Dublin Core
Title
Strategic Marketing of Higher Education in Africa
Creator
Robert Ebo Hinson
Description
Strategic marketing of higher education encompasses the efforts made by tertiary
or higher education institutions to develop a better understanding of the needs of
their prospective customers in order to design products and services to meet and
exceed these needs. These marketing activities of tertiary institutions should
usually be carried out through the execution of purposeful conversations with all
the university brand stakeholders, and this is the function of brand marketing
communications (Mogaji, 2016). Brand marketing communications seeks to
integrate multiple consumer contact points that occur through the purchase
of commercial messages in paid, earned, and owned media to deliver persuasive and impactful statements about higher education brands. Persuasive brand
communications is a critical pillar in the successful marketing efforts of universities worldwide, and this new edited book focuses on marketing and
brand communication issues from an African perspective.
Africa is the second-largest continent, both in area and population, of the
seven continents in the world. The continent is vast as is its education system
designed to meet the educational needs of its citizens; however, there is a dearth
of insight into this vast education system, especially its higher education institutions despite the fact that higher education is known to support countries’ social,
economic, and cultural progress (Alcaide-Pulido, Alves, & Gutiérrez-Villar,
2017). While acknowledging the limited theoretical insight into marketing
higher education in Africa (Maringe & Foskett, 2002; Ivy, 2008) research
abounds on higher education in the developed countries, highlighting a gap in
knowledge that needs to be filled.
Universities in Africa are continually advancing towards providing better
quality education (Olaleye, Ukpabi, & Mogaji, 2020). While there is a shortage
of funds for existing universities, governments are still creating more universities, private institutions are also establishing universities to meet these
growing demands, and likewise, universities in the developed countries are
opening international branch campuses in Africa (Chee, Butt, Wilkins, & Ong,
2016; Maringe, 2009). The changing demographics of prospective students in
Africa is also changing – they are more demanding, mobile, and tech-savvy and
take time to search for information (Michael, 2004). These dynamics within
the sector is necessitating the need for strategic marketing of higher education
as universities are becoming more business-oriented in the competitive higher
education market (Ndofirepi, Farinloye, & Mogaji, 2020).
Marketing of higher education is necessitated based on the need to deliver a
service to the market to those who can afford it (Mogaji & Yoon, 2019). In
other words, some prospective students want to acquire tertiary education, and
likewise, some universities need more students in order to remain commercially
viable. Universities need to be strategic to portray how different and unique they
are as this becomes a competitive advantage (Mackelo & Drūteikienė, 2010) and
building this unique brand image as a university means more significant advantages are possible (Hemsley-Brown & Oplatka, 2006). The African context with
these marketing dynamics, however, needs to be acknowledged.
A significant challenge that colleges and universities in Africa face apart from
the state and standards of the campuses is that they are not deemed to be
competitive enough for consumers to perceive them as offering better products
and services than their competitors. Besides, there are external challenges, often
not in control of the university. There are challenges with the countries in
terms of safety, security, and opportunities, as well as the macroeconomic
stability living standards, inflation, and unemployment.
The challenges of African universities are multifaceted. They face unique
developmental challenges located in narratives of poverty, postcolonialism,
coloniality, and more recently, decolonisation (Maringe, 2020). There is a gap
in knowledge with regards to the marketing of higher education on the continent as the strategies adopted in the developed countries with a developed
educational sector may not necessarily work in Africa (Mogaji, Farinloye, &
Aririguzoh, 2017). Even though there are some developed higher education
systems in Africa, such as in South Africa and Egypt, there is still a gap in
knowledge about the African higher education market. Thus, there is need for
better understanding of the higher education market and importantly their
marketing challenges which informs the marketing communications strategies
to be adopted.
This book fills that gap in knowledge. It addresses one of the many sectors
involved in developing the capacity of universities in Africa. While there are
challenges with the administration of the universities, funding structure, curriculum, and quality of education (Maringe, 2005; Mogaji, 2019), this book
focuses on the strategic marketing communications of the universities as they
engage with various stakeholders and enhances managers’ decision-making
capacity. This book offers empirical insight into the higher education market
across the continent. It offers significant theoretical and marketing practice
implications for academics, higher education administrators, and practitioners
on how best to reach out to prospective students in the competitive higher
education market using digital media and creating a brand that stands out.
