1. Marketing Plan: Purpose and Mission

1. Promote courses and programs offered in FAL at all levels.
2. Promote FAL research, consultancy and services.
3. Promote public awareness of key service offerings in varied areas associated with the faculty.

The FAL Marketing Plan is produced in order to streamline our efforts in creating greater market awareness of our courses and programs. The plan aims for a coordinated marketing approach that best serves our efforts to increase and sustain the market share in offerings in tertiary education regionally and internationally.

The marketing plan is also based on an assessment of our key offerings and services to address the new competitive era in tertiary education, research and specialist services, and consultancies.

The marketing plan will provide the benchmark to assess enrolments, appraise new market options for courses and programs, and provide strategic options to increase our research, services and consultancies.

The plan should form the basis for schools and centers within FAL to assess marketing strategies and outcomes on a yearly basis. Innovations in marketing from FAL and from its schools and centers will be incorporated into the plan in coming years.

2. Situational Analysis

Current Market Status

The Faculty of Arts and Law enters the first year of their 2010-2012 business plans with key areas of focus in marketing on increasing enrolments across the board, and nurturing a quality assurance program in all its modes of delivery.

The entry of new players into the tertiary education market places additional challenges. FAL marketing has to be better coordinated and incisive in meeting these challenges. Marketing needs to be based on delivery of clear and concise information about the faculty and its offering.

3. Current Marketing Strategies

1. MARKETING TEAM VISITS – FIJI CENTERED.
1. The packaging of delivery from reach-out programs such as marketing teams visits (North and West Teams for Fiji), and through regional centers needs to be designed to suit the potential market.
2. One on one marketing with a team approach has worked in the past. The materials they carry in the form of print brochures can be supplemented by DVDs and other interactive modes, including performance by FAL students/OCACP/PWF.
3. Cost benefits analysis is required of sending of teams, in relation to costs of funding trips relative to enrolments and gains in income.


2. CAMPUS AND REGIONAL CENTRE VISITS.
1. Currently under team marketing visits and Fiji based.
2. Market analysis of regional centers before targeting those with the most obvious cost-benefits advantages both short and medium term.
3. Identifying and marketing key offerings from FAL schools, centers and other services towards these regional markets.


3. NEWSPAPER AND OTHER MEDIA ADVERTISING.
1. Advertising through the national newspapers - print mode, needs to be assessed for its effectiveness and reach.
2. Radio needs to be explored for its immediate and expansive delivery as a relatively cheaper mode.
3. On-line advertisements through FAL websites and also through commercial sites.
4. Marketing through social networking sites such as face book, twitter etc.
5. Television advertisements can be looked or through the provision of a documentary film on the faculty.
6. Newspaper supplements with key information on all FAL schools, centers and activities. This can be marketed with the targeting of key FAL vendors to provide advertising support.
7. Alumni page on FAL Website with their personal endorsements of our courses.


4. USP OPEN DAY.
1. Faculty based information booths to a large body of potential students for enrolments.
2. Assessment of information in the booths.
3. Implementation of marketing strategies like information gift packs with a few free and useful gifts alongside program and enrolment information. This will reinforce faculty presence beyond quick looks at posters and displays. Cost benefit of such an innovation needs to be looked at.
4. Better use of technology, for example, large screen displays featuring faculty website, events, activities, programs and achievements.

4. ALTERNATIVE MARKETING AND TACTICAL PROGRAMS.

1. Niche Marketing - Targeting professional conferences, conventions and other large gatherings.
1. Marketing during the large Easter conferences of religious and sectarian bodies, teachers’ conferences, sporting meets – Secondary Schools Athletics Finals, and other national and regional gatherings.
2. Regional teachers, head teachers, and principals’ conferences.
3. These forms of niche marketing opportunities provide a captive audience to market to.
4. The marketing has to be well coordinated and delivered as the audience primary purpose is not to be there for us.
5. We have to be there for them and deliver them materials enabling them to make informed choices of taking up our programs or buying our services.
6. Use of print brochures, providing application forms, counseling services, clearly set out programs and requirements.


