A national campaign to encourage students to pick Birmingham as their first choice destination in which to live and learn has launched.
In a unique project Marketing Birmingham is working alongside the University of Birmingham, Aston University and Birmingham City University to firmly position the city as a top choice for 21st century students who are considering where to study.
Sponsored by National Express West Midlands, Live and Learn includes a website www.birminghamliveandlearn.co.uk, a cinema advert made by students from the three universities, a booklet aimed at parents, site specific video streaming, social networking and email marketing.
The campaign is by students, for students; and representatives from all three universities have worked extensively on the project gathering over 40 hours of video footage and generating content for the website in the form of blogs, photographs and video diaries. Prospective students will be able to go online and get a full and rounded picture of student life in the city; from the bars and clubs to the shops and art galleries, the website shows that the city truly has something to offer everyone.
Neil Rami, Chief Executive, Marketing Birmingham said: "We are extremely excited about this national campaign and believe that it is the first of its kind. Birmingham is leading the way in collaborative projects and in bringing three major city universities around the table to work together for the good of the city.
“During the campaign we have found that the students in Birmingham are very passionate about the city and have been keen to get involved in encouraging others to study here.”
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, Professor Michael Sterling, said:
"Our research shows that a student's view of a city influences their choice of University. We have a great story to tell in Birmingham - we are Europe's youngest city, we have great leisure, shopping, sport and entertainment opportunities and our students tell us that the lifestyle that they enjoy here builds an affection for Birmingham that lasts long after graduation. 40% of our graduates choose to start their careers here and many return to build their careers in later years. Over the last 10 years, University of Birmingham graduates alone added £146 million in output to the city's economy. Today's students will power the city's future.
"Birmingham Live and Learn brings the city's older Universities together to promote the city, in the words of the students themselves, to the UK and the world. It captures the exuberance and excitement that our students bring out in our city and appeals to those young people who are starting to decide where their education might take them. We want them to choose Birmingham, over any other city and for them to be part of one of the most energetic European cities."
As the youngest city in Europe and with almost 65,000 students at the three universities, a figure which has risen by almost 35% over the past ten years, the city is perfectly placed to encourage more young people to choose Birmingham as the place to take their all-important first steps in life.
Professor Julia King, Vice-Chancellor of Aston University, said:
"Birmingham is an exciting, vibrant city and it offers students from all backgrounds a stimulating and rewarding learning experience. They can also benefit from the city's outstanding cultural and sporting attractions. We are delighted to be supporting this new campaign and look forward to welcoming even more students to Birmingham in the future."
For the past year Marketing Birmingham has been working closely with representatives from the universities to create an engaging campaign, the main objective of Live and Learn is to establish the city as a magnet for youth. It concentrates on bringing the universities together to sell the city not only from a course point of view, but from a lifestyle one too. This includes information on living in the city, studying in the city and working as a graduate in the city.
The city's universities are attracting more and more applications each year with an increasing number of students picking Birmingham as their first or second choice.
Professor David Tidmarsh, Vice-Chancellor of Birmingham City University, said:
“The Live and Learn campaign has provided an ideal opportunity for the three universities in Birmingham to work with each other collaboratively to promote the excellent student experience that the second city has to offer.
“Birmingham is a university city that welcomes students and also retains them. Our data shows that nearly two out of three of our graduates since 1993 have an address in the region. We not only train, but we retain our expertise, and supply a high volume of professional expertise supporting Birmingham's growth in the financial sector, to name but one.
“The city provides students with an opportunity to grow personally, as well as professionally. Anything we can do to spread this message makes perfect sense.”
Andy Shingler, Head of Marketing for Bus and Coach for National Express, said: "We are delighted to support this campaign. As the largest bus operator in the West Midlands we recognise the importance of the student market place. It is crucial that Birmingham's forward-thinking outlook encourages the next generation to live and work here.”
Prospective students have an interesting array of famous alumni’s footsteps to follow in including the Rt Hon Baroness Amos, voted Britain’s most influential black female, ex-MP Ann Widdecombe, Olympic Gold-Medal-Winning cyclist Paul Manning, GMTV’s Ben Shepherd and David Gill Chief Executive of Manchester United.
It is intended that the next phase of the campaign will include all five of the city’s universities and further education colleges. There will also be a focus on the importance of graduate retention and a recognition of the invaluable contribution that young professionals make to the city.
Birmingham is fully focused on maximising its image as a young city with global appeal - a place where decision makers and expanding businesses, both now and in the future, look to grow.
Matt Taylor, chairman of Birmingham Future, the networking organisation for the city’s young professionals, said: “As an organisation that is focused on developing the future leaders of Birmingham we recognise the importance of ensuring there is a healthy pool of talent for the city’s businesses to draw from. This campaign will help to raise the profile of Birmingham as the destination of choice for students looking to start a life and career in a world-class city.”
For more information and interview opportunities with students and staff from the city’s universities, Marketing Birmingham or National Express please contact Kate Eccles on 0121 202 5001 or 07970 928615.
Notes to Editors
• Website address is www.birminghamliveandlearn.co.uk
• The launch of the campaign will take place at the IMAX cinema on Friday 5 September at 6.30pm when the cinema advert will have a special screening before the new Batman film - The Dark Knight. If you would like to reserve a place to attend please call Kate Eccles on 0121 202 5001.
• Marketing Birmingham is the destination marketing agency for the Birmingham City region. It is a public–private partnership supported financially by Birmingham City Council and some 400 member companies. It raises additional commercial revenue through the provision of a hotel accommodation and conference booking service.
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