WHAT'S IN NAME OF A UNIVERSITY?

What's in a name? The value of a good university brand

When it comes to student attraction, a university with a well-respected brand has an enormous advantage. But it takes more than a catchy slogan to stand out from the crowd

Universities need to market themselves as never before. As fees rise sharply and business-friendly courses boom, students and their families are ever cannier in researching value for money

In this rapidly changing marketplace, university branding is about much more than logos. But what does this mean for students and the role of branding in higher education in general?

Academic integrity; future employability; and, perhaps above all, the value of the student experience are key values. But university "customers" nowadays are not only students but their parents as well. One delegate spoke for everyone: "In a difficult economic situation, parents at open days are asking more and more astute questions while applicants sit with their heads down."

Successful branding to this dual audience relies on a few crucial strands: positive student testimony; the synergy between marketing and branding; and getting academics on side by linking success in the marketplace to academic freedom.

Consulting academics

Academic freedom, however, often relates to success in the marketplace, but getting this message across to academics can be hard. Sports clubs and university enterprises might cling to a branding identity associated with a legacy of success, despite the higher management of the university wishing to change it.

One solution offered to the debate by a participant had been to spread all divergent sub-brand identities out on a table and ask university staff if they made sense. "That way, they made the decision to come onside with the new brand," they explained.

Brand identities, such as a perception of a university being a regional hub with a fantastic student life, resonate with existing students while attracting new ones, too. University identities are built first of all within communities. A university is not Coca-Cola, branding messages tend to be centred around broad slogans, such as "upgrade your future". What makes such general visions work are case studies, vivid and concrete student testimony gathered from existing students and displayed to students past and present at open days, recruitment fairs and awards ceremonies.

Awards ceremonies reinforce loyalty from alumni and they can be the best brand ambassadors

For universities to recruit successfully, one participant suggested that marketing and branding needed to be woven through university life. "You can radically alter people's perception of the university by marketing," In one case, a student marketing video for a college in Australia, which was posted on YouTube, went viral and has been watched by millions.

Participants stressed that successful branding is not confined to the logo; its importance lies in being able to position the university in the market.

In any case students were not attracted only by academic excellence. The student experience is more complex than that and often relates to the actual teaching of their subject, job prospects and specific information about their own degree.

Eighty per cent of brand equity lies in meeting the promise that you make to your customers- students.

"A really good brand takes the risk out of buying, . "Brand leaders deal in confidence, which gives customers confidence

AUV University

Key points

 Universities looking to brand themselves successfully should:

• Focus on their core values, such as: academic integrity that links teaching, research and scholarship; business-friendly courses with employ-ability appeal; and the positive student experience on offer.

• Target communications at parents as well as students.

• Involve academics as much as possible; their enthusiasm can often bring big dividends.

• Highlight student testimony in university marketing materials.

• Make the most of social media's influence and reach.

Source: University guide

5 BIGGEST TRENDS IMPACTING THE JOB MARKET

Whether you're about to graduate from high school or are a working adult looking for a career change, choosing a college major can be confusing. It's challenging to select a career path that matches up with your personal passions and still puts food on the table. Understanding some of the trends that shape the job market can help narrow your search. If you're looking for job security and growth, you'll want to focus on the industries that are adding the most new jobs in the coming decade.

Aging Baby Boomers

The largest demographic group in the United States is heading for retirement. Of course, this will mean something very different for many baby boomers than for older generations. Boomers have maintained their health and stayed in the job market longer than any other generation of citizens in our country's history.

As they grow older, baby boomers will require more frequent, specialized medical care. They will also want to maintain connections with careers and family for as long as possible. Therefore, expect to see continued growth in fields that cater to their wishes. The assisted living industry will continue to outpace other areas of healthcare, while growing teams of social workers will help care for less fortunate baby boomers.

Better Medicine

The high output of the pharmaceutical industry, combined with constant innovation in the rest of the medical field, helps us live longer, more productive lives. New treatments for previously fatal diseases require new approaches for rehabilitation. Likewise, many adults expect to work far beyond the traditional retirement age. Therefore, patients demand a new generation of physical therapists and other specialists to help prolong their quality of life.

Increased Costs of Child Care

As today's parents demand higher quality from their child care providers, the marketplace has responded with a variety of programs to help meet parents' needs. The explosive growth of pre-kindergarten educational programs call for highly trained educators who command more competitive salaries than their predecessors. Therefore, especially in major cities, the cost of caring for young children has skyrocketed. As a result, early childhood education has become a more lucrative and more stable profession than ever before. Though it has traditionally been a low-paying job, child care specialists today can expect to earn far more money today than peers who entered the field even a few years ago.

