Media Mapper 2026 - Do Our Channel Strategies Match How Students Decide?
Universities invest heavily in media - but are our channel choices aligned with how students actually navigate uncertainty, build trust and make decisions?
Drawing on Media Mapper, our longitudinal research into the sources of media students use across the prospective journey, this panel discussion brings together strategy, research and lived experience to examine whether institutional media strategies truly reflect student behaviour today.
Rather than focusing on individual channels or short‑term performance metrics, the panel will explore how attention translates (or fails to translate) into decision‑making, how trust is built beyond controlled messaging, why formats shape confidence as much as conversion, and how AI is reshaping discovery and choice.
This open conversation with Amii Lanham, Frederica Healbury and Paul Cernicharo-Terol will challenge assumptions and reflect on what needs to change if media strategies are to support how students really decide, not just how we plan campaigns.
Freddie is a Research Manager, experienced in research across fields including Education marketing, Employer Branding, Employer Culture and Customer Behaviours.
With over 10 years in market research, she has led on a wide range of projects with local and international clients, including the University of Manchester, PepsiCo, Lego, Royal Holloway and Deloitte.
This range of knowledge and experience brings a strong understanding of the consumer mindset. Working across a range of methodologies, including segmentation and personas, qualitative and quantitative methods, creative and UX testing and longitudinal trackers, Freddie is well versed in mixed methods and robust insights.