Branding companies are looking for the right age group to target, and young people fit right into their bracket.
Several companies have been trying to gain more customers and employees from ages 15-24 to be a part of their marketing process. These companies believe they are benefiting, not targeting, young adults.
Credit card companies like Discover believe that credit cards can help college students build their credit history while in school. According to The Balance, credit card companies will give out coupons and discounts from places around campus to get students to sign up for a credit card.
Joshua Johnson, a Georgia State student, believes that college students should get a credit card to build their credit for the future.
“You just have to be smart with it and don’t exceed over your limit,” Johnson said.
According to Discover, a student should be able to control a credit card with the help of their parents or a guardian, so they won’t fall into debt. EVERFI and AIG surveyed over 30,000 college students across the U.S. that shows about 36% of the students have more than $1,000 in credit card debt.
Students are advised to be careful when they start credit building and ask the help of an adult who has a good credit history.
Another group targeting college students is coffee shops, which have taken over campuses across the country. Bloomberg reported that Starbucks is one of the biggest coffee companies with 300 stores on college campuses in the U.S. Starbucks is not only a place to sell coffee, students also use it as a place to study and socialize.
Student Farqan Abdulla drinks coffee almost every day.
“It keeps me focused and hyped up. Without coffee, I wouldn’t be able to stay awake in class or up at night doing last-minute homework,” Abdulla said.
According to Integrated Marketing Communication, an average college student spends about $100 a month on coffee.
The Starbucks College Achievement Plan now offers student employees 100% tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor’s degree through Arizona State’s online program.
Starbucks is also testing mobile coffee trucks on three universities right now: Arizona State, James Madison University and Coastal Carolina University.
Similar to Starbucks’ financial assistance to gain more student employees, vape companies are also offering financial assistance to students to gain customers.
The American Vaping Association is a lobbying group that encourages smokers to quit by using vapor products and e-cigarettes.
According to Gregory Conley, president of the AVA, a great deal of money is put toward stopping the sale of vapor products and e-cigarettes by Michael Bloomberg, owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg committed to a $160 million push to ban flavored vaping products, but that didn’t stop the vape companies from selling their products.
The Associated Press reported that vape companies give scholarships between $250 to $5,000 for students who write essays about the potential benefits of vaping.
As of now, these companies continue to promote their brands to young adults with different tactics and strategies. Whether it’s through scholarships, full-ride tuition or future benefits, they continue to develop new ways to keep the younger community hooked.
Editor’s Note: Quotes by Gregory Conley have been deemed inaccurate and were removed from the article.
Updated at 6:36 p.m.
