methods just don’t work. But it doesn’t have to be this way…

After endless hours tinkering away, we found something new, Gen-Z tailored, and EXCITING.

Here at Target Student, we provide our accommodation partners with a network of vibrant, dynamic digital notice boards to engage, inspire, and inform their residents.

Did you know the Gen-Z attention span is around 8 seconds? Getting through to this audience means steering clear of long, complex, and dull messaging.

“A fantastic asset for communication with our residents virtually. The digital signage has brought vibrancy and colour to an otherwise ordinary area.”

Disa, Fresh Student Living

Streamlined Communication

Our network truly enables efficient, hassle-free internal communication. Once we’ve installed your screen(s), we provide you with a centralised or site-level log-in so that you can begin to manage messaging within your building right away.

Advertising re-booking, virtual viewings, facilities, and events, or even directing traffic to your existing platforms such as internal apps or websites – the world is your oyster.

Save the trees!

We all know that traditional print signage is thrown out when its information is outdated or no longer useful…wasteful, inefficient, and expensive!

Digital signage bypasses these issues entirely. Last-minute announcement? In just a few clicks, your screen can be updated with brand new, up-to-date information.

“Having the billboard was like having an extra member of staff. The fact that there was no cost or workload added meant it was a no-brainer.”

James from Beyond the Box

Apart from a daily screen wipe, we really don’t ask for much! We know how busy our accommodation providers are, which is why we take care of the hard bits so they can focus on the important stuff.

Enriching residential life

We know that you want the best for your students, which is why we bring our extensive list of collaborative partnerships to provide them with the best opportunities to make their experience with you an unforgettable one.

Be it live job opportunities, mental well-being support, or nightlife safety advice – we understand the importance for students to feel connected, safe, and supported in their home away from home.

Oh, and one last thing…

That’s right – our network costs our providers the same as a Freshers’ Fair stress ball.

Interested? Come and have a chat with us to find out more.

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The Power of OOH in the Gen-Z Digital Era.

Natasha White — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 10:10:28 +0000

It’s no secret that Gen-Z are a tech-savvy, media-hungry bunch. With that said, capturing the attention of these digital natives is not as straightforward as it might seem. Desktop or mobile-based ads may seem a good place to start…but did you know that 52% of Gen-Z use an ad-blocker? Whilst 54% and 46% of Gen-Z find desktop and mobile ads to be ‘annoying’, respectively*. Well then, you might ask, how do we go about engaging these elusive technophiles?

That’s where Out-Of-Home (OOH) advertising steps in. According to a recent Kantar Millward Brown study, OOH is the preferred advertising medium amongst Gen-Z at 55%* – not our fault, promise! They even find it to be relaxing:

“Out of Home is seen as a passive medium, consumed by people as they journey through their daily lives. It’s seen as part of the landscape and there is a certain amount of control the audience has over Outdoor, reaching them at a time when they are generally more receptive to advertising and looking for distraction when out and about.”*

In a nutshell, Gen-Z are typically not looking for their desktop and mobile experience to be interrupted by unwanted ads. Instead, they are much more amenable to OOH campaigns that allow them to engage on their own terms.

*JCDecaux, 2017.

OOH also encourages businesses to inject more innovation and creativity into their ads – just check out our recent campaign with Disney Pixar.

Check out some of our favourite OOH ads in recent times:

An incredible anamorphic ad by Amazon Prime Video in Piccadilly Circus.

We love dating app Thursday’s tongue-in-cheek approach.

The post The Power of OOH in the Gen-Z Digital Era. appeared first on Next-Gen Media.

DataJam x Next-Gen Media.

Natasha White — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 08:49:58 +0000

DataJam x Next-Gen Media.
We are delighted to announce our sweet, new partnership with DataJam to install their flagship ‘JamBox’ devices across all our screens in the UK, rolling out in time for Freshers 2022 and onwards.

The Dynamic Duo
The combination of the revolutionary JamBox devices and our screens will unlock exciting, new insights for advertisers to optimise their campaigns for Gen-Z. In unison with our strategically positioned screens, the JamBox will allow you to track data in the highest footfall areas within large student halls at over 60 different sites throughout the UK. With the addition of the JamBox, we will empower our advertisers to gain new insights in to the performance of their campaign’s like never before.

Introducing the JamBox
The JamBox is the first scalable, accurate, audience counting metric in the OOH market. A small, yet powerful addition, the JamBox allows for recording of footfall in real time. Despite its diminutive size, the JamBox captures the number of mobile devices within a range of up to 300m/950ft, giving you an accurate count per location, per hour, or per second.

Check out some its Jam-packed features:

– Footfall heat maps by time of day.

– Daily totals per location.

– Custom built reporting module for you to access your own data.

– Devices seen per hour, per location.

– Average hourly counts per location.

– Month on month analysis.

– Fully Privacy & GDPR compliant.

Taking the Unknowns out of OOH
Take the unknowns out of OOH, by collecting your own REAL DATA, in REAL TIME. The JamBox is all about helping you get the most out of your own data and improving its accessibility by providing daily reports and allowing for custom reporting for you to explore the data yourself. The custom-built reporting module allows for data to be accessed quickly and easily, with the ability to run reports for any JamBox location in a matter of seconds. Real-time audience data allows for in-depth consumer insight into the consumer’s movement and purchasing habits, an ideal way of knowing what Gen-Z are looking for.

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Co-opportunity.

Natasha White — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 17:44:24 +0000

We have been working in collaboration with the Co-op and Hype Collective on a very important campaign that you’ll want to hear about. The Co-op’s ‘Student Watch’ campaign is aimed at empowering students to support each other on campus and in their community to create a safer, happier environment. At Target Student, we are helping raise awareness of this crucial campaign to help support students by making them feel safe, connected, and informed.

At the core of the campaign’s mission are the following: improve student wellbeing, help students feel safer, develop campus communities, and reduce crime. Student Watch is powered by Neighbourhood Watch, with further support from Co-op Insurance.

What to expect from Student Watch

Student Watch provides a variety of resources and initiatives to support students in the following ways:

– “The Lookout” – a quarterly magazine written by students for students, featuring advice on safety, wellbeing, and local volunteering opportunities.

– Amplifying student voices – surveys and focus groups across the country will take place to ensure all students are heard.

– Discounts – exclusive discounts and offers, including a 10% student discount at Co-op stores.

– Volunteering opportunities – providing regular updates on opportunities to get involved with initiatives both on campus and in the wider community.

– Tagging events – in cooperation with the local police, regular events are run in which students are able to tag valuable belongings such as bikes, laptops, and TVs with postcodes in order to track them in the case of robbery or loss.

– Toolkits for campus events – provide a variety of resources to help students run on-campus events covering a wide range of topics, from student mental health to fundraising.

Target Student is proud to be supporting this worthwhile initiative throughout our network of screens across the UK. We hope it helps enrich student experiences and make them feel safe and connected in their home away from home.

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