Advertising students ‘tell it like it is’, in new video promoting the National Student Survey

Advertising students from Northampton Business School have been working on a live client brief to create a video to help promote the National Student Survey to the rest of the student body.

The National Student Survey (NSS) gathers final-year undergraduate students’ opinions on the quality of their courses. Every university in the UK takes part and response rates are consistently high – over 300,000 students completed the survey in 2015. This year, 22 second year BA Advertising and Digital Marketing students are leading the charge to promote the survey at the University of Northampton.

The students were briefed by the Students’ Union to work on promoting the survey to their peers. The project was a live brief which saw the students working for a client (the SU), and working with local agencies.

The group undertook research, and following several rounds of idea generation came up with the concept of a campaign they called ‘It’s been emotional / Tell it like it is’, which they pitched to the Union.

The idea targeted final year students with a pre-emptive nostalgia for their time at the University. The 40-second promotional video used amateur footage filmed by the students around campus and in Halls of Residence, soundtracked by the club anthem ‘Afterglow’ by Wilkinson.

The students issued briefs to a number of local agencies and after a rigorous selection process chose Amplitude Media in Northampton to produce the video. The next phase of the project will see the students working as Student Ambassadors around both campuses, helping to promote completion of the survey, and also analysing the data and working on tactical interventions to support completion.

Student Oliver Meadham worked on the project. He explained: “The process has been volatile and at times suspenseful – but it has been an enjoyable experience overall. I feel as if myself and my fellow students have been exposed to a variety of real time challenges that come with working with clients and agencies. I also feel as if we have been able to learn about deadlines, responsibilities and other key skills that will be of benefit when focusing upon our personal employability.”

Kardi Somerfield, course leader for BA Advertising and Digital Marketing, explained: “Any experiential learning project can be challenging – some things didn’t go quite to plan, other things have worked brilliantly – that is what makes it interesting and gives the students a lot of material to reflect on. Participation in the NSS is incredibly important so the stakes couldn’t be higher – it is a credit to the relationship built up between the students and the Union over the last couple of years that we have been given this important opportunity.”

Victor Agboola, Students’ Union President added “This is just one example of how the Students’ Union is working with academic departments in supporting the student experience. Through real-life client projects students can put their learning in the classroom into practice and gain an understanding as to the practicalities and challenges of implementing and managing a live project. Its innovative approaches to learning such as these that we hope to see reflected in the survey results released later this year.”

You can view the student’s video on YouTube. The Advertising and Digital Marketing degree at the University of Northampton features input from industry professionals including guest speakers, live client projects,  and pitches to real clients and agency staff. For further information, visit our website.