Description
In this period of increasing competition among universities and demographic decline in the Czech Republic, every manager working within the academic sphere must focus on optimizing the marketing activities of tertiary education.
Journal of Competitiveness | Issue 3/2011 58
Marketing Communications Mix of Universities
- Communication With Students in an Increasing
Competitive University Environment
Schüller David, Rašticová Martina
Abstract
In this period of increasing competition among universities and demographic decline in the
Czech Republic, every manager working within the academic sphere must focus on optimizing
the marketing activities of tertiary education. The aim of this study is to analyze the methods
and styles of marketing communications universities and their faculties use when communi-
cating with prospective students. The paper identifes procedures which help to optimize the
choice, combination and connection of elements and activities of the marketing communica-
tions mix in relation with prospective students. A semi-structured interview and questionnaire
method were used to achieve the research objective. The study concludes by discussing the
research outcomes. Also, practical recommendations are discussed and interpreted and pro-
posals are presented for further research into the marketing strategy of Czech universities and
their faculties.
Key words: higher-education institutions, marketing communications, marketing communication mix.
1. INTRODUCTION
Philip Kotler, Professor of marketing at Northwestern University, defnes marketing as “a
social and management process in which individuals and groups satisfy their needs and wants
through creation, supply, and exchange of valuable products with others”, (Kotler, Saunders,
Armstrong, & Wong, 2007). It is a good characteristic of the strategy and tools used by mar-
keting.
At present marketing is used in many different areas of business and public sphere. Because
of the diversity of such areas, authors dealing with such issues feel that a different marketing
concept should be found for each of them.
Marketing specifc for universities is the subject of research of a number of authors. Ham-
mond, Harmon, and Webster focus on strategic marketing related to the performance of a uni-
versity placing an emphasis on marketing planning, (Hammond, Harmon, & Webster, 2007).
(Hemsley-Brown, & Oplatka, 2006) are concerned with university marketing in a broader
sense systematically analyzing different views found in the literature about such issues, (Hayez,
2007) deals with the future of university marketing. He emphasises the importance of integrat-
ing strategic planning and marketing and more detailed processing of an integrated marketing
communication and forming a successful university brand.
Many research papers point out the ever increasing competition among universities and the
necessity of improving the marketing processes in order to achieve better communication be-
tween universities and their interest groups. (Ivy, 2008), for example, concentrates on address-
ing students stressing the fact that this interest group should be regarded in a more comprehen-
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59
sive aspect establishing marketing-mix model consisting of seven factors. He also concludes
that the classic four-factor model is not suffciently effcient at universities encouraging further
research in this area. (Ho, & Hung, 2008) specify a suitable marketing mix and strategies for
institutions of the tertiary education. Their work focuses mainly on the market segmentation.
Stemming from their own research, they identifed fve main groups of university candidates
for whom they defned suitable marketing strategies.
Enhancing the identity, image, and brand of universities and their diversifcation is seen by
experts as another key factor in wining new students. (Pelsmacker, Geuens, & Bergh, 2003)
stress that an organization’s identity is closely related to the brand, product, distribution, and
communication towards stakeholders. This is in fact a certain way of presenting the frm. The
university brand and identity is the subject of research conducted, for example, by (Goona-
wardana, & Hemsley-Brown, 2007) who concentrate on cooperation between the rector’s of-
fce and individual faculties in creating a university brand,. The university brand and identity is
further investigated by (Lowrie, 2007). He describes how two diverse felds – university mis-
sion and marketing approach affect identity of these institutions. Russian authors (Saginova,
& Belyansky, 2008) emphasise the importance of strategic marketing focused on innovations
for further development of universities on the background of transforming Russian economy.
They view the cooperation between the university and the private sector as a convenient inno-
vation concept. (Chapleo, 2010) deals with the key factors which infuence and form successful
brand of a university. Among these factors, there is a clear vision, highlighting leading posi-
tion, participation of employees on forming a successful brand etc.
Students are the main target group of services offered by universities. (Russell, 2005) tries to
fnd which factors account for the satisfaction of domestic and international students being
thus relevant for setting up suitable marketing communication. (Gruber, Fu?, Voss, & Gläser-
Zikuda, 2010) have created a ffteen-dimensional model for measuring the satisfaction of
students with the services offered by universities. Within a marketing context, ,(Ramachan-
dran, 2010) investigates the way the management of a university tries to improve the services
it offers to students pointing out the impact of a marketing management on communication
with students.
Some authors focus on particular tools of the marketing communication mix. Web sites, for
example, receive an enormous interest. (Castro et al., 2004) or (Hennicker, & Koch, 2000) are
concerned with improving their content looking for a suitable rating method. The matter of
improving the quality of websites and searching for suitable methods for assessment is dealt
by (Vaughan, Farrow & Tims, 2006). (Panopoulou, Tambouris & Tarabanis, 2008) focus on
defning framework for a website evaluation. (Hackett, & Parmanto, 2005) investigate accessi-
bility of university websites to disadvantaged students. These authors conclude that the higher
complexity of websites decreases their accessibility to disadvantaged students.
In the Czech Republic, (Sv?tlík, 2009) deals with university marketing problems stressing
the necessity of uniting all communication mix elements into a single process with unifed
management as an integrated approach to marketing communication enhances its effciency
delivering synergy,.
At Brno University of Technology, marketing communications towards prospective students
are studied by Eva Kneblová. Some of her results were the actual inspiration for the research
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Journal of Competitiveness | Issue 3/2011 60
presented in this study, (Kneblová, 2009). Detailed knowledge and analysis of the information
resources most frequently accessed by the prospective Brno University of Technology students
is among the key factors of the university’s marketing policy (see Figure 1).
