shipt-back-to-campus-2023 line of students

Shipt Embarks on a College Campus Tour to Drive Awareness for its New Student Membership

Posted on October 9, 2023 by Juanita Chavarro Arias

“I think a key challenge as a marketer is figuring out how to capture content on-site at experiential activations that’s then going to be compelling for people who weren’t there. And so we’re excited about different things that we’re trying to address that challenge that we think we made some headway on this tour.”

–Allison Stadd, SVP-Brand, Culture and Media, Shipt

To promote its recently launched Shipt Student Membership and same-day delivery services discount, the retail tech brand hit college campuses in the Southeast with teams of brand ambassadors and the Shopper Chopper—a larger-than-life shopping cart with seating for six that made deliveries to residential halls around The University of Alabama and other tour stops.

Throughout the month of August, Shipt visited The University of Alabama, Georgia Tech, Purdue University, Ohio State, Florida A&M University and an event for the Atlanta University Center Consortium, which includes HBCU member institutions Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine and Spelman College. Spending one day at each campus, Shipt engaged students through on-site activities and giveaways to drive awareness for the membership.

“We don’t have a standalone brick-and-mortar presence, so we can lean on experiential as a chance to have that highest touch face-to-face interaction with people, which is why we love this channel so much,” says Allison Stadd, svp-brand, culture and media at Shipt. “We’re a Birmingham, AL-based company, so we looked to the universities that mostly were in the Southeast in order to continue to drive awareness and engagement in markets where we know we have a decently strong presence already.”

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shipt back to campus 2023 giant shopping cart

The can’t-miss “Shopper Chopper” cart was what Shipt calls “a literal social media driver.”

Brand ambassadors decked out in bright green Shipt Student Membership t-shirts and logoed hats encouraged participants to share their email addresses to spin a prize wheel that featured items like power banks, first aid kits, tote bags, water bottles and shower shoes. Students who signed up for a membership on the spot received a limited-edition co-branded BAGGU reusable bag.

But its buzziest draw was that Shopper Chopper, which rolled around campus as students filmed and shared glimpses of the vehicle all over Instagram and TikTok—what Stadd calls “a literal social media driver.” The team also employed Shipt’s social channels and engaged influencers in the lead up to, during and after the events to spread the word and keep the back-to-campus conversation going.

“One of the things we’re excited about is having captured content on-site that we’re going to funnel into paid media in the future,” she says. “I think a key challenge as a marketer is figuring out how to capture content on-site at experiential activations that’s then going to be compelling for people who weren’t there. And so we’re excited about different things that we’re trying to address that challenge that we think we made some headway on this tour.”

To that end, in teeing up the tour, Shipt partnered with actress and writer Issa Rae on a summer internship program in which four Howard University students developed a national advertising campaign for the Shipt Student Membership. Rae and Shipt leaders served as mentors to the students, and over 12 weeks, they conceptualized, filmed, edited and even starred in a 30-second advertising spot that was unveiled in Times Square on Aug. 1 at an event hosted by the brand.

In support of the student membership launch, Rae also curated a list of essential items for college students, available via Shipt. The first 500 students to sign up for the student membership received a complimentary kit of Rae’s college essentials.

Additionally, with an estimated one-in-three college students experiencing food insecurity (according to nonprofit Swipe Out Hunger), Shipt made several donations to food pantries around the college campuses included on the tour. The brand gave out memberships and credits with the goal of increasing food access on local campuses.

“Through this tour, we’ve been able to directly contact thousands of students across all of these campuses, which you can’t put a price on that ability to connect in that way when you’re an e-commerce, digitally oriented brand that doesn’t get that every day,” Stadd says. “We have seen a great redemption response for this membership and exceeded our goal that we had set for the month of launch.”

Just in time for college football season and continuing its campaign to reach consumers on campus, Shipt partnered with Visa on an interactive Ultimate Tailgate Lounge series (MKG handled), which is popping up at select games across the South. Football fans can enjoy branded activities and photo booths, as well as get a taste of exclusive gameday recipes whipped up by chef Jeff Mauro, host of Food Network’s “Sandwich King,” who was on-site at the lounge tour’s first stop, the Clemson vs. Florida State game on Sept. 23. The lounge will be popping up at UNC-Chapel Hill for its game against the Miami Hurricanes on Oct. 14 and at the Alabama vs. Tennessee game on Oct. 21.