Marketing and branding Finnish education in China
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Transcript Marketing and branding Finnish education in China
Marketing and branding for Finnish
education export to China
CEREC Lecture Series
Seppo Hölttä
Yuzhuo Cai
Chinese Education Research & Exchange Centre
University of Tampere
Branding, marketing and exporting
Branding < marketing < exporting
Marketing is an essential step for
Finnish education export
Branding is a foundational piece in
marketing communication
2
Main topics
Strategies in marketing
Challenges in marketing
What is the Chinese market
Key approaches/tactics to the Chinese market
An example of Higher Education Group (HEG)
Experiences from other countires
3
Strategic thinking in marketing &
exporting education I
We need a systematic and long term commitment, while avoiding
one-time deals
We need to develop packages of modules
We need to develop synergy between education export and
industry export instead of each section operating alone
We need long term academic capacity building among Finnish HEIs
and with top Chinese universities
We need to invest in the planning and development of the
programmes
No failure allowed
Importance of Quality Assurance
We need a localisation approach rather than standardisation
Importance of partnership with Chinese universities
4
Strategic thinking in marketing &
exporting education II
We need to first strategically build one overarching brand of “Finnish
education”, not many brands of institutions and programmes
Even together we are a small player in the Chinese markets
Need to clarify the roles of Finnish actors (HEIs, companies, Ministries, Finpro/FLF)
We need to identify the main Chinese stakeholders and clarify how to
operate with them
Chinese administration system
Chinese culture
Benefiting from the successful Finnish brand, individual educational
providers can position their niche market and do marketing
Need for focused marketing materials and channels
Coordination needed
5
Objectives of a good branding
Delivers the message clearly
Confirms your credibility
Connects your target prospects emotionally
Motivates the buyer
Concretes user loyalty
6
Toward branding
understand the needs of your customers
integrate your brand strategies at every point of
public contact
important to invest time in researching, defining, and
building your brand
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Challenges in marketing I
Not prepared
Do not even think about offering to China a programme which
have been prepared for a Finnish student/audience
Lacking resources
Investment
Experiences
Experts
Not even realise that marketing is necessary and it requires
resources
We need to understand that we are now living in a global market
economy
Little commitment to capacity building
8
Importance of research and partnership
with Chinese universities
Challenges in marketing II
Few concrete products to market
Risks with products which are not ready for the market place
Little knowledge about targeting market
Why just Shanghai and Beijing?
Importance to identify growing regions/cities and the natures
of them
Too optimistic to the reality than it is
Due to the lack of knowledge and understanding
Lack of a brand
9
Chinese market and targeting groups
A huge market indeed
Chinese young students for degree studies abroad
Chinese officials and professionals for training abroad
Those particularly interested in Finnish education
But hard to catch the business
Australian acknowledgement: “the opportunities are there,
but the entry costs will be high (Adams, 2007, p. 414).
Dutch observation: “Institutional cooperation (in China) is not
established overnight …it requires a substantial amount of
planning, exchange and commitment” (NESO, 2010, p. 37).
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Strategies for Different Programmes and Target Groups
Degree programmes
Professional programmes
Taught
in
Finland
Main stakeholders: Students and
Parents.
Potential Partners: Finnish and
European Universities (e.g.
Erasmus Mundus), top Chinese
Universities.
Focus in Marketing: Quality of the
Finnish Education system,
employability, Safe environment, etc.
Main stakeholders: Chinese
governmental organisations,
universities, professional organisations,
commercial training agencies.
Potential Partners: Top Chinese
Universities and training Institutes,
Finnish education institutions, Finnish
industry
Focus in Marketing: High Technology,
Quality of Finnish
public services, education system, etc.
Taught
in China
Main stakeholders: Chinese
educational authorities, Chinese
education institutions, Students and
parents.
Potential partners: Finnish and Chinese
Education institutions
Focus in marketing: Quality of Finnish
education, employability, etc.
Main stakeholders: Chinese educational
authorities, Chinese education
institutions, Finnish industry
Potential partners: Top Chinese
Universities and training Institutes,
Finnish education institutions, Finnish
industry.
Focus in Marketing: High Technology,
Quality of Finnish public services,
education system, etc.
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Strategies for Different Programmes and Target Groups
Taught
in
Finland
Degree programmes
Professional programmes
Main stakeholders: Students
and Parents.
Potential Partners: Finnish
and European Universities
(e.g.
Erasmus Mundus), top
Chinese
Universities.
Focus in Marketing: Quality of
the Finnish Education system,
employability, Safe
environment, etc.
Main stakeholders: Chinese
governmental organisations,
universities, professional
organisations, commercial
training agencies.
Potential Partners: Top Chinese
Universities and training
Institutes, Finnish education
institutions, Finnish industry
Focus in Marketing: High
Technology, Quality of Finnish
public services, education
system, etc.
12
Strategies for Different Programmes and Target Groups
Taught
in China
Degree programmes
Professional programmes
Main stakeholders: Chinese
educational authorities,
Chinese education institutions,
Students and parents.
