How RVLVR Created the Go-To Resource for Empowering Gen Z College Students with the Best Laptops
Campaign Mission
To ensure that incoming college students are equipped with laptops that will support them in their intended majors—and ultimately improve their overall college experience and success—RVLVR developed a brand-agnostic, educational platform designed to connect with Gen Z. RVLVR conducted extensive product and consumer research to become a recognized authority on college laptop technical requirements and student needs.
Preliminary Research & Design
Recognizing that over 2 million students enter college in the US each year and that most of them will need a laptop for their studies, RVLVR saw an opportunity to help this population by providing an easy-to-use, informative platform focused on college major technical requirements and the preferences of college-age students.
With ample anecdotal evidence of students who had arrived at college with laptops that did not support the software applications essential to their concentration coursework, RVLVR researched the top majors across over 3,000 universities, compiling a detailed database of not only over 1,000 courses of study, but also the most salient apps (800+) used in those fields and the operating systems and technical specifications necessary to run them.
Armed with this data, RVLVR built an interactive site that allowed rising college students to search and compare laptops from all major OEMs based on their intended majors and interests. Understanding that not all college students have already chosen their field of study upon matriculation and that ideal laptops should also support their personal interests and activities (e.g., content creation, gaming, entertainment), RVLVR surveyed current college students to improve the site’s product mapping and suggestions.
The site, CampusTech, guided prospective students through a simple buyer’s journey with a choose-your-own-adventure flow that provided multiple laptop suggestions based on their responses. A unique rating system on a 5-point scale combined tech specifications, industry reviews, and in-house testing to help elucidate the differences among laptops that met the pre-determined criteria based on major and interests. RVLVR also included up-to-date pricing information and purchase links.
Evolution & Expansion
To ensure that CampusTech would resonate with its intended population (i.e., high school students up to current college students interested in purchasing new laptops), RVLVR explored the preferences and styles of Gen Z to create nuanced and effective UX/UI designs and marketing strategies.
The RVLVR creative team researched countless sites and trends popular with Gen Z, analyzing color palettes, typography, and page designs. The CampusTech site went through several iterations that were tested with college students, and eventually, RVLVR landed on a modern, “mobile-first” design that didn’t lean so heavily into trends that it felt forced and still provided a level of sophistication to maintain a sense of authority and depth.
To meet its audience “where they’re at,” RVLVR created a paid media campaign including placement on TikTok, Instagram, and Google. In addition to CampusTech social profiles, RVLVR created an influencer program to generate and post original content that positioned CampusTech as a trusted resource for college laptop recommendations. This mostly short-form video content resonated with Gen Z because they saw the site being vetted and suggested by peers in a familiar setting.
Results
Dedicated to helping students understand their purchasing options and empowering them to find the ideal laptops for their college journeys, CampusTech garnered over 500K visitors and 57M impressions in its first year, successfully establishing itself as an authority on technology for students.
