As Mother’s Day in Australia approaches, Rachael Sullivan - 3rdspace UK’s Strategy Director and mother of one toddler, Felix - ponders the complexities of modern motherhood and how marketers can create content that better connects with mums today.
Motherhood is arguably the most significant life transition many women go through, making it a conundrum for brands and marketers as this life transition inevitably brings about a change in values, hopes, fear actions and behaviour.
According to the Mom Complex, three out of four mums still say companies have no idea what it’s like being a mum. Yet the reward for those who get it right is significant with mothers reportedly controlling 85% of household purchases and having a collective spending power of $2.4 trillion.
So why is marketing to mums so complex? And what is it that many brands are missing?
Firstly, it sounds obvious but it’s something too easily forgotten – people are individuals, not labels. “There is a danger in focusing on the fact that people are mums. Being a mother is fundamental, but it isn’t the defining thing about you” says Justine Roberts, Mumsnet.
Motherhood comes in many different forms. On the surface of it there are new mums, stay at home mums, working mums, single mums, mums to kids with special needs, rural mums, urban mums, two-mum families, mums of many, mums of one, expecting mums, mums to teenagers, foster mums, adopted mums, absent mums and bereaved mums. Scratch a little deeper and you’ll find a minefield of mum personas – hands-on mums, competitive mums, perfectionists mums, socially conscious mums, eco-conscious mums, freeform mums, fit mums, easy going mums, working mums and mum entrepreneurs. But it’s key to understand that in any given week she may be ALL of these things.
Mums tend not to like being defined as being a mum. The modern mum is (hopefully) feeling less pressure to fit into one category and more freedom to give herself permission to have a life and ambitions outside of being a mum. And that could be as simple as a side hustle or a full-blown ambition to climb Mount Everest. And herein lies the issue for content marketers: millennial mums don’t want to be defined purely as being mums. In fact, most women don’t tend to like to be referred to as ‘mum’ by anyone other than their close family and children.
The purpose of parenthood has changed. For most Australians today, the decision to have a child is deliberate and purposeful. As such, parents today give far more thought to how they might bring up their children in a world where there is more conflicting information than ever before. Anxiety has become the cornerstone of contemporary parenting. Yet overwhelmingly, millennial parents have more intimate and equal relationships with their children than in the past. According to Forbes, parents today spend 2x more time with their kids than previous generations. What once was deemed an action entirely for procreation, parenthood is now a source of meaning and happiness in life.
How can content better relate to mums?
1. Don’t talk to mums how you’d talk to your mum. Mums are complex, so steer well clear of generalizing them. It’s important to research not only their behaviours but their feelings, opinions, fears and aspirations. Content marketing shouldn’t reflect the key differences - instead it’s important to find the space of shared values and celebrate your brand’s niche connection with a smaller group of like-minded consumers.
2. Mother’s Day is not the time to focus on marketing to mothers. Most mums are only interested in hearing from their kids and partners on Mother’s Day. Mummy friendly content creators know this. The benefit of content marketing and social media is that it allows for a deeper connection to form with mums who are connecting with a certain mindset at different times. Influencers can be a great way of identifying with certain mums. Australia blogger Constance Hall has a huge following of “disciples” that identify themselves more boho/freeform mums, engage with provocative posting style, buy her products and fiercely defend her when criticised. Understanding how your content should live within Constance’s space as opposed to say, Carrie Bickmore’s is extremely important.
3. Brands that are trusted by mums (and dads) don’t tell their customers they understand them, they show them and include them. Brands like Tommy Tippee’s ‘The boob life’ campaign, found a place of shared purpose to create content with meaning that resonates beyond stereotypes. In a global campaign they were able to demonstrate that they understood, saw and appreciated that just like every child, every mum is different, she’s real and proud of it.Which brands do you think do the best job of marketing to mothers? What would you like to see more of? If you’d like help with finding the place of shared purpose between your brand and your customers to provoke action, please get in touch.