Fig. 1- Sources of information for prospective students. Source: taken from Kneblová, E. Results of an Internet
Inquiry of Prospective Students conducted at Brno University of Technolog y, 2009, p. 14.
Figure 1 shows that there are also forms of direct contact other that a fair seen as essential
by prospective students. These are open days in the frst place, which play an important role
in university promotion. In the interviews, the respondents further said that the above-men-
tioned roadshow was still a very effcient form of marketing communication pinpointing a
target group. Here, moreover, prospective students may directly ask university representatives
about the programmes offered by a particular university or faculty.
Figure 1 shows that information leafets (37%) are another effcient form of university promo-
tion. They are mostly used in combination with a direct form of marketing communication
such as open days, fairs, roadshows, and knowledge contests. The advantage of a leafet is that
it provides prospective students with the gist the relevant information in a clear way.
Advertisements in newspapers are only seen by the respondents as a marginal source of infor-
mation (1.3%). Figure 1 tells us, moreover, that, generally, students do not think advertising
an important source of information on study (7%). Universities should, therefore, think twice
before choosing a particular form of advertising in terms of the costs involved and the preci-
sion of targeting.
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2. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
The present study aims to investigate the forms and activities of the marketing communica-
tions mix used by universities and their faculties of a business character when communicating
with prospective students. Next to analyse and identify the methods that will help optimize the
selection and combination of particular elements and activities of marketing communications
with prospective students. Emphasis is placed on issues related to the correct targeting of such
activities, which is closely related to marketing communications. Finally, based on an analysis
of the data collected, the study designs methods that can be used to optimize the marketing
communications mix of a particular institution of higher-education.
3. METHODS USED
In the frst phase of research done in the frst half of 2010, a method of half-structured inter-
view was used designed by the authors of the paper based on the experience from their previ-
ous research (see above). The inquiry covered 15 participants from 7 public higher-education
institutions in the Czech Republic. These included Rectorate offcers and staff of economic
faculties in charge of marketing communications at these institutions. The aim was to inves-
tigate, in the frst place, what forms of marketing communication are used by universities to
address their prospective students.
In the second phase of research, which took place in the second half of 2010, a questionnaire
enquiry was conducted. After a detailed analysis of international research papers published
concerning this problem area (see the above list) and semi-structured interviews carried out
by the authors, a questionnaire was set up to fnd out what source of information was used by
prospective students to fnd out about study at the Faculty of Business and Management, next
to identify the target group (the type of school from which the students come) and its needs
(why they chose study at this particular faculty). A total of 581 respondents flled in the ques-
tionnaire when registering for the frst year of study.
4. OUTCOMES OF THE FIRST PART OF RESEARCH – A SEMI-
STRUCTURED INTERVIEW
Based on previous research, the following questions were devised:
What forms of marketing communications does the university/faculty use when address-
ing prospective students?
What forms/events of marketing communications are the most important for the univer-
sity/faculty in addressing prospective students?
In what way should the university/faculty develop its MC in the future?
4.1 What forms of marketing communications does the university/faculty use when
addressing prospective students?
Based on the evaluation of the respondents’ answers, the most frequent forms of marketing
communications were assigned to individual elements of the today already classic market-
1.
2.
3.
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Journal of Competitiveness | Issue 3/2011 62
ing communication mix, (Kotler, Armstrong, Harker, & Brennan, 2009). With a possibility
of assigning some forms to more than one element, as also evidenced by examples provided
by Armstrong and Kotler, (Armstrong, & Kotler, 2003). The authors, however, think that it
would be better if the names of the elements met the requirements and needs of higher-educa-
tion institutions. Therefore, they propose changing them by renaming the sale support and
personal sale communication elements to communication support and personal communica-
tion respectively.
Communication mix of a higher-education institution created as a result of the interviews:
1. Communication support
Competitions – these include, for instance, knowledge contests or projects dealing with
specifc issues with students motivated by wining prizes. At the Brno University of Tech-
nology Faculty of Business and Management, this is, for example, a Business Point com-
petition. This should motivate teams of secondary-school students to carry out projects
on specifed topics presenting them at the Faculty of Business and Management. The best
projects are then rewarded by prizes of educative nature.
Roadshows – this involves building long-term relations with secondary schools as partner
schools. Representatives from a university visit secondary schools trying to provide them
with best information possible on their university and faculty making the secondary stu-
dents interested in studying at a higher-education institution familiar with all the study
benefts.
Presents – a collection of small souvenirs presenting a given university with an advertising
motto, logo, etc.
Educational fairs – during these events, representatives from universities pass information
directly to prospective students encouraging them to study at a given institution.
Educational events – may consist in universities preparing a series of lectures and seminars
intended for prospective students. Every year, for instance, a summer school for second-
ary-schools female students is organised at the Brno University of Technology Faculty of
Information Technology. This marketing activity aims to increase the interest in studying
at the faculty of female students, (Honzík, 2010). In 2009, this event took place at the be-
ginning of the academic year lasting one week. The secondary-school students participated
in many interesting seminars and lectures on IT issues. The organiser included IBM and
Microsoft so that the participants could learn about specifc IT features from the practical
point of view. At the end of the summer school, the students received a certifcate.
Open Days – prospective students may visit the faculty premises where they would like to
study to meet their future teachers, see the lecture rooms, labs, and learn about other fac-
tors infuencing the quality of study at a given higher-education institution.
Fairs – these are mostly educational fairs of the Gaudeamus type in Prague and Brno or
Akadémia in Bratislava.
2. Advertising
Fliers – such as those offering degree programmes
Radio commercials for open days and other events
Billboards – promoting the university logo or large marketing events
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Advertising in the press – open days, degree programmes offered
Posters – announcing competitions or shows
Pictures on public transport vehicles – showing the university logo, offering courses, etc.
