• by Aaron Paquette , Columnist, June 15, 2018

School’s out for summer! This year, as students prepared for their final exams, many turned to study videos to help them cope with long hours and late nights. These videos typically aren’t instructional; instead, they’re just another way teens connect with others online to form a community and share best practices. 

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, “study with me” videos can vary in length from a few minutes to several hours. Some are more professionally-produced and can contain voiceovers, multiple camera angles and MTV-caliber editing. Others contain only ambient noise, and show somebody sitting at a desk, working on their computer, reading textbooks and reviewing notes.

As boring as these videos sound, they attract a lot of viewers and subscribers. Medical student Jamie Lee is a leading “study star,” operating the YouTube Channel TheStriveToFit. She has about 285K subscribers, and her longform videos attract about 500K-900K views each. YouTube says that viewership of such videos tripled from 2016 to 2017, and this growth should only continue in 2018 and beyond.

Why would a teen want to watch “study with me” videos? Some turn to them for inspiration to take their schoolwork more seriously. Others go there for specific tips on how to be more efficient with their time, take better notes and memorize more effectively. And the videos fulfill a social need: when students are buried in books, they don’t feel so alone if they can turn on a video and see somebody studying with them. It keeps them focused on their own work, and gives them a virtual “buddy” without the disruptions and diversions of an in-person friend.

How can brands reach teens via these popular videos?

* Product placement: If your brand sells products that a teen can use while studying, consider sponsoring study stars, or paying them for product placement. Muji sponsors several study stars, to publicize its pens and notebooks. A number of study stars were already using Muji products, but the sponsorship deals ensure continued exposure, and control over messaging. The cost of a sponsorship tends to be modest, starting at around $100 per 10K views, plus free product samples and gift cards. These placements are ideal not just for stationery and office supply brands, but also in categories such as tech, furniture, clothing and even food and beverage. These are some of the safest online ad environments, since the stars are studying, and not engaging in objectionable activities.

* Topic sponsorship: Beyond selling a product, brands can also promote a pro-social initiative. Accenture sponsors Jade Bowler, an 18 year-old study star in the UK, as part of a corporate initiative to encourage young women to consider STEM professions. Study videos can fulfill corporate objectives to promote gender or racial diversity, or associate the brand with specific topics such as history, math, science, engineering or medicine. Imagine Texas Instruments sponsoring a math student, or Pfizer a medical student.

* Multiplatform sponsorship: Brands can also sign study stars to multiplatform endorsement deals, which tend to cost $10K or less. If you find a study star that aligns with your brand, he or she can feature it in study videos, post about it on social media, appear in off-channel ads, and consult on messaging. Compared to multimillion-dollar celebrity endorsement deals, these $10K deals can be incredibly cost-effective, highly targeted, and minimally risky for your brand (you don’t see many study stars getting into trouble on TMZ).

While other brands are on summer vacation, now is a great time to go to the head of the class by lining up your study buddies for next year.