Ep. 71: How Pretzels Became One of Higher Ed’s Most Memorable Enrollment Marketing Campaigns
From Talking Tactics by Dayana Kibilds, Safaniya Stevenson
March 17, 2026 · 32 min · Episode 71
About this episode
The episode discusses how a pretzel marketing campaign significantly impacted enrollment at Marquette University.
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.
People in this episode
Host: Safaniya Stevenson
Guest: Andy Schneider
Topics covered
- enrollment marketing
- higher education
- viral marketing
- student engagement
- admissions campaigns
Keywords
- pretzel
- enrollment
- marketing campaign
- Marquette University
- student engagement
- viral
- admissions
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Marquette University
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