Vlog University
VlogU is The first social media marketing agency run by high school students. This is an accelerated, hands-on employment opportunity for youth in Pittsburgh. The program teaches digital literacy, effective online leadership and career development.
2020 Director’s Reel
With the youth of today growing up on social media -- VlogU’s mission is to prepare them for the modern economy and develop career opportunities to provide marketing capacity for mission-driven organizations.
If you are looking to appeal to young people, then shouldn’t you hire young people to market to them?
What started as a summer program..
What started out as a Summer program has turned into a full-time agency run by youth. VlogU Creative provides marketing strategy, analysis and content for mission-focused organizations looking to improve their appeal to youth. Four students from Pittsburgh’s Northside spend 10-20 hours per week meeting, brainstorming, and creating.
2020 Work
For 2020, VlogU worked with 4 major clients: The Buhl Foundation, Robert Morris University, Partner4Work and Mel Blount’s Youth Home.
Client: Partner4 Work
VlogU developed the concepts and creative direction for 6 videos to market Partner4Work’s Summer emplpyment opportunities.
Client: Buhl Foundation
VlogU worked with Buh’s One Northside initiative to develop a marketing campaign to showcase the impact of their programming. From there, 4 videos were created to be posted on social media to drive awareness to their brand.
Outcomes
Each student was tested to measure their progress over the course of the program and every category below is graded on a scale that ranges from 0-100. The percentage shows the increase in the students ability to explain how social media algorithms work and how fake news is spread as well as the rise in their ability to inspire others digitally, build online movements, and obtain careers in social media.
2019 Work
social issues
Vlog University students were encouraged to build their personal brands and talk about certain issues that they see everyday. In this video, VlogU students are pushing a movement for equality of Women’s rights and the pay gap.
Vlog University worked with the One Northside Initiative and had the opportunity to showcase all of the important work that Pittsburgh Public Safety is doing, but a tragedy prevented them from making the video. One of the VlogU students decided to talk about the situation and how the community can come together.
Nonprofit Marketing
Vlog University students worked with the Perry Hilltop Citizens Council to put together a video that showcases the important work that the organization is doing to improve the quality of life in the community.
Students had the chance to work with Learn & Earn, a summer employment program for youth in the city of Pittsburgh. The students involved all happened to be participants in the program as well, so who better to provide the marketing assets and be able to appeal to youth and show it’s more than a summer job? Thank you Learn & Earn.
One of the VlogU clients that students worked with was Auberle, the employment pillar of the One Northside Initiative. VlogU students traveled to several of their worksites and held interviews with employees to show what an experience in the Auberle program can do for individuals.
APOST, or Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School worked with VlogU students to get high quality content to promote the after school opportunities available in the area. Thank you APOST.
Thrive 18 and Project Destiny are making a great impact on the Northside of Pittsburgh. VlogU students went to their facilities to talk with some of their outreach workers and show how much they care about what they do.