Marketing and branding for Finnish education

Transcript:Marketing and branding for Finnish education:
Marketing and branding for Finnish education export to China CEREC Lecture Series Seppo Hölttä Yuzhuo Cai Chinese Education Research & Exchange Centre University of Tampere Branding < marketing < exporting Marketing is an essential step for Finnish education export Branding is a foundational piece in marketing communication 2 Branding, marketing and exporting Strategies in marketing Challenges in marketing What is the Chinese market Key approaches/tactics to the Chinese market An example of Higher Education Group (HEG) Experiences from other countires 3 Main topics We need a systematic and long term commitment, while avoiding one-time deals We need to develop packages of modules We need to develop synergy between education export and industry export instead of each section operating alone We need long term academic capacity building among Finnish HEIs and with top Chinese universities We need to invest in the planning and development of the programmes No failure allowed Importance of Quality Assurance We need a localisation approach rather than standardisation Importance of partnership with Chinese universities 4 Strategic thinking in marketing & exporting education I We need to first strategically build one overarching brand of “Finnish education”, not many brands of institutions and programmes Even together we are a small player in the Chinese markets Need to clarify the roles of Finnish actors (HEIs, companies, Ministries, Finpro/FLF) We need to identify the main Chinese stakeholders and clarify how to operate with them Chinese administration system Chinese culture Benefiting from the successful Finnish brand, individual educational providers can position their niche market and do marketing Need for focused marketing materials and channels Coordination needed 5 Strategic thinking in marketing & exporting education II Delivers the message clearly Confirms your credibility Connects your target prospects emotionally Motivates the buyer Concretes user loyalty 6 Objectives of a good branding understand the needs of your customers integrate your brand strategies at every point of public contact important to invest time in researching, defining, and building your brand 7 Toward branding Not prepared Do not even think about offering to China a programme which have been prepared for a Finnish student/audience Lacking resources Investment Experiences Experts Not even realise that marketing is necessary and it requires resources We need to understand that we are now living in a global market economy Little commitment to capacity building Importance of research and partnership with Chinese universities 8 Challenges in marketing I Few concrete products to market