And a happy Mother’s Day to all the mums out there. And to our absent mums and babies who didn’t make it here, you are forever in our hearts.3rdspace is a content marketing company whose purpose is to help purpose driven brands connect with the values of purpose driven consumers. If you’d like to chat about developing a tone of voice guide for your brand to better connect with your consumers, our team of marketing & content strategists, behavioural psychologists and creatives are here to help. Contact rob@3rdspace.com.au
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Now in its tenth year of business, 3rdspace - the Sydney-based content company - announces it is expanding its offer to the UK.
This expansion is driven by client demand and favourable growth in content marketing. Founder of 3rdspace, Rob Logan, said “It’s a strategic move that absolutely enables us to embody agile working, centered around our clients changing needs. Allowing global clients across Australia, Asia Pacific and Europe, to have 24/7 access to a broader range of strategic thinking, content production and amplification.”
3rdspace UK will be headed up by Partners Rachael Sullivan, as Strategy Director, and Kat Martin as Client Director, with the extended 3rdspace offering being based in Yorkshire, England.
Rachael Sullivan was a big part of the development of the 3rdspace offering in its early days, working with Founder, Rob Logan, to define the businesses purpose-based approach to creating content. Rachael has most recently worked in the UK as Strategy Director for Intermarketing Agency with other agency experience at Ogilvy & Mather, and brand side roles, including heading up Brand & Creative Strategy for Vodafone Australia. This role sees her return to 3rdspace as a UK Partner, heading up strategy globally.
Kat and Rachael met when they worked together at Intermarketing Agency, where Kat was previously Client Director. She brings a wealth of 360 marketing experience from both brand-side, at Sony Music and Universal, and agency-side where she headed up global teams for adidas, The North Face and Anytime Fitness, and more recently, content offerings for UK brands Whole Earth and Clipper Teas.
Rachael says - “The past year has been tough, but it’s also been an exciting time to work with 3rdspace’s clients. Attitudes towards consumerism are changing and we’re seeing a need for greater connection with brand purpose at a business to business level. It’s a personally rewarding approach and one that is proven to drive business results for our clients.”
Kat adds - “The timing is right for Rachael and I to start this new venture in the UK. Our purpose-led proposition is a perfect fit for the current business climate and, most importantly, consumers changing demands through the pandemic. It’s clear the need for good quality creative content and communications is stronger than ever. While traditional big budget advertising has taken a tumble, content has gone from strength-to-strength. We aim to provide a powerful solution for brands looking to build engagement with their customers, without having to invest in large scale traditional advertising.”
3rdspace founder Rob Logan says: “This decision to expand is timely given our recent win of three international CMA content awards, including Strategy, Best Use of LinkedIn and Best Use of Video. While Kat and Rachael’s talent and passion gives me a lot of confidence in being able to extend our offering to a range of international brands we are working with. Rachael has been a part of our family and a trusted partner through the growth of the business in Australia. When Rachael suggested Kat come on board it felt like a natural fit - they have a great working relationship from their previous roles. We are totally aligned on helping brands with purpose create content that relates to the values of their customers, and doing it in a way that drives real action and results.”
The 3rdspace proposition is to put purpose at the heart of the conversation to drive action. Clients on the 3rdspace roster include NEC, Sygneta, EY, The NRMA, United Nation Development Programme’s Business Call to Action, Eden Brae Homes, MBL Seminars, Winning Group and Globus Travel.
For more information contact:
Rob Logan: rob@3rdspace.com.au +61 419 722 151
Kat Martin Kat.m@3rdspace.com +44 (0) 770 3618 110
Rachael Sullivan Rachael.s@3rdspace.com +44 (0) 753 5535 352
Susan Burchill, 3rdspace senior writer and Rachael Sullivan, consumer behavioural specialist uncover key insights for understanding and engaging with Generation Z.
As the EY Megatrends Report 2020 notes, referring to Generation Z, “The next decade will be shaped by the maturation of the largest generational cohort in history.” This cohort of people aged 10 to 24 years old comprises 1.8 billion people, which makes up 24% of the global population.
