Partnership links top brands with more than five million college students nationwide
Basking Ridge, N.J., and BOSTON, December 03, 2014 – Barnes & Noble College Marketing (BNCM), a division of Barnes & Noble College and leader in marketing to U.S. college students, today announced a strategic partnership with The Campus Agency, a nontraditional agency with a complementary focus on connecting students and brands in memorable ways.
BNCM and The Campus Agency will focus on delivering what’s next in multi-faceted marketing campaigns for brands interested in forging connections and building relationships with students and campus communities. Through Barnes & Noble College’s national network of more than 725 college and university bookstores, the two companies will partner to provide creative and meaningful programs and social strategies that create long-lasting brand loyalty for marketers and enhance the social and academic experience for college students. Their combined marketing services will offer brands an adaptable and comprehensive mix of marketing tools and channels – including in store, online and on campus – to reach students on their terms, and to increase a campaign’s reach and effectiveness.
Over the years, BNCM and The Campus Agency each have engaged students and created memorable experiences with a number of top brands, including The New York Times, Cricket Wireless, Zipcar, Sprint, Dockers® and Walgreens.
“It’s all about enhancing the experience for students – everything we do is to support and celebrate their college experience,” said Marie Policastro, Director of Partnership Marketing and Research for Barnes & Noble College. “Extensive research and feedback tell us students want to interact with the brands they love through events, campaigns and promotions. We’re excited to have the youth marketing expertise and experience of Paul Tedeschi and his team at The Campus Agency as our official partner to continue offering the freshest ideas and opportunities for brands to connect with students the optimum way.”
The partners bring to the table unrivaled insights and experience in higher education. As a division of Barnes & Noble College, BNCM provides brands access to extensive voice-of-the-student research along with a 360-degree marketing toolkit that enable brands to connect with students in today’s omni-channel retail environment. Similar to BNCM, The Campus Agency provides brands the creative ideas and solutions to connect with students at defining moments of their college experience, such as back-to-school, graduation, spring break and more.
“No other organization in the country has the on-campus tools to reach this kind of volume. We’re energized by this partnership and the impact it can have on brands striving to develop relationships with college students,” said Paul Tedeschi, CEO of The Campus Agency. “Together with BNCM, we will take products off the shelves and really bring them to life on campus. Fun for students; valuable for the brands we serve.”
About Barnes & Noble College Marketing
Barnes & Noble College Marketing (BNCM) is a division of Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS). Barnes & Noble College operates more than 725 college campus bookstores across the country and serves over five million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. BNCM has the campus access, proprietary touch points and student understanding to ensure that marketing programs deliver exceptional results for its brand partners. BNCM’s capabilities include: product sampling; research, digital media marketing (social networking, email and web); high-impression print and in-store advertising and postering; experiential and event marketing; on-campus and online sweepstakes and product promotions; and programs that specifically target incoming freshmen, graduates, alumni and athletic event fans. For more information on BNCM and its initiatives, visit www.bncollegemarketing.com.
About The Campus Agency
The Campus Agency is a nontraditional media and marketing agency specializing in the student market. The Campus team not only has a deep understanding of the college market and broad connections with companies in the college space, but extensive experience in student deals and building partner relationships. Their services include: partnership marketing, on campus marketing initiatives, spring break marketing, and on campus brand ambassador programs.
Paul Tedeschi, CEO of Campus, is a veteran youth marketer having worked in the field for over 25 years. Paul started his first agency, Collegiate Advantage, during his junior year at Boston University. He then went on to become co-founder and CEO of Mr. Youth (now MRY).