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ArthPrabandh:A JournalofEconomicsandManagement
Vol.1Issue9,December2012,ISSN22780629

TECHNICAL EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND BTL MARKETING

STRATEGIES
KALPANA VEDMITRA*; SAMATA DHRUV**;
PROF. RAVINDRA KUMAR***; URMILA RAJ****
*Assistant Professor,
Fairfield Institute of Management and Technology (FIMT),
New Delhi.
**Ph. D. Scholar
Singhania University,
Jhunjhunun, Rajasthan.
***Director,
Hierank Business School (HBS),
Noida,
****Management Consultant,
New Delhi.

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ABSTRACT
With ever increasing mushrooming growth in the number of higher and technical education
institutions across the country, competitions between and among institutions for occupying and
retaining biggest market share is indeed ferocious. Extensive use of latest information
communication technologies (ICT) backed by strong professional expertise, supports and
services of media and communication agencies have added new dimensions to marketing
strategies. Academic institutions use diverse and judicious mix of marketing strategies including
Below The Line (BTL) and Above The Line (ATL) marketing strategies to reach target audience
and convert footfalls into admissions to various UG and PG academic verticals. Over the years,
BTL marketing strategies have proved much beneficial especially to the small players in
reaching to target audience.
The present paper is a modest attempt to critically examine the prevailing marketing scenario and
the importance of BTL marketing strategies in higher and technical education sector due to their
impact generating potential viz a viz cost effectiveness. Authors have made certain suggestions
for increasing efficacy of BTL marketing strategies for various academic verticals of academic
institutions.
KEYWORDS: Academic Institutions, Marketing Scenario, Information and Communication
Technologies, Below The Line (BTL) Marketing Strategies, Above The Lime (ATL) Marketing
Strategies, Target Groups/Target Audience.
_____________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION
Marketing, one of the social and managerial functions has been defined as a societal process by
which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating, offering, and

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ArthPrabandh:A JournalofEconomicsandManagement
Vol.1Issue9,December2012,ISSN22780629

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exchanging products and services of values freely with others. Marketing has been defined as an
art of selling products. Peter Drucker, a leading management theorist, says that the aim of
marketing is to make selling superfluous. Its aim is to know and understand the customer so well
that the product or service fits him and sells itself. Therefore, ideally marketing should result in a
customer, who is ready to buy a product or service. It has also been defined as the process of
planning and executing of the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods,
and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals. Marketing
management is therefore an art as well as science of applying core marketing concepts to
choose target markets and get, keep, and grow customers through creating, delivering, and
communicating superior customer values.
With recent mushrooming growth in the number of higher and technical education institutions all
over the country and especially in private sector and the growing demand for quality and value
added education among all stakeholders have necessitated use of different permutations and
combinations of marketing strategies by academic institutions to attract and retain the maximum
number of students in their folds. Till recently institutions were employing all sorts of traditional
strategies to market themselves but now the marketing scenario stands dramatically transformed.
In order to supplement and complement the on-going marketing efforts of the academic
institutions and provide them professional communication and media supports and services, a
fairly large numbers of service provider agencies have stepped into the arena. Their entrance on
the scene has drastically changed the marketing scenario. With rapid expansion in education
sector, today providing professional communication and media supports and services to
academic institutions is a roaring but much competitive business. Latest information
communication technologies are being pressed into services to score extra mileage over
competitors in the business. Education business sector, one of the fast expanding sectors, and
listed under the concurrent list of the Indian Constitution, is unfortunately now being seen as a
quick buck business. Media communications, market research and other professional agencies by
joining hands with educational institutions for mutual benefits are playing a pivotal role in
establishing their client institutions as brands. A judicious mix of many marketing strategies
including Above The Line (ATL) and Below The Line (BTL) marketing strategies are currently
in use.
Undisputedly quality education is the need of the hour and now with each passing day students
are becoming more conscious and enlightened about their career as everybody demands best
quality and is also willing to pay for it. Further, the students have many options to choose from.
For acquiring industry ready employability potential, need for quality education is being
recognized by all stakeholders and so is the proportion to pay for it. Since today more and more
customers are selective on the quality of the products and services with highest degree of
professional touch, therefore most of the companies now hiring engineers or doctors with
managerial qualifications, knowledge and skills. This growing concern has made business
management education a lucrative venture. Today business education market in India is about
Rs.30 billion and has grown at a rate of12% CAGR in last three years. What is paradoxical the
while expansion in the higher education sector is registering multifold increase with
establishment of a fairly large number of higher and technical education institutions across the
country but on the other hand around 250 B-Schools have pulled down their shutters during the

