The Influence of Advertised Social, Academic, and Athletic Life on Decision-Making Across Different College and University Community Sizes

This study aims to understand how colleges use social media advertisements to promote different aspects of their school and appeal to potential students. The literature explores the impact of social media marketing by colleges and universities on students’ decision-making processes regarding their attitudes based on student life aspects and the size of the school. It emphasizes the need for targeted strategies and highlights the importance of understanding audience demographics, brand image, and effective promotion tactics to optimize resources and foster personal connections. A 3x3 experiment was conducted with the categories being campus sizes (small, medium, and large) and different aspects of student life (academics, social, and athletic life). A total of 361 students from Bryant University took part in the survey. The results indicate that social life advertisements are most positively received in small universities, while academic advertisements are preferred in large institutions. Athletic advertising received the lowest ratings across all school sizes, particularly in large universities. Additionally, engagement likelihood was highest for social ads in small and medium schools and for academic ads in large schools, suggesting that university size plays a key role in shaping advertising effectiveness.