Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

How to attract university applicants: exploring tertiary education advertising patterns in the Czech Republic

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Tertiary Education and Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In the highly dynamic, competitive and uncertain environment of tertiary education, universities nowadays have to intensify marketing communication to address potential applicants. This study seeks to explore the advertising scheduling of university advertisements in selected media, to analyse the differences in the advertising strategies of public and private universities and to study the relationship between universities’ advertising activity and the number of applicants. Empirical research results indicate that advertising seasonality exists in tertiary education, as the advertising activity differs in different quarters. Moreover, the difference in advertising strategies between private and public universities was confirmed. Ultimately, a positive correlation between advertising activity and the number of applicants was found in private universities. These findings have implications for marketing research in tertiary education and for universities seeking to increase the number of applicants through advertising.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aaker, D. A., Myers, J. G., & Batra, R. (1992). Advertising management. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Albert, S., & Whetten, D. A. (1985). Organizational identity. Research in Organizational Behaviour, 7(2), 264–295.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alcaide-Pulido, P., Alves, H., & Gutiérrez-Villar, B. (2017). Development of a model to analyze HEI image: a case based on a private and a public university. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 27(2), 162–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alvesson, M., & Empson, L. (2008). The construction of organizational identity: Comparative case studies of consulting firms. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 24(1), 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barry, T. E., & Howard, D. J. (1990). A review and critique of the hierarchy of effects in advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 9(2), 121–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beneš, J., Huisman, J., & Šebková, H. (2003). Czech Republic. In Real-time Systems. Reflections on Higher Education in the (pp. 41–57). Czech Republic: Brno: Brno University of Technology, VUTIUM Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berger, K. A., & Wallingford, H. P. (1997). Developing advertising and promotion strategies for higher education. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 7(4), 61–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biener, L., Ji, M., Gilpin, E. A., & Albers, A. B. (2004). The impact of emotional tone, message, and broadcast parameters in youth anti-smoking advertisements. Journal of Health Communication, 9(3), 259–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boffo, S. (2004). Universities and marketing mass communication in Italy. Higher Education Policy, 17(4), 371–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bok, D. (2003). Universities in the market place. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brickson, S. L. (2005). Organizational identity orientation: forging a link between organizational identity and organizations’ relations with stakeholders. Administrative Science Quarterly, 50(4), 576–609.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burton, B. (2002). At Italian Universities, Advertising Has Arrived. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 49(16), 42–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Čábyová, Ľ., & Ptačin, J. (2014). Benchmarking Comparison of Marketing Communication of Universities in Slovakia. Communication Today, 5(1), 54–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cavaliere, G., & Tassinari, G. (2001). Advertising effect on primary demand: a cointegration approach. International Journal of Advertising, 20(3), 319–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cerych, L. (2002). Higher education reform in the Czech Republic: A personal testimony regarding the impact of foreign advisers. Higher Education in Europe, 27(1–2), 111–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapleo, C., & O’Sullivan, H. (2017). Contemporary thought in higher education marketing. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 27(2), 159–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, C. R., Doraszelski, U., & Draganska, M. (2009). The effect of advertising on brand awareness and perceived quality: An empirical investigation using panel data. Quantitative Marketing and Economics, 7(2), 207–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clayton, M. J., Cavanagh, K. V., & Hettche, M. (2012). Institutional branding: A content analysis of public service announcements from American universities. Journal for Marketing for Higher Education, 22(2), 182–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Czech Republic (1998). Act No. 111/1998 Coll. Law on Higher Education and on Amendments to Other Acts (Higher Education Act).

  • Czech Statistical Office (2018). Population of the Czech Republic Prediction until 2101. Český statistický úřad [in Czech]. Available at: https://www.czso.cz/staticke/animgraf/projekce_1950_2101/. Accessed 27 Dec 2019. 