The most diverse generation yet
As populations of the world’s leading economies become more elderly, developing-market societies have growing numbers of youths, leading to the fragmentation of population distribution across different nations. According to the Megatrends report, “India stands out with a population that includes 375 million people — 27% of which are Gen Z.” By contrast, Gen Z in Japan makes up just 14% of the population.
The Gen Z mindset on social issues can differ across geographies as well, with those in developing markets more socially conservative, as an example. “Companies will have to identify the important distinctions among Gen Zers to serve this global cohort effectively,” the report says.
Gen Z globally are united by one common purpose
Diverse as they are between countries, one of the core commonalities that unites Gen Z across the globe is their commitment to tackling sustainability. Gen Z’s fear of climate change is well-founded, with the EY Megatrends Report pointing out that nearly 60% of the Gen Z population lives in countries with a high vulnerability to climate change but low readiness for responding to it. This serves to intensify climate’s impact on this generation.
And in the top 20 Gen Z countries with coastlines, 121 million people currently live in areas that will be below high tide by 2050, while 252 million will be subject to coastal flooding by the same date.
This is likely the greatest contributor to Gen Z’s preference for buying products from manufacturers who protect the environment and have a sustainable supply chain. While Millennials made changes in their everyday lives to be more sustainable, Gen Z is taking global action. According to Parrys Raines, Senior Consultant, Climate Change and Sustainability Services, EY Australia, “Gen Z are the ones creating a movement to address the climate emergency by engaging with businesses and governments at the highest echelons.”
An insight into the mindset of Gen Z consumers
The Gen Z mindset is both a product of, and different to, every generation that has preceded it. As Parrys Raines says, “Young people in Generation Z are purpose driven, solutions focused, digitally connected, collaborative, and have a sense of urgency about issues that matter for the future.”
Appealing to Gen Z starts with ensuring a brand’s purpose is at the heart of the entire business and that leaders take ownership and responsibility for the impact this has on society and the planet. The next challenge is to pivot rather than disrupt to create cut-through.
As the world’s population makeup changes, marketers need to re-invent their approach by leading from the middle. This requires brands to adopt an impact statement and develop purpose-driven brand campaigns that purpose-driven consumers can identify with, and act on, in alignment with their own beliefs.
Unlike previous generations, Gen Z do not see consumption as a means to an end. They see it as a reflection of who they are and the impact they want to see. For brands to become trusted in the eyes of the next generation, they must connect with the values of Gen Z using content that promotes positive action.
3rdspace is a content marketing company whose purpose is to help purpose driven brands connect with the values of purpose driven consumers. If you’d like to chat about how your content marketing can better connect with your consumers by finding the place of shared purpose our team of marketing & content strategist, behavioural psychologists and creatives are here to help
3rd Space's Rachael Sullivan consumer behavioural specialist, explains why now is the time to revisit and reconsider your brand's purpose
Sir David Attenborough is one of the few public figures who has true inter-generational appeal, from baby boomers to Gen Z. While older fans have admired him since his earliest TV appearances, Attenborough’s unwavering commitment to preserving the natural world has also cemented him as an unlikely hero in the hearts and minds of young people. His latest documentary film, A Life On Our Planet, is described as his “Witness Statement” and a “Vision for the Future”. If you haven’t watched A Life On Our Planet, stop reading, grab your remote and watch it on Netflix now. Yes, it is distressing viewing. At times I felt ashamed to call myself a member of the human race. Yet it also conveys the right amount of hope. He reassures us that it is still possible to undo some of the damage we have inflicted on this planet - if we act now.
Marketing, advertising and owning my responsibility in the climate emergency.
As the climate emergency becomes more pressing, I have started to feel less and less okay about some of the work I have done. In a marketing and advertising career spanning over 15 years I’ve worked on brand and marketing campaigns for airlines, news corporations, telcos and retailers on hundreds of briefs with objectives that went something along the lines of, “launch new product X or sell more product Y”.
It’s not that I haven’t worked on incredible brands – I have. It’s not that I haven’t worked on really worthwhile foundation- or charity-based briefs – I’ve done that too. It’s more a feeling that, the older I get and now, as a parent myself, I realise that what I do for a living is part of a wider ecology.
I’m opening up to, instead of shutting out, the realisation that the industry we operate in looks at briefs and projects in silo. Partly because creative people move around so much, also because the division of labour has meant the work we do is fragmented - removed from manufacturing and distribution processes. As bottom lines are squeezed, we are already consumed and consuming what’s next instead of assessing the true impact of the work we have done and the impact it has had beyond sales figures.
It’s time to re-visit your brand’s purpose
As leaders across the world grapple with navigating uncertainty post COVID-19, CMOs and brand marketers are also handed a rare opportunity to reset. As companies look down the barrel of declining sales, the benefit-risk trade-off swings in the favour of purpose-driven marketing, providing a pause to think about what might be possible if we put planet before profit.
If your brand’s purpose statement was written more than a year ago, the chances are it needs a re-visit to ensure it resonates with today’s purpose-driven consumers.
Generation Z are demanding it
The latest EY Megatrends data tells us, “the next decade will be shaped by the maturation of the largest generational cohort in history — Generation Z. This cohort of people between 10- and 24-year olds comprises 1.8 billion people, making up 24% of the global population.”
Gen Z (and the subsequent Generation Alpha) are the first generations to be born into a world where the impacts of climate change were happening around them. Many Gen Zs believe that business must play a key role in addressing the most pressing global issues, particularly climate change. Gen Zs want to buy products from manufacturers who protect the environment and have a sustainable supply chain.
As a collective of advertising, branding and marketing professionals we must take responsibility and show accountability.
The Gen Z mindset is both a product of, and different to every generation before. They are driven by sense of purpose, focused on solutions, digitally connected, collaborative, and are certainly not afraid of acting with a sense of urgency on issues impacting our future.
Appealing to Gen Zs starts with ensuring a brand’s purpose is at the heart of the entire business and that leaders take ownership and responsibility for the impact this has on society and the planet. The next challenge is to cut through the deafening marketing noise to communicate with and connect with the values of Gen Zs, using content that promotes action.
Brands must transform on purpose
This change must come hand in hand with purpose – a brand’s witness statement to the world. Sir David Attenborough demonstrates that the rate of change to our biodiversity and planet over our lifetimes is unprecedented. Today it’s not enough for brands to adapt, they must reinvent frequently, to change our trajectory as a species and in doing so, ensure the course of a brand’s survival.
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3rdspace is a content marketing company whose purpose is to help purpose driven brands connect with the values of purpose driven consumers. If you’d like to chat about how your content marketing can better connect with your consumers by finding the place of shared purpose our team of marketing & content strategist, behavioural psychologists and creatives are here to help
3rdspace is a content marketing company whose purpose is to help purpose driven brands connect with the values of purpose driven consumers. Our Brands with Purpose e-book will help you understand what makes a great content strategy, how to audit your current content strategy and how to set clear business goals to ensure your content lives and breathes your purpose. Our Brands with Purpose e-book is your first step to understanding the Why, How and What of your content strategy.
If you’d like to chat about how your content marketing can better connect with your consumers by finding the place of shared purpose our team of marketing & content strategist, behavioural psychologists and creatives are here to help.
Simon Sinek inspired audiences across the world with 2017 with his sell-out Start With Why Leadership Forum. In 2020, he returned to Australia with a new book and seminar tour: Simon Sinek: LIVE. Lucky enough to be in the audience, 3rdspace’s Rachel Sullivan has broken down her Top Takeouts from Simon Sinek: Live to help inspire you to think about your company’s purpose and how to create content that provokes action.
Communicating your company’s purpose is as important as advancing a just cause
If it’s got you thinking about advancing your company’s just cause, we’d urge you not to forget the importance of communicating and demonstrating your organisations purpose – the reason you exist beyond making money. This must be done frequently and authentically to employees and your customers so they continue to engage and promote your brand for days, weeks and years to come. We loved Simon’s notion that you wouldn’t tell your spouse you love them on your wedding day and not say it again, yet many companies take the same approach when it comes to communicating their purpose.
Is it time to re-visit your brands purpose?
Attending events like Simon Sinek’s - The Infinite Game are brilliant for taking us out of our current perspective. In explaining that leaders today need to be existentially flexible - willing to make 180° turn in order to advance the organisations just cause. We got thinking about what this means for CMO and brand markets to stay relevant to consumers in an increasingly complex world where consumers are demanding more transparency.
As we navigate uncertainly in a post COVID-19 world, CMO’s and brand marketers are handed a rare opportunity to reset as the benefit-risk trade off swings in the favour of purpose driven marketing. The key take out is to pause to think about what might be possible if we truly put Simon Sinek’s concept of advancing a just cause before profit.
Connecting with a new generation of purpose driven consumers
Appealing to Gen Z’s starts with ensuring a brands purpose is at the heart of the entire business and that leaders take ownership and responsibility for the impact this has on society and the planet. This group are active in pressuring business to do and be better pushing companies to talk in terms of triple bottom lines.
How brands with purpose can create content that promotes action
Today it’s not enough for brands to adapt, they must re-invent frequently, to adopt an infinite mindset to ensure our survival as a humanity, thus creating an environment in which brands can thrive. It’s not about telling customers what your purpose is. It’s about finding the stories within your business that demonstrates it.
By building a content strategy underpinned by communication pillars that demonstrate and reinforce this purpose every day. We call this your content mission. A content mission then informs the creation of engaging content designed to provoke action - from your employees, customers and potential customers.
If your origination has a just cause or purpose statement but doesn’t have a content mission that align to it, chances are you are missing an huge opportunity to better connect with the values of your customers.
3rdspace is a content marketing company whose purpose is to help purpose driven brands connect with the values of purpose driven consumers. If you’d like to chat about how your content marketing can better connect with your consumers by finding the place of shared purpose our team of marketing & content strategist, behavioural psychologists and creatives are here to help
The travel industry has taken a big hit through the recent bushfires and now the uncertainty within the industry has doubled with the global coronavirus concerns.
Australians have a fantastic optimism bias, where we sometimes choose to bury our heads in the sand and hope it will all go away. Unfortunately, this is not one of those times.
It’s a time for travel brands and the industry to step up and take action.
Here three starting thoughts from a business and content perspective:
1. Build Trust through Transparency
Loyalty begins with trust, and the best way to build trust is by highlighting the steps your business is taking to ensure customers who travel with you will be as safe as possible in this uncertain time.
- Set out an action plan within the business and then have your leadership team share the actions you are taking as a business through highly transparent content.
- Keep this content up to date with weekly updates via video EDM and social to inform customers of action you are taking as the situation changes week by week across the globe.
- Have a strategy to hold onto customers long term if they decide to cancel planned holidays due to the virus.
- Explain in detail the health regulations you have put in place for each customers safety
- Be Authentic – share your vulnerability and concern, but in a way that reinforces the business is far from putting its head in the sand over the situation.
2. Don’t Hold Back
Customers are constantly looking at new inspiration and content. While the first reaction may be to cut back on your marketing and content creation, it’s a time to dial up your content presence. Hold true to your tone of voice and the product attributes your brand offers customers.
People are still engaging with content and planning – they may decide to put off the trip in the next 6 months, but book for ’21. So, it’s important that you are top of mind as ever. By continuing to deliver the same level or dial up marketing & content during a downturn, you’ll already be ahead of the race to reap the benefits at the start of the upswing.
3. More than an Offer
Now is the time to highlight your points of difference and entice audiences to engage with the brand. While competitors may retreat and approach with caution, one of the best approaches to surviving uncertainty is to set yourself apart and dialling up the experience and added value that comes with your brand – the things your business is famous for. Think about this beyond a discount offer. Who can you collaborate with? What other innovations do you have in the pipeline that you can fast track?
