Prospects look bleak for Research in Motion, with new research from The Beans Group revealing that just 7% of university students expect to choose a BlackBerry phone as their next handset.

One fifth of students (19%) currently use a BlackBerry as their primary mobile phone but the survey suggests many will be switching when their current contract ends.

As one of the more affordable smartphones of recent years, BlackBerry saw decent uptake from students, who are keen to have the best functionality at the cheapest price. At 19%, BlackBerry have a bigger share in the student market than they do in the UK as a whole.

But iPhone and Android look set to obliterate BlackBerry’s student customer base. One third of students (34%) will look to get an iPhone as their next handset, whilst 29% will opt for Android.

Commenting on the results, Luke Mitchell, Head of Youth Strategy at The Beans Group says, “A lack of innovation and ongoing negative publicity around its BBM service have been blamed for BlackBerry’s decline, but status-conscious students are also influenced by their friends’ choices and it’s clear they are leaving in droves.”

The survey also shows that students are set to grow the tablet and e-reader market this year, with 26% saying they will buy an iPad, Kindle or similar device within the next 12 months.

These are just a few of the findings to be shared in a new Youth Insight Report, which delegates at June’s Youth Marketing Strategy summit will receive free.

Leading youth brands come together for Youth Marketing Strategy 2012

This year’s Youth Marketing Strategy summit will take place on 21st June at the BFI IMAX, London. The event, which is organised by industry firms including The Beans Group and Reach Students, brings together the best minds, top brands and edgiest agencies involved in the fast-moving world of youth marketing.

A top-quality selection of speakers will provide the latest insights on youth trends, attitudes and lifestyles and share their experiences of how they have achieved success amongst 16-24s with winning campaigns.

Topics to be discussed include understanding the real value of the youth audience, taking social media to the next level, mobile marketing strategy and the power of face-to-face marketing in a digital world.

Speakers include Ben Kendall, Student Marketing Manager at Red Bull, Harriet Minter, Head of Community Engagement at The Guardian, Matt Fletcher, Marketing Manager at STA Travel, Tim Jones, Strategist at Smirnoff/RPM and Shaun Jordan, Sales Director at Everything Everywhere.

There will also be a chance for attendees to grill the youth marketing world’s suppliers, agencies and media owners, with a panel discussion featuring studentbeans.com, Spotify, SUBtv and The Student Room. MTV’s Senior Vice-President UK, Kerry Taylor, will chair the day’s discussion.

Luke Mitchell added, “Youth Marketing Strategy is an exciting collaboration between the youth market’s key stakeholders, including young people themselves who are actively involved in the day. It’s a chance to network, share ideas and be inspired by great marketers. It’s also an opportunity to get early access to the 2012 Youth Insight Report which has some jaw dropping new stats on 18-24s. No brand or agency that works with the youth audience can afford to miss it.”

The full agenda can be viewed at http://2012.youthmarketingstrategy.com/

This year’s Youth Marketing Strategy summit will take place on 21st June at the BFI IMAX, London. The event, which is organised by industry firms including The Beans Group and Reach Students, brings together the best minds, top brands and edgiest agencies involved in the fast-moving world of youth marketing.

A top-quality selection of speakers will provide the latest insights on youth trends, attitudes and lifestyles, student marketing and share their experiences of how they have achieved success amongst 16-24s with winning campaigns.

Topics to be discussed include understanding the real value of the youth audience, taking social media to the next level, mobile marketing strategy and the power of face-to-face marketing in a digital world.

Speakers include Ben Kendall, Student Marketing Manager at Red Bull, Harriet Minter, Head of Community Engagement at The Guardian, Matt Fletcher, Marketing Manager at STA Travel, Tim Jones, Strategist at Smirnoff/RPM and Shaun Jordan, Sales Director at Everything Everywhere.

There will also be a chance for attendees to grill the youth marketing world’s suppliers, agencies and media owners, with a panel discussion featuring studentbeans.com, Spotify, SUBtv and The Student Room. MTV’s Senior Vice-President UK, Kerry Taylor, will chair the day’s discussion.

Luke Mitchell, Head of Youth Strategy at The Beans Group says, “Youth Marketing Strategy is an exciting collaboration between the youth market’s key stakeholders, including young people themselves who are actively involved in the day. It’s a chance to network, share ideas and be inspired by great marketers. It’s also an opportunity to get early access to the 2012 Youth Insight Report which has some jaw dropping new stats on 18-24s. No brand or agency that works with the youth audience can afford to miss it.”

The full agenda can be viewed at http://2012.youthmarketingstrategy.com/

Universities are a breeding ground for young talented individuals, many of whom wish to start their own business. For a variety of reasons, students often assume their lack of knowledge, finance and support will prevent them from doing so. The reality however, is that you don’t need to have all the knowledge in the world, or access to millions of pounds to start or develop a business.