  • Davidson, C. (2015). The University Corporatization Shift: A Longitudinal Analysis of University Admission Handbooks, 1980 to 2010. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 45(2), 193–213.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, A., Jansen van Rensburg, M., & Venter, P. (2016). The impact of managerialism on the strategy work of university middle managers. Studies in Higher Education, 41(8), 1480–1494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dearlove, J. (1998). The deadly dull issue of university “administration”? Good governance, managerialism and organising academic work. Higher Education Policy, 11(1), 59–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diel, S. R., & Katsinas, S. (2018). University Advertising and Universality in Messaging. Innovative Higher Education, 43(3), 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review, 48(2), 147–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dobbins, M. (2011). Higher education policies in Central and Eastern Europe: Convergence towards a common model? Springer.

  • Dobbins, M., & Knill, C. (2009). Higher education policies in Central and Eastern Europe: convergence toward a common model? Governance, 22(3), 397–430.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dowling, G. R., & Otubanjo, T. (2011). Corporate and organizational identity: Two sides of the same coin. Academy of Marketing Science Review, 1(3–4), 171–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Favaloro, C. (2015). Marketing in the Australian higher education sector. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 37(5), 490–506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fumasoli, T., & Stensaker, B. (2013). Organizational studies in higher education: A reflection on historical themes and prospective trends. Higher Education Policy, 26(4), 479–496.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs, P., & Murphy, P. (2009). Implementation of ethical higher education marketing. Tertiary Education and Management, 15(4), 341–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grabowski, H. G. (1977). The Effects of Advertising on Intraindusty Shifts in Demand. Explorations in Economic Research, 4(5), 81–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guilbault, M. (2016). Students as customers in higher education: reframing the debate. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 26(2), 132–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagerer, I. (2019). Universities act differently: identification of organizational effectiveness criteria for faculties. Tertiary Education and Management, 1–15.

  • Hanover Research (2014). Trends in higher education marketing, recruitment, and technology. Washington, DC. Available at: https://www.hanoverresearch.com/media/Trends-in-Higher-Education-Marketing-Recruitment-and-Technology-2.pdf . Accessed 10 Jan 2019

  • Harris, M. S. (2009). Message in a bottle: University advertising during bowl games. Innovative Higher Education, 33(5), 285–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hemsley-Brown, J., & Oplatka, I. (2006). Universities in a competitive global marketplace: A systematic review of the literature on higher education marketing. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 19(4), 316–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hemsley-Brown, J., & Oplatka, I. (2015). University choice: what do we know, what don’t we know and what do we still need to find out? International Journal of Educational Management, 29(3), 254–274.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ivy, J. (2001). Higher education institution image: a correspondence analysis approach. International Journal of Educational Management, 15(6), 276–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • Katz, H. (2017). The media handbook: A complete guide to advertising media selection, planning, research, and buying. Routledge.

  • Kincl, T., Novák, M., & Štrach, P. (2013). A cross-cultural study of online marketing in international higher education – a keyword analysis. The New Educational Review, 32(2), 49–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kittle, B. (2000). Institutional advertising in higher education. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 9(4), 37–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kruegel, D. (1988). Television advertising effectiveness and research innovation. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 5(3), 43–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwoka, J. E., Jr. (1993). The sales and competitive effects of styling and advertising practices in the US auto industry. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 75(4), 649–656.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lauer, L. D. (2007). Advertising can be an effective integrated marketing tool. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 17(1), 13–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lavidge, R. J., & Steiner, G. A. (1961). A model for predictive measurements of advertising effectiveness. The Journal of Marketing, 25(6), 59–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, N. M., & Merle, P. F. (2018). Media relations and universities: an assessment of digital newsrooms. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 28(2), 232–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liang, K. Y., & Zeger, S. L. (1986). Longitudinal data analysis using generalized linear models. Biometrika, 73(1), 13–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maassen, P., & Olsen, J. P. (2007). University Dynamics and European Integration. Dodrecht: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Maier, F., & Meyer, M. (2011). Managerialism and beyond: Discourses of civil society organization and their governance implications. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 22(4), 731–756.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marginson, S. (2011). Imagining the global. In R. King, S. Marginson, & R. Naidoo (Eds.), Handbook of globalization and higher education (pp. 10–39). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maringe, F. (2006). University and course choice: Implications for positioning, recruitment and marketing. International Journal of Educational Management, 20(6), 466–479.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGuire, T. W. (1977). Measuring and testing relative advertising effectiveness with split-cable TV panel data. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 72(360a), 736–745.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mela, C. F., Gupta, S., & Lehmann, D. R. (1997). The long-term impact of promotion and advertising on consumer brand choice. Journal of Marketing Research, 34(2), 248–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (2018a). Data on students enrolled for the first time and on university graduates. Ministerstvo školství, mládeže a tělovýchovy České republiky [in Czech]. Available at: http://www.msmt.cz/vzdelavani/skolstvi-v-cr/statistika-skolstvi/data-o-studentech-poprve-zapsanych-a-absolventech-vysokych.. Accessed 11 Jan 2019

  • Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (2018b). Overview of universities in the Czech Republic. Ministerstvo školství, mládeže a tělovýchovy České republiky [in Czech]. Available at: http://www.msmt.cz/vzdelavani/vysoke-skolstvi/prehled-vysokych-skol-v-cr-3. . Accessed 11 Jan 2019

  • Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (2018c). Performance indicators: Universities: Students. Ministerstvo školství, mládeže a tělovýchovy České republiky [in Czech]. Available at: https://dsia.msmt.cz//vystupy/vu_vs_f2.html..  Accessed 11 Jan 2019

  • Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (2018d). Performance indicators: Universities: First written, newly enrolled. Ministerstvo školství, mládeže a tělovýchovy České republiky [in Czech]. Available at: https://dsia.msmt.cz//vystupy/vu_vs_f3.html..  Accessed 11 Jan 2019

  • Moore, R. M. (2004). The rising tide: ‘Branding’ in the academic marketplace. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 36(3), 56–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morphew, C. C., & Hartley, M. (2006). Mission statements: A thematic analysis of rhetoric across institutional type. The Journal of Higher Education, 77(3), 456–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morphew, C. C., & Huisman, J. (2002). Using institutional theory to reframe research on academic drift. Higher Education in Europe, 27(4), 491–506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morphew, C. C., Fumasoli, T., & Stensaker, B. (2018). Changing missions? How the strategic plans of research-intensive universities in Northern Europe and North America balance competing identities. Studies in Higher Education, 43(6), 1074–1088.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, J. P. (2005). Beer advertising and marketing update: Structure, conduct, and social costs. Review of Industrial Organization, 26(3), 269–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen Admosphere (2018). Nielsen Admosphere [online]. Available at: https://www.nielsen-admosphere.cz/ . Accessed 29 Dec 2018

  • Novák, M. & Kincl, T. (2013). Television Commercials on Czech Market: Audience Targeting or Undifferentiated Approach? In Vision 2020: Innovation, development sustainability, and economic growth. Wien, 27.06.2013–28.06.2013. USA: International Business Information Management, 1–9.

  • Novák, M., Kincl, T., & Luštický, M. (2016). Industry analysis of TV commercials: Do companies reflect audience profiles? Journal of Direct. Data and Digital Marketing Practice, 17(3), 187–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pallotta, D. (2009). Why Nonprofits Should Invest More in Advertising. Harvard Business Review Available at: https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-nonprofits-should-spend-mo. Accessed 2 Jan 2019

  • Papadimitriou, A., & Blanco Ramírez, G. (2015). Exploring advertising in higher education: an empirical analysis in North America, Europe, and Japan. Tertiary Education and Management, 21(2), 99–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Percy, L., & Elliott, R. H. (2016). Strategic advertising management. Oxford University Press.

  • Pizarro Milian, R. (2016). Modern campuses, local connections and unconventional symbols: Promotional practises in the Canadian community college sector. Tertiary Education and Management, 22(3), 218–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pope, D. G., & Pope, J. C. (2009). The impact of college sports success on the quantity and quality of student applications. Southern Economic Journal, 75(3), 750–780.

    Google Scholar 

  • R Core Team. (2018). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna: R Foundation for Statistical Computing Available at: http://www.R-project.org/. Accessed 29 December 2018.

