Tom Friedman's "The World is Flat" feels a little passe at this point, huh? Written in a pre-Facebook and Twitter world, we're living in an even more connected and competitive global landscape than Friedman outlined in 2005. And—as the world dealt with global economic fallout that began in 2009—the idea that our society is a truly global one without borders and barriers seems particularly obvious.
Attending the CASE Europe Annual Conference last week in Edinburgh, Scotland was an in-your-face reminder of that reality. Higher-ed marketing, communications, fundraising and alumni relations professionals from throughout Europe gathered in an event that rivals only the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed in the U.S. Like AMA, over 1,000 practitioners attended, eager to share best practices and learn from innovative colleagues facing similar challenges. You can see more by searching #CEAC14.
Participating in the event as a speaker for the second year in a row, it's apparent that marketers throughout Europe share many challenges with those in the U.S. Here's my take:
- We're different. It's a common refrain heard from institutions in the U.S. Surely nobody is as decentralized, under-resourced, void of institutional command, or adrift of faculty input as you, right? Well, except for all of the institutions in Europe. The challenges many U.S. colleges and university speak of are shared with equal vigor and concern by marketers throughout Europe.
- Brash Americans. U.S. universities are clearly regarded as global reputation leaders and as a model for higher education. But does that insulate us from global competition? As colleges and universities throughout the States have amped up international recruitment—primarily in China and India—our assumption is that it's fertile ground. But c'mon. While we can proudly say that "46 of the top 100 places and eight of the top 10" schools in the THE rankings are U.S. schools, that doesn't mean that the idea that we're destinations for international students—or that U.S. students won't consider leaving the States—is clear. The U.S. has great schools. And so does the rest of the world. The U.K.'s population is ~ 20% of the U.S.'s but still has 10 of the world's top 100 ranked schools. So who are we to think that as tuitions rise in the U.S. and the U.K. moves to a deregulated approach to higher ed that U.S. students won't increasingly consider going to schools in England and Scotland with increasing regularity. Or that the same students from India and China may consider European schools instead? And what if the world's top universities begin to offer major programs based in English. Are U.S. schools truly ready for a global market? European schools have been developing internationalization strategies for much longer.
- A better model. While the focus and direction of U.S. highered marketing efforts lacks consistent clarity of expectations, that clarity is not the case for schools in the U.K. and much of Europe and the organizational models reflect it. Most European marketing leaders—especially with deregulation—are accountable for student recruitment. It's key in what they do and their focus, regardless of the institution's research profile. For U.S. institutions—especially large research institutions—this lack of clarity complicates a lack of clear goals for marketers.
- The power of data. At SimpsonScarborough we've long said that market research data and insight can be a powerful tool in aligning and framing issues that colleges and universities share. There's a lot we assume but data is a grand equalizer. It brings focus around key issues institutions face. But—as Nick Agarwal of The University of Sheffield points out—telling our story in compelling ways adds relevance and meaning to fact.
- 4 R's of highered marketing. Finally, a great reminder from Peter Reader, Dir of Marketing Communications at University of Portsmouth. It's typical to talk of marketing and the 4 P's of price, product, promotion, and place. What about the 4 r's of highered marketing—recruitment, reputation, relationships, and research (impact)? If marketers in highered focus on these areas we can truly deliver value for our institutions.
Welcome to a truly flattened highered world.