At 3rdspace, we talk about helping brands with purpose create content that provokes action. Now is a time for dialling up why your business exists (your core purpose) and creating compelling and authentic content that brings that purpose to life, so that your potential customers want to engage and book with you when they do decide to take that holiday
If you’re interested in finding out more about this approach and how your brand can come through this storm in good shape, please drop me a line.
We’d love to discuss your business.
Rob Logan is the founder and Content Director at 3rdspace - The Content Company.
Change is inevitable. It’s what has shaped every aspect of life as we know it. Whilst change can seem scary at first, the most successful people are those who take opportunities for change and use it to their advantage by forcing themselves out of the comfort zone.
Establishing and enforcing new process and ways of thinking can seem unnecessary and resource inefficient – particularly when current processes are working. However, it is important to remember that failure to change means that your business will be left behind.
At 3rdspace we’re always looking to reignite our purpose, learning from our wins and most definitely our mistakes. Here’s three key drivers to fostering an open-minded, change-centric culture.
ONE: Just because it works for you, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a better way of doing things.
We’re all guilty of it. We have a strategy, a way of thinking or one route that gets us to where we want to go. But what if there was an express route? Starting small and considering new perspectives will harness your change-centric mindset and allow you to personalize whatever it is you chose to apply this mindset to. From a content perspective engage in thought provoking conversations with specialists in the field to understand the perspectives and processes of thought leaders and gain knowledge to shape your content strategy to drive greater results.
TWO: Foster a data-centric culture.
Almost every single day, we hear about the importance of data. However, it isn’t the data which will benefit your business- it's the way in which it’s used. Analyze data and use it to establish and shape the identities of your audience personas. Determine who your audience is, not by assuming from industry, but rather, understanding who is engaging with your content, on what platforms and how that engagement is nurturing new clients for your business.
Adobe pledged to stay ahead of the game, implementing the concept of the ‘subscription economy’. Whilst most businesses neglected change, Adobe has taken advantage of an eager market hungry for doing things differently and its sales skyrocketed. Fostering this data centric culture allowed Adobe to understand the value of this investment assisted by data backed forecasts. The results speak for themselves!
THREE: Look at the scoreboard.
It’s easy to think that our ways are the best- at least the best for ourselves. It’s not uncommon to hear businesses preaching about their great strategy or product that you need. From a content perspective brands often get caught up in vanity metrics. We need to be thinking about results results results, How those engagement metrics and brand building content campaigns are also nurturing new data – new leads and new opportunities for the business.
In 2020 it’s one of the most exciting times in content marketing, so if you’d like a fresh opinion and some more information on what we see happening in the world of content, we’d love to chat about how your content can provoke consumer action
Talk to us here
If you’re a marketer with a few grey hairs you’ll be aware of the marketing classic by Ries & Trout Positioning the Battle for your mind.
It’s one book that in the ever evolving world of marketing has some truths that still ring true and can be a good jumping off point when creating your content marketing strategy.
Reis & Trout talked about the fact, that with the barrage of information we are fed, our minds need to filter it somehow. So as a way to cope we automatically rank brands and place them on a METAPHORICAL ladder.
What this means today, is the brand with the most effective content marketing strategy, will take the top spot on the audiences ladder, meaning they will engage with the brand on their social feeds, which in turn is going to relegate competitors to lower rungs.
The key thing that still resonates from POSITIONING is if you want to be noticed in what has become a highly crowded social feed your content marketing strategy needs to stand out against all other brands in your competitive set - otherwise consumers will simply forget about you.
Be the first in the fish pond:
The first in consumers minds rings true when it comes to content marketing strategies.
The brand that comes out with a first from a content perspective and executes it with tenacity, will enjoy a competitive advantage. The other advantage is you can shape the customers perception of the brand by introducing a completely new line of content that is fresh, relevant and taps into their lifestyle or adds value by informing them in a compelling way.
