A comparison of the marketing of independent schools in South Africa and the United Kingdom

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study is to compare the marketing strategies of independent schools in South Africa and the United Kingdom. The objective of independent schools is to offer the service of nurturing and educating children or young adults and education marketing requires a specific type of skill and strategy. A convenience sample of 12 South African and 12 UK independent schools were interviewed and a content analysis was carried out. The key perceived selection criteria of independent schools were identified as the academic and sporting reputation of a school, the specific image of a school, the current head teacher, a school’s values and principles, as well as a school’s atmosphere. Moreover, a schools’ price, its physical location and the facilities of a school, as well as word-of-mouth recommendation, were criteria identified. The marketing activities used by schools were revealed as: the product or reputation of a school; the price; the place of a school; promotional activity, including factors such as word-of-mouth referrals, open days, press advertising, and a school’s alumni. The service quality was a final factor that was shown to affect a school’s marketing activity. The key differences found were: the admissions process in South African schools, which is simply an administrative process, whereas in the UK it is seen as a sales process; and the fact that pricing is not considered to be part of the marketing strategy in the UK, whereas for the SA schools pricing was identified as a strong marketing tool. Also, the UK schools have a strong focus on personalised marketing and relationship building, whereas South African schools still focus on promotional aspects and use tangibles marketing elements such as printed media and signage. Furthermore, the South African target markets are relatively local, whereas the UK schools have a more diverse and international outlook on their marketing. Finally, the South African schools interviewed had marketing departments, whereas in the UK the majority of the schools had heads of PR or communications – a title that reflects the UK schools’ focus in their marketing strategies.