APJEM
ArthPrabandh:A JournalofEconomicsandManagement
Vol.1Issue9,December2012,ISSN22780629

last two years for want of requisite number of students necessary to ensure their bare minimal
survival. This is a serious alarm for those institutions, which perhaps work on factory model,
have consistently failed to deliver quality and thus in turn have produced unemployable
management graduates. Moreover, such challenges in education sector will perhaps be of a little
more different nature and magnitude with each successive year.
BELOW THE LINE (BTL) MARKETING

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Below-the-line activities in marketing generally refer to those marketing practices which use
such measures for promotion of products and services that do not involve use of mass media i.e.
a firm using an advertising agency, where usually no commission is charged by advertising
agency and thus the expenses incurred typically appears below-the-line on the ad agencys bill
to the firm. In above-the-line marketing activity, an ad agency charges commission from the
firm based on the number, duration and frequency of the advertisements placed in mass media
e.g. television, newspapers, and radio. Through-the-line marketing makes use of both of these
forms of marketing i.e. above-the-line marketing and below-the-line marketing strategies.
Below-the-line advertising can involve use of any form of non-mass media promotions including
sales promotions (e.g. premiums, price reductions, displays, and related point-of-sale activity),
direct marketing, public relations activity, sponsorship, etc. Below-the-line marketing activities
are also often used to encounter a less cluttered communications environment to communicate
with target audience. Organizations may therefore use below-the-line marketing activities for
variety of reasons.
Marketers are therefore required to understand carefully their competitive and regulatory
environments in addition to consumer buying behaviour so as to be in a position to evaluate the
potential benefits and costs of BTL marketing approaches. In a marketplace filled with
advertising clutter, BTL marketing efforts may be potentially more cost effective and provide
marketer with opportunities to use more sophisticated marketing approaches in comparison to
mass media-based approaches. It has often been reported that BTL marketing companies are
registering an unprecedented boom in their business, which has resulted into putting greater
emphasis on direct consumer contact than ever before. Therefore, in the current scenario, it often
makes more sense to engage a BTL promotion company rather than an ad agency.
Below The Line (BTL) marketing strategies are used when for the particular products and
services, the target audience is limited and one needs to reach them directly for sales. Therefore,
BTL marketing is used for products and services that have a limited and specific target
audience. There is an old proverb that a sharper nail and not a big hammer is what create an
impact. Below The Line (BTL) marketing works as that sharper nail. Under this concept, one
market his products and services using unconventional methods like road shows, events, product
sampling, village fair, weekly markets/haats, direct mails, public relations, telemarketing and
sales promotions etc. BTL marketing gives customers the firsthand experience of products and
services and thus creates live brand experiences for customers to have a feel of the product. BTL
marketing thus comprises activities that traditionally are commission free or charged at a fixed
fee by advertising agencies which mainly excludes mass and media advertising and thus are
more appropriate to small business enterprises/players.

