University Business - October 2006 - (Page 23)

MARKETING Realigning Higher Education Marketing Is it time to rethink the 4P strategy? By Eric Sickler I differently than the competition. N T E G R AT E D MARKETING I am increasingly convinced that the guru Don Schultz, author of scores of brand is what your people are, Schultz books on the topic, professor emeri- said. Your school's brand comes from tus-in-ser vice of integrated marketing inside; it does not come from outside. It communication at Northwestern Uni- needs to bubble up from who your people versity Ill. , and president of the global are because it's who you are. If you don't marketing consultancy Agora, delivered do it that way, you'll get found out. the keynote presentation on the final day He continued, We're living today in of this year's Strategic Integrated Market- a `pull' marketplace. That's what changes ing conference, hosted by Stamats. all of what we've been trained to do, to Nearly 300 higher education market- Marketing was never develop promotion and to push it out. ing practitioners filled the ballroom of developed to deal with Today the most important thing is how the Chicago Marriott Downtown to soak quickly you can respond to a request for up Schultz's sage counsel. And did he de- a marketplace like this. information. liver. However, what he told the audience Don Schultz, Northwestern University Schultz suggested that today's market- caused a few folks to scratch their heads ers have been trained to function mono- in mock confusion, while most others chronically. They think in sequential or Believe it or not, marketing was never chuckled in approval. linear terms; one influence or stimulus developed to deal with a marketplace like You can never integrate higher edu- happens after another. However, Schultz this, he explained. All of our training cation marketing because no one on any explained, the students being recruited is based on talking rather than listening. campus ever wants to be integrated into today are polychronic: They're processing This is what your administration does not anything, Schultz began. It's inherent multiple information streams simultane- understand. Your primary task [as a cam- in our systems. We're divided by colleges, ously. When we send monochronic in- pus-based marketer] is to educate your divisions, departments, groups. All sepa- formation to a polychronic receiver, we're board and your administration on what rate, all independent. So when you come fooling ourselves to think we're capturing the world is really like today. It's not the dancing in saying you're going to inte- their attention, Schultz warned. world they grew up in, and it's not the grate, they say, `The hell you are!' They While technology has certainly helped world they were trained to function in. don't want it. They won't do it. colleges and universities to bolster their The best that can be hoped for, Schultz Schultz admitted that his first interpre- response times, it has also created more suggested, is to align the issues, initiatives, tation of integrated marketing was simply than its fair share of challenges. Schultz and stakeholders at a school to focus on tactical, not terribly strategic, and largely made that point painfully clear when he the needs and expectations of key constit- focused on the traditional, sender-centric noted that in two-tenths of a second, uent groups. This makes the primary role 4Ps of marketing product, price, pro- everything you have planned and ex- of today's campus-based marketer to sell motion, and place . But technology and ecuted is destroyed by some blogger the school internally as much as externally. consumerism have shifted the focus of Schultz suggested that the real marketing marketing decidedly toward the customer. issue at any school is to align the campus The 4Ps are gone because they are inter- Eric Sickler is principal consultant for Stamats community to focus on the learning expe- nally focused. They never talk about the Communications. He can be reached at eric. rience how they're delivering it better or customer, Schultz announced boldly. sickler@stamats.com. www.universitybusiness.com October 2006 | 23 Mrktg1006.indd 23 9/21/06 9:45:34 AM http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - October 2006

Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
Behind the News
Marketing
Future Shock
Admissions
Viewpoint
Financial Aid
On the Hill
Beyond Baldrige
Made in America
Wiring the Dining Experience
Lighting The Way
Internet Technology
What's New
Calendar of Events
Direct Connect
End Note

University Business - October 2006