Marketing V Market Orientation
Lawrie Drysdale
Drysdale, L. (1999) Marketing or Market Orientation: What’s the Difference, Prime Focus The
Professional Journal for Australian Primary School Leaders April pp28-29
All schools market to some extent, but very few are market oriented. There is a difference between
marketing and market orientation. Research from industry clearly indicates that market-oriented
organisations outperform non-market oriented organisations.
What is marketing?
Marketing is one of the most misunderstood concepts in management. Most people believe it is
selling and promotion. These are important aspects, but the central idea of marketing is matching
the school’s offerings with the wants and needs of customers (students and parents) in order to
achieve the goals of both. Marketing aims to provide student and parent satisfaction by meeting
their needs and wants.
Why Market
Whether they recognise it or not, all school market to a greater or lesser degree. Despite many
misgivings and concerns about marketing most schools acknowledge that it is likely to play an
important role in determining their success. There are basically three reasons why schools market:
to increase or maintain enrolments; gain financial resources and other forms of support; and
improve the school’s reputation or image. These factors have become even more important with
increased competition due to demographic social, political, and economic changes in the
environment.
Marketing Activities
Marketing activities in schools have increased, although the current approach basically reflects the
belief that marketing is essentially promotion, public relations and fundraising.
Marketing activities aimed at promoting the school include glossy brochures, pamphlets,
prospectuses, advertisements in local newspapers, letter drops, school videos, billboards, word-of-
mouth advertising, promotional visits to feeder schools, shopping centre displays, information
evenings, and speaking engagements. The development of the School Homepage on the Internet is a
recent addition to the advertising tools. Fetes, fairs and open days are promoted through all forms of
media.
Public relations activities are a developing trend and include activities such as festivals, open days,
newspaper articles, special events, public performances and educational programs for parents. The
breakfast function for parents and local business people is a growing phenomenon. Personally
conducted school tours by the principal, or a senior representative, are one of the most effective
selling approaches and are usually conducted in relation to advertisements in local newspapers.
While most schools highlight quality education and excellence, an emerging marketing approach is
to emphasize a distinctive feature, program or aspect of the school’s educational program; for
example, philosophy programs in schools have been given media exposure. Yet schools need to do
more than just conduct marketing activities which in a number of cases may not produce the
expected results: schools need to become ‘market oriented.’
