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| From freshers to focus groups: how universities are learning to advertise | From freshers to focus groups: how universities are learning to advertise |
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| Fifty-five teenagers scattered across the country are currently under the microscope of an advertising agency. They are being watched, regularly grilled and invited to share their thoughts, emotions and even photographs on a private web portal as they move through the last two years at school. | Fifty-five teenagers scattered across the country are currently under the microscope of an advertising agency. They are being watched, regularly grilled and invited to share their thoughts, emotions and even photographs on a private web portal as they move through the last two years at school. |
| But this market research, quite typical in the advertising industry, is not part of an attempt to sell designer clothes, iPods, flatscreen TVs, or even a political party: this firm's clients are trying to sell their universities. | But this market research, quite typical in the advertising industry, is not part of an attempt to sell designer clothes, iPods, flatscreen TVs, or even a political party: this firm's clients are trying to sell their universities. |
| "We want to get close to this group, understand the emotional journey that they go on," said the agency's head of education, Dan Beynon, who currently works for 25 universities. "The potential students are faced by all this information, all these events – be it university open days, Ucas forms or the prospectuses they are reading – and we want to know how that all makes them feel, and who is influencing them." | "We want to get close to this group, understand the emotional journey that they go on," said the agency's head of education, Dan Beynon, who currently works for 25 universities. "The potential students are faced by all this information, all these events – be it university open days, Ucas forms or the prospectuses they are reading – and we want to know how that all makes them feel, and who is influencing them." |
| Higher education in the UK is big business. It has an £18.7bn annual revenue stream. Some £11.7bn of that, and growing, comes from tuition fees and education contracts, while the proportion of cash received from state funding bodies is dwindling year by year (from 34.8% in 2008-09 to 24.1% in 2012-13). | Higher education in the UK is big business. It has an £18.7bn annual revenue stream. Some £11.7bn of that, and growing, comes from tuition fees and education contracts, while the proportion of cash received from state funding bodies is dwindling year by year (from 34.8% in 2008-09 to 24.1% in 2012-13). |
| By 2015, universities will be allowed to take on as many students as they want as the institution-by-institution limit on numbers currently in place is lifted. To put it simply, universities will live or die by the number of fee-paying students they can entice to enrol – or "sign on the dotted line", as one university marketing director put it. | By 2015, universities will be allowed to take on as many students as they want as the institution-by-institution limit on numbers currently in place is lifted. To put it simply, universities will live or die by the number of fee-paying students they can entice to enrol – or "sign on the dotted line", as one university marketing director put it. |
| Ministers initially thought that by capping fees in September 2012 at £9,000 they would create a market in which universities sought to compete, at least partially, on price. The reality is that more than a quarter of institutions demand £9,000 fees for all degrees, with the average now at £8,647 a year. It would be regarded as an admission of inadequacy, many vice-chancellors concluded, to charge less. | Ministers initially thought that by capping fees in September 2012 at £9,000 they would create a market in which universities sought to compete, at least partially, on price. The reality is that more than a quarter of institutions demand £9,000 fees for all degrees, with the average now at £8,647 a year. It would be regarded as an admission of inadequacy, many vice-chancellors concluded, to charge less. |
| So how do universities differentiate themselves and catch the attention of students? Turning to the ad industry, it appears, is increasingly part of the answer. According to research by Dr Chris Chapleo examining the views of university marketing directors, while the £9,000 fee has not made higher education a "true market in the fullest sense ... an investment of this magnitude by students engenders a consumer mentality and a shift in approach from recruiting institutions". | So how do universities differentiate themselves and catch the attention of students? Turning to the ad industry, it appears, is increasingly part of the answer. According to research by Dr Chris Chapleo examining the views of university marketing directors, while the £9,000 fee has not made higher education a "true market in the fullest sense ... an investment of this magnitude by students engenders a consumer mentality and a shift in approach from recruiting institutions". |
| And all this is in the context of the development of a global higher education market with record numbers of students now waking up to the opportunities in foreign universities – 9,467 UK students pursued university study in the US alone in 2012-13, marking about a 3% increase from the 9,186 students in the US the previous year. | And all this is in the context of the development of a global higher education market with record numbers of students now waking up to the opportunities in foreign universities – 9,467 UK students pursued university study in the US alone in 2012-13, marking about a 3% increase from the 9,186 students in the US the previous year. |
| Seventy institutions that responded to a freedom of information request earlier this year from the Times Higher Education website revealed that they collectively spent more than £36m on marketing to students in 2012-13, a rise of 14.7% on 2011-12 and 33% on 2010-11. | Seventy institutions that responded to a freedom of information request earlier this year from the Times Higher Education website revealed that they collectively spent more than £36m on marketing to students in 2012-13, a rise of 14.7% on 2011-12 and 33% on 2010-11. |
| Perhaps to the uninitiated, it might seem a simple sell in these difficult economic times: promise a job at the end of the course. But for all the talk of students wanting to know that employment will follow their time at university, the ad execs know that there is so much more that teenagers want to hear about their prospective home for the next three years – or even what perceptions of institutions may need to be dispelled. Sheffield University pushes its research, of course, but also the "best student union"; Manchester University is keen for students (perhaps in particular those from London) to know that it is in a multicultural city; while Hull is seeking to establish in the minds of students visiting its websites that the university is "established" (the 14th oldest in England), not a former polytechnic. Then there's the omnipresent boast of great pubs. But it is zeroing-in on a unique selling point, creating a brand, that is important. | Perhaps to the uninitiated, it might seem a simple sell in these difficult economic times: promise a job at the end of the course. But for all the talk of students wanting to know that employment will follow their time at university, the ad execs know that there is so much more that teenagers want to hear about their prospective home for the next three years – or even what perceptions of institutions may need to be dispelled. Sheffield University pushes its research, of course, but also the "best student union"; Manchester University is keen for students (perhaps in particular those from London) to know that it is in a multicultural city; while Hull is seeking to establish in the minds of students visiting its websites that the university is "established" (the 14th oldest in England), not a former polytechnic. Then there's the omnipresent boast of great pubs. But it is zeroing-in on a unique selling point, creating a brand, that is important. |
| New universities, unable to rely on reputation and word of mouth, have seen some of the biggest rises in marketing spending, with varying degrees of success. At Keele University, a social media campaign with the hashtag #nutsaboutkeele, including a video of squirrels dancing on its campus, was thought a good idea to help boost enrolment. Bucks New University, in High Wycombe, concluded that an improved Facebook page carrying reviews of students' experiences was a must, with all the risks that came with that ("Shite", posted one unhappy alumnus). And the University of Bedford Twitter feed last week even sought some reflected glory from England's World Cup bid: "Roy Hodgson will announce his squad for the 2014 Brazil World Cup in our very own Luton later today," it boasted. | New universities, unable to rely on reputation and word of mouth, have seen some of the biggest rises in marketing spending, with varying degrees of success. At Keele University, a social media campaign with the hashtag #nutsaboutkeele, including a video of squirrels dancing on its campus, was thought a good idea to help boost enrolment. Bucks New University, in High Wycombe, concluded that an improved Facebook page carrying reviews of students' experiences was a must, with all the risks that came with that ("Shite", posted one unhappy alumnus). And the University of Bedford Twitter feed last week even sought some reflected glory from England's World Cup bid: "Roy Hodgson will announce his squad for the 2014 Brazil World Cup in our very own Luton later today," it boasted. |
| Anyone who has travelled on London Underground in recent years will have noticed the proliferation of posters exclaiming the virtues of institutions inside and out of the capital. But Chapleo's study – entitled "The effect of fees on higher education marketing in the UK" – notes a particular explosion in digital activity. | Anyone who has travelled on London Underground in recent years will have noticed the proliferation of posters exclaiming the virtues of institutions inside and out of the capital. But Chapleo's study – entitled "The effect of fees on higher education marketing in the UK" – notes a particular explosion in digital activity. |
| University marketing departments track the internet activity of any visitors to their websites, seek potential students out through targeted advertising campaigns on popular sites, and pay big money to have their institutions pop up on the front page of Google when potential students put particular courses in the search engine. One marketing director moaned to Chapleo: "Around the clearing period, the price, the pay-per-click for certain keyword searches in Google, shoots up sky high, and so it's very difficult to be competitive and still appear on the first page of Google searches." | University marketing departments track the internet activity of any visitors to their websites, seek potential students out through targeted advertising campaigns on popular sites, and pay big money to have their institutions pop up on the front page of Google when potential students put particular courses in the search engine. One marketing director moaned to Chapleo: "Around the clearing period, the price, the pay-per-click for certain keyword searches in Google, shoots up sky high, and so it's very difficult to be competitive and still appear on the first page of Google searches." |
