Campus Held

Campus Held GmbH, established in 2014 by Genia Lewitzki and Chuong Nguyen, operates as a specialized marketing agency targeting the student demographic in Germany. The company, headquartered in Essen, has cultivated a direct channel to university students by distributing curated welcome boxes and other product packages. These packages contain a mix of products and advertising materials from various brands, delivered directly to students' homes, often in shared flats (Wohngemeinschaften or WGs).

The firm's business model centers on creating tangible touchpoints between brands and students. For its corporate clients, Campus Held offers a distinct way to engage with a demographic that can be challenging to reach through traditional advertising. By placing products and promotional items directly into students' living spaces, brands can achieve high visibility and create positive associations during a formative period in these young adults' lives. This approach aims to foster long-term brand loyalty. Revenue is generated by charging brands for inclusion in these curated boxes and for executing targeted student marketing campaigns.

Campus Held's core service is the distribution of these themed boxes, such as the "Ersti-Box" (Freshers' Box), which welcomes new students to university life. The contents are tailored to be relevant and useful for students, enhancing the reception of the advertising messages within. Beyond physical boxes, the company also engages in digital marketing and manages a network of student brand managers to create authentic peer-to-peer promotional activities on campus and online. This combination of direct mail, product sampling, and influencer marketing provides a multi-faceted strategy for client brands.

The founders, Genia Lewitzki and Chuong Nguyen, have backgrounds that complement the company's mission. Their journey began with the insight that many students, particularly those moving into shared accommodations for the first time, would be receptive to free products and brand discoveries. This understanding of student life and consumer behavior has enabled them to build a distribution network that now reaches a significant portion of the German student population, making Campus Held a notable player in the niche of university marketing.

Keywords: student marketing, direct mail, product sampling, brand activation, university students, youth marketing, influencer marketing, promotional boxes, brand loyalty, consumer engagement