Performance TV for Higher Ed Marketing - a conversation with Jennifer Lonchar

On this episode of Education Marketing Leader podcast, Jennifer Lonchar , co-founder of AmbioEdu, breaks down what higher ed marketers need to know about Performance TV, and why it's becoming an essential part of the enrollment marketing mix.What is performance TV and why it matters Performance TV refers to unskippable streaming commercials on platforms like Hulu, Roku, Peacock, and Pluto, except with trackable results. Unlike traditional TV, it enables ROI measurement tied directly to inquiries, applications, event registrations, and enrollment.Targeting strategies that work in higher-edUse first-party data for yield campaignsTarget households of specific high school students using device ID dataCreate lookalike audiences based on enrolled student profiles and discretionary incomeRun demographic-based targeting by job title, geography, or household compositionRetarget based on admissions page visitors or commercial exposureMeasuring ROI and lift across channels Ambio’s partnership with TVScientific allows institutions to:Track site behavior after ad exposureMatch conversions back to exposure timestampsSee halo effects across Google Search, Meta ads, and organic trafficReport on average exposure-to-action timelines and lift by campaign typeCreative that convertsAvoid passive flyover branding adsDeliver a clear, actionable message in 30 secondsUse graphic overlays for muted viewers and voiceovers for mobile audiencesRepurpose video assets for Meta, TikTok, and Snapchat to extend reachBudget flexibility and real-world results Campaigns can start small, some as low as $10K. Institutions like Arizona State University tested campaigns before expanding. Others saw application increases and yield improvements by integrating Performance TV as the only major change to their strategy.Future of performance TV in higher-edInteractive ad experiences are in developmentGranular channel-level targeting on platforms like Roku is comingCRM integrations allow student ID-level attributionKey Quote“This is where digital was 14 years ago. Early adopters will win. The rest will spend the next five years playing catch-up.” — Jennifer LoncharConnect with Jennifer Website: ambioedu.com Email: [email protected] and subscribe to the Education Marketing Leader podcast for weekly conversations with real practitioners, breaking down what’s working in higher ed marketing, without the fluff.#HigherEdMarketing #PerformanceTV #StreamingAds #EdMarketing #EnrollmentMarketing #CTV #EducationMarketingLeader #JenniferLonchar #AmbioEdu