A Study of Marketing Strategies and the Undergraduate Student Consumer Demographic

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Date

2009

Disciplines

Business | Business Administration, Management, and Operations

Advisor

Rick Saucier, Management

Abstract

Billions of dollars are spent annually on advertising and marketing campaigns in the hopes of persuading the consumer to open up their wallets. As the average American's income rises, marketing expenditures have also been increasing. As advertising and marketing expenditures increased so too has the number of marketing messages that the average American encounters. By even a modest estimate it is thought that the average American now sees an average of 5,000 advertising messages per day. These messages are aimed and targeted at children and baby boomers alike.

The Millennial generation however is poised to develop into the second biggest buying demographic in the US, second only to that of the baby boomer generation. Right at the heart of that demographic lies the current college undergraduate student who represents the highly educated and well funded consumer of the future. Now as the average college student stands at the threshold of being a major buying power, companies will have to cater to them to remain profitable in the forthcoming years. While the average student is being constantly bombarded with promotional and advertising messages every day, many have adapted and become immune to the current tactics and communications being thrown at them by marketers. How can companies and marketers cut through the clutter and reach the imaginations and pocket books of the college student demographic?

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