What you really need is access to people, relationships and strategic networks. By meeting, speaking and listening to those who have ‘been there and done it’, young people can gain the knowledge and support they need to take that step of setting up their own business.

James Eder, co-founder of The Beans Group, is involved in two events that are supporting young entrepreneurs. Earlier this month, James spoke at the launch of the Gradpreneur Club, an entrepreneur club directly aimed at supporting entrepreneurial students/graduates and start-ups.

The Gradpreneur Club’s founder Raspinder Singh a recent graduate himself, said, “Universities set us up to become employable, the option to become self employed has never really been there, till now, and not because it’s given to us, yet driven by necessity and the creativity that prospers as a result. The job markets are tough, but as university graduates we have the intellectual capacity to attain great things and should not be limited by our fear of failure. At this age we have nothing to lose, no real commitments and with perseverance, time and access to people we have the scope to achieve greatly. Most students/graduates just don’t know where to start, a good starting point however, is to surround yourself around people who are like minded and like yourself want to do something different”

James is also speaking at ‘An audience with the new Internet Pioneers’, an evening featuring leading-innovators from the tech-world on 17th April 2012 at The University of Hertfordshire. The event is open to both students and business people and the aim is to engage and inspire the audience with presentations from pioneering companies on the process involved in turning a good idea into a successful online business, the challenges facing Internet start-ups and established online businesses and the future of the Internet.

Commenting on the two events, James said, “When we first started out almost 7 years ago there was nothing like the support networks of The Gradpreneur Club and Internet Pioneers. It is great to see such support for young entrepreneurs today; there are constantly lessons to learn along the way so to have the advice and support of people who have ‘been there and done it’ is invaluable. The job market is tough for graduates and we need to encourage young people to see that entrepreneurship is a viable career path. I am passionate about sharing my story and hope that I can inspire young people to take the same leap that I did after graduating when I set up studentbeans.com.”

About Internet Pioneers

The University of Hertfordshire is hosting a free event, called ‘An audience with the new Internet Pioneers’ on Tuesday 17th April. The evening features some the leading innovators from the tech- world. It runs from 5.30-7.30pm at the Weston Auditorium and is open to both students and business people. The aim is to engage and inspire the audience with presentations from pioneering companies such as Groupon, Ginicam, Winkball, The Sun Online and StudentBeans.com.

Free tickets are available from www.internetpioneers.co.uk

Press Contact:
Matthew Blakemore
matthew@ginicam.com | 01707 278000

About Gradpreneurs
The Gradpreneur club seeks to encourage collaboration between young entrepreneurs, yet provides links to experts, mentors and experienced entrepreneurs who can help support and facilitate the journey of those starting in business.

This autumn over 450,000 new students will head to university and studentbeans.com is gearing up for Freshers’ Week in a way that no one else has ever done before.

We are excited to announce the launch of the world’s first National Online Freshers Fair, Freshersfields.com. Students from across the country will be able to visit Freshersfields.com to get special offers, have fun, hang out, pick up freebies and get all the information they need for the academic year ahead, all without leaving the house.

Brands will be able to book virtual ‘stands’ at the fair, giving them prominent exposure to 100,000s of students. The online fair will provide a platform for brands to conduct their Freshers activity in one place, without the hassle of visiting physical fairs all over the country. There will be virtual areas to host ‘stands’ including entertainment, telecoms, finance, fashion, travel and accommodation. Each stand will click through to a unique social platform, where brands can host information, a special offer, video content, competitions or social media channels. Students will be able to share all the information via social media channels.  

Mark Edwards, Marketing Director of studentbeans.com, says “We are very excited about Freshersfields.com. It is going to be the number one online destination for students this autumn. Using our expertise in online marketing, we are bringing together what students and brands want. Freshers Week is a key period for students, it is where they make decisions, try new things and learn about the brand choices available to them at university. We are providing brands the opportunity to connect with a highly engaged audience of young people in a fun and hassle-free way. We want to make Freshersfields.com the most talked about Freshers event on the Internet.”

You can get a sneak preview of Freshersfields.com here:

http://2012.freshersfields.com/

As part of their Freshers and Back To Uni campaign, studentbeans.com will also be releasing the second edition of The Incredible Simple Guide To Starting Uni, a hugely popular downloadable guide packed full of information and how to have a great time and save money. Brands can also get involved in the guide in a number of ways.

For more information about the Freshers and Back to Uni campaign, please contact:

William Harris
Business Development Manager
E: william@thebeansgroup.com

The University of Hertfordshire is hosting ‘An audience with the new Internet Pioneers’, an evening featuring leading-innovators from the tech-world.

