Marketing Plan for NUS: Improving Higher Education Promotion in 2020

This report presents a marketing plan for the National University of Singapore (NUS) aimed at attracting international students and becoming a leading higher education provider by 2020. It begins by reflecting on five major factors influencing higher education: faculty qualifications, infrastructure, foreign language programs, IT skills training, and social service exposure. The plan then outlines marketing objectives using the SMART criteria, focusing on specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based goals. Key promotional strategies include advertising, public relations, and direct marketing, all designed to enhance NUS's global appeal. The report concludes with recommendations for successful implementation, including criteria for evaluating the plan's effectiveness, a detailed budget, and a timeline for promotional activities, emphasizing the importance of aligning educational offerings with global demands and leveraging Singapore's reputation as a premier education hub. Desklib provides access to similar solved assignments and study tools for students.

Running head: MARKETING PLAN FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
Marketing Plan for Higher Education
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Part 1 – Reflections on the 5 Major Factors that Influence Higher Education for
Students
Imparting quality higher education is a norm that every institute of higher education
in each and every part of the world needs to follow, if such an institution is to be respected
and preferred as a destination for learning by interested students from around the globe
(Karseth & Solbrekke, 2016). Quality higher education depends on any different factors, five
of which will be analyzed in detail in this assignment. The piece will conclude with
recommendations on how higher education today can be improved upon in order to cater to
the needs and requirements of students in the best and most pragmatic way possible.
One of the most important factors that influences higher education for students, is the
degrees or the credentials that are held by those involved in imparting higher education
in the first place. If a college or a university is to be recognized for its excellence in teaching,
then it first needs to make it a point to recruit teachers who are well qualified, and who have
the degrees, diplomas and certificates necessary in order to be recognized as experts in their
various subjects. Higher educational institutions that wish to be international in their scope,
outreach and character need to make sure to higher members of the faculty who have
received their training from international institutions in Australia, in the United Kingdom, in
the United States of America or even in Singapore for that matter. It is only teachers who
have received an international education who can be entrusted with the duty of imparting
learning that is not only of a high standard but which is also of a global standard. Students
today want to receive their education or degrees from institutions that are well recognized not
just in the country where they are studying but in other parts of the world as well, so that they
can apply for suitable jobs and services in leading international destinations. Hence higher
education institutions have to pay considerable attention to the kind of faculty they recruit to
impart college and university education, in the arts, the sciences, in commerce and even in the

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fine arts. Faculty members who have international degrees and international teaching
experience are the type of people that most students pursuing higher education want to
receive their training from today (Ho & Law, 2017).
Another major factor that is seen to have an impact on the way that higher education
is shaped and imparted in today’s day and age is quality infrastructure. It is only higher
education institutions that are serviced by good quality infrastructure who can expect to
attract the students from all over the world, and that too meritorious students who will take
pride in the institution that they are studying at. Quality infrastructure implies the
development and provision of smart classrooms where students have access to wireless
internet services, laptop computers and electronic learning aids in order to gain an
understanding of their course subjects better. Quality infrastructure also refers to the
provision of well equipped and well spaced out seminar rooms or lecture halls that have all
the audio visual aids that are necessary in order to carry out power point and video
presentations as a part of the teaching process. Any institution of higher education which
wants to be recognized as one of the leading places to study at in the world today, will have
to make sure to give its students access to the best infrastructure if they are to feel
comfortable and motivated to learn while studying at this institution. Additionally, higher
educational institutions like colleges and universities should also make sure that they are
serviced by gyms, and sports grounds that can serve as venues for both inter college sporting
activities as well as intra college sporting activities. In both Australia and the United States of
America, many students are admitted into institutions of higher learning on the basis of what
is termed as sports scholarships. The sports scholarships give students the opportunity to
pursue the degree education of their choice at a renowned institute of higher education, based
on their sporting skills and abilities (Stewart, 2018).