Web presentations of the university and further advertising on the web – all events pos-
sible
Video spots – for the school logo or product (study options)
3. Relations with the public
Materials for prospective students (magazines, bulletins, etc.)
University experts appearing in the media
Annual reports
Conferences attended by the public
Research papers and other articles in the media
Editing the university’s own periodic for various target groups (such as frst-year students).
At Brno University of Technology this is Brno University of Technology News.
4. Personal communications
Fairs – Gaudeamus, Akadémia
Roadshow – partner universities
Direct presentation of the university during special events (such as Night of the Scien-
tists)
Open days
5. Direct sale
E-mail – offers of courses
E-shopping – selling university promotion material, specialised books
4.2 What marketing communications forms/events are the most important for the
university/faculty in addressing prospective students?
The following were the most frequent answers in the interviews:
Web presentations of the university and other forms of advertising on the web (banners)
University ratings on the web
Some else’s recommendation
Direct contact with students such as during open days, roadshows, fairs, various competi-
tions.
4.3 In what way should the university/faculty develop its MC in the future?
This is what was mostly suggested in the interviews:
All the marketing mix elements should be managed in a concerted way – preferring inte-
grated approach
New forms of marketing communications should be looked for – using the social networks
in the frst place and other web applications such as Facebook, Second Life, Twitter, and
YouTube
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Journal of Competitiveness | Issue 3/2011 64
Forms should be extended of direct communication with prospective students – they
should be personally approached
The communication forms should be tailored to the wishes and interests of prospective
students – courage is necessary to think of new, non-traditional ways of marketing com-
munications. Night of the Scientists was among the most frequent events mentioned by the
respondents followed by a university tent at large music festivals, Majáles (a student May
celebration), various knowledge contests for prospective students, etc.
5. INTEGRATING MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
OF A HIGHER-EDUCATION INSTITUTION
Currently, for many reasons, marketing communications must be integrated in all felds and
areas. Higher prices of the media, better communication skills of the target groups, move
towards relationship marketing and others are among such reasons, (Pelsmacker, Geuens &
Bergh, 2003).
A higher-education institution should provide prospective students with consistent informa-
tion and the desired image of its identity. All communication activities should be well prepared
and carried out in the necessary order by comprehensive management. The below simplifed
schema suggests how the marketing communication elements and activities of a higher-educa-
tion institution can be integrated. The largest circle shows how the fve marketing commu-
nication elements are interrelated. Individual elements depicted by mid-sized circles contain
various communication activities as the smallest items.
Fig. 2 - Integrated marketing communications of a university. Source: Created by the authors of the paper.
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65
Marketing communication mix consists of a number of activities that are not easily arranged
in a logic sequence achieving the highest synergic effect. Pickett and Vinten defne synergic
effect using the equation 2 + 2 = 5, (Pickett, & Vinten, 2000). The authors stress that, using a
certain number of elements within a whole will bring more effciency that using the elements
separately. This is why the entire process must be planned carefully. Integrated approach does
not involve just combining all the items of a communication mix, but also interrelating all the
activities within each communication element. The following fgure demonstrates the achieve-
ment of a synergic effect by interconnecting selected activities of a higher-education institu-
tion within the university communication support element. Here the integration of individual
marketing activities has the form of a funnel. Each circle then stands for a particular market-
ing communication activity. Once the needed interrelation of the communication activities is
reached, a synergic effect takes place.
Fig. 3 - Synergic effect. Source: Created by the authors of the paper.
6. EFFICIENT TARGETING OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Like in the commercial sphere, universities and faculties must use the tools of marketing com-
munications in the most effcient way not only towards prospective students. The aim must be
a maximum number of prospective students addressed given limited resources. If a university
wishes to address a group of potential students in an effcient way, it should gain a more thor-
ough understanding of such a target group. The information obtained will help achieve the
correct focus for each activity of the communication mix selecting its proper intensity. In this
way, the university can improve the planning of its activities making them more congruous and
logically interconnected. By setting coeffcients, the plan may indicate whether a marketing
event should cover all the secondary schools or some school types such as gymnasiums should
be given priority. The plan may also appoint a coordinator and other persons in charge of indi-
vidual events. It is also good to list the funding and other resources needed for each activity.
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The following example describes the frst step chosen by the authors of the study for the needs
of marketing communications at the Brno University of Technology Faculty of Business and
Management.
7. RESULTS OF THE INQUIRY CONDUCTED AT THE BRNO
UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND
MANAGEMENT
The analysis of the questionnaires was to fnd out about the information sources from which
prospective students learned about the possibility of studying at the faculty, about the type of
their previous education and reasons for choosing exactly the Brno University of Technology
Faculty of Business and Management.
Fig. 4 - Where did you get information on study at the Faculty of Business and Management? Source: Created by
the authors of the paper, N = 581.
Most of the students found the study information at the faculty website (28.4 %). A friend stud-
ying at the Faculty of Business and Management was a second signifcant information source
(26.5%). Important were also web university ratings (25.4%). Advertisements in newspapers,
on the other hand, accounted for only 1.3% of the respondents.
Fig. 5 - You come to the Faculty of Business and Management. Source: Created by the authors of the paper, N = 581.
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67
The largest part chose the “from another secondary school” option (33.3%). 28.4% of the frst-
year students came from a gymnasium and 15.3% from another university. Only 0.4% came
from a vocational school.
Fig. 6 - What is the nature of you previous education? Source: Created by the authors of the paper, N = 581.
Most prospective frst-year students studied at secondary schools of a specialisation corre-
sponding to the one they are interested in (36.1%). 35.4% respondents said that they had stud-
ied at a gymnasium. Secondary school of a different specialisation was completed by 16.4% of
students. Only 5.5% of respondents said they had studied at a university of a similar nature.
