Get Ready for UCAS Season: Reach Students & Parents Before They Choose
With the January 15th UCAS application deadline on the horizon, now is the time to connect with prospective students and the parents influencing their choices. A well-timed, multi-platform audio campaign can give your institution the competitive edge it needs, keeping your brand top-of mind as students and parents make life-shaping decisions.
Why Act Now For UCAS Applications?
Between August and January, students are actively researching courses, visiting open days and finalising their university choices. This is a critical window to:
- Build brand awareness and name recognition
- Influence parental and peer conversations
- Guide students to your application page
- Stand out from competing universities and colleges
Why Choose Bauer Media Audio?
Bauer Media Audio is the UK’s largest commercial radio network, home to trusted radio stations, such as KISS, Hits Radio, Absolute Radio and Greatest Hits Radio. These brands deliver highly engaged, demographically aligned audiences across the UK, including the key audiences making university decisions right now:
- 181,000 Bauer listeners expect to start university in the next 12 months, and they are 10% more likely than the national average to be heading into higher education.
- 235,000 Bauer listeners expect their child to start university in the next 12 months, an impressive 79% more likely than the national average to be part of this crucial, decision-making audience.
(TGI:2025)
When you advertise with Bauer, you benefit from:
Unrivalled Reach: Connect with over 21.8 million listeners weekly across the UK.
Regional Precision: Target audiences down to postcode level, ensuring your message lands where it counts.
Gen Z & Millennial Engagement: Tap into youth-centric stations such as KISS and Hits Radio that dominate the 16-34 demographic.
With Bauer, you’re not just reaching people, you’re reaching the right people, at exactly the right moment.
Go Further with audioXi
audioXi, our enhanced Digital Audio offering, takes your campaign beyond traditional radio. With access to a network of podcasts, smart speakers and apps, you can deliver tailored, non-skippable audio ads that connect with your audience wherever they are.
Benefits of audioXi:
Advanced Audience Targeting: Target over 100 audience segments from tech-savvy Gen Z to decision-making parents. Target listeners by location, demographics and listening behaviour.
Smart Contextual Tools: Target listeners commuting, shopping, working out or relaxing at home. Engage audiences through Smart Speaker voice responses or ShakeMe ads to spark real-time action directly from the ad.
Dynamic Creative: Schedule ads to play using location, weather and time-of-day triggers to stay hyper-relevant. Enable sequential and 3D audio storytelling to engage audiences.
Bauer Retargeting: Extend your campaign’s reach with display retargeting to reinforce your message online.
With a tracking pixel, you can measure the success of your campaign with precision. Once your ad is delivered to the right audience and listeners visit your website, their actions are tracked in real time. This means, every interaction is accounted for, from open day sign-ups and brochure downloads to direct UCAS applications. You’ll see exactly how your audio advertising is driving conversions and delivering tangible results.
Listen To Our Audio Examples
University of Lincoln Case Study
Performance Highlights:
Impressions Delivered: 1,045,086
Unique People reached: 257,965
Listen-Through Rate: over 98% (exceptionally high)
Conversion Rate: 4.39% (strong)
Case Study: University of Lincoln, Engaging Parents and Students with Digital Audio:
The campaign ran for eight weeks across Digital Audio platforms, ensuring precise targeting and high engagement with both parents and students. Following the success of this initiative, the University of Lincoln launched a follow-up enrolment campaign in early 2024 to build on the momentum.
Leeds College of Building Case Study
Performance Highlights:
Registrations more than doubled compared to previous busiest open day.
An estimated 60% increase in registrations attributed to audioXi.
The marketing team immediately sought metrics to replicate the success for their next event.
Sound Results: How audioXi Doubled Open Day Registrations:
By introducing audioXi to their marketing mix, Leeds College of Building achieved record-breaking open day registrations without changing any other part of their campaign. Digital audio proved a cost-effective, high-impact channel for student recruitment, encouraging the college to plan further activity using this approach.
Book Your UCAS Campaign Today
From now until January, make your university or college the clear choice. Leverage the power of Bauer Media Audio and audioXi to speak directly to future students and the parents guiding them.
Get in touch today to find out how we can help you build a campaign that’s impactful, engaging and perfectly timed for UCAS season.