It’s Homecoming Season, and every fall, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) come alive with unmatched energy. Homecoming season is a cultural celebration that brings together generations. Students, alumni, and entire communities reunite to celebrate tradition, pride, and identity.
For brands, HBCU Homecomings offer the rare opportunity to engage with audiences who value authenticity, creativity, and community impact. From tailgates to concerts to campus markets, these festivities create moments where culture and commerce meet.
Through the Student Lens: The Culture is the Campaign
Current students experience Homecoming from the inside out. For students, brand activations that feel intentional rather than performative stand out.
Students want to see brands that collaborate with campus organizations, highlight student talent, and create invaluable experiences. A photo booth or a merch tent is not enough. Creating memories that become a core part of students journeys is what makes the brand special to students.
When brands approach Homecoming as a genuine part of the culture rather than a marketing opportunity, students notice.
From the Alumni View: Legacy Meets Loyalty
Alumni bring influence, connections, and spending power. The brands that show up consistently, year after year, build credibility and trust. Sponsoring alumni mixers and partnering with local vendors, are just two ways to show long-term commitment to the culture, and doesn’t go unnoticed by the community.
When alumni feel seen, they bring that loyalty back into their daily lives, whether that is supporting the brand, or even collaborating with it professionally.
Connection Beyond Campus
Not everyone makes it back for Homecoming each year. For some alumni, life, distance, and responsibilities sometimes keep them away. But even though they haven’t returned, they’re still connected to their alma mater, their classmates, and to the culture.
This connection matters. For brands, reaching alumni that do not return to Homecoming means thinking beyond the campus gates. Virtual engagement, digital storytelling, and social media campaigns can keep those who are watching from afar feeling involved. Marketers can extend the Homecoming spirit to those who can’t physically be there by livestreaming events and hosting interactive giveaways and alumni highlights
HBCU pride doesn’t fade with time or distance. By finding ways to include alumni wherever they are, brands have the opportunity to build loyalty and lasting, meaningful connections.
What Marketers Can Learn
- Lead with culture and purpose. Build campaigns around the traditions, pride, and the community spirit that define HBCUs. Every activation should add value to the culture and the community it’s part of.
- Honor nostalgia. Homecoming is emotional and rooted in legacy. Campaigns that highlight genuine experiences resonate long after the last event ends.
- Prioritize representation. Include Black voices, creators, and leaders in your campaigns. Representation behind the scenes is just as important as what audiences see on the surface.
- Show up with purpose. When brands give back, the connection becomes deeper and more enduring.
- Invest in students. Offer internships, mentorships, or paid opportunities that connect classroom experience to real industry work. Today’s students are tomorrow’s storytellers and brand builders.
Culture. Connection. Continuity.
Homecoming season reminds us that culture and connection is the strongest form of currency. The energy that fills HBCU campuses each fall shows how powerful community can be and this shared language is a way of coming together that can’t be replicated anywhere else.
At The L3 Agency, we see HBCU Homecomings as more than events. They are lessons in cultural marketing done right. When brands take the time to listen, engage, and uplift, they build relationships that last long after the music fades.
To learn more about how we help businesses create campaigns that honor culture and make an impact, visit our website, listen to the Black Businesses Matter podcast, and check out the latest edition of the BBM Mag.