Fig. 7 - What was the main reason for your applying to the Faculty of Business and Management? Source: Created
by the authors of the paper, N = 581.
Most of the students (62%) applied to the Faculty of Business and Management because they
were interested in studying a particular feld. 10.7 % of the students found the study conditions
interesting. An exact 10% of the students applied to the faculty because of the good jobs of-
fered to the graduates.
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8. INTERPRETATION OF THE RESULTS
One of the key factors of successful marketing communications at higher-education institu-
tions is the choice of a correct communication form. From the answers to the frst question
of the inquiry, it is clear that the key role should be played by web promotion taking different
forms such as a university’s own website and university ratings.
Analyzing the interviews with representatives from universities, one can also fnd proposals of
new forms of marketing communications – these include social networks in the frst place such
as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube and other web applications. Second Life popular at US
universities may serve as an example. This is a 3D virtual world offering many promotion op-
portunities. In the Czech Republic, this environment is used, for example, by the Philosophical
Faculty of Palacký University in Olomouc.
Direct contact with students is another type of marketing communication that needs to be fur-
ther developed. From an inquiry among frst-year students follows that prospective students
very often visit fairs to get information on study opportunities at selected universities.
From the outcomes of the enquiry, it is also clear that recommendations by friends and rela-
tives are very important for a potential student to gain information on study at a university. The
overall image of a faculty, the students‘ and graduate’s personal experience and, importantly,
the quality of the education offered no doubt testify to the quality of each university and fac-
ulty and a good piece of advice from a close friend may infuence the choice of a university.
Analyzing the questionnaires, one sees that it was the particular study feld, the study condi-
tions as well as good jobs offered to the graduates that were among the key factors infuencing
the decision to apply to the Faculty of Business and Management. For this reason, the authors
of this study recommend stressing the benefts related to the study felds a university offers
pointing out to prospective students the good study conditions and emphasizing the job op-
portunities for the graduates.
The outcomes of the inquiry also show that the marketing communications of a university
must be directed towards the gymnasiums and economic colleges in the frst place. This does
not necessarily mean that other schools should be neglected, but the intensity of promotion
should be adequate to the number of potential students at each school. The information gained
is very important for planning marketing events where direct contact with students is involved.
These are, for instance, roadshows, various knowledge contests as well as educational seminars
for the secondary-school students.
9. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
When planning their marketing strategies, higher-education institutions and universities should
consider applying integrated marketing communications. The initial step includes the creation of
a university’s own marketing mix, that is, the forms of communication with prospective students.
The design of a marketing strategy should always be preceded by a detailed analysis of the most
effcient sources of information on the study opportunities at a university or college. Also the
target group should be explored in detail to fnd out about its needs, wishes, and expectations.
Important are also statistical data on the felds of specialization of the secondary schools supply-
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ing the most potential students to a particular college or university. The next step involves setting
up a plan of marketing events that are mutually interrelated and form a logical pattern. Recom-
mended is precisely defning the target group (using coeffcients, for example, to indicate whether
a particular marketing will cover all the secondary schools without discrimination or some school
type will be given a priority), appoint a coordinator and other persons in charge of the entire
event, and list further funding and other resources needed to implement the event as a whole.
For the needs of strategic planning, new ways of communication should be devised on a con-
tinual basis. The study results indicate that social networks (Facebook, Twitter) and other
applications (such as YouTube) promise a huge potential of the communication between the
universities and its potential students that has yet to be used to the full. Another area that
should be taken into account is direct communication with prospective students, which should
be strengthened, in other words, prospective students should be met in person. New creative
forms of marketing communications also bring considerable benefts – Night of the Scientists,
university promotion tent at large music festivals, various knowledge contests for prospective
students, etc., which may highlight the efforts of a university.
Due to the long-term demographic decline in the Czech Republic, the protracted economic
crisis, and the resulting ferce competition of higher-education institutions, a good marketing
strategy of each university is one of the most important factors of its further existence. We be-
lieve that the present study will be an inspiration and perhaps a guideline, too, to a practical im-
provement of the communication strategies of the Czech universities. Taking into account the
excellent geographic position of the Czech Republic (which is in the heart of Europe and the
Schengen area), the growing globalization and the spreading multiculturalism of this country,
we believe that the next phase of the marketing research should be aimed at a detailed analysis
and the defnition of marketing communications with both prospective domestic students and
prospective international students. This research should be done at more universities in the
Czech Republic to obtain relevant data. On the basis of the paper results authors suggest fol-
lowing general hypothesis for the future research purposes:
Hypothesis - There are signifcant differences in frequency of the use of various communica-
tion mix tools when students want to get necessary information about the university related to
students´ personnel expectations and needs.
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tions of students beyond conventional tenets of selling products. International Journal of Educa-
tional Management, 22(6), 544-556. doi:10.1108/09513541011067700
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96110510577680
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13540810875671
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Contact information
Ing. David Schüller
Brno University of Technolog y, Faculty of Business and Management
Department of Management
Kolejní 2906/4, 612 00 Brno
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 608 780 401
E-mail: [email protected]
PhDr. Martina Rašticová, Ph.D.
Brno University of Technolog y, Faculty of Business and Management
Department of Management
Kolejní 2906/4, 612 00 Brno
Czech Republic
Tel:+420 54114 3750
E-mail: [email protected]
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JEL Classifcation: M31
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doc_395192015.pdf
In this period of increasing competition among universities and demographic decline in the Czech Republic, every manager working within the academic sphere must focus on optimizing the marketing activities of tertiary education.
