Jena main residence campaign mainly digital for the second time due to the pandemic

Jena, 15.12.2021 - The city of Jena sums up: during this year's main residence campaign, 1,673 young people officially made Jena their new home.

Under the motto "No Jena without you!", the new students and trainees were welcomed to Jena this year. The city administration once again commissioned the student communications agency Goldene Zwanziger to carry out the main residence campaign this year. The aim of the campaign, which was mainly carried out digitally in the second year of the coronavirus pandemic, was once again to encourage as many young people as possible who are moving to Jena to study or train to register their main residence and declare Jena their new home. In the end, 1,673 newcomers decided to relocate to the City of Light. Registrations for main residence were slightly above the previous year's level (2020: 1,652). Registrations for secondary residences fell slightly (2021: 556, 2020: 682 registrations).

Confirmation of assumptions for population forecast and budget planning

Head of Finance Benjamin Koppe draws a positive balance: "Overall, thanks to a memorable and striking campaign and despite the pandemic, we were once again able to attract numerous young students and trainees to the city of Jena this year. The registration figures speak for themselves and have remained at a stable level for years, considering that on average 75 percent of newcomers decide to make Jena their main place of residence. Especially in light of the upcoming census in May 2022, every registration for a main residence in Jena counts. We have also assumed a stable trend for the coming years in the population forecast and see our assumptions confirmed."

The following state allocations are expected for each resident in the city's double budget for 2022: the key allocation for municipal tasks is € 920 per resident, and € 448 for district tasks. In addition, there is a per capita additional burden equalization of € 172 for tasks in the transferred sphere of influence. Overall, revenue of € 1,540 per inhabitant is therefore to be expected.

"There is no need to specify our budget planning, as the success of the main residence campaign is already reflected in our key financial figures. It should be noted that the campaign has had an impact and is continuously helping to cushion negative effects in local population development," says Benjamin Koppe.

No Jena without you - no Jena without a main residence!

For many students, starting their studies also means moving to a new city. Due to the ongoing pandemic situation, many lectures and seminars have once again taken place online this year. This ongoing online semester affects first-year students in particular, who usually attend lectures with high attendance. This means that on-site attendance is not absolutely necessary.

Furthermore, compared to previous years, the number of first-semester students at both Ernst Abbe University and Friedrich Schiller University is lower.

The campaign aims to inform first-year students and trainees about the advantages of registering their main place of residence and motivate them to officially make Jena their home. Through the new registrations, Jena gains diversity and can also maintain its status as a major city. As an additional incentive, the city pays a training bonus of 120 euros, which many students and trainees see as a special concession.In contrast to previous years, in which the campaign consisted of a party and a three-week campus promotion, among other things, this year's main residence campaign, led by Viktoria Sergijenko, Isabell Nidoschefsky and Maximilian Beiert, was mainly carried out digitally and by means of posters.

On the one hand, this was implemented by maintaining social media channels, placing advertisements and online collaborations. On the other hand, attention was also drawn to the main residence registration offline, with flyers distributed in halls of residence and in first-year bags. Posters and banners at Friedrich Schiller University and Ernst Abbe University were used to reach the target group.

In addition, outdoor areas such as advertising pillars were used to advertise the main residence. With the theme "No Jena without you!", the Golden Twenties emphasized Jena's uniqueness and presented the city as an attractive place to live. The posters and postcards produced included the slogans "No Jena without Jentower!" and "No Jena without Paradise!", these two landmarks were intended to serve as a unique selling point for Jena. At the same time, posts were created for the social media channels Facebook and Instagram (@hauptwohnsitz_jena& @jena_guide). By highlighting the sights of Jena, the accounts stood out and inspired followers for the city.

The posts, posters and postcards were characterized by the uniform design of a checkered background, which corresponded to a college writing pad. As students and trainees formed the target group of the campaign, the student character of the city of Jena was emphasized by this design. As additional support for the campaign, a promotional video was created in which the characters talk about which attraction they could not imagine Jena without. This video was not only published online on social media channels, but was also played in the Ernst Abbe canteen of the Studierendenwerk Thüringen.

The campaign was also able to inspire with great competitions, such as the prize draw for vouchers for Cinestar Jena, Intersport and Thalia.

The campus promotion and the main residence party had to be canceledagain this year due to the coronavirus. Nevertheless, the figures show that the student motto of this year's main residence campaign was a success. Although the trend of an increasing population could unfortunately not be confirmed, the number of main residence registrations clearly exceeded the number of secondary residence registrations.

About the Golden Twenties

The "Goldene Zwanziger" communications agency was founded in 2003 by students at Friedrich Schiller University and has been responsible for the conception and implementation of the annual main residence campaign ever since. Around 13 students from a wide range of disciplines currently work freelance for the agency. Strategic planning, market research, research, traditional advertising, below-the-line communication and public relations are among the team's areas of expertise. The first student agency of its kind in the new federal states offers interested parties a platform to get a taste of practical experience away from everyday university life.