Potential partners: Finnish
and Chinese Education
institutions
Focus in marketing: Quality of
Finnish education,
employability, etc.
Main stakeholders: Chinese
educational authorities,
Chinese education institutions,
Finnish industry
Potential partners: Top Chinese
Universities and training
Institutes, Finnish education
institutions, Finnish industry.
Focus in Marketing: High
Technology, Quality of Finnish
public services, education
system, etc.
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Chinese customers’ thinking
Hierarchical thinking
Admire prestige
Key influencing factors when choosing the
destination for studying abroad
Reputation—Ranking
Employability development
Word of mouth
Important role of parents
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Marketing approaches at the
national level I
One Finnish brand
National coordination
National marketing agent
Identify the “selling” points or attractiveness of Finnish
education
Identify key stakeholders and partners in China
Provide basic infrastructure for Finnish institutions’ marketing
Website/Social media
Agents
Network
Allocate some marketing budget for both national level and
institutional level marketing
15
Marketing approaches at the
national level II
Provide incentives for cooperation between
exporters
Conduct or support research on understanding the
target region
Find the fit between Finnish objectives and Chinese
needs in internationalisation of education
Build a flagship of Finnish education export to China
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Tactics in marketing to China for
individual exporters
Understand the targeting regions and the needs in the
market
Find your products and promote only your best ones
Start with the best products with international reputation
Rely on all possible partners
Alumni
Academic community
Consulting companies
Do marketing and exporting with others
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Tactics in working with Chinese for
individual exporters
Be fast and concrete in negotiation
Be prepared for disorganised and contingent
scheduling
Be patient, not in haste with the final deal
Respect Chinese clients and partners
Show your commitment
18
Solution to the disadvantaged
ranking positions (Hed)
Partner with prominent Chinese partner institutions
Highlight the programmes with international
reputation
Rely on Finnish industry’s reputation in China
Promote advantaged rankings related to higher
education/education
PISA
Innovation
Competitiveness
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Stories of Higher Education Group
(HEG)
First Erasmus Mundus programme (Marihe) with
Chinese degree granting partner (Beijing Normal
University)
Two times of training for Chinese educational
administrators contracted by Chinese MOE
Projects with top Chinese universities
Support from Chinese stakeholders, including MOE
and Embassy
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“Recipe” of success
Capacity building
Training expert
Academic cooperation
Research
Networking: Sino-Finland Forum in higher education
Investment + entrepreneurial skills
Financial investment (academic exchange + research)
Training of doctoral students
Time beyond work plan
Expecting long term return
Started targeting China in 2006
Harvesting now but still in the early stage
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Branding of HEG
by partnership with top university
Peking University
Beijing Normal University
Beijing University of Technology
by successful stories/ references
training programmes for Chinese MOE
Erasmus Mundus programme partnering with Beijing Normal
by creating CEREC as an interface of Finnish education (not
only HEG) to China
the first Chinese education centre in Europe
appreciated by Chinese government and education institutions
a window for Chinese stakeholders to understand Finnish education
a gateway to Finnish education
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What we can learn from our others?
Germany as a case
Export activities and policies
The German University of Cairo , 2003
Export Education in Practice, 2005
“Strategy of the Federal Government for the Internationalization of
Science and Research”, MOE 2008
9.4 billion euros in 2009
Agency
DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)
iMOVE at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training
Key instruments:
Financial support
Governmental service (training, seminars, coordination, market
studies, information system, public database, etc.)
Capacity building (training potential talents, academic cooperation)
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Financial support in Germany
DAAD, 4 million project in 2009
Eligible applicants: universities planning to launch a collaborative
arrangement, branch campus or off-shore institution in China
The programmes undergo a thorough process from feasibility to
business planning and funding
To receive financial aid, the program has to have proof of success in
Germany and show enough potential to achieve further innovation
in cooperation with a Chinese university
It is also advised for academic and administrative staff to be familiar
with societal and educational aspects of the Chinese culture
Initial funding is provided for a period of the first cycle of the
program – usually 4 years – where the program has to show its selfsustaining character as projected by the business plan.
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Challenges in Germany
Ignorance of differences in society and culture
Unrealistically high expectations of what to achieve within
a set time frame
Sending academic staff with insufficient China experience
on a mission often result in conflicts and eventually fatigue
on both sides
Difficulties for academics to teach aboard when having
overloaded regular schedule
Project operated by individual professors fizzle out when
the main driving individuals retire
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CEREC’s role
Provide knowledge and information
Conduct research in the filed
Build common image of Finnish education/ marketing
interface
Networking/coordination
Provide business opportunities (connecting Chinese
customers to Finnish providers)
Facilitate business
Consultant or advisor
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Don’t export to China, if
you don’t have your products yet
you just want one-time business
you are not ready for investing
you don’t know Chinese society and culture or have
someone with the knowledge to help
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Concluding words
Based commercial based training/education on
academic cooperation and cultural programme
Do not appear to be too commercial like when
exporting education to China
We need to build successful stories for marketing
Doing business in China=hard work + patience
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