Journal of Competitiveness | Issue 3/2011 58
Marketing Communications Mix of Universities
- Communication With Students in an Increasing
Competitive University Environment
Schüller David, Rašticová Martina
Abstract
In this period of increasing competition among universities and demographic decline in the
Czech Republic, every manager working within the academic sphere must focus on optimizing
the marketing activities of tertiary education. The aim of this study is to analyze the methods
and styles of marketing communications universities and their faculties use when communi-
cating with prospective students. The paper identifes procedures which help to optimize the
choice, combination and connection of elements and activities of the marketing communica-
tions mix in relation with prospective students. A semi-structured interview and questionnaire
method were used to achieve the research objective. The study concludes by discussing the
research outcomes. Also, practical recommendations are discussed and interpreted and pro-
posals are presented for further research into the marketing strategy of Czech universities and
their faculties.
Key words: higher-education institutions, marketing communications, marketing communication mix.
1. INTRODUCTION
Philip Kotler, Professor of marketing at Northwestern University, defnes marketing as “a
social and management process in which individuals and groups satisfy their needs and wants
through creation, supply, and exchange of valuable products with others”, (Kotler, Saunders,
Armstrong, & Wong, 2007). It is a good characteristic of the strategy and tools used by mar-
keting.
At present marketing is used in many different areas of business and public sphere. Because
of the diversity of such areas, authors dealing with such issues feel that a different marketing
concept should be found for each of them.
Marketing specifc for universities is the subject of research of a number of authors. Ham-
mond, Harmon, and Webster focus on strategic marketing related to the performance of a uni-
versity placing an emphasis on marketing planning, (Hammond, Harmon, & Webster, 2007).
(Hemsley-Brown, & Oplatka, 2006) are concerned with university marketing in a broader
sense systematically analyzing different views found in the literature about such issues, (Hayez,
2007) deals with the future of university marketing. He emphasises the importance of integrat-
ing strategic planning and marketing and more detailed processing of an integrated marketing
communication and forming a successful university brand.
Many research papers point out the ever increasing competition among universities and the
necessity of improving the marketing processes in order to achieve better communication be-
tween universities and their interest groups. (Ivy, 2008), for example, concentrates on address-
ing students stressing the fact that this interest group should be regarded in a more comprehen-
joc_3-2011en_v3.indd 58 30.9.2011 16:59:01
59
sive aspect establishing marketing-mix model consisting of seven factors. He also concludes
that the classic four-factor model is not suffciently effcient at universities encouraging further
research in this area. (Ho, & Hung, 2008) specify a suitable marketing mix and strategies for
institutions of the tertiary education. Their work focuses mainly on the market segmentation.
Stemming from their own research, they identifed fve main groups of university candidates
for whom they defned suitable marketing strategies.
Enhancing the identity, image, and brand of universities and their diversifcation is seen by
experts as another key factor in wining new students. (Pelsmacker, Geuens, & Bergh, 2003)
stress that an organization’s identity is closely related to the brand, product, distribution, and
communication towards stakeholders. This is in fact a certain way of presenting the frm. The
university brand and identity is the subject of research conducted, for example, by (Goona-
wardana, & Hemsley-Brown, 2007) who concentrate on cooperation between the rector’s of-
fce and individual faculties in creating a university brand,. The university brand and identity is
further investigated by (Lowrie, 2007). He describes how two diverse felds – university mis-
sion and marketing approach affect identity of these institutions. Russian authors (Saginova,
& Belyansky, 2008) emphasise the importance of strategic marketing focused on innovations
for further development of universities on the background of transforming Russian economy.
They view the cooperation between the university and the private sector as a convenient inno-
vation concept. (Chapleo, 2010) deals with the key factors which infuence and form successful
brand of a university. Among these factors, there is a clear vision, highlighting leading posi-
tion, participation of employees on forming a successful brand etc.
Students are the main target group of services offered by universities. (Russell, 2005) tries to
fnd which factors account for the satisfaction of domestic and international students being
thus relevant for setting up suitable marketing communication. (Gruber, Fu?, Voss, & Gläser-
Zikuda, 2010) have created a ffteen-dimensional model for measuring the satisfaction of
students with the services offered by universities. Within a marketing context, ,(Ramachan-
dran, 2010) investigates the way the management of a university tries to improve the services
it offers to students pointing out the impact of a marketing management on communication
with students.
Some authors focus on particular tools of the marketing communication mix. Web sites, for
example, receive an enormous interest. (Castro et al., 2004) or (Hennicker, & Koch, 2000) are
concerned with improving their content looking for a suitable rating method. The matter of
improving the quality of websites and searching for suitable methods for assessment is dealt
by (Vaughan, Farrow & Tims, 2006). (Panopoulou, Tambouris & Tarabanis, 2008) focus on
defning framework for a website evaluation. (Hackett, & Parmanto, 2005) investigate accessi-
bility of university websites to disadvantaged students. These authors conclude that the higher
complexity of websites decreases their accessibility to disadvantaged students.
In the Czech Republic, (Sv?tlík, 2009) deals with university marketing problems stressing
the necessity of uniting all communication mix elements into a single process with unifed
management as an integrated approach to marketing communication enhances its effciency
delivering synergy,.
At Brno University of Technology, marketing communications towards prospective students
are studied by Eva Kneblová. Some of her results were the actual inspiration for the research
joc_3-2011en_v3.indd 59 30.9.2011 16:59:02
Journal of Competitiveness | Issue 3/2011 60
presented in this study, (Kneblová, 2009). Detailed knowledge and analysis of the information
resources most frequently accessed by the prospective Brno University of Technology students
is among the key factors of the university’s marketing policy (see Figure 1).