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A third important factor that is seen to have an impact on the way higher education is
imparted today is the provision of degree and diploma programs in foreign languages.
More and more students around the world are becoming interested in the pursuit of foreign
languages as a form of additional training or additional skills development. This is because of
the fact that industries around the world are becoming increasingly globalized in character.
Most companies in leading international destinations such as London, New York and Sydney
require their employees to be well versed with at least one foreign European or Far Eastern
languages in order to be able to communicate and to negotiate with clients and partners from
different parts of the world. Some of the foreign languages that students of higher education
are wanting to learn and to master today are Mandarin, French, German, Korean, Japanese
and Spanish. Higher education institutions that want to attract meritorious students from
different parts of the world need to make sure to offer degree or diploma programs, or both in
all of the foreign languages that have been mentioned, giving students the scope to add to
their academic knowledge on a variety of subjects by learning how to communicate in a new
language. For this purpose again, the institute of higher education that provides degree and
diploma courses in a foreign language will have to recruit experienced, qualified and gifted
faculty members who will be able to do a good job of imparting training in foreign language
to the students. Only by providing training in the writing and speaking of a foreign language,
be it a long term course or a short term intensive court, can a higher education institution
hope to compete successfully in the international market for education today (Tate et al.,
2015).
Training students in IT skills is also imperative for higher education institutions that
want to rank well in global ratings for higher education. IT training and development is
therefore a fourth major factor that influences the pursuit of higher education in today’s day
and age. The use of information technology is something that is deployed to each and every

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profession nowadays, be it a marketing job, an academic job like teaching or research, or
even something vocational like cooking. Professionals need to be well versed with IT skills if
they are to get ahead in the job market, and the first place where they should be learning how
to use IT successfully is the college or the university where they are studying at. Students are
likely to be attracted to institutes of higher education that provide brief courses for students in
how to perceive and use information technology in order to facilitate the learning process.
This not only involves learning how to use a laptop computer with success, but also how to
use audio visual aids, and how to operate different programs on MS Office in order to be able
to study and learn as effectively as possible (Sogunro, 2015).
The final factor that has an influence on the imparting of higher education today is
training in and exposure to social services. Students preferring attending institutes of
higher education that offer them with the scope of engaging in community service and
community development, as this gives them some early understanding of and training in what
corporate social responsibility is all about. Most, if not all leading companies across the globe
are seen to partake in corporate social responsibility initiatives today, and which involve large
scale involvement in community development projects for the betterment of society. Higher
education institutions that offer students with the opportunity to understand what social work
is all about, offers a degree or diploma program in social work and gives students practical
opportunities to engage in social work, is an institution that will definitely be considered as
most sought after by international students. The social service study programs are those that
incorporate the principle of service learning, teaching students the importance and the
relevance of both academic learning and social service at the same given time, and letting
them understand and discover ways and means by which they can make the world a better
place in which to live (Assiter, 2017).

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Thus, there are five major ways by which higher educational institutions can prepare
themselves and market themselves in order to attract the best possible students from around
the globe. Care needs to be taken by higher educational institutions to provide expert training
and quality infrastructure, in addition to foreign language skills development, expose to social
work and training in IT development. It is only then that an institute of higher education will
be preferred and selected by students from around the globe as the institute they wish to
pursue their college or university education at.
Part 2 – Marketing Plan for National University of Singapore for 2020
Introduction
Singapore is one of the most well-known destinations in the world for the pursuit of
higher education, and the National University of Singapore is an institution where students
like to pursue their higher academic degrees at, primarily because of the global standard of
education that prevails over here. This report prepares a marketing plan for the National
University of Singapore that it can use to attract international students from around the world
and become one of the leading providers of higher education in Singapore by the year of
2020. The report engages in an analysis of the marketing objectives and the marketing
communication strategies to be deployed using marketing mix model and finally
recommendations on the successful implementation of the marketing plan, that is, the criteria
based on which the implementation of the plan is to be judged, followed by a budget and
timeline for the implementation of the promotional plan.

