Transcript Marketing Higher Education in the USA

Marketing and
Communicating Higher
Education in the New
Century
2002 ACHEA Conference
Trinidad and Tobago
Why Now
Intensely competitive marketplace
Sophisticated consumers
Proliferation of fundraising programs
Demands for more visibility
Why integrated marketing?
Coordinate decentralized units
Mobilize talent and resources
Focus on institutional priorities
Get everyone on the same page
Develop comprehensive PR and
advertising plans
Define competitive advantage
What are the barriers?
Feelings that it will cheapen the
academy? Marketing is a way of
thinking, not commercializing.
Undermining managers’ authority? An
emphasis on creative process.
What are the elements?
Defining product(s)
Setting price… clarifying value
Focusing on delivery… the “experience”
Communicating to build relationships
Identifying market segments
Defining position… and advantage
Best in category?
Revisiting the issue of quality
How does it change
communication?
Focus on relationship building
Prefer direct and interactive media
Stakeholders and opinion leaders
Visibility with whom and at what cost?
Facing news business realities
Partnerships and events
Leadership visibility
Is brand name important?
Name visibility=quality
Factors in reputation, image
Logo, design, color, sound
Positioning phrases
Sub-brands
Advertise for presence… and to
reinforce a larger plan
Does market research help?
Segment-by-segment
Awareness, attitude, knowledge
Pricing elasticity
Student satisfaction
Media preference
Geo-psycho-demographic analysis
A division or task force?
Finding a champion
Finding a launching peg
The role of executive leadership
Custom design for each institution
Is internal marketing necessary?
Clarifying mission and vision
Clarifying competitive advantage
New employee-faculty orientation
Internal communication, recognition
Management communication
Service training
Communication with students
How has it changed admissions?
Fine-tuned communications
More segmentation
Understanding how “the sale” is closed
Adding “initiatives” to daily operations
Appreciating the students you have!
How has it changed alumni and
development?
Participatory case development
Cultivation by interests
Life cycle marketing
Future planning commissions
The key concepts?
Creative teams
Integration… and mobilization
Building relationships
Dynamic leadership