The event is open to both students and business people and the aim is to engage and inspire the audience with presentations from pioneering companies on the process involved in turning a good idea into a successful online business, the challenges facing Internet start-ups and established online businesses and the future of the Internet.

The speakers include James Eder (Co-Founder of The Beans Group) Glen Richardson (COO of Ginicam), Kieran Hill (Business Development Manager of Winkball) and Gary Thompson (former Associate Editor of The Sun Online). The speakers and special panel guests will openly discuss and debate, with audience participation, their views on current and future Internet innovations.

James Eder, co-founder of The Beans Group said, “The event will give students and businesses a real insight into the world of online businesses . I look forward to sharing my story on what it is like to be immersed in the day-to-day world of an internet start-up, not only the challenges we face, but also the amazing things that happen every day.”

Steve Sampson, who is a Director of Ginicam and a Director of Paradise Wildlife Park in Broxbourne said, “I’m sure the open, frank and fast paced discussion will be seriously entertaining. I hope the attending students and businesses get a realistic feel for what it takes to embark on the road less travelled. I’m sure angel investors, VC’s and journalists will have a lot to gain from the event too.”

Free tickets are available from www.internetpioneers.co.uk.

An Audience with the new Internet Pioneers is in aid of the charity Teens Unite Fighting Cancer. It will be preceded by the Internet Showcase from 9am-5pm in the de Havilland Campus Atrium at the University of Hertfordshire.

New research from studentbeans.com into the cooking and eating habits of the UK’s student population reveal that 13% of students think that red wine may count as one of their 5-a-day.

Guidelines from the Department of Health say that everyone should eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, however only 8% of students say they eat the recommended amount every day during term-time at university.

Almost one fifth of students are also unsure over the length of time to cook the perfect boiled egg. 9% of respondents think that you must boil an egg for at least 12 minutes, whilst a further 10% simply answered ‘don’t know’.

A worrying 18% of students are unsure over whether it is necessary to defrost a chicken before cooking it, which could pose a significant health risk and 31% of respondents believe that cooking food in a microwave destroys nutrients.

studentbeans.com compilled a list of cooking myths to celebrate the launch of their online cookbook featuring the easiest, cheapest and funnest student recipes. The guide to cooking at university features student classics, new favourites, supermarket saving secrets and cooking cupboard essentials. The guide was created to show students how to eat well without breaking the bank.

Oliver Brann, editor of studentbeans.com, says, “It is possible for students to eat well on a budget. It’s actually really easy to eat healthy and interesting meals for not much money, you just need a little know-how and creativity. Students often think that cooking is time-consuming and complicated, but our guide to cheap eating dispels this myth and shows that students don’t have to survive on baked beans on toast.”

The survey also revealed that only just over one third of students (38%) eat breakfast every day during term time, whilst less than half (44%) eat lunch every day. Less than a third of students (29%) cook a meal from scratch every day whilst they are at university.

Jamie Oliver was voted students’ favourite celebrity chef (24%), whilst Heston Blumenthal (16%) and Gino D’Acampo (12%) came in second and third place.

The studentbeans.com FREE Recipe Book is available to download now:
http://www.studentbeans.com/national/discounts/free-stuff/download-your-free-studentbeans-com-cheap-eats-cook-book-at-studentbeans-com.html

Notes to editors

All statistics are taken from the studentbeans.com Student Cooking and Eating Survey. The survey was carried out online. Total sample size was 737 UK university students. Fieldwork was undertaken between 29th February - 25th March 2012.

We also asked students about their kitchen disasters at uni: http://www.studentbeans.com/student101/a/food-02/your-cooking-catastrophes-revealed2462.html

The studentbeans.com FREE Recipe Book is available to download here:
http://www.studentbeans.com/national/discounts/free-stuff/download-your-free-studentbeans-com-cheap-eats-cook-book-at-studentbeans-com.html

As Facebook flicked the switch on all brand pages to move over to its new Timeline layout, there is a sudden frenzy as brands rush to re-design their pages. Although many users are not huge fans of the new Timeline, there is a great opportunity for brands to showcase what they have to offer. They therefore need to give their Timeline some serious thought.

Following the launch of their new Timeline page for website studentbeans.com, The Beans Group give their top three tips on how brands can inspire future visitors to connect and engage:

Be image savvy
Facebook has always loved photos. They are what drives so much interaction and sharing. But now it loves photos even more. The new cover image is huge, highly visible and lays down a challenge to brands: how good are you at visual communication? Some are quick to fail, using the space for garish calls-to-action that look tacky and break Facebook’s guidelines. Others have shown their creative prowess. Fanta and Firebox make clever use of the space. Be aware that the long ‘skyscraper’ style profile image you may have used previously is now redundant. Profile pictures should be square and at least 180 pixels wide.