On a related note, the rising cost of child care has encouraged many parents to seek opportunities to work from home. Taking advantage of distributed work options, professions that allow parents to spend time with young children have enjoyed rapid growth. Even when those positions pay less than office jobs, the savings created by avoiding paid child care adds tremendous value for families.

Rapid Technology Growth

Despite fears that many American companies look overseas for development of new technology, the rapid advance of ideas and the need for constant upgrades assure U.S. technology professionals of consistent job security over the next ten years. Businesses of all kinds have found themselves locked into the equivalent of an arms race with their competitors. Companies must provide their teams with the best equipment and resources, or face defeat.

Likewise, continual innovation assures technology workers that new machines, cables and other equipment will have to be installed every few years. Even Internet infrastructure, which was designed to provide nearly limitless connections, is being overhauled to accommodate a previously unimaginable number of new devices. Therefore, IT professionals who specialize in networking, installation and support will remain in demand as more businesses rely on new technology to help them compete.

Distributed Work

The giant factories and smokestacks of a hundred years ago are fading into the pages of history books. Many of today's workers report for duty at smaller offices or manufacturing plants, connected by information networks and sophisticated shipping infrastructure.

A growing number of employees, especially specialized consultants and leaders, divide their time among multiple locations at companies or client organizations. This trend has led to the use of "hot desking," where workers report to a different workstation at the start of each shift, instead of keeping their own desk or cubicle. Many workers telecommute, allowing them to reinvest time spent commuting into more productive work or family time.

As a side effect, more workers are relocating to larger homes, farther away from city centers. Whether they want to enjoy more peaceful surroundings or they simply want to reconnect with family or friends, these shifting workers create demand for home construction, renovation and infrastructure development.

Sponsored by AUV University 

 www.auv.edu.vn

MARKETING 'S SEVEN "Ps" AND THE ROLE THEY PLAY

When it comes to attracting and retaining the customers that are the lifeblood of every business, there are several tactics that marketers may put into practice to get the job done, such as digital and traditional advertising, direct response, special events, public relations and content marketing. But there are underlying issues that marketers need to address before they get to those tactics. Sorting through these issues will ensure a balanced mix of efforts that will do the optimal job of converting customers and driving top- and bottom-line growth. Divided into distinct categories, they are known as the Seven Ps of Marketing. Each should be carefully considered to achieve effective marketing.

The “Ps” initially began with only four, which were instrumental in ensuring a balanced marketing mix for products. They were later expanded to seven as a means of addressing marketing mix considerations for the service industry. 

    Product - Marketers should always be assessing how well their product or service meets the needs of the market and its consumers. While quality is an issue, other facets that factor into a product are variety, design, image, features and benefits. Whether or not the product is tangible, it must provide value to the customer, as established by the customer, not the marketer.

    Price - The price must be competitive and appealing to the customer, yet still generate a profit to the business.  It covers suggested retail price, wholesale price, discounts, allowances and payment terms among other factors. To establish appropriate pricing, it is important to understand the cost of producing the product or service, along with how much elasticity in the price/value ratio customers will tolerate. This is the only element of the marketing process that generates revenue.

    Place - This refers to where customers buy the product or service, such as by direct selling, telemarketing, mail order, at retail locations or a combination of these and other approaches. This also refers to how the product is showcased to customers, such as a store window or an e-commerce website. What is important is that the product is made available in the right place, at the right time and in the right quantity at the customer’s convenience. Changing place can have a major impact on sales, upward and downward, so it must be carefully considered.

    Promotion - In this part of the process, the marketer is using tools to raise awareness and interest in the product or service. Promotion covers branding, special offers, sales, advertising and PR. The idea is to create a mix that opens the dialog with customers by focusing as much on the benefits of the product as the features. It is also important to understand the dynamic nature of promotion.  Not all tactics will achieve the same results over time, making it critical to test and learn from activities, such as which combinations of tactics perform best under what circumstances, and be prepared to adjust the process accordingly.

    People - People refers to anyone inside or outside of the business who is in a position of influencing how its brand and the products and services that comprise it are perceived and accepted – or not.  This is most important with a company’s employees, who are on the brand’s frontlines and directly responsible for shaping experiences and impressions. To that end, it creates the need for a workforce that has the right attitude, is well trained and is motivated to serve as brand advocates.

    Process - Keeping the customer happy by consistently performing in a way that anticipates and responds to customer satisfaction issues is critical to any business.  Process denotes how the service is provided.  It covers customer service, delivery, placing orders and communications policies, and is often the most overlooked part of the marketing process since businesses tend to design their processes for their own convenience. Considering this category from an outside-in vantage point can transform this “P” into a huge competitive advantage.

