EDUCATIONAL MARKETING – OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

“Should education be marketed at all?” – I think such a debate is totally irrelevant as of now. The the last decade has witnessed not only aggressive marketing tendencies in the field of education, but also competitive marketing practices giving rise to several unprecedented strategies of marketing which sometimes appear strange in an educational context. Nevertheless, the educational marketing both at institutional levels and State levels have taken larger than the image positions. Closely examined, some reasons that can be attributed to this are:

a.   Low funding of education by State and inadequate finances led to issues related to their survival and hence efforts to protect themselves by marketing whatever they have.

b.   Expansion in the education industry led to increase in the number of institutions and hence both older and the newer institutions had to parade their worth and culture

c.    Infrastructural growth and institutional mismatch between resources and the numbers called for promotional games for increased numbers

d.   Leading educational brands found opportunity to encash their brands by franchise and lease models without much efforts which could add both revenue and leadership

e.   Absence of resources for expansion forced alternate models of expansion through surrogate agencies

f.    Investment by venture capitalists and traders who sought short term gains found educational marketing could help in meeting their business propositions.

There could be a number of other reasons that might explain the current scenario.

All these and other reasons have led to educational marketing strategies which are worth a debate.

1.   Institutional Marketing

Institutional marketing both at the micro and macro levels have gained currency. The underlying thrust on increasing the numbers in the institutions, direct or indirect, formal or non-formal, full time or part time, long-term or for short terms – through all the modes is planned with a singular objective of realizing and increasing the revenue of the institution at the shortest possible time. Marketing strategies covering the entire spectrum of the instruments in marketing and the tools of advocacy are being put in place. Watchdog monitor the growth of the institution almost every day (every hour?). Business Managers, marketing executives and public relations executives engage vigorously in marketing strategies as they would do for any other consumable product. In a number of institutions, the heads get informed about admissions so that they can update their numbers.

Institutions are built in collaboration or with the support of Realtors engaged in developing sites so that the community needs of institutions are met with. Real estate marketing and institutional marketing go hand in hand each being complementary to the other. Realestate owners and developers also seek partnership with big brands of educational institutions for collobrative efforts in developing and managing institutions.

Venture capitalists and investors look for break-even at the shortest time possible. Nodal agencies conduct survey of specific locations to understand the psychology of the community, parenting and otherwise, to design, door to door campaigns, road shows, reach-outs in public malls, special get together and meets of prospective parents in branded hotels and restaurants to convert their intents into commercial viabilities and realities.  Campaigns are designed and taken out to different cities to attract students who are in the affordability corridors to invite them to greener pastures. Procedures of discounts on fee and other “SALE” strategies are adopted as in other business dimensions. A corporate marketing strategy for expansion is in place. The future appears to be more aggressive with institutions and States planning their marketing strategies for the next three to five years.

2.   Institutional Branding

Strategic branding of institutions, through external agencies, are sought to give the institutions a colour and an image, whether they deserve them or not. As such many of these branding indicators have nothing to do with the value profile of the institutions but are intended to create an imagery among the public. Many institutions seek associations with leading brands for partnership in profile enhancement by payment of royalties and other mutually acceptable contracts. As such they help in positioning the institutions at a level that helps the marketing executives to increase their intensity of advocacy.

Sponsored programs by institutions in which there is a huge participation of charismatic personalities, sponsorships that could win awards and laurels to the institutions, sponsorship that could lead to honorary degrees and encomiums to the heads of institutions and educational managers which in turn could help in institutional branding are some current field games. Paid reports in media, both print and electronic, sponsored narratives as a reward for commercial support to the media houses do help such institutions to keep their flags high. Huge expenditure running to several lakhs is incurred to “create a need for the institution” as a desirable marketing strategy and to enhance the revenue. Participation in conferences and seminars are considered as value additions though their intrinsic benefit stands to question. While all the above cannot be considered as detrimental to the process of education, it is important to ensure the ancillaries do not overshadow the core requisites.

3.   Consultancy Marketing

A number of corporate and non-corporate interventions are happening wherein the content and pedagogy of the institutions are managed by external sources other than the institutional employees. Content both universal or school specific are delivered both on time-schedule deliveries or similar to supply-chain deliveries. Mentoring the content, the pedagogical processes with external controls with least possibilities for flexibilities in classrooms project a “machine delivery” style. Productivity in classrooms are evaluated on key deliverables and achievements. Strangely, they are claimed as customized content deliveries (without any consideration to the prime customers’ happiness quotient)! Built in “happy hours” and “Zero hours” claim relief to the monotony whether they do so in real terms or not.

Models of institutional management through “outsiders” as professional interventions are in place wherein the local managements want to keep a complete control through heads who have a great “stamp value”. Painful, though it may appear for a true professional environment, the survival needs and necessities or for those who seek higher positions without basic competency do find them as “good enough” to carry on.

Taking over of sick institutions and Management adoptions of schools on payment of regular compensation to the institutional owners are also in place as a way to redeem the quality of a failing institution. Consultancies for professional improvement of teachers are sought which has opened a new market both for experienced professionals as well as pseudo-organizations claiming to deliver the needs. “Mismatch” between their own competency levels and their professional deliveries is indeed an emerging issue.

4.   Licensing and Franchise

A number of licensing and franchise models are available at various level of institutional ladder. Articulated models from the pre-nursery levels have become door deliveries to micro-level institutions situated in apartments and small houses which cater to the local social needs. In a number of cases, the personal and family compulsions of the clients do compel them to pay costs which have least relevance to the delivery models. Licensing of names, products, tools and standard operating procedures are advocated in the market for whatever they are worth.

Franchises are yet another operation model which have met both success stories as well as failures. The Franchise markets have met a number of challenges due to the following reasons:

a.   Mismatch between the profile of the franchiser and the franchisee

b.   Non-delivery of the core essentials to the franchisee to keep them in wants.

c.    Mismatch between the conceptual edifices of both and resource inadequacies

d.   Non-compliance of the contractual obligations by the franchisee

e.   Geo-political issues between the procedures and practices of the franchiser and the franchisee

A number of such models of marketing have collapsed in shorter periods of time than expected. Even in cases where the models continue, they are kept alive for the fear of loss of brand or brand equity.

5.   Educational products and appliances

A huge market operates on the educational products and appliances that caters to the core requirements of institutional needs. This covers a wide range of technology products and interventions including publishing sector that has been providing a huge support to institutions for quality access to knowledge and skills. With the free flow of technology breaking the walls of classrooms leading to global access to knowledge, the interventions have impacted both formal and informal learning sectors. The turn over in this field is expected to be a couple of billion dollars over the years. Hence the role of this sector cannot be marginalized or isolated. The marketing strategies of this sector is expected to be intense, focused and on the upswing in the next few years as there is cultural change in the institutional dynamics.  With Artificial intelligence making impressive impacts in redefining learning, the marketing scenario of the educational products is likely to be vibrant and demanding.

Publishing industry has played a significant role in resourcing learning in the entire landscape of the educational edifice. It will continue to play a similar role, but with redefined objectives and strategies as a mid-way between the classical learning landscape and the evolutionary landscape.

6.   Markets for Home learning

With access to self-learning through online supports, questions are being raised whether home learning will play a significant role in the future? It appears home learning and space-time free learning will be scaling higher growth in the days to come. A number of personal coaching processes have impacted the learning population for personal tuitions, scaffolding learning inadequacies, as support systems for learning for competitive examinations, practice systems for online examinations and others. The revenue potential for such business propositions have touched new heights. However, not all the players in the field have seen viable growth opportunities because the quality of the products and services have played a significant role in defining their future. Half-backed efforts which have only triggered ‘grass-hopping’ in learning have not shown long term results. The potential for well-meaning players exists. There is also evidence for potential for on-line learning resources for teachers to upgrade their competencies in a continuous manner.

7.   Edutainment marketing

Edutainment markets have a great opportunity in the next decade. With progressive expansion of technology in proportions not limited to geometrical growth, the scope for edutainment products exist through the entire growth dimensions of humans. Edutainment is presently not restricted to the lower band of age groups, but with well-defined learning inputs, they can cut across the needs of all age group including senior citizens. Though currently such products do not exhibit much of learning integration, the dynamics of technology will certainly provide opportunities for more intellectual integration. Sensory interventions to gaming more glamour and thrill. With tools of artificial intelligence making powerful interventions gaming industry is like to move to the next generation of gaming and edutainment. Opportunities galore for the right type of investors. It offers opportunities to both big global IT players as well medium and small-time enterprises.

8.   Educational Financing

Given the market dynamics and its intensity, separate educational financing strategies would develop, unlike venture capitalists, who would act financiers without direct participation and intervention. Such individual and corporate financers will play an alliance partner with several of the educational promoters, be it in infrastructure or the product supports.

Educational financing interventions are already in place to support Edu-innovators and Edu-entrepreneurs. However, their market value is bound to increase in the next decade, thanks to increased vibrance in the education sector.

9.   CSR interventions:

It may be out of place to consider CSR interventions while discussion the idea of education markets. However, some such interventions of corporates have an underlying objective to promote their brands in an indirect manner to a growing populace. Many of these interventions appear to be conditional and are sustained subject to some core requirements of promotional value. They tend to defeat the larger objective.

10.Media Marketing in education

A number of media managers have expressed their operational interest in the field of education to promote their business. They have both a direct and indirect interest in scaling up their relevance in educational platforms. They help in enlarging the customer base, they help in increasing the TRP for their advertisements, facilitate focused compass of canvassing and reach among targeted population. Further they also partner with institutions and educational entrepreneurs to extend their reach and value.

11.Educational Tourism

Educational Tourism is becoming an interesting feature of marketing in the recent past. Organized tours to countries and institutions for collaborations and marketing of their knowledge practices is on the anvil. Though many such ventures give only the experience of visits to museums or recreational parks (not because they have no value, but many of their values many not be transportable to the tourists with different geo-political and cultural sensitivities), there is an evidence of increased traffic in this area. However, they do offer an insight into global dynamics and limited learning experiences to be redefined in their own context.

12. Education Malls and One-stop Shoppe

Enterprising business leaders have conceived the idea of Education Malls and One-stop Shoppe for educational products in the recent years. Though the idea is native in its growth dynamics, this umbrella approach might project a futuristic business model especially in metros and populated urban environment.

The Future:

The future holds promise for educational marketing of different dimensions, whether are not the socio-cultural dynamics approve them. However, the Government and State Agencies will periodically create roadblocks and administrative regulations to control, monitor and regulate them just to ensure their authority. But with countries having large population, governments will have no option but to support such ventures both for 

facilitating supply-chains as well as to encourage enterprise and business. 

With learning becoming more informal, non-conditional, free-will based, multi-interventional, customer friendly and customized, the manifestations of educational marketing will acquire unprecedented growth.