Fig. 1- Sources of information for prospective students. Source: taken from Kneblová, E. Results of an Internet
Inquiry of Prospective Students conducted at Brno University of Technolog y, 2009, p. 14.
Figure 1 shows that there are also forms of direct contact other that a fair seen as essential
by prospective students. These are open days in the frst place, which play an important role
in university promotion. In the interviews, the respondents further said that the above-men-
tioned roadshow was still a very effcient form of marketing communication pinpointing a
target group. Here, moreover, prospective students may directly ask university representatives
about the programmes offered by a particular university or faculty.
Figure 1 shows that information leafets (37%) are another effcient form of university promo-
tion. They are mostly used in combination with a direct form of marketing communication
such as open days, fairs, roadshows, and knowledge contests. The advantage of a leafet is that
it provides prospective students with the gist the relevant information in a clear way.
Advertisements in newspapers are only seen by the respondents as a marginal source of infor-
mation (1.3%). Figure 1 tells us, moreover, that, generally, students do not think advertising
an important source of information on study (7%). Universities should, therefore, think twice
before choosing a particular form of advertising in terms of the costs involved and the preci-
sion of targeting.
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61
2. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
The present study aims to investigate the forms and activities of the marketing communica-
tions mix used by universities and their faculties of a business character when communicating
with prospective students. Next to analyse and identify the methods that will help optimize the
selection and combination of particular elements and activities of marketing communications
with prospective students. Emphasis is placed on issues related to the correct targeting of such
activities, which is closely related to marketing communications. Finally, based on an analysis
of the data collected, the study designs methods that can be used to optimize the marketing
communications mix of a particular institution of higher-education.
3. METHODS USED
In the frst phase of research done in the frst half of 2010, a method of half-structured inter-
view was used designed by the authors of the paper based on the experience from their previ-
ous research (see above). The inquiry covered 15 participants from 7 public higher-education
institutions in the Czech Republic. These included Rectorate offcers and staff of economic
faculties in charge of marketing communications at these institutions. The aim was to inves-
tigate, in the frst place, what forms of marketing communication are used by universities to
address their prospective students.
In the second phase of research, which took place in the second half of 2010, a questionnaire
enquiry was conducted. After a detailed analysis of international research papers published
concerning this problem area (see the above list) and semi-structured interviews carried out
by the authors, a questionnaire was set up to fnd out what source of information was used by
prospective students to fnd out about study at the Faculty of Business and Management, next
to identify the target group (the type of school from which the students come) and its needs
(why they chose study at this particular faculty). A total of 581 respondents flled in the ques-
tionnaire when registering for the frst year of study.
4. OUTCOMES OF THE FIRST PART OF RESEARCH – A SEMI-
STRUCTURED INTERVIEW
Based on previous research, the following questions were devised:
What forms of marketing communications does the university/faculty use when address-
ing prospective students?
What forms/events of marketing communications are the most important for the univer-
sity/faculty in addressing prospective students?
In what way should the university/faculty develop its MC in the future?
4.1 What forms of marketing communications does the university/faculty use when
addressing prospective students?
Based on the evaluation of the respondents’ answers, the most frequent forms of marketing
communications were assigned to individual elements of the today already classic market-
1.
2.
3.
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Journal of Competitiveness | Issue 3/2011 62
ing communication mix, (Kotler, Armstrong, Harker, & Brennan, 2009). With a possibility
of assigning some forms to more than one element, as also evidenced by examples provided
by Armstrong and Kotler, (Armstrong, & Kotler, 2003). The authors, however, think that it
would be better if the names of the elements met the requirements and needs of higher-educa-
tion institutions. Therefore, they propose changing them by renaming the sale support and
personal sale communication elements to communication support and personal communica-
tion respectively.
Communication mix of a higher-education institution created as a result of the interviews:
1. Communication support
Competitions – these include, for instance, knowledge contests or projects dealing with
specifc issues with students motivated by wining prizes. At the Brno University of Tech-
nology Faculty of Business and Management, this is, for example, a Business Point com-
petition. This should motivate teams of secondary-school students to carry out projects
on specifed topics presenting them at the Faculty of Business and Management. The best
projects are then rewarded by prizes of educative nature.
Roadshows – this involves building long-term relations with secondary schools as partner
schools. Representatives from a university visit secondary schools trying to provide them
with best information possible on their university and faculty making the secondary stu-
dents interested in studying at a higher-education institution familiar with all the study
benefts.
Presents – a collection of small souvenirs presenting a given university with an advertising
motto, logo, etc.
Educational fairs – during these events, representatives from universities pass information
directly to prospective students encouraging them to study at a given institution.
Educational events – may consist in universities preparing a series of lectures and seminars
intended for prospective students. Every year, for instance, a summer school for second-
ary-schools female students is organised at the Brno University of Technology Faculty of
Information Technology. This marketing activity aims to increase the interest in studying
at the faculty of female students, (Honzík, 2010). In 2009, this event took place at the be-
ginning of the academic year lasting one week. The secondary-school students participated
in many interesting seminars and lectures on IT issues. The organiser included IBM and
Microsoft so that the participants could learn about specifc IT features from the practical
point of view. At the end of the summer school, the students received a certifcate.
Open Days – prospective students may visit the faculty premises where they would like to
study to meet their future teachers, see the lecture rooms, labs, and learn about other fac-
tors infuencing the quality of study at a given higher-education institution.
Fairs – these are mostly educational fairs of the Gaudeamus type in Prague and Brno or
Akadémia in Bratislava.
2. Advertising
Fliers – such as those offering degree programmes
Radio commercials for open days and other events
Billboards – promoting the university logo or large marketing events
?
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?
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?
