DESCRIPTION

As students prepared to return for the Fall 2024 semester, I developed and produced an original social media campaign for the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) at Rutgers University. Tapping into the energy of platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, this campaign gave prospective and current students a real, student-guided look inside Rutgers dorm life — through the lens of those living it.

Inspired by the classic MTV Cribs format, each episode brought viewers into a student’s personal space, spotlighting favorite dorm essentials, snacks, study habits, and comfort items. But this wasn’t just entertainment — it was strategic storytelling designed to meet students where they already are: searching the internet for honest insights into college life.

 

Solving Key Problems in Higher Ed Social Content

This project emerged from a need to address two long-standing issues in university marketing:

  1. Summer content drop-off – Engagement tends to dip for higher education accounts over the summer. I wanted to shift that narrative by launching a high-quality series that filled the gap with relevant, scroll-stopping video.

  2. Outdated approaches – Many institutions hesitate to experiment with voice and tone, fearing it will dilute their academic brand. But as a liberal arts school, SAS has room to be dynamic, fun, and approachable — without sacrificing its credibility as a leading research institution.

I also noticed that many prospective students aren’t turning to admissions counselors for guidance — they’re turning to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Students want real answers to questions like: What will my dorm look like? What should I bring? What’s the vibe really like? This series answered those questions by letting actual students tell the story.

I filmed, edited, and produced every episode, collaborating with a diverse mix of SAS students to create content that felt authentic, useful, and culturally tuned-in.

 

By the Numbers — Audience Impact

Across just three episodes, this campaign proved the value of content that speaks students’ language:

  • Average views per video: 18,004

  • 88% of viewers were non-followers, demonstrating powerful discovery and reach

  • Average engagement rate: 7.5%, well above higher ed benchmarks

  • Combined shares: 399, reflecting high saveability and peer-to-peer value

  • Reels interactions totaled 1,960, with strong comment activity and saves

  • Follower growth triggered from posts: +19 follows directly from three videos

 

Detail 4

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