2. Alumni Marketing.
1. Marketing through the coordination of the FAL Alumni register.
2. Providing incentives for FAL Alumni to register and for their role in marketing the faculty offerings based on their personal endorsement.
3. FAL Alumni register used to attract funding of marketing.


3. FAL Documentary/Advertising DVD.
1. Full length documentary covering all aspects of FAL operations for information purposes – 45 minutes.
2. First Cut Documentary – culled from main documentary for shorter presentations – 10 and 15 minutes versions.
3. Advertising Cut – promotional shots of FAL with appropriate jingle, music and voice-over for a 30-45 second ad.
4. Documentary and cuts from it needs to be properly scripted and professionally shot as it becomes a front-office marketing tool and one that reflects FAL as a “quality faculty”.


4. Budgets, Performance Analysis and Implementation.
1. FAL marketing needs to be worked within a set budget
2. Performance analysis conducted of marketing strategies and implementation at the administration level in consultation with the various marketing teams.
3. Implementation of marketing strategies needs to be better coordinated at the Faculty level. This will lead to sustainable marketing that optimizes our reach into the market.
4. Hiring of professional marketing consultants or companies for some events needs to be explored on a cost benefit basis, it may work better in some instances rather than funding untrained staff.
5. Marketing strategy and implementation to be coordinated so that events meet with key dates in USP calendar towards enrolments, or within acceptable frameworks for other services, like consultancies.
6. Sponsorship of niche marketing events, like sports, education or other professional conferences, conventions or promotional events.


5. Additional Considerations.
1. Long term marketing analysis based on research into key markets.
2. Identifying key market areas on a Fiji and Regional basis and targeting enrolments.
3. Exploring international market for student enrolments in niche areas such as the Language Services Centre
4. Network with other institutions through large scale semester based teaching either through a student exchange or through Polycom of faculty specific courses in areas such as Pacific Studies to the international market.

FAL MARKETING PLAN: PROPOSED YEARLY ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE.

Niche Marketing.

• Fiji Head Teachers Association Conference (Dates TBC).
• Fiji Principals Association Conference (Dates TBC).
• Fiji Law Society (Dates TBC).
• Council for Pacific Education (COPE) (Dates TBC).
• Showcase and Expo Events (Dates TBC).
• Careers Expos (Dates TBC).

Marketing Materials.

• FAL Marketing DVD
• Posters
• Brochures
• Postgraduate Program and Research Clusters Details.
• Application Forms – Full / EOI
• Course Calendar/Programs FAL 2010/2011

Newspaper Advertisements/Supplement: Dec-January/ June-July.

• Faculty Programs and Courses.
• Postgraduate Programs.
• Newspaper Supplement – Schools/Center/Institute.

FAL Website Advertisements.

• Repeats of newspaper ads.
• URL of clips from DVD.
• Schools Advertisement teasers.

FAL Team Marketing.

Team West.

• Lautoka Campus Marketing.
• Campus Visit and Outreach to Schools in association with Lautoka Campus staff. Meetings with various professional organizations in the West.
• Enrolment Week – Coincide with Counseling/Registration.
• USP Open Day at Lautoka Campus.

Regional Visits.

2010.	2011.	2012.
Kiribati.	Nauru.	Cook Islands.
Marshall Islands.	Samoa/Tuvalu.

Team North.

• Labasa Campus Marketing.
• Campus Visit and Outreach to Schools in association with Labasa Campus staff. Meetings with various interest groups in North.
• Enrolment Week Labasa Campus – Coincide with Counseling/Registration.
• USP Open Day at Labasa Campus.

Regional Visit.

2010.	2011.	2012.
Vanuatu	Tuvalu/Niue	Tonga
Solomon Islands

For any more information regarding the Faculty of Arts and Law Marketing plan please contact:

Dr. Mohit Prasad,
Associate Dean - Research and Graduate Affairs,
Faculty of Arts and Law - The University of the South Pacific,
Phone: 3232411, Fax: 3231500
Email: prasad_m(at)usp.ac.fj