Likewise, international practitioners aiming to market to prospective African
students or wishing to start partnerships with existing African universities will
2 Emmanuel Mogaji et al.
also find this relevant in understanding the dynamics of the African higher
education market. We hope that this book meaningfully advances our
comprehension of marketing higher education in Africa and that it will
stimulate further research.
or higher education institutions to develop a better understanding of the needs of
their prospective customers in order to design products and services to meet and
exceed these needs. These marketing activities of tertiary institutions should
usually be carried out through the execution of purposeful conversations with all
the university brand stakeholders, and this is the function of brand marketing
communications (Mogaji, 2016). Brand marketing communications seeks to
integrate multiple consumer contact points that occur through the purchase
of commercial messages in paid, earned, and owned media to deliver persuasive and impactful statements about higher education brands. Persuasive brand
communications is a critical pillar in the successful marketing efforts of universities worldwide, and this new edited book focuses on marketing and
brand communication issues from an African perspective.
Africa is the second-largest continent, both in area and population, of the
seven continents in the world. The continent is vast as is its education system
designed to meet the educational needs of its citizens; however, there is a dearth
of insight into this vast education system, especially its higher education institutions despite the fact that higher education is known to support countries’ social,
economic, and cultural progress (Alcaide-Pulido, Alves, & Gutiérrez-Villar,
2017). While acknowledging the limited theoretical insight into marketing
higher education in Africa (Maringe & Foskett, 2002; Ivy, 2008) research
abounds on higher education in the developed countries, highlighting a gap in
knowledge that needs to be filled.
Universities in Africa are continually advancing towards providing better
quality education (Olaleye, Ukpabi, & Mogaji, 2020). While there is a shortage
of funds for existing universities, governments are still creating more universities, private institutions are also establishing universities to meet these
growing demands, and likewise, universities in the developed countries are
opening international branch campuses in Africa (Chee, Butt, Wilkins, & Ong,
2016; Maringe, 2009). The changing demographics of prospective students in
Africa is also changing – they are more demanding, mobile, and tech-savvy and
take time to search for information (Michael, 2004). These dynamics within
the sector is necessitating the need for strategic marketing of higher education
as universities are becoming more business-oriented in the competitive higher
education market (Ndofirepi, Farinloye, & Mogaji, 2020).
Marketing of higher education is necessitated based on the need to deliver a
service to the market to those who can afford it (Mogaji & Yoon, 2019). In
other words, some prospective students want to acquire tertiary education, and
likewise, some universities need more students in order to remain commercially
viable. Universities need to be strategic to portray how different and unique they
are as this becomes a competitive advantage (Mackelo & Drūteikienė, 2010) and
building this unique brand image as a university means more significant advantages are possible (Hemsley-Brown & Oplatka, 2006). The African context with
these marketing dynamics, however, needs to be acknowledged.
A significant challenge that colleges and universities in Africa face apart from
the state and standards of the campuses is that they are not deemed to be
competitive enough for consumers to perceive them as offering better products
and services than their competitors. Besides, there are external challenges, often
not in control of the university. There are challenges with the countries in
terms of safety, security, and opportunities, as well as the macroeconomic
stability living standards, inflation, and unemployment.
The challenges of African universities are multifaceted. They face unique
developmental challenges located in narratives of poverty, postcolonialism,
coloniality, and more recently, decolonisation (Maringe, 2020). There is a gap
in knowledge with regards to the marketing of higher education on the continent as the strategies adopted in the developed countries with a developed
educational sector may not necessarily work in Africa (Mogaji, Farinloye, &
Aririguzoh, 2017). Even though there are some developed higher education
systems in Africa, such as in South Africa and Egypt, there is still a gap in
knowledge about the African higher education market. Thus, there is need for
better understanding of the higher education market and importantly their
marketing challenges which informs the marketing communications strategies
to be adopted.
This book fills that gap in knowledge. It addresses one of the many sectors
involved in developing the capacity of universities in Africa. While there are
challenges with the administration of the universities, funding structure, curriculum, and quality of education (Maringe, 2005; Mogaji, 2019), this book
focuses on the strategic marketing communications of the universities as they
engage with various stakeholders and enhances managers’ decision-making
capacity. This book offers empirical insight into the higher education market
across the continent. It offers significant theoretical and marketing practice
implications for academics, higher education administrators, and practitioners
on how best to reach out to prospective students in the competitive higher
education market using digital media and creating a brand that stands out.
Likewise, international practitioners aiming to market to prospective African
students or wishing to start partnerships with existing African universities will
2 Emmanuel Mogaji et al.
also find this relevant in understanding the dynamics of the African higher
education market. We hope that this book meaningfully advances our
comprehension of marketing higher education in Africa and that it will
stimulate further research.
Language
English