Spoon University is a student-run food media company and online community started in 2012 at Northwestern University. It has since expanded to over 50 universities nationwide through on-campus chapters that produce local food-related content. The company aims to change the perception that food in college is just ramen and pizza by empowering students to share recipes, restaurant reviews, and food experiences through high-quality photography and writing.

1. SPOON
UNIVERSITY
2014 MEDIA KIT
Spoon is a food
community
and website for
college students,
created by
college students.

2. A COMMUNITY OF ON-CAMPUS CHAPTERS
“A brand
ambassador
program on
steroids.”
THROWING THE
PARTIES OF THE
YEAR
BUILT CHAPTERS ON
35 CAMPUSES
IN 8 MONTHS

3. CONNECTED THROUGH SHARING ONLINECONNECTED THROUGH SHARING ONLINE
Uncompromising
Quality
Clean
design
Legitimate
Authenticity
With high standards and
consistent guidelines, Spoon
university is student content
of professional caliber.
The clean design showcases
our strong photography and
defines a brand you’d want
to align with.
The platform is a space for
students to share, collaborate
and learn from each other,
using their voice.
reCipes
restAUrAnt
revieWs
dining HALL
triCks
HeALtHY
eAting tips
+ more

4. WHY SPOON? Millennials care about food
now more than ever, but
college is known as the place
where food goes to die.
We created Spoon University to change
that. As undergrads, we built a platform
and community just at Northwestern
for the entire student body to talk
about food. We shared and learned
together, and we threw everything
from guacamole-making competitions
to potlucks. As the Spoon staff grew to
nearly 100 students, people from other
schools contacted us, asking for our
help starting something similar on their
own campuses. When we launched
SpoonUniversity.com to incorporate
more schools, word got around, and
Spoon blew up.
In just 8 months, we grew to more
than 50 universities nationwide and
built chapters and staffs on 35 of those
campuses.

5. HOW IT WORKS The model works like a
fraternity or sorority in that there
are self-sustaining chapters at
universities across the country.
Our online
training tool
lets us scale
quickly, maintain
exceptionally
high quality
content and hold
our members
accountable.
We carefully hand-pick the leaders of the editorial, photo and
marketing teams and train them to build and maintain a staff.
Editors, writers, photographers, and
videographers contribute content that
filters through the editorial hierarchy and
is published by the local Editor-in-Chief.
Marketers bring the Spoon experience
offline, creating a physical community on
campus.
The result is an engaged community
of influencers, both online and off,
creating high-quality content and offline
experiences for their entire student body.
THIS IS US
AT SPOON HQ
HigHLY
sCALAbLe
eAsiLY
repLiCAbLe
Consistent
QUALitY

6. OUR COMMUNITY
There’s a new wave of health-conscious and taste-oriented
consumers that are learning to cook and establishing their
preferences for the first time. There’s an entire generation of
people funneling through the nation’s top universities, eager
to learn to eat intelligently.
Spoon readers constantly post photos of food to Facebook
and Instagram and keep lists of restaurant recommendations
on hand. They choose study abroad locations based on the
food culture, and they form lasting memories and lifelong
friendships over food and drinks. For our community, food
in college is not just ramen and pizza anymore.
As students ourselves,
we knew that kids
in college careD way
more about food than
anyone GAVE them
credit for.
COMP
LETELY OBSE
SSED
WIT
H
SOCIAL M
EDIA
MAKIN
G
BRAND CH
OICES
FOR
THE FIRST
TIME
1

7. WHERE WE ARE TODAY *IN LESS THAN ONE YEAR
WESTERN WASHINGTON
UNIVERSITY
14,600 students
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
22,300 students
UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA – BERKELEY
36,200 students
UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
40,000 students
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
AT AUSTIN
51,000 STUDENTS
TULANE UNIVERSITY
13,500 StudentS
UNIVERSITY OF
FLORIDA
50,700 StudentS
EMORY UNIVERSITY
14,500 StudentS
GEORGETOWN
UNIVERSITY
17,100 StudentS
UNIVERSITY OF
DELAWARE
21,900 StudentS
UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTH CAROLINA
47,700 StudentS
SWARTHMORE
COLLEGE
1,525 StudentS
UNIVERSITY OF
PENNSYLVANIA
24,600 StudentS
PRINCETON
UNIVERSITY
8,000 StudentS
NEW YORK
UNIVERSITY
50,900 StudentS
YALE UNIVERSITY
12,100 StudentS
BOSTON
UNIVERSITY
29,900 StudentS
DARTMOUTH
COLLEGE
6,100 StudentS
CORNELL
UNIVERSITY
20,900 StudentS
PENNSYLVANIA
STATE UNIVERSITY
98,100 StudentS
SYRACUSE
UNIVERSITY
21,300 StudentS
UNIVERSITY OF
ROCHESTER
9,854 StudentS
BINGHAMTON
UNIVERSITY
16,100 StudentS
VANDERBILT
UNIVERSITY
12,700 StudentS
WASHINGTON
UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS
14,100 StudentS INDIANA UNIVERSITY
42,300 StudentS
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS —
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
43,700 StudentS
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN –
MADISON
42,600 StudentS
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
20,600 StudentS
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
43,400 StudentS
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
15,000 StudentS
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
53,300 StudentS
+ NATIONAL CONTRIBUTORS
ON 16 MORE CAMPUSES!
Up to 100
students on
each Chapter

8. OUR PARTNERS

9. WHAT WE OFFER
We leverage the power and
influence of our campus
teams to offer a fully
immersive experience that
spans brand-related content,
all social media platforms and
even the physical space —
hosting events and creating
experiences and memories
that fit into and improve the
college experience.
WE DELIVER
AUTHENTIC
BRAND
EXPERIENCES
ONLINE OFFLINE
Sponsored posts
Sponsored content series
Branded newsletters
Site takeover
Display ads
Social media integration
Data collection, surveys
and market research
Sampling and demos
Branded events
Launch parties
Nationwide event series
Direct access to our
members
OUR NUMBERS
150,000 unique visitors/
month
800,000 pageviews/
month
10,000 subscribers with a
40% open rate
1.5 million social media
impressions
900 active staffers

10. “Not only has it allowed
me to develop new
leadership skills, but
it has also connected
me to other students
on campus who share
a passion for food.”
—Victoria Li, Dartmouth
I hope that after reading our site,
people will actually get up and act.
Maybe they’ll ask someone in the
dorm to make a recipe with them or
come together for a dinner. It’s
really special when people come
together because of food.”
— Elise Widerlite, Georgetown

11. get in on tHe groUnd FLoor
oF tHe neXt big tHing
FOR SPONSORSHIP
INQuIRIES, CONTACT
sArAH@spoonUniversitY.Com
OR
mACkenZie@spoonUniversitY.Com
SPOON
UNIVERSITY