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joc_3-2011en_v3.indd 62 30.9.2011 16:59:02
63
Advertising in the press – open days, degree programmes offered
Posters – announcing competitions or shows
Pictures on public transport vehicles – showing the university logo, offering courses, etc.
Web presentations of the university and further advertising on the web – all events pos-
sible
Video spots – for the school logo or product (study options)
3. Relations with the public
Materials for prospective students (magazines, bulletins, etc.)
University experts appearing in the media
Annual reports
Conferences attended by the public
Research papers and other articles in the media
Editing the university’s own periodic for various target groups (such as frst-year students).
At Brno University of Technology this is Brno University of Technology News.
4. Personal communications
Fairs – Gaudeamus, Akadémia
Roadshow – partner universities
Direct presentation of the university during special events (such as Night of the Scien-
tists)
Open days
5. Direct sale
E-mail – offers of courses
E-shopping – selling university promotion material, specialised books
4.2 What marketing communications forms/events are the most important for the
university/faculty in addressing prospective students?
The following were the most frequent answers in the interviews:
Web presentations of the university and other forms of advertising on the web (banners)
University ratings on the web
Some else’s recommendation
Direct contact with students such as during open days, roadshows, fairs, various competi-
tions.
4.3 In what way should the university/faculty develop its MC in the future?
This is what was mostly suggested in the interviews:
All the marketing mix elements should be managed in a concerted way – preferring inte-
grated approach
New forms of marketing communications should be looked for – using the social networks
in the frst place and other web applications such as Facebook, Second Life, Twitter, and
YouTube
?
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Journal of Competitiveness | Issue 3/2011 64
Forms should be extended of direct communication with prospective students – they
should be personally approached
The communication forms should be tailored to the wishes and interests of prospective
students – courage is necessary to think of new, non-traditional ways of marketing com-
munications. Night of the Scientists was among the most frequent events mentioned by the
respondents followed by a university tent at large music festivals, Majáles (a student May
celebration), various knowledge contests for prospective students, etc.
5. INTEGRATING MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
OF A HIGHER-EDUCATION INSTITUTION
Currently, for many reasons, marketing communications must be integrated in all felds and
areas. Higher prices of the media, better communication skills of the target groups, move
towards relationship marketing and others are among such reasons, (Pelsmacker, Geuens &
Bergh, 2003).
A higher-education institution should provide prospective students with consistent informa-
tion and the desired image of its identity. All communication activities should be well prepared
and carried out in the necessary order by comprehensive management. The below simplifed
schema suggests how the marketing communication elements and activities of a higher-educa-
tion institution can be integrated. The largest circle shows how the fve marketing commu-
nication elements are interrelated. Individual elements depicted by mid-sized circles contain
various communication activities as the smallest items.
Fig. 2 - Integrated marketing communications of a university. Source: Created by the authors of the paper.
?
?
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65
Marketing communication mix consists of a number of activities that are not easily arranged
in a logic sequence achieving the highest synergic effect. Pickett and Vinten defne synergic
effect using the equation 2 + 2 = 5, (Pickett, & Vinten, 2000). The authors stress that, using a
certain number of elements within a whole will bring more effciency that using the elements
separately. This is why the entire process must be planned carefully. Integrated approach does
not involve just combining all the items of a communication mix, but also interrelating all the
activities within each communication element. The following fgure demonstrates the achieve-
ment of a synergic effect by interconnecting selected activities of a higher-education institu-
tion within the university communication support element. Here the integration of individual
marketing activities has the form of a funnel. Each circle then stands for a particular market-
ing communication activity. Once the needed interrelation of the communication activities is
reached, a synergic effect takes place.
Fig. 3 - Synergic effect. Source: Created by the authors of the paper.
6. EFFICIENT TARGETING OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Like in the commercial sphere, universities and faculties must use the tools of marketing com-
munications in the most effcient way not only towards prospective students. The aim must be
a maximum number of prospective students addressed given limited resources. If a university
wishes to address a group of potential students in an effcient way, it should gain a more thor-
ough understanding of such a target group. The information obtained will help achieve the
correct focus for each activity of the communication mix selecting its proper intensity. In this
way, the university can improve the planning of its activities making them more congruous and
logically interconnected. By setting coeffcients, the plan may indicate whether a marketing
event should cover all the secondary schools or some school types such as gymnasiums should
be given priority. The plan may also appoint a coordinator and other persons in charge of indi-
vidual events. It is also good to list the funding and other resources needed for each activity.
joc_3-2011en_v3.indd 65 30.9.2011 16:59:02
Journal of Competitiveness | Issue 3/2011 66
The following example describes the frst step chosen by the authors of the study for the needs
of marketing communications at the Brno University of Technology Faculty of Business and
Management.
7. RESULTS OF THE INQUIRY CONDUCTED AT THE BRNO
UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND
MANAGEMENT
The analysis of the questionnaires was to fnd out about the information sources from which
prospective students learned about the possibility of studying at the faculty, about the type of
their previous education and reasons for choosing exactly the Brno University of Technology
Faculty of Business and Management.
Fig. 4 - Where did you get information on study at the Faculty of Business and Management? Source: Created by
the authors of the paper, N = 581.
Most of the students found the study information at the faculty website (28.4 %). A friend stud-
ying at the Faculty of Business and Management was a second signifcant information source
(26.5%). Important were also web university ratings (25.4%). Advertisements in newspapers,
on the other hand, accounted for only 1.3% of the respondents.
Fig. 5 - You come to the Faculty of Business and Management. Source: Created by the authors of the paper, N = 581.
joc_3-2011en_v3.indd 66 30.9.2011 16:59:05
67
The largest part chose the “from another secondary school” option (33.3%). 28.4% of the frst-
year students came from a gymnasium and 15.3% from another university. Only 0.4% came
from a vocational school.