  • Rozsnyai, C. (2003). Quality assurance before and after ‘Bologna’ in the central and eastern region of the European higher education area with a focus on Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland. European Journal of Education, 38(3), 271–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubinson, J. (2009). Empirical evidence of TV advertising effectiveness. Journal of Advertising Research, 49(2), 220–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saichaie, K., & Morphew, C. C. (2014). What college and university websites reveal about the purposes of higher education. The Journal of Higher Education, 85(4), 499–530.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santiago, R. A., & Carvalho, T. (2004). Effects of managerialism on the perceptions of higher education in Portugal. Higher Education Policy, 17(4), 427–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saunders, D. B. (2014). Exploring a customer orientation: Free-market logic and college students. The Review of Higher Education, 37(2), 197–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schüller, D., & Chalupský, V. (2012). Marketing Communication Management of Higher Education Institutions. Acta Universitatis Bohemiae Meridionales, The Scientific Journal for Economics and Management, 15(2), 61–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwarz, S., & Westerheijden, D. F. (2004). Accreditation in the framework of evaluation activities: A comparative study in the European higher education area. In Accreditation and evaluation in the European higher education area (pp. 1–41). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Shanklin, W. L., & Burdenski, H. (1989). State of the art of advertising practice in US higher education. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 2(1), 13–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shepherd, S. (2018). Managerialism: an ideal type. Studies in Higher Education, 43(9), 1668–1678.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simões, C., & Soares, A. M. (2010). Applying to higher education: information sources and choice factors. Studies in Higher Education, 35(4), 371–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stastna, V. (2001). Internationalisation of Higher Education in the Czech Republic — The Impact of European Union Programmes. European Journal of Education, 36(4), 473–491.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steiner, R. (1978). Learning from the Past – Brand Advertising and the Great Bicycle Craze of the 1890s. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Academy of Advertising: Advances in Advertising Research and Marketing.

  • Stensaker, B. (2007). The relationship between branding and organisational change. Higher Education Management and Policy, 19(1), 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stensaker, B. (2015). Organizational identity as a concept for understanding university dynamics. Higher Education, 69(1), 103–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stensaker, B., Välimaa, J., & Sarrico, C. (Eds.). (2012). Managing reform in universities: The dynamics of culture, identity and organisational change. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137284297. Accessed 5 Feb 2019. 

    Google Scholar 

  • Tellis, G. J. (2003). Effective advertising: Understanding when, how, and why advertising works. SAGE Publications. Marketing for a New Century.

  • Tetrevova, L., & Vlckova, V. (2018). Benefits, limitations and measures concerning the development of cooperation between higher education institutions and external entities. Tertiary Education and Management, 24(4), 377–394.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tight, M. (2014). Collegiality and managerialism: A false dichotomy? Evidence from the higher education literature. Tertiary Education and Management, 20(4), 294–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tobolowsky, B. F. (2006). Beyond Demographics: Understanding the College Experience through Television. New Directions for Student Services, 114, 17–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tobolowsky, B. F., & Lowery, J. W. (2014). Selling college: a longitudinal study of American college football bowl game public service announcements. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 24(1), 75–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trow, M. (1994). Managerialism and the academic profession: The case of England. Higher Education Policy, 7(2), 11–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tucker, A. (2000). Reproducing incompetence: the constitution of Czech higher education. East European Constitutional Review, 9(3), 94–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vaštíková, M., Matušínská, K., & Vaněk, J. (2011). Aspekty marketingové komunikace vysoké školy vzhledem k získání nových zákazníků. E+M Ekonomie a Management, 2011(3), 110–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weerts, D. J., Freed, G. H., & Morphew, C. C. (2014). Organizational identity in higher education: Conceptual and empirical perspectives. In Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (pp. 229–278). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R. L., & Omar, M. (2014). How branding process activities impact brand equity within Higher Education Institutions. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 24(1), 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zorn, C. J. (2001). Generalized estimating equation models for correlated data: A review with applications. American Journal of Political Science, 45(2), 470–490.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (GA ČR) under Grant number 18-01159S.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Economics, Prague, Czech Republic

    Daria Gunina, Lenka Komárková & Vladimír Přibyl

Authors
  1. Daria Gunina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lenka Komárková
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Vladimír Přibyl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daria Gunina.

Ethics declarations

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gunina, D., Komárková, L. & Přibyl, V. How to attract university applicants: exploring tertiary education advertising patterns in the Czech Republic. Tert Educ Manag 25, 349–366 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11233-019-09038-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11233-019-09038-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation