Higher ed marketing has a pattern: A new channel emerges, universities hesitate, budgets stay stuck in traditional tactics, and by the time they catch up, they’re already behind.
We saw this happen with digital marketing in the early 2010s—skepticism around Facebook ads, SEO, and retargeting. Yet today, digital is the foundation of enrollment marketing. Now, it’s happening again with Performance TV (Connected TV/OTT).
Here’s the difference: Undergraduate audiences are already there. Gen Z is consuming more video than any generation before them, and platforms like YouTube, streaming TV, and TikTok have become their primary sources for content. Marketers outside of higher ed know this—and they’re investing heavily in Performance TV. Meanwhile, universities are still treating TV like a broad awareness tool instead of a high-intent, precision-targeted enrollment driver.
“TV is expensive!” “Commercials don’t drive leads!” “TV is for branding, not enrollment!”
Sound familiar? The reality is, Performance TV isn’t just …