| All this means that university marketing directors (being appointed in recent years on salaries in the region of £80,000, Chapleo says) want to know more about what young men and women are looking for, as students become increasingly aware that there is a big price (and debt burden) attached to the decision to carry on their studies. "There is a much greater need, we believe, for us and our clients to understand much more about that audience that they are talking to and the way they consume media and find information," said Beynon. | All this means that university marketing directors (being appointed in recent years on salaries in the region of £80,000, Chapleo says) want to know more about what young men and women are looking for, as students become increasingly aware that there is a big price (and debt burden) attached to the decision to carry on their studies. "There is a much greater need, we believe, for us and our clients to understand much more about that audience that they are talking to and the way they consume media and find information," said Beynon. |
| According to Madeleine McGowan, director of marketing and student recruitment at the School of Oriental and Asian Studies (SOAS), the importance of grabbing students' attention in a highly competitive marketplace is even shaping the way British universities look. "The students are mindful of employment prospects and the quality of the experience they are going to encounter; the social side is obviously important, but it is all the other things that they are going to get that come into the equation," said McGowan. "Universities have always cared about those things but they are probably factoring them in more centrally into their decision-making. | According to Madeleine McGowan, director of marketing and student recruitment at the School of Oriental and Asian Studies (SOAS), the importance of grabbing students' attention in a highly competitive marketplace is even shaping the way British universities look. "The students are mindful of employment prospects and the quality of the experience they are going to encounter; the social side is obviously important, but it is all the other things that they are going to get that come into the equation," said McGowan. "Universities have always cared about those things but they are probably factoring them in more centrally into their decision-making. |
| "So, for example, we are investing in a wonderful new space at Senate House so we can consolidate the school on to one campus in the centre of town. I think that sort of decision-making about the offering is more central than it used to be." | "So, for example, we are investing in a wonderful new space at Senate House so we can consolidate the school on to one campus in the centre of town. I think that sort of decision-making about the offering is more central than it used to be." |
| Andy McGettigan, author of the The Great University Gamble, is not, however, convinced that the arms race to impress students with buildings and marketing gimmicks is making for a healthy sector. "There is an 'open day' strategy," he said. "More and more people think the first impression of different campuses is the difference in getting someone to enrol. So the Roehampton University advert on the tube says 'we are London's only campus university', and is saying it has ducks and stuff. | Andy McGettigan, author of the The Great University Gamble, is not, however, convinced that the arms race to impress students with buildings and marketing gimmicks is making for a healthy sector. "There is an 'open day' strategy," he said. "More and more people think the first impression of different campuses is the difference in getting someone to enrol. So the Roehampton University advert on the tube says 'we are London's only campus university', and is saying it has ducks and stuff. |
| "And there are a lot of universities outside London rationalising their campuses. So Manchester has just issued a £350m bond; De Montfort University has just issued a £150m bond, which they are going to use to completely relandscape their Leicester site. Almost all of that money is going to redesign the waterfront. They are pedestrianising what is effectively a dual carriageway going through the centre of the campus. And it is quite clear that is an open day strategy." | |
| Sally Hunt, general secretary of the university workers union, the UCU, is equally concerned by the trend. She told the Observer: "More money seems to be spent on selling the idea of an education than delivering it. Students are being forced to pay more and staff are not paid enough, yet the marketing budget seems to be unaffected. Tales of lavish sums being spent on PR stunts and sponsorship do little to temper criticisms that senior management are far removed from the needs and concerns of staff and students." | Sally Hunt, general secretary of the university workers union, the UCU, is equally concerned by the trend. She told the Observer: "More money seems to be spent on selling the idea of an education than delivering it. Students are being forced to pay more and staff are not paid enough, yet the marketing budget seems to be unaffected. Tales of lavish sums being spent on PR stunts and sponsorship do little to temper criticisms that senior management are far removed from the needs and concerns of staff and students." |
| McGettigan added: "If you are having to spend more money on marketing and recruitment just to keep the places you have historically had, then that is money that is not going to go on instruction and research." | McGettigan added: "If you are having to spend more money on marketing and recruitment just to keep the places you have historically had, then that is money that is not going to go on instruction and research." |
| The jury is out on whether those will be the concerns of the advertisers' teenage focus group. | The jury is out on whether those will be the concerns of the advertisers' teenage focus group. |
| • This article was amended on 20 May 2014. An earlier version said that Manchester had issued a £100m, rather than £350m, bond. In addition, the same paragraph implied that De Montfort University's landscaping included making a canal. They already have a canal, the proposals are for making a feature of it. |
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