EdTech Success: Cutting through the clichés with Zero Gravity’s Joe Seddon
Zero Gravity is a free online platform which connects state school students with university mentors to win offers at Oxbridge and Russell Group universities. Recently rebranded by Lantern, it has become one of the most popular student brands in a matter of months. Founder Joe Seddon shares the secrets of how he achieved this.
“It’s about getting past the cliches,” says Joe Seddon, Founder & CEO of Zero Gravity. “Education brands tend to show the same tired images of students jumping in the air on results day, or studying hard in classrooms. Tech brands usually show their digital platforms in mind-numbing detail. Neither approach forms connections with people. We wanted to find a way to cut through all that, and create something fresh; something that really resonates with the people we need to reach.”
The problem with gravity
There is a clear and pressing need for Zero Gravity to succeed. Research by The Sutton Trust in 2018 revealed that while only 7% of children attend private school, they get 42% of places at Oxbridge. In fact, Oxbridge colleges recruit more students from just eight top schools than from almost 3,000 other UK state schools put together. More broadly, at the UK’s top 22 universities, private schools take 25% of places.
During his three years at Oxford, Joe Seddon – originally from a low-income background in Yorkshire - experienced this firsthand. It was when he was back home, in his bedroom in Morley, that he realised there was something he could do to change it.
“It’s widely accepted that where we come from shouldn’t determine where we go,” he says. “The question is how you change it. Many universities run outreach programmes and some have been very successful. Just look at my old Oxford college, Mansfield, which in 2019 admitted 96% of students from state schools. However these initiatives are always limited by how many schools they can physically visit, and by the fact that all too often the schools most in need of support fail to engage with it.”
From idea to recognised brand
His idea was a video mentoring scheme that would connect the UK’s brightest state school students with undergraduates at the leading universities. Through weekly mentoring sessions those already at university share their insights and experiences, inspiring them with what is possible, helping them navigate the application process, and giving them confidence that it’s the place for them.
Seddon was 21 when he launched his video mentoring app in 2018, and very quickly the idea proved successful enough that he was able to take it to the next level, relaunching it in May 2020 as Zero Gravity with a new digital platform and brand identity.
Six months later, 1,000 Year 13 students are being mentored, and Zero Gravity is so popular with the undergraduate community that 10% of Oxbridge students are mentoring on the platform. It’s the sort of student engagement rate traditionally only seen with global consumer brands like Nike or Apple.
What’s more, Zero Gravity has spent almost nothing on advertising. It has achieved this success by crafting a message that young people care about, delivering it in a way that inspires them. As a result, 60% of people in its target demographic who have visited its website have become mentors.
Audience and attittude
“You need to think always of your audience,” says Seddon. “Traditional players in the social mobility space communicate primarily to their corporate and high net worth donors. As such, they want to look safe and traditional. They say too little to the young people whose lives they’re affecting. We wanted to take a different approach by speaking directly to those young people, and this informs what we say, how we say it and where we say it.”
The most obvious difference is where Zero Gravity exists. As an online platform Zero Gravity bypasses the gatekeepers – schools – and goes straight to the world of social media where its Gen Z audience spends its time. It uses this channel to speak directly to those talented young people who don’t see top universities as for them. It reaches them rapidly and starts changing that perception.
“You build a community by demonstrating shared values,” adds Seddon. “Today’s young people see the world through the lens of social media. So, if we want to reach them, we need to be there too. We’re a tech business but we’re always clear that our audience don’t just care about our technology. What excites them is how it can change their lives. So that’s what we talk to them about.”
Seddon began with that clarity of vision and then worked with Lantern, to bring it to life. “We didn’t rush this process,” he says.
“The team at Lantern spent a long time really thinking through what we have to say that matters to the people we want to reach. Doing that hard work at the outset resulted in visuals and language that reflect the attitude and emotion at the heart of this issue.”
Zero Gravity presents a more diverse view of the world beyond cliched images of London tower blocks. It doesn’t try to curate language too much, instead letting young people speak authentically - fragments rather than perfectly formed testimonials. Graphically the logo and other imagery plays with the concept of defying gravity, with bold, vibrant colours to reflect the positive energy at the heart of this brand.
It’s all in stark contrast to the traditional look and feel of the education and charity sectors, and, importantly for a digital brand, it delivers maximum impact on screen.
Rising to the COVID challenge
The initial success of this new brand identity and digital platform is just the beginning for Seddon. In 2020 the pandemic has added urgency to his mission. He explains: “COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on the young and the disadvantaged. There has never been a more urgent need to connect the brightest, most ambitious young minds in our society with the top universities, and Zero Gravity has enabled locked down students to make a positive impact. The response from them has been incredible.”
Beyond that Seddon’s goal is to keep scaling. As he says. “Traditional outreach via schools can only reach a few hundred every year. We want to reach and mentor tens of thousands. We want to send a very clear message to the old guard stakeholders that there is an alternative, better way to make this change happen. And young people should be at the heart of it.”
He concludes: “The talent and ambition is out there, and we’ve seen unparalleled enthusiasm of students to be involved in this change. With our digital platform and cut-through brand we know we can reach them and shake up the status quo. These are difficult times for everyone but I strongly believe that change is possible and it starts now.”