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April 2018

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The Greggs journey into Youth Marketing

As we enter the 5th year of working with Greggs and as their position in the student market goes from strength to strength, it seemed like the perfect time to reflect on our epic journey with this renowned brand.

Way back in 2014 Greggs approached BAM to facilitate a trial campaign at 9 Freshers events across the UK. The response to Greggs and the results from the trial were fantastic which meant that we began working with Greggs to plan a nationwide Freshers campaign for 2015. We took the leap from 9 to 46 Freshers’ Fairs across the UK, stretching from Dundee to Southampton.

Greggs student campaign

2015 saw the phenomenon of the “Fill Me For Free” bags which were an absolute hit with students. On receipt of one of these desirable bags, students could take the bag to their local Greggs store and fill the bag with a choice of Freshly baked products for free. Fair after fair saw Greggs have a constant queue of students vying to get their hands on one of these bags.

Not content with simply distributing the “Fill Me For Free” bags, Greggs gave students the chance to take part in an interactive game of “spin to win” or “lucky lights” for the chance to win some awesome prizes including free food vouchers, thermos mugs, USBs and pens.

The campaign has evolved year on year but always remains committed to the original core objectives:

  • Driving Footfall into store
  • Generating App downloads
  • Building an emotional connection with students

Through the huge presence on campus and the connection made during the 100 days at University, alongside the engagement through the gamification activation and through the highly coveted freebies, Greggs positioned themselves as a student favourite brand.

Over the last 2 years BAM have conducted our own independent Freshers survey to find out just what students think of the fairs and the brands that attend. In 2016 Greggs just missed out on a place in the top 10 brands at the fairs as voted for by students. However we saw the hard work and commitment to the student market pay off as they rose to 2nd place in the top 10 brands of 2017.

With competition from big name students brands like Wagamamas, ASOS, Lucozade and Nando’s, Greggs claiming a top spot in 2nd place is testament to their understanding of the student market and formulating a highly effective campaign. The success didn’t end there, Greggs were also rated as the favourite food brand in the Youth 100 at the YMS 2017, another amazing achievement.

Greggs student campaign

As our relationship with Greggs continues to grow, we are exploring the opportunity of switching the campaign up from a Freshers only presence to an “always on approach”, with year round presence in 2018. Watch this space.

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How to use social platforms in 2018

We’ve said it time and time again. Utilising Social Media for businesses is unquestionably important when connecting with your audience. However, understanding it and all its complexities can be a challenge, particularly when the landscape continues to move at such a rapid pace.

When you finally feel like you’ve got your head around one site, you’re suddenly thrown by another. That’s why BAM are here to explain just how each platform should be approached.

effective social media

Facebook- who cares if it’s ugly

Back when Facebook first began, advertising on the platform was non existent. How times have changed. When advertising did first take off, smaller brands were on a relatively level playing field with the business giants when it came to ads on social. Because no one really used it’s advertising functionality, both big and small brands had equal opportunity to grow, but this is no longer the case.

Once an effective tool but now just a blast from the past, “organic reach” on Facebook is less useful now than ever before. Statistics have plunged from 15% in 2013 down to 2% in 2016 and now it is currently operating at a less than appealing 0.5% (Joseph, 2018)

With organic reach now dead and gone, the focus has shifted. For Facebook the overriding goal is optimising content for ads, whether this looks great or not. It’s time to accept it’s ugly. Memes aren’t pretty and neither are low res viral videos, but they are relatable and they work. So when it comes to Facebook in 2018, don’t worry what it looks like put all your focus into ensuring your content is engaging!

Twitter – Reply, reply, reply!

If we take a look back to a couple of years ago, Twitter was in an identity crisis and now back in the present day the platform is in danger of having another one relatively soon. Regardless of their size, brands are finding it challenging when it comes to building brand value on the platform, with the only real value coming from reactive content in response to a recent event. As a result of the success of the more fast paced content, brands are being less than productive when it comes to pushing out ‘fresh’ new content, something twitter was once praised for.

