Ag Voice | Effectiveness of Advertising in the Education Sector

Advertising as a tool, is one of the most powerful tools that a Brand can make use of to announce its arrival in a market. By the sheer nature of its mass appeal, varied forms and reach, it not only has the ability to disseminate information to the target audience but also creates a space for the Brand in their minds when used effectively. Hence, be it a consumer product, fashion, automobiles, medicines, education or any other sector, ‘Advertising’ has its own role to play and in an equally effective manner.

When we talk about advertising in the education sector, it definitely helps a Brand to cross the first step effortlessly – of introducing it to the target audience. However, considering the nature of this sector, the type and medium of advertising needs to be carefully selected as: (1) When it comes to education, people want more customized messaging on what the school / institute offers, and (2) When choosing an Institute, Word-of-Mouth and other specialized advertising media like the social media or direct marketing vis-à-vis mass advertising plays a more decisive role.

Direct advertising and marketing give the target audience a 1-to-1 feeling where the school is talking to them personally to address their needs. Hence, this leads to more enquires and ultimately conversions. While the mass media including display ads, outdoor media and press ads is a great way for creating general awareness about a school, it has its own limitations in delivering results when it comes to the education sector.

Just like the media for dissemination has to be customized for a school, so also has to be the content. Education as a sector is very sensitive as it is concerned with the lives of children. Advertisers in this sector carry an extra responsibility on their shoulders when advertising a school or institute.

While misinformation and tall-claims may attract eye-balls, these have the capability to cause an irreparable long-term damage and bring disrepute not only to that particular school / institute, but sometimes to the whole industry as well. If the audience find a mismatch in what is being advertised and what is being actually offered on-ground, it can mar the image of the school beyond repair, as ‘Word-of-Mouth’ is one of the most relied-upon tools in this sector. Advertising will then have very little role to play to undo the damage.

The focus of advertising in this sector, therefore, should be on facilities offered by the schools, the latest research in child development and how it is being utilized and implemented at the school and not just academic development but the overall personality development avenues being provided by preschools and other higher institutes for the children.

Advertising, thus, like in the medical field, is a double-edged sword in the education sector as well which needs to be handled very carefully. Advertisers needs to follow the ABC of advertising with due diligence, i.e., A – Audience, B – Brand, C – Consideration. To make their efforts effective and successful, they need to have a complete understanding of their audiences, the Brand and its offerings and the considerations they wish to highlight (reasons why the audience should come to the school) so that there is no gap between what is being communicated and what is being offered as when it finally comes to selecting a school, the proof is in the pudding. By: Jitendra Karsan

About The Author: 

Jitendra Karsan comes with over 16 years of entrepreneurial experience. Currently, associated with Safari Kid India as the Chief Executive Officer, he is responsible for marketing the Brand – Safari Kid, one of the fastest growing preschool Brands in the world with presence in USA, Canada, Malaysia, Hong Kong and India. Mr Karsan also overlooks the progress of franchising in India. Besides, he is also involved in aligning the curriculum with Indian systems so the transition from Safari Kid to ISCE, CBSE or IB is easy for the kids and the parents.

 

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