Fig. 6 - What is the nature of you previous education? Source: Created by the authors of the paper, N = 581.
Most prospective frst-year students studied at secondary schools of a specialisation corre-
sponding to the one they are interested in (36.1%). 35.4% respondents said that they had stud-
ied at a gymnasium. Secondary school of a different specialisation was completed by 16.4% of
students. Only 5.5% of respondents said they had studied at a university of a similar nature.
Fig. 7 - What was the main reason for your applying to the Faculty of Business and Management? Source: Created
by the authors of the paper, N = 581.
Most of the students (62%) applied to the Faculty of Business and Management because they
were interested in studying a particular feld. 10.7 % of the students found the study conditions
interesting. An exact 10% of the students applied to the faculty because of the good jobs of-
fered to the graduates.
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Journal of Competitiveness | Issue 3/2011 68
8. INTERPRETATION OF THE RESULTS
One of the key factors of successful marketing communications at higher-education institu-
tions is the choice of a correct communication form. From the answers to the frst question
of the inquiry, it is clear that the key role should be played by web promotion taking different
forms such as a university’s own website and university ratings.
Analyzing the interviews with representatives from universities, one can also fnd proposals of
new forms of marketing communications – these include social networks in the frst place such
as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube and other web applications. Second Life popular at US
universities may serve as an example. This is a 3D virtual world offering many promotion op-
portunities. In the Czech Republic, this environment is used, for example, by the Philosophical
Faculty of Palacký University in Olomouc.
Direct contact with students is another type of marketing communication that needs to be fur-
ther developed. From an inquiry among frst-year students follows that prospective students
very often visit fairs to get information on study opportunities at selected universities.
From the outcomes of the enquiry, it is also clear that recommendations by friends and rela-
tives are very important for a potential student to gain information on study at a university. The
overall image of a faculty, the students‘ and graduate’s personal experience and, importantly,
the quality of the education offered no doubt testify to the quality of each university and fac-
ulty and a good piece of advice from a close friend may infuence the choice of a university.
Analyzing the questionnaires, one sees that it was the particular study feld, the study condi-
tions as well as good jobs offered to the graduates that were among the key factors infuencing
the decision to apply to the Faculty of Business and Management. For this reason, the authors
of this study recommend stressing the benefts related to the study felds a university offers
pointing out to prospective students the good study conditions and emphasizing the job op-
portunities for the graduates.
The outcomes of the inquiry also show that the marketing communications of a university
must be directed towards the gymnasiums and economic colleges in the frst place. This does
not necessarily mean that other schools should be neglected, but the intensity of promotion
should be adequate to the number of potential students at each school. The information gained
is very important for planning marketing events where direct contact with students is involved.
These are, for instance, roadshows, various knowledge contests as well as educational seminars
for the secondary-school students.
9. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
When planning their marketing strategies, higher-education institutions and universities should
consider applying integrated marketing communications. The initial step includes the creation of
a university’s own marketing mix, that is, the forms of communication with prospective students.
The design of a marketing strategy should always be preceded by a detailed analysis of the most
effcient sources of information on the study opportunities at a university or college. Also the
target group should be explored in detail to fnd out about its needs, wishes, and expectations.
Important are also statistical data on the felds of specialization of the secondary schools supply-
joc_3-2011en_v3.indd 68 30.9.2011 16:59:08
69
ing the most potential students to a particular college or university. The next step involves setting
up a plan of marketing events that are mutually interrelated and form a logical pattern. Recom-
mended is precisely defning the target group (using coeffcients, for example, to indicate whether
a particular marketing will cover all the secondary schools without discrimination or some school
type will be given a priority), appoint a coordinator and other persons in charge of the entire
event, and list further funding and other resources needed to implement the event as a whole.
For the needs of strategic planning, new ways of communication should be devised on a con-
tinual basis. The study results indicate that social networks (Facebook, Twitter) and other
applications (such as YouTube) promise a huge potential of the communication between the
universities and its potential students that has yet to be used to the full. Another area that
should be taken into account is direct communication with prospective students, which should
be strengthened, in other words, prospective students should be met in person. New creative
forms of marketing communications also bring considerable benefts – Night of the Scientists,
university promotion tent at large music festivals, various knowledge contests for prospective
students, etc., which may highlight the efforts of a university.
Due to the long-term demographic decline in the Czech Republic, the protracted economic
crisis, and the resulting ferce competition of higher-education institutions, a good marketing
strategy of each university is one of the most important factors of its further existence. We be-
lieve that the present study will be an inspiration and perhaps a guideline, too, to a practical im-
provement of the communication strategies of the Czech universities. Taking into account the
excellent geographic position of the Czech Republic (which is in the heart of Europe and the
Schengen area), the growing globalization and the spreading multiculturalism of this country,
we believe that the next phase of the marketing research should be aimed at a detailed analysis
and the defnition of marketing communications with both prospective domestic students and
prospective international students. This research should be done at more universities in the
Czech Republic to obtain relevant data. On the basis of the paper results authors suggest fol-
lowing general hypothesis for the future research purposes:
Hypothesis - There are signifcant differences in frequency of the use of various communica-
tion mix tools when students want to get necessary information about the university related to
students´ personnel expectations and needs.
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Contact information
Ing. David Schüller
Brno University of Technolog y, Faculty of Business and Management
Department of Management
Kolejní 2906/4, 612 00 Brno
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 608 780 401
E-mail: [email protected]
PhDr. Martina Rašticová, Ph.D.
Brno University of Technolog y, Faculty of Business and Management
Department of Management
Kolejní 2906/4, 612 00 Brno
Czech Republic
Tel:+420 54114 3750
E-mail: [email protected]
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JEL Classifcation: M31
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