This is why it’s important with millennial focussed brands to take the story into platforms such as Tik Tok in innovative ways, and why it’s important for every brand to create content that resonates their brand purpose in a way that has cultural context, ..... away from the pack.
Once you have defined an effective content marketing approach ....STICK TO IT.
By developing your content marketing position for the long term, you will create more cut through, higher recall, sales and advocacy. This is a challenge with the high turnover of teams members in marketing and content roles for brands. It helps to have a content marketing agency that can help the business not abandon the content marketing positioning that brought the business success in the first place.
Finally, to be successful today you must touch base with reality and the only reality that counts is what is already in the prospects mind. If you are a challenger brand in a competitive category your content marketing strategy needs to find a niche that plugs into consumers minds, not ride on the coattails with similar content to the leading brands.
It’s far from rocket science - but it does need a commitment to position your content marketing strategy to be different and the courage to look at the competitive set and if yours looks like me-too content, revisit your content marketing strategy to reframe the conversation.
If you’d like to know more, drop us a note here.
The higher education sector and vocational providers are already re-shaping their courses, making a shift from the traditional three-year degree to micro-credentials and flexible study.
The game at play
This ‘just-in-time’ mode of learning is gaining ground, giving access to knowledge just when you need it, while study via digital platforms is a crucial - ‘anywhere, anytime, on any device’.
We’re also seeing dramatic change in how higher education engages with industry to provide life-long learning opportunities for workers to constantly upskill and reskill.
It will be higher education facilities that offer work-integrated learning, that will lead the way. If educational institutions shift quickly to help individuals move from one job or career to another as they build a portfolio of skills, these institutions can spearhead the opening up of new markets for life-long learning.
Educational institutions from overseas with digital delivery will increase competition in the Australian market with their short, sharp learning experiences and offerings, catered toward the generation that is best suited to this style of learning.
It’s important for education groups to work together to define the educational landscape in Australia or in their local area, as international students are such an important part of survival for education in Australia. We need to understand these audiences and their decision making cues and give the story cultural context.
At 3rdspace, we’ve worked with a range of educational institutions and education groups to increase their appeal to both local and international students.
Our work with IEAA revolved around changing perception of international students within Australia, with a content strategy and a range of films and white papers addressing these perceptions and highlighting the benefits international students bring to Australia.
Similarly, our Study Gold Coast campaign was created to change the perception of what living and studying on the Gold Coast is like. Students were placed at the heart of this campaign, to reinforce a welcoming and safe message for both local and international students. The students were involved in the thinking and became the face of the campaign internationally that represented all education facilities on the Gold Coast.
When bringing this thinking into telling the story of content institutions we believe there are 3 factors to consider;
- As a way for institutions to define their purpose and their education facility against their competitive set, this is not about what courses we offer and our campus, but by highlighting they are aware of the changing ways of education, with inspiring content that involves the students in a way potential students can relate to.
- Using multi-segmented content to desired student personas. Those interested in the arts or creativity are going to engage with different content to those who want to follow a path in data science. The first step is to create a multi-segmented content strategy, followed by the creation of inspiring content. Putting this focus on each persona group will highlight how your institution understands and can help them the best.
- Content learning. Students are spending more than one third of their entire day consuming media content, with almost 90% of the millennial population watching video content. Therefore, learning platforms need to be interactive and video-rich so students can learn at their own pace, on their own device, or discover supporting content for their degrees. For education leaders to create innovative learning successfully they need to ensure that content is immersive, it utilises relevant experts and it provides stories that follow a guided model.
WIN WIN WIN
With such dynamic time in education everyone in the education ecosystem from institutions, government and independent providers, need to look for new ways to work together with different industries and stakeholders, to offer agile, adaptable offerings so that continuous, on-demand and self-directed learning becomes the new normal.
To find out more about the changing face of education and what it means to you and your business, we’d love to have a chat.