‍About the Episode:

What does a pretzel have to do with enrollment marketing? Turns out… a lot.

On this episode of Talking Tactics, host Safaniya Stevenson sits down with Andy Schneider, Dean of Admissions at Marquette University, to unpack the now-famous admissions pretzel—an unconventional campaign that sends 10,000+ pretzels to admitted students each year.

From pandemic experiment to viral marketing moment, Andy shares how a simple idea sparked social buzz, boosted engagement, and helped Marquette stand out in a crowded admissions landscape.

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Key Takeaways

• Unexpected physical mail still works in enrollment marketing. A creative admissions package can break through digital noise and capture student attention in a meaningful way.
• Tie swag to storytelling. Marquette’s pretzels aren’t just a snack—they’re made by alumni entrepreneurs, reinforcing community and institutional pride.
• Packaging design is marketing strategy. Small design tweaks—like placing the Marquette logo inside the box—helped amplify social sharing and brand awareness.
• Experimentation fuels innovation in higher education marketing. The campaign succeeded because the team was willing to test an unconventional idea with limited resources.
• Student-generated content drives awareness. TikTok and social posts featuring the pretzel box generated millions of views and even influenced application behavior.
• Admissions swag can influence yield. Some students admitted that the memorable experience—even something as quirky as a pretzel—helped tip the scales in Marquette’s favor.
• A strong message matters more than the item itself. The real value comes from how the giveaway reinforces institutional values like community, connection, and support.

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How a Pretzel Became a Viral Enrollment Marketing Strategy

Thinking Inside the Box: Reinventing Admissions Mail

During the early days of the pandemic, Marquette University’s admissions team faced the same challenge as many institutions: how do you recreate the campus experience when students can’t visit? Standard brochures and postcards simply weren’t cutting through the noise.

That challenge sparked a different kind of thinking. Instead of sending another traditional admissions packet, the team explored the idea of delivering a “taste of Milwaukee” to admitted students. The goal wasn’t just novelty—it was to communicate the personality and community spirit that defines the Marquette experience.

The solution came from an alumni connection. A Marquette graduate-owned company—the Milwaukee Pretzel Company—became the perfect partner. By sending admitted students a giant soft pretzel along with a story about the alumni founders, the admissions team transformed a simple snack into a piece of higher education content marketing that reinforced the institution’s values.

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Why the Pretzel Campaign Resonates with Gen Z

One reason the pretzel campaign works so well is that it aligns with how Gen Z consumes content. Students today are deeply familiar with influencer unboxings, ASMR packaging videos, and product reveals across platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

The Marquette pretzel box taps directly into that cultural behavior. When students receive the package, the experience naturally invites filming and sharing—opening the box, revealing the oversized pretzel, and reacting to the unexpected gift. What began as a fun admissions gesture quickly became a social media moment.

Some posts featuring the pretzel box have generated more than a million views, creating organic visibility that many traditional higher education marketing campaigns struggle to achieve. Even more interesting: conversations about the pretzel now appear on Reddit threads and social forums where prospective students discuss admissions swag.

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From 1,500 Pretzels to 10,000: Scaling the Strategy

The first year of the campaign was modest. Marquette mailed roughly 1,500 pretzels to admitted students in 2020, primarily as a creative way to maintain engagement during pandemic disruptions. At the time, the team wasn’t even sure the campaign would run again.

But the response changed everything. Students shared photos online, families reached out with positive feedback, and the admissions team noticed the campaign sparked conversations with prospective students. The experiment clearly resonated.

Today, the campaign has scaled dramatically. Marquette now sends more than 10,000 pretzels each year, making the box a signature element of the university’s marketing strategy for student recruitment.

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The Power of Iteration in Higher Education Marketing

One of the most valuable lessons from Marquette’s experience is the importance of iteration. The first version of the pretzel box was extremely simple—an unbranded shipping box with a printed letter explaining the alumni story behind the gift.

But as students began posting their unboxing experiences on social media, the admissions team noticed something interesting: when students opened the box for photos or videos, the Marquette brand wasn’t visible. That insight led to a small but powerful design change.

By adding the university logo to the inside of the box lid, every unboxing video instantly became branded content. It’s a perfect example of how observing user behavior—and adjusting accordingly—can amplify the impact of a campaign.

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A Yield Strategy That Became an Awareness Engine

Originally, the pretzel campaign was designed primarily as a yield tool—a way to build excitement among admitted students and encourage enrollment decisions.

But over time, the tactic evolved into something bigger. Students began applying to Marquette specifically because they had heard about the pretzel. Online forums and social media discussions spread the story far beyond the original audience.

This unexpected outcome highlights an important truth about trends in higher education marketing: memorable experiences travel. When students talk about a campaign with friends, post about it online, or share it in community spaces, the impact expands far beyond the original mailing list.

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Why Story Matters More Than the Swag

While the pretzel itself grabs attention, the real power of the campaign lies in the narrative behind it. The box includes a letter explaining that the pretzels are made by alumni who met at Marquette and later built a successful business in Milwaukee.

That story turns the gift into something more meaningful. It highlights alumni success, reinforces community connections, and demonstrates the type of support students can expect at the university.

For enrollment marketers, this is the real lesson: the object itself isn’t the strategy. The strategy is the story the object tells.

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What Enrollment Marketers Can Learn from Marquette’s Pretzel Box

If there’s one takeaway from this episode of Talking Tactics, it’s that bold ideas often start small. The pretzel campaign succeeded because Marquette’s admissions team created space for experimentation and wasn’t afraid to test something unconventional.

The key is intentionality. Whether it’s food, merchandise, or another creative admissions package, the tactic should reinforce the institution’s identity and messaging. When the giveaway connects authentically to the brand, it becomes more than swag—it becomes a storytelling tool.

In an era where inboxes are crowded and digital ads are everywhere, sometimes the most effective enrollment marketing strategy is a tangible, human moment delivered right to a student’s doorstep.

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Connect With Our Host:

Safaniya Stevenson

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Enrollify is produced by Element451 —  the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.