College Events Benefit Everyone

Now that the fall semester is coming to a close, students are starting to hear about their college events coming up this winter and spring. Colleges all around the country are getting entertainments’ best singers, bands, networks, and comedians to headline major college events, which is creating buzz among college students. Besides students, some of the biggest brands out there are looking to sponsor these events. Most of the big college events have multiple sponsors for one reason: brands are always striving to get their products into the hands of college students. With such a large audience, college events are becoming one of the best ways to reach a large amount of college students at once.

As college tours make their way around the country, they reach over 80,000 college students. This makes sponsors salivate just thinking about all the potential customers they will be able to reach. A perfect example of brands sponsoring college events is the “BET Black College Tour”. In their 10th year, BET (1) sets out on a 3 month tour going to historically black colleges. BET sets up concerts, games, prizes, product sampling and much more that makes it a must-see if you’re a college student at that school. One of the best parts about this college tour is that it is free and only available to college students of that particular school. This creates the ultimate college atmosphere that sponsors are looking for, which is why brands are constantly teaming up with BET. Recent sponsors to team up with BET are Under Armour, COVERGIRL and KFC.

Sponsoring this type of college event gets brand name products into the hands of thousands of college students. Due to this tour only being open to current college students, brands are directly targeting the college market. Students also feel connected to brands that sponsor these events because they have become tied to their college.

These college events benefit everyone involved; from the sponsors, to the colleges, to the students. Sponsors reach the college market on a level that cannot be matched. These brands build brand loyalty through being involved on the campus and interacting with students. The college itself increases the buzz around their campus, and because this kind of event is for students only, attracts students to enroll at that college. Last but not least, students benefit by attending a fun, live college tour that is what makes college the best time of your life. They also get to try out products from their favorite brands such as Verizon, Microsoft, and Under Armour. With all this in mind, brands should be targeting college events so they can quickly become college favorites.

References

1.) ”BET Black College Tour Returns with New Sponsors CoverGirl, KFC, Under Armour.” Target Market News – The Black Consumer Market Authority. 8 Sept. 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. <http://targetmarketnews.com/storyid09091102.htm>.