BET Network's Next Level education campaign and Get Schooled, a national non-profit focused on boosting student achievement, partnered to launch an unprecedented program to connect high school students with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's) using Snapchat. BET recognizes that HBCU's play a critical role in allowing more African American students to access and complete their college education. This campaign is the first ever to use the Snapchat channel to better connect high school students with the college experience. Many students of color do not have the time or money to visit colleges although it is a critical part of their college decision making process. BET Networks and Get Schooled aims to increase the accessibility of colleges to high school students by giving them a front row seat to all of the resources on HBCU college campuses.
BET and Get Schooled partnered as part of the launch of BET's upcoming show, The Quad, set on a fictional HBCU campus that premiered on January 31st, 2017.
BET's Next Level education campaign aims to empower and inspire African American youth to stay in school and pursue a post-secondary education after high school. Representing forward movement and advancement, the Next Level campaign uses on-air, online and grassroots community partnerships to spread messages promoting education, career planning and access to financial aid.
In recognition of Natioanl College Application Month and on the heels of BET's new show "The Quad", BET partnered with The Get Schooled Foundation and their celebrity ambassador, DJ Khaled, on the first ever Snapchat College Tour.
Prospective college students took virtual tours of HBCU college campuses from the perspective of current college students (Get Schooled Alumni). High School students submitted questions through a link on the Get Schooled Page to ensure the tour answers any questions they might have about a specific campus or college life in general.Students viewed the tours live, or within 24 hours on Snapchat via both the BET Networks and Get Schooled accounts. Previous Snapchat tours hosted on BET Networks Snapchat are viewable on the Get Schooled website.
With the support of BET Networks and the help of Get Schooled alumni, Get Schooled and BET Networks partnered on four (4) HBCU Snapchat College Tours aimed at engaging students of color interested in Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The four universities were Howard University, Xavier University, Columbia College Chicago, and Tuskegee University.
Each HBCU tour featured co-branded BET and Get Schooled geofilters that also promoted the upcoming BET show, The Quad.
Overall, the campaign garnered over 400,000 views via Snapchat. Tuskegee University had over 56,000 views, Xavier University received over 100,000 views, Columbia College Chicago received over 169,000 views, and Howard University garnered over 67,000.
In addition, the campaign was featured in Billboard Magazine, Black Enterprise, Essence Magazine, and more.