Twitter is no longer about championing the new, it’s about reacting to an agenda already set, jumping on the bandwagon and driving an already established cause. With this in mind you should no longer invest all your time and resources into Twitter. Instead, you should view it as a platform to promote great customer service through answering questions, replying to customers and showing your consumers the causes you want to back.


Instagram- Everyone loves a story

It’s ok for Facebook to be ugly, but it’s really not ok for your Instagram to be! The pressure on brands to make their Instagram feeds ‘picture perfect’ has resulted in Instagram stories quickly becoming the go-to place for sharing anything and everything brand-related that may not fit within your desired ‘feed theme’.

Instagram should still be primarily used to promote your brand or business through the main feed, however stories should now also be a crucial part of your communication strategy. You should embrace Instagram’s story feature, using it showcase elements of ‘everyday Instagram’, portraying a more realistic and relatable view of your brands day to day life.

Want to know more on how to use each social media platform effectively? Get in touch with our social savvy team today!

Joseph, S. (2018). ‘Organic reach on Facebook is dead’: Advertisers expect price hikes after Facebook’s feed purge. Available: https://digiday.com/marketing/organic-reach-facebook-dead-advertisers-will-spend-reach-facebooks-feed-purge/. Last accessed 24th April 2018.

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Are Millennials the true generation of gamers?

Believe it or not, there’s good reason why the good folk here at BAM almost always insert a gaming element into the majority of our live campaigns. These can range from simple spin-to-win and reaction games, to the slightly wackier cyclone machines, all the way through to virtual reality.

Many assume that games are used as a last minute ploy to help you stand out from the crowd….however, games are not just a pretty face. Yes, they are visually impactful. Sure, they are able to draw a crowd. Yes, they can bring colour and life to what may be an ‘unsexy’ brand. But what most often goes overlooked is that games are synonymous with the student lifestyle. And here at BAM, we know this.

MIllennials and gaming

There’s big bucks to be made in the gaming industry

A common misconception about games is that they are for children and should not be taken too seriously. This couldn’t be any more wrong, especially in this highly technological era. Despite our humble size, you may be surprised to hear that the UK is in-fact the 5th largest video game market in the world, with approximately 32.4 million Brits playing game, with a market value estimated at £5.11 billion. Hard to believe right? (UKIE, 2017)

The millennial generation (18-24 year olds) have grown up on gaming. For this audience, owning a games console during childhood was probably as normal as owning a TV. This generation has experienced the growth and evolution of video gaming first-hand, so it is important for brands to recognise and respect this when engaging with them. To cut a long story short: gaming is ingrained into the millennial way of life.

By adding a gaming element to your campaign, no matter how big or small, this shows students that you understand them – instantly becoming more relatable and approachable. A simple gaming mechanic at your stand could be all that it takes to completely transform the personality and image of your brand from something outdated, boring and unapproachable, into something youthful, fun and engaging.

MIllennials and gaming

Still not convinced? Keep reading..

Universities and academic professionals are already beginning to understand the full scale and significance of the video game industry amongst students; with 60 universities/colleges providing 215 undergraduate and 40 masters video game courses throughout the UK! UK-based video game businesses contribute more than £755 million into the UK economy each year.

There are currently more than 2.32 million students studying in the UK; all of whom are eager to interact with brands and nab themselves a freebie (or 10!) when attending Freshers fairs. Events such as these are a prime opportunity for brands to engage with impressionable students (who individually spend an average of £2784 per year on non-essential items) and create life-long, meaningful relationships. Why not try adding a gaming element to your next stand? The BAM team would be happy to help so get in touch. The results will speak for themselves.

The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE (2017)). The games industry in numbers. Available at: http://ukie.org.uk/research. Last accessed 16th April 2018.

Written by: Thomas Diviney, Account Executive, BAM Agency Ltd