Making a Mark: Standing Out in University Marketing

To stand out in university marketing, reach students before the noise peaks, put something they can use into their hands and make it unmistakably yours. Freshers is crowded with flyers, stalls, apps and offers. Brands that arrive with the product, on move-in day, through a channel with no auction for attention, face far less competition than brands fighting for space in a feed or at a fair.

This guide explains why university marketing is so crowded, five practical ways to stand out and how to tell whether you did.

Key points

• Timing is the biggest differentiator. The first days of term come before the fairs and feeds fill up, and before routines are set.

• A product in hand works differently from a message in a feed. There is no auction on a place in a Welcome Bag and no algorithm between brand and student.

• Distinctive packs, colours and names matter more in a busy bag or fair. Make the brand easy to recognise later in the shop.

• Scale and proof go together: Coca-Cola put 2,395,000 products into students’ hands in 2026, and 89.9% of students surveyed were likely to buy Original and Zero (n=3,019).

• Judge results against a benchmark, so you know whether you stood out or simply took part.

Why university marketing is so crowded

New students are one of the most sought-after audiences in UK marketing, and almost every category competes for them in the same few weeks. Freshers fairs are full of stalls handing out flyers and freebies. Social feeds fill with student offers. Student discount platforms, banks, mobile networks, food delivery apps and gyms all chase the same first-years at the same time.

The result is a lot of activity that blurs together. A brand that does what everyone else does, in the same place at the same time, becomes one more leaflet in a bag that gets emptied into the bin.

Five ways to stand out

1. Arrive first

Move-in day comes before the fairs, the society sign-ups and most of the advertising. Dig In’s Welcome Bag reaches 500,000 students each September, 3 in 4 freshers, in their halls on the day they arrive. A brand in that bag is one of the first students meet in their new life, at the point when they are working out what they need.

2. Be in their hands, not only their feed

A post competes in a ranked feed against every other post. A product in a student’s room does not. There is no auction on that placement, and the student can taste, use or try the product, which no advert can offer. Physical presence also lasts: the product is still there the next day.

3. Be useful in student life

The brands students remember fit into their routines. Think about the job your product does in a student’s first weeks: the first breakfast, the first night in, the first weekly shop. A product that solves a real problem stands out more than one chosen only because it was easy to hand out.

4. Be recognisable

A student may meet dozens of brands in a week. The ones that stick are easy to recognise later: a distinctive pack, a strong colour, a clear name. Keep the sample pack close to what students will find on the shelf, so the trial turns into recognition in the shop.

5. Fit the brand to the moment

Standing out is easier when the brand clearly belongs at that moment. Boots fits the first trip for toiletries and essentials: after Freshers 2024, 82.5% of students surveyed said they were likely to shop at Boots (n up to 6,093). See the Boots 2024 results.

Standing out at scale

Coca-Cola’s 2026 programme with Dig In shows what consistent presence across the year looks like. Coca-Cola put 2,395,000 of its products into students’ hands in 2026, across Freshers, Refreshers in January and Live Activations. Seven surveys collected 8,225 responses between January and September 2026, and 89.9% of students surveyed said they were likely to buy Coca-Cola Original and Zero (n=3,019). See the Coca-Cola 2026 results.

The lesson for other brands is less about size and more about repetition. Being present at several moments in the year, rather than one, keeps the brand in front of students while their habits form.

How to know whether you stood out

• Compare against a benchmark. Across Dig In’s brand surveys, the median brand scored 85% likely to buy again in 2025 (24 surveys) and 88% in 2026. A result well above that norm suggests your product stood out; one below it is a prompt to look at product, pack or timing. Our benchmark page explains how to read a result.

• Ask open questions. What did students like, what would they change and where would they buy it?

• Test a variable. Try two messages or offers across different universities and compare responses.

• Track action. Codes, registrations and redemptions show whether interest turned into a next step.

Keep the reporting accurate. Purchase intent shows how students felt after trying a product. It is not a sales figure.

Mistakes that make brands blend in

• Copying the competition. The same freebie at the same fair as everyone else.

• Generic giveaways. Items with no link to the brand or to what students need.

• Spreading too thin. A little presence at many events rather than a strong presence at the right moment.

• One moment only. A Freshers burst with nothing after it.

Questions brands ask

How can a brand stand out during Freshers Week?

Reach students before Freshers fairs begin, ideally on move-in day, with a product they can use straight away. Make the pack recognisable, give students a reason to buy again and follow up later in the term.

What is the most effective way to reach new university students?

Put the product in their hands when they arrive, through a Welcome Bag or hall delivery, then follow up through the year. Physical trial at the start of term reaches students when their brand choices are most open.

How do I know if my student campaign outperformed others?

Survey students after trial and compare your results with a benchmark built from other brand surveys. In Dig In’s data, the median brand scored 85% likely to buy again in 2025 and 88% in 2026.

Working with Dig In

Dig In puts brands into students’ hands on the day they arrive at university and surveys them afterwards, so you can see how your brand compares. Get in touch to plan a campaign that stands out from the first day of term.