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Part 2 – Services Marketing Promotional Plan
1. Marketing Objectives of the National University of Singapore using SMART
Criteria
Specific – The objective of the National University of Singapore will be specifically to offer
degree and diploma programs in business studies, foreign languages like French, German and
Mandarin, human rights and sociology, in addition to degree and diploma programs in the
media sciences for students from all over the world (Scott & Scott, 2016).
Measurable – The success of the National University of Singapore in attracting international
students can be measured by assessing the number of students signing up for the new degree
programs being offered at the university, and who hail from different parts of the globe.
(Viczko, M., & Tascón, C. I. 2016).
Attainable – The goal of attracting international students in pursuing degree programs at the
National University of Singapore is attainable, given that Singapore is a First World country
and it is natural that students from all over the world would want to study here.
Relevant – The National University of Singapore will focus on marketing degree programs
in relevant disciplines like media science, business studies and human rights, which are
subjects of study that are much in demand among students all over the world (Premand et al.,
2016).
Time Based – The ability of the National University of Singapore in drawing international
students to its educational degree and diploma programs will be determined over a time frame
of one to two years (Vaughn et al., 2018).

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2. Promotional Mix
2.1. Advertising
The National University of Singapore will take recourse to advertising in order to
make its new programs such as degree and diploma programs in foreign languages like
French, German and Mandarin in addition to other humanities and commerce subjects
known to a wide international audience, with emphasis being paid at the time of
advertising on the experienced international teaching faculty members, high quality
infrastructure and IT training and development facilities that the University offers, in addition
to social work opportunities, to attract students in large numbers. The popular channels for
advertising will include the social media channels as well as visual and print media like
the top daily newspapers in Singapore and newspaper channels. Every effort will be
made on the part of the university to that the new programs and courses that are being offered
are those that cater well to the needs, requirements and academic interests of students
worldwide. Each of the programs and courses will be designed to be in keeping with what it
is that students around the world wish to learn, and what it is that they need to understand and
be equipped with in order to land a good job in the global market place, especially a job that
they can retain over a long period of time (Scott & Scott, 2016).
While most of the advertising platforms will be located online, the new programs will
also be advertised at educational fairs in the form of distribution of leaflets, pamphlets
and banners, and spokespersons of the university who have knowledge about the new
programs will also be stationed at these fairs, in the city of Singapore. The online
marketing forums will be chosen for advertising the new programs primarily because of the
fact that such forums are easy to access for one and all. Students who are interested in
pursuing higher educational degrees in the country of Singapore will be in a position to

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understand more about the courses that are being offered here and why opting for any of
these courses can be a good idea by reading the course descriptions that are there online. The
educational fairs will also be chosen as destinations for advertising of the new degrees and
programs by the university, so that students and their parents who attend such fairs in large
numbers will get to be more aware of what these courses entail and why signing up for them
could be a good idea (Scott & Scott, 2016).
2.2. Public Relations Strategies
The National University of Singapore will adopt the PR strategy of offering to
reduce its tuition fees by a ten percent margin in order to attract students from all over
the world. It will also offer scholarships and prizes for meritorious students from around the
world who can come and study at this university for free, if they have the academic merit and
skills to do so well enough. The primary intention behind offering scholarships and merit
based student awards is to attract students from all over the world to come and study at
the University even though they may not have the financial means in order to do so.
Scholarships and merit based awards have a crucial role to play in getting students to come
and pursue their higher education at a university abroad, and the National University of
Singapore is not an exception in this respect. At least 10 to 15 merit based scholarships will
be offered for all the degree programs and courses that are being offered by the
National University of Singapore, thus drawing the attention of students from all over
the world. Some of the other PR strategies used will include mentioning in detail online on
the social media platforms and also on the university website that the NUS campus is a safe
place to study at for all, and that the university especially welcomes members from the
LGBTQ community to come and study there.

