During graduation season, how can brands differentiate themselves?

This article lists some successful cases and discusses how major brands use the graduation season to carry out differentiated marketing in order to attract key consumer groups and increase brand awareness.

Time passes, orioles sing, and it is graduation season again.

For brands, graduation season is a unique communication opportunity. Graduates, who are at an important turning point in their lives, are a key group that brands are competing for. Seizing this opportunity can not only establish a deep connection with them, but also capture the main force of future consumption.

Brands have sounded the clarion call for graduation season marketing campaigns, either extracting keywords of youth to tap into public sentiment, or using youthful methods to increase user stickiness.

How to create freshness in the competition on the same topic? Let’s take a look at this year’s differentiated voices.

1. Entering a new stage, 2024 Life University entrance ceremony

We often say, “Life taught me a lesson.”

Life is a university. Xiaohongshu has refined the concept of "Life University" in this graduation season event and held a unique opening ceremony for "Life Students".

As the copy says: There is no president or counselor in the university of life. We are all students in life. Whether we are anxious, confused, happy, and self-satisfied, it is the real appearance of life.

At a time when graduates are full of uncertainty about their future, Xiaohongshu uses an emotional video to make graduates feel understood and supported. Xiaohongshu itself is a microcosm of this "university of life".

Based on the recognition that "there are no standard answers in life", countless people shared their non-standard answers in videos, including materials from 70 students currently studying at Life University, which were compiled into this video.

By cleverly combining the psychology of graduates with brand values, Xiaohongshu has enhanced the brand's affinity and identity during the graduation season.

2. Cut into the anxiety of idleness, the latest campus recruitment for the class of 2024

The same time, the same problem. When graduation season comes, many people become anxious about being idle, which is exactly what Xianyu is good at.

This year, Xianyu started from the recruitment scenario that is closely related to graduates and launched the "Latest Campus Recruitment for the Class of 2024" for colleges and universities. It is also the most special campus recruitment - recruiting things, not people!

Xianyu has created a fancy job application letter for the 24th batch of idle babies graduating, conveying the core message of "Come to Xianyu, send your babies to work, and I will graduate with pay."

Alternative campus recruitment sites were opened in seven universities, including Shanghai Jiaotong University and Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics. During the graduation season when campus flea markets have become a necessity, the "Xianyu Campus Circulation Store" has a higher degree of recognition with its full-category idle consignment service, and has also collected more user stories for Xianyu to spread.

The online application channel was opened at 0:00 on June 20. The gameplay of "helping the baby to get the lottery code last week, and 100 baby packages will be distributed" further enhanced the entertainment and contributed to more people's trust in Xianyu.

Xianyu not only provides a solution for graduates who have nowhere to put their idle items, but also helps graduates have their first economic buffer zone. This green and effective marketing move has attracted widespread attention.

3. Difficulties in job hunting, and success in life

Along with graduation season comes the issue of job hunting that every graduate has to face.

Choosing a job is like choosing a "rice bowl". This year, the issue of choosing a rice bowl is even more complicated. On the one hand, the severe employment environment is no longer "new" news. On the other hand, the job search goal of 00s is also to do whatever they want.

There are zoo keepers who only need to deal with “colleague” relationships, not interpersonal relationships; there are digital nomads and veteran Earth players who are not afraid of being late or leaving early, and choose snow-capped mountains, seas, and grasslands as their workstations; there are also steamed bun shop owners who don’t like working from nine to five, but are happy to get up at four in the morning...

With an open perspective and real life experience, Ele.me offers support to graduates: life is full of opportunities and no matter what kind of "rice bowl" you have, it can be filled with a passionate life.

Finding a job is important, but eating well is equally important. Ele.me also offers a gift of love, offering a 199-yuan coupon package for 0.9 yuan, starting with three meals a day, to support graduates in their journey to a broader life.

4. Job hunting difficulties, you need a bicycle

Didi Qingju also approaches the issue from the job-hunting perspective and chooses to give a new spin to the old saying "What kind of bike do you want?" Faced with the gap between ideals and reality, many graduates will inevitably face the question "What kind of bike do you want?" and will inevitably fall into silence or doubt.

The video is presented from the first person perspective, telling the protagonist's growth story. From learning to ride a bike when he was a child, there are always too many voices of "Why do you want to ride a bike?" on the road of growth: from college entrance examination majors, to postgraduate study, to job hunting, to employment...

But in fact, the question "Why do I want a bicycle?" can never cover up the voice in my heart. Even if I want to take a detour, a small road, or a road that no one has walked on, sometimes I still want to stop at red lights, green lights, and go, stop ...

The brand takes "Just Bicycles" as its core message, arousing emotional resonance among graduates and encouraging them to "keep riding, the future will come."

While communicating with young people, the brand role is naturally integrated into them. From being green and ignorant to bravely moving forward, Didi Qingju accompanies every young person who "just wants a bicycle".

V. Summary

The brand has created content that is both emotionally warm and in line with actual needs by deeply integrating with the emotions of the graduation season, successfully attracting the attention of graduates and a wider audience. The content is full of philosophical thoughts and highly resonant, which is not only excellent content for the graduation season, but also radiates to a wider range of public topics and social emotions while increasing brand affinity.

At the same time, graduation season marketing is further linked to the brand's core business. This connection not only provides users with practical solutions, but also once again reflects the brand's unique value and mission, achieving a double increase in brand awareness and user stickiness.