Manage your conversations
It’s always been good practice to talk back to your fans when they talk to you. But now there are two more reasons you need to be paying regular attention to the activity on your page. First, fans can now privately message you. This is great for brands – it means they can now handle any tricky customer issues out of the public gaze. So if a fan does choose this route, make sure you reward them by responding – or else it could all blow up on your Timeline. Secondly be aware that fan posts to your page are now showing up in the right column of your Timeline, often near the top of the page. Make sure you’re attending to questions in a timely manner so new visitors don’t get a bad impression.

Get strategic with your layout
The landing tab may have gone, but the opportunity to use apps to serve up nice HTML pages that pull in content from your site remains.  You can choose which apps you show on the Timeline. The photo app is default and can’t be moved, but others can be selected and prioritised. We’ve chosen two priority apps: one to explain to visitors the key benefits of joining studentbeans.com, the other to show off our natty range of slogan t-shirts. We’re also proudly pointing out our fan count – 50,000 and rising. Think about the content that matters to your brand and arrange your page accordingly.

Charlotte Staunton, Digital Marketing Manager at studentbeans.com, says “The Timeline is a fantastic opportunity for brands to get creative with imagery and really stand out from the crowd. However, it’s worth bearing in mind  that the majority of daily interaction between fans and pages will continue to take place within the newsfeed, not on the page. So brands should remember to be focussed on interesting and engaging posts that encourage fans to respond and get involved.”

See studentbeans.com’s new Facebook Timeline page at www.facebook.com/studentbeans

We were interested to receive a report from MTV and Crowd DNA last week showcasing the results of their research into the digital behaviours of young people. They took a gonzo-style road trip around the UK meeting young people face-to-face and and the picture is one of a very diverse demographic.

They interviewed WAG wannabes in Liverpool, posh kids and ravers in Edinburgh, gadget-mad Asian youths and even young farmers in Devon. Yet there were some common themes.

We’ve pulled out a few for marketers:

The appeal of androgyny
Among youth opinion-formers, ideas of gender difference are becoming outdated. The research says, “To get ahead professionally and socially they must have a mixed sex group of friends and contacts.” Stereotypical imagery is a turn off. Marketers should avoid a “pink and fluffy” approach for girls and remember that “having a laugh isn’t just for the boys”.

Create content - get distributed
Young people share brands and content that say something about them: who they are, what they stand for, what defines them. Create content that helps young people promote an image of themselves and you’ll increase your chances of getting your content shared.

The return of youth activism
With improved access to each other through social media, it’s become easier to understand each others’ thoughts, feelings and worries says the research. Not to mention the ability to organise. Because of this, activism is cool again. Young people are “impressed by brands demonstrating genuine philanthropic initiative”.

An unstable world
Young people are aware that their world is, in many ways, unstable these days. From social unrest and a volatile economy to the death of a ‘job for life’. They adapt to this situation, yet they also hanker for stability - the research notes the new popularity of “family style roast dinners” among students as evidence. Young people want to enjoy life in a “playful, non committal way” that fits with this fluid situation. The popularity of realistic gaming and fancy dress is mentioned.

Visit MTV and CrowdDNA for more information.

Coming soon! A day dedicated to the fast-moving world of youth marketing

We are very excited to announce that we will be running the second annual Youth Marketing Strategy summit in conjunction with Reach Students.

This one day event brings together the best minds, top brands and edgiest agencies involved in the fast-moving world of youth marketing. It’s scheduled for Thursday 21 June so please add it to your diary. It’s already shaping up to be high quality day, taking YMS to another level after 2011’s success.

Confirmed speakers include Chris Maples, UK MD of Spotify, The Guardian’s Head of Community Engagement, Harriet Minton and controversial trends researcher Captain Crikey. Topics to be discussed include social media, experiential, gamification and mobile marketing.

There are more exciting speakers on the way and the full agenda will be released in April and we’ll share it with you then, as well as information on how to book your ticket. For now put the 21 June in your diary!

For more information, please contact Luke Mitchell on luke@thebeansgroup.com or 0870 3831 599.

Every university has a unique culture, with traditions and in-jokes that often don’t mean much to those looking in. Recently, students have been creatively celebrating these oddities - through the medium of the ‘uni meme’.

A meme is simply an idea that spreads. And the internet’s most popular memes right now are based around one idea: photos with a funny observations added.

Facebook pages for unis including Edinburgh, Kent and Aberystwyth have sprung up and gained thousands of student fans, all keen to join in - whether it’s to champion a local student legend or rib a rival uni.

More widely there are memes that are relevant to all student culture.On studentbeans.com this month we saw huge interest in our ‘How people see uni students’ feature, and ‘Shit university students say’ went viral, gaining over half a million YouTube views.