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2.3. Sales Promotion
The National University of Singapore will take use to the use of social media platforms
like Facebook and Twitter to promote its new affordably priced degree programs for
international students, in addition to promoting all the terrific facilities that the university
offers in terms of IT and training development, foreign language training, quality
infrastructure, excellent and international teaching staff and social work exposure. Updates
will be regularly provided on the social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter so that
prospective students are able to gain a good understanding of what the new study programs
are all about and the benefits that can be experienced by students if they are to sign up for any
one of these programs. In fact the social media sites will also serve as platforms that will be
used by the university to garner views and perspectives of students around the world
regarding the new programs of study that are being offered by the National University of
Singapore, reading which they can understand what it is that the target audience is expecting
from such programs.
3. Criteria for Judging the Marketing Objectives upon Implementation of the
Marketing Plan
Specific – Specifically, it will be seen how much interest the National University of
Singapore is able to draw for its degree and diploma programs in foreign languages, business
studies and human rights (Puciarelli & Kaplan, 2016).
Measurable – The number of degree programs that international students sign up for, for
study at National University of Singapore can be measured, and in doing so, the success of
the university’s marketing objectives can be assessed (Rutter et al., 2017).
Attainable – The time frame within which the marketing objectives are achieved, that is
three months or six months or longer, will be assessed (Scott & Scott, 2016).

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Relevance – An attempt will be made to see how relevant the programs and the subjects in
which the programs are offered appear to be for students coming to Singapore from different
international destinations (Scott & Scott, 2016).
Time based – The time taken by the National University of Singapore to create a large base
of international students by 2020 will be assessed (Wali & Andy-Wali, 2018).
4. Appropriate Budget and Timeline for the Promotional Mix Elements and for the
5 Communication Objectives Mentioned
The marketing promotions and communication regarding the new programs that is to be
offered by the National University of Singapore in order to create a large base of international
students by the year of 2020 will be carried out over a period of one year, that is, from July
2019, to July 2020.
4.1. Advertising - July 2019 to September 2019
The first six months of the promotional, that is the time from July 2019 to December
2019 is when the National University of Singapore’s authorities are going to focus on
advertising about the new study programs on social media channels as well as on the website
of the university. This is when flyers and leaflets will be created regarding the new courses
on offer, with details being imprinted in legible format on the flyers so that these are easily
viewable to one and all.
4.2. Sales Promotion – October 2019 to December
After the flyers and the leaflets have been printed, these will be distributed at
educational fairs that take place in the city of Singapore between October nd December 2019.
The flyers and the leaflets will be made as attractive as possible in order to draw the attention
and the interest of those who view them.

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The social media campaigns that will be carried out at this point of time will include
daily updates being given about the new programs of study, a short description being
provided of the different courses of study and a direct link being provided right below such
descriptions that will allow onlookers to access the website of the university and view the
details of the new courses being offered (Stefko et al., 2015).
4.3. Public Relations - January 2020 to June 2020
The next six months will be all about providing increasing updates on social media for
those who are already following the official pages of the National University of Singapore,
on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The website of the university at this point of time
will contain frequent offers of rebates, discounts and service fee reduction for those who
are eager to sign up for the new courses of study at the National University of
Singapore. Early bird rates will also be announced at this point of time. Those who sign
up in this time period will get to avail a discount of as much as fifty percent on the tuition fee
at the university for the first six months of enrollment in any one of the new courses on offer.
This is a huge offer and will be certain to attract large numbers of students, given the fact that
NUS is quite an expensive place to study at, and any discount or rebate is always welcomed
by international students (Bolat and O’ Sullivan, 2017). The many benefits of studying at
NUS including quality infrastructure and faculty and safe campus for members of every
gender will be highlighted on the NUS website and on the social media sites, at this point of
time, with the intention of drawing the attention of students in large numbers.
4.4. Budget
The budget for the advertising and promotional activities will be restricted to $
10,000. Majority of the money for advertising and promotion is going to be spent on the

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creation and the distribution of leaflets and pamphlets as advertising on social media is
not going to cost a lot of money for the university. A certain portion of the budget of $
10,000 will be dedicated to developing the website of the university with the purpose of
attracting more and more students to the university and its courses from around the world
(Puciarelli & Kaplan, 2016).

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