    Positioning - With Positioning, consideration is given to how the brand is positioned in the competitive space and in the minds of your consumer. The product or service might be positioned as more valuable and more expensive, or as an affordable option at somewhat lower quality. Many experts argue that how your customers perceive you will be the most critical factor in a businesses’ success or failure in a competitive environment. This is why market positioning must always remain a work in progress.

Other “Ps” that are often wrapped into the marketing discussion are packaging or physical evidence/appearance. In either case, these refer to the visual element or external aspect of a product or service, and not just “packaging,” per se. For example, the décor of an office being funky or conservative says something about the business, as does the attire of employees, and the way informational brochures and the company logo are designed.

By understanding the facets of each of the seven Ps, a business’ marketers are equipped with the keys they need to create a comprehensive marketing plan to keep the organization responsive to the market and moving forward profitably.

Source: University marketing

5 OF THE BEST MARKETING CAMPAIGNS ACROSS THE GLOBE

It can be easy to focus on U.S. campaigns while living in the States, but some of the biggest and best marketing campaigns from 2014 came from other countries.

Warc.com—an online service offering insight into advertising best practices—has pulled together the top 100 campaigns of any country. The Warc 100 was populated with campaigns from across the globe—with a campaign from India grabbing the number one spot.

Here are some highlights of the best marketing campaigns from all corners of the world: 

1.  Kan Khajura Tesan—Hindustan Unilever—India

In India, there is a new phenomenon involving missed calls on mobile phones. Indian mobile users— wanting to avoid the charges of a text message or phone call—will call and hang up after the first ring. The recipient then knows to respond to the missed call with a return call or text. Companies have caught on to the practice and have developed apps and systems to reply to missed calls from mobile users.

Hindustan Unilever took the Warc 100 top spot this past year by developing a campaign that incorporated the missed call phenomenon. In many areas of India, people are without electricity for hours each day, but they still have access to the outside world through their mobile phones. Unilever wanted to expand into these areas but needed a way to reach the population, so it instituted a missed call campaign to deliver content and advertising. Consumers could call a certain number, hang up, and then be called back with entertainment content—jokes, music, etc. Each message also includes advertisements.

The program collected 12 million calls in just 10 months since its launch. Unilever’s ability to deliver digital ads to a population that doesn’t always have electricity is considered quite a feat.

2. Travel Yourself Interesting—Expedia—United Kingdom

Travel discount site Expedia turned a simple idea into a powerful campaign with its “Travel Yourself Interesting” spots. The commercial series turned the usual focus of travel companies—the savings—to the real value of travel—the experience. In the series of spots, several people express jealousy of a different person who has returned from some distant land with interesting and entertaining stories. The lives of typically impressive people—magicians, horse trainers, and stuntmen, for example—all fall flat when compared with the travel stories of returning adventures.

The focus on value only increases the appeal of a site that already offers discounted travel. The idea of adding value to its product worked for Expedia UK—the campaign offered a return of £11 on every £1 spent.

3. Bentley Burial—Brazilian Organization of Organ Transplants—Brazil

In a stunt that flashed across headlines in Brazil, a billionaire known for bizarre behavior claimed he was going to bury his Bentley. Count Chiquinho Scarpa announced on his Facebook page that he planned to bury the car—worth half a million dollars—in his backyard. The public backlash was fierce, with opponents claiming he could utilize the car’s value in much better ways, such as donating it to charity.

Eventually, it was revealed that the Count’s announcement was all a stunt. The Brazilian Organization of Organ Transplants had recruited him to raise awareness about organ donation. The campaign sought to show that burying a human body with useful organs was as wasteful as burying a functional Bentley. The attention inspired donations to increase by 31.5% in just one month.

4. The Hornbach Hammer—Hornbach—Germany

German DIY and hardware retailer Hornbach made hammer history—creating perhaps history’s biggest frenzy over a tool. Hornbach purchased a Russian tank and started tearing it apart to build something new. The brand launched a multi-part campaign that slowly revealed what the tank parts were going to create. The result was the Hornbach hammer.

The ensuing buzz elevated the Hornbach hammer to the level of a pop icon. The initial sale of the limited-edition hammer sold out in under five minutes, and the official products in stores cleared out in just two hours.

5. Guilt Trips—V/Line—Australia

The train service V/Line wanted to encourage younger people from the Victoria, Australia, area to take the train. Like many other areas, Australia has seen the social phenomenon of younger residents moving into the city. To inspire travel back out into the countryside, V/Line launched a campaign that leveraged one of the most powerful forces in the world—parental guilt.

The campaign offered Guilt Trips products: prepaid train tickets accompanied by a guilt-inducing message from a loved one. In the video spots, parents send sentimental photos and passive aggressive messages to their children in cities to encourage a trip home. The guilt trip worked—off-peak sales increased by 15% for the train line.

Source: marketingdive.com