Does Promotion and Advertising Have an Effect on Life-Long Learning in Higher Education Institutions - Research Proposal Example

Does promotion and advertising have an effect on life-long learning in higher education s? BY YOU YOUR ACADEMIC ORGANISATION HERE YOUR TUTOR HERE DATE HERE Abstract Marketing strategies in higher education institutions appear to be taking a different approach, from previous years, to reaching the potential, contemporary student. Because the demand for higher education appears to be on the increase, colleges and universities must consider unique marketing strategies so as to create a competitive advantage over other higher education facilities. Due to the current state of global economic affairs, many students appear to be returning to higher education as a means to enhance their current skill-sets, thus making them more marketable in today’s job market. This research proposal identifies several theoretical positions regarding modern marketing strategies in today’s colleges and universities to determine whether competitive advertising and promotion impacts life-long learning and builds competitive advantage for these institutions. 1.0 Introduction As more and more higher education facilities spring into existence today, it is becoming highly imperative for different colleges and universities to develop unique marketing strategies so as to lure potential students to a specific institution. Traditionally, the 4 P’s of marketing, this being product, price, place and promotion, appear to simply not be enough to differentiate one higher education facility from another. Further, with the internationalisation of these institutions, including distance/on-line learning, colleges and universities must establish innovative marketing strategies to make their unique facility stand out from the rest of competition. This research project seeks to uncover the importance of modern marketing efforts in higher education, as there does not appear to be research evidence which illustrates a singular, most effective marketing strategy to appeal to mass groups of potential students. As most students likely have their own unique agenda for attending higher education, these facilities must capture the essence of their institution, through advertising and promotion, to create a specific connection with potential students. Spending on education has increased 12% in recent years (Steel, 2006), thus education marketing is a lucrative opportunity. 2.0 Literature Review Wolverton (2006) offers that the most successful method to market higher education is to build brand recognition by altering the way that these institutions present themselves to potential students. The author suggests using marketing to “build a niche”, suggesting that when attempting to lure potential students, the university must consider its ability to satisfy specific student needs and illustrate that the institution is willing to build the capacity necessary to service niche markets. What this is essentially suggesting is that higher education marketing involves staff examination of the current capabilities of the school, by identifying its unique mission or goals, and then using creative marketing to appeal to this specific type of student. By creating a connection in this fashion, the university or college builds brand recognition through lifestyle advertising. Anderson (2008) suggests utilising a viral marketing approach to reach larger volumes of students, taking advantage of the online environment and social networking sites to create a connection with vastly different student varieties and unique student needs. The author suggests utilising “humorous video clips, advergames, interactive Flash games, or even text messages” in order to build higher word-of-mouth advertising and appeal to the consumer need for belonging (Anderson, 2008, p.114). Traditionally, many higher education facilities appear to have utilised direct mailing as a means to promote the facility, however as consumer lifestyle changes are shifting them to the online environment, viral marketing (when innovative and appealing) appears to create the desired competitive advantage. Another professional offers a rather unique marketing strategy in order to lure higher volumes of students and actually provide them a hands-on experience by organising “student treks to other countries” and utilising heavy promotion and advertising so as to illustrate that higher education is becoming more progressive (Cornuel, 2007, p.88). It would appear that simply creating a vision or mission statement, posting these progressive attitudes on the institution’s website, and then simply waiting for potential online student visitors is no longer the correct marketing strategy to lure students. Instead, illustrating the potential opportunities to step outside of the traditional classroom setting and experience progressive learning in a multitude of environments appears to be a success factor for many facilities looking for their unique competitive edge. This would tend to suggest that higher education marketers must illustrate in-school flexibility in advertising and promotion in order to gain the attention of potential students and satisfy their need for diversity in education. Demiray, Nagy and Yilmaz (2008) offer a different approach: Differentiation through logo presentation and design. This strategy suggests placing less emphasis on the educational capacity of the school and less emphasis on classroom content and simply focusing on the logo design as a means to appeal to the sensory elements of basic human nature. Utilising various colours and innovative logo design is designed to build instant brand recognition and fully establish their own corporate identity through creative arts and logo presentation. This would suggest a marketing approach which breaks away from anything traditional and relies on visual elements to create the desired lifestyle connection with potential students. 3.0 Research Methods This proposed research project will take both a qualitative and quantitative approach, utilising both the survey and interview template. The survey will target a sample of approximately 40-80 current higher education students, focusing on issues of advertising and promotion (logo presentation, interactive marketing, viral marketing and niche marketing) to determine which method of marketing most appeals to each student group. The qualitative interview will target 2-3 current university leaders or college marketing representatives asking specific questions about existing marketing strategy and the success or failure ratios each higher education facility has experienced through their past and current marketing efforts. These leaders will also be asked questions regarding their own, unique perceptions of marketing and how they feel that marketing changes have resulted in more well-rounded students or whether these efforts have not met with intended results. Analysis of the data will indicate whether a pattern exists between student group preferences and actual marketing efforts of a real-life higher education facility in order to determine whether advertising maintains positive or at least measurable impact on life-long learning and the establishment of competitive advantage. 4.0 References Anderson, Steve. (2008). ‘Using social networks to market’, Rough Notes, 151(2): 114-115. http://www.proquest.com. (accessed 8 Mar 2009). Cornuel, Eric. (2007). ‘Challenges facing business schools in the future’, The Journal of Management Development, 26(1): 87-92. Demiray, U., Nagy, J. and Yilmaz, A. (2008). ‘Strategies for the marketing of higher education with comparative contextual references between Australia and Turkey’. http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/tojde26/pdf/article_14.pdf. (accessed 8 Mar 2009). Steel, Emily. (2006). ‘Big Media on Campus: College Papers Around the U.S. are Drawing Young Readers and Luring Major Advertisers’, Wall Street Journal, 9 Aug 2006: B.1. Wolverton, Mimi. (2006). ‘Three Georgias in Atlanta; Lessons from business schools about finding your identity’, The International Journal of Educational Management, Bradford. 20(7): 507. Read More