How human connection drives enrollment

In an age of curated algorithms, deep fakes, and digital fatigue, we know that our Gen Z students are craving authenticity. Realness. And, most of all, human connection.

We can see it in the data. More than 40% of Gen Z intentionally reduced their screen time in the past six months. They have a renewed interest in physical products—vinyl records, zines, and journals. And we feel it ourselves as higher ed marketers. So we hit the road to bring a small slice of NYC and a big helping of Ram Pride in person to college admissions counselors.

Bringing New York to Ohio with experiential marketing

We faced a choice–go the more traditional route and help sponsor the conference, or bring the Fordham experience directly to Ohio. Many counselors can’t make it to New York to visit us, but nearly 7,000 NACAC attendees would be on their own to find lunch during a short midday break, so, for one day only, we opened the Fordham Pizza Shop.

With a new visual identity and reinvigorated brand messaging to introduce, we took over a local pizza shop across the street from the conference, bringing them a slice of New York City. With authentic New York–style pizza, Fordham branding and messaging, our mascot, Ramses, and a live DJ, we offered more than just a free lunch to conferencegoers. We gave them a sense of the close-knit community and New York City energy that make Fordham special. 

Higher education has not typically done experiential marketing to engage with its audiences but our results have been pretty remarkable. During our one-day activation, we saw just shy of 1,000 counselors come through our door. But we knew we couldn’t stop there, at just the brand awareness level. We created a thorough strategy to remain in touch with those who attended, establishing bonds and relationships that are continuing to grow. 

The power of connecting with our audiences

So much of higher ed marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. We’re trying to reach the hearts and minds of students as young as sophomores in high school. We often spend years courting them, trying to get them to add us to a short list of schools they want to attend, and then trying to get them to apply and, ultimately, choose Fordham if they’re accepted. This activation gave us a chance to make connections that can pay off years down the line.

But this activation also created some immediate impact. This year, Fordham has seen an unprecedented 23% increase in applications. If we drill down a little deeper, we can see that Fordham has had a 49% increase in applications from Ohio, directly correlating with our pop-up’s location. And, even more telling, applications from high schools whose counselors engaged with our branded experience are up 47%.

As higher education continues to face incredible headwinds—an enrollment cliff, a loss of trust in our institutions, and a generation of students unsure of what the future holds—it’s these types of tangible experiences that can help us break through the noise and elevate perception of our institutions.

Higher ed is a crowded field and in order to stay competitive we need to lean in to who we are and show up where our audiences are. That means going beyond the traditional avenues and finding new ways of being fun and disruptive, while still driving enrollment growth.  

Justin M. Bell joined Fordham in August 2023 as the University’s inaugural vice president for marketing and communications and leads Fordham’s central marketing and communications division. Learn more about how Fordham is moving from inquiry to impact.