ERIC Number: EJ1163028
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0884-1241
EISSN: N/A
Location, Location, Location: Does Place Provide the Opportunity for Differentiation for Universities?
Winter, Emma; Thompson-Whiteside, Helen
Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, v27 n2 p233-250 2017
The fiercely competitive HE market has led HEIs to invest significant resources in building a distinct identity. An HEI's location forms an inherent part of its identity and the uniqueness of location offers an opportunity to differentiate. However there has been limited examination of how location is used by HEIs and little consideration of how location can provide an effective means of differentiation. Through the lens of place marketing, this exploratory paper provides insight into the way HEIs portray location and discusses whether location can offer a source of differentiation.Using a content analysis of prospectuses and interviews with marketing decision makers, this paper contributes a deeper understanding of the way in which a place brand is constructed by a stakeholder. The study reveals that HEIs portray a location to simultaneously excite and reassure the student which ultimately leads to the commodification of location. As such, differentiation is not possible.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Universities, School Location, Reputation, Content Analysis, Marketing, Program Descriptions, Decision Making, Qualitative Research, Semi Structured Interviews
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A