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ArthPrabandh:A JournalofEconomicsandManagement
Vol.1Issue9,December2012,ISSN22780629

BTL AND SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISES

BTL marketing is one of the most appropriate tools for small business enterprises because of the
following reasons:
i).

events and public relations are important for small business enterprises as advertising has
become extremely competitive and innovative and the methods of BTL marketing help
create a larger recall value and recognition amongst people;

ii).

innovative ideas used in BTL marketing are more cost effective as they involve direct
interface with the end customers. It includes cheaper activities like flyers in newspapers,
distributing pamphlets, brochures, newspaper inserts;

iii).

the impact of BTL marketing is more measurable as compared to other modes of

marketing as the emphasis is more on selling units rather than building brand; and

iv).

as BTL promotions are targeted at groups having unique needs, they create a bigger
impact in terms of customer satisfaction and the number of units sold. It is generally said
that a BTL activity gives 10 times the results achieved using conventional marketing
methods.

BTL marketing activities need to be used consciously since here the emphasis is primarily on
selling units rather than building brands, therefore BTL marketing strategies be used along
with the conventional methods so that the product becomes a recognized brand. Further, BTL
marketing be aimed in the right direction and to the right people otherwise it would be a futile
exercise resulting into unnecessary wastage of resources.

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PLANNING AND ORGANIZING BTL MARKETING ACTIVITIES - PRE-REQUISITES

In order to successfully plan and organize BTL marketing activities campaigns, academic
institutions need to first identify Target Audience (TA) and understand their requirements and
then generate an urge in TA to understand and learn more about the institution preferably by
visiting the institution. Once the TA seems to be inclined, to grab the TAs attention the
institution needs to Increase visibility of its brand by tapping TA in his own environment by
differentiating its brand from others players in that category. This would be possible only
through consistent communications from the institution. Offering hospitality and patiently
handling queries of the prospective admission seekers and their accompanying parents/guardians
especially by the well trained, groomed and presentable faculty and students volunteers the
goodwill ambassadors of the institution - will prove a great boon in bringing the fence-sitter
prospective admission seekers into the leap of the institution as word of mouth is the best form
of making others to understand and appreciate your points of view. A well drafted set of
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) with their standard replies would be quite handy for
education marketing/business development teams in persuading prospective admission seekers.
Here the basic focus must be to convince the prospective admission seekers rather than to get
convinced by them and later repent for an easy catch dropped.

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ArthPrabandh:A JournalofEconomicsandManagement
Vol.1Issue9,December2012,ISSN22780629

Academic institution at this junction needs to understand clearly that TA is at the start of his
career life, has competition in his own life, wish to stay ahead from others by improvising self
confidence, and thus wish to grow in professional life. Since according to the psychology of
individual differences, each and every TA has his own individual personality i.e. he is active,
creative, assertive, independent in his outlook, has aspirations, and attach importance of being
happening/cool a peer group or social driven factor; therefore it is important to appeal across
Target Group (TG) psychographics and create an emotional connect/bond. In order to attain this,
academic institution needs to create a distance positioning for itself i.e. a definition of who am
I, what are my core strengths (establishing differentiation viz-a-viz competition about where
does the institution stands for in TG mind space), and finally what role the institution would play
in educational landscape over the coming years? Academic institution is therefore required to
work hard to create an impression in the mind of TA that this is the only place where their
dreams will take shape as institution will nurture their dreams and mould their aspiring careers.
This strategy should be unlike other institutes who inspire students to dream big, but do not
empower them to realize those big dreams.
MINDSET OF TARGET AUDIENCE (TA) AND BTL ACTIVITIES

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Conducting BTL marketing activities is not the one-time affair. It need to be an on-going activity
throughout the year but certainly with more focused concentration during admission season with
more attentiveness to develop the mindset of the feeder cadre potential admission seekers i.e.
students, who are studying in the same institution. Identifying potential admission seekers and
keeping their interest in the institution alive is a very painstaking and persuasive exercise. Once
identified with aroused interest, TA needs to be tracked very carefully by the marketing/business
development teams for sure convertibility into admissions through the conduct of different sets
of programs and activities as suggested below:
Establish Counseling Centers in Schools/Colleges to conduct workshops by educationists from
various fields, organize interschool academic/sports competitions - make it an annual event and
sponsor it; offer a scholarship program for winners; place kiosks/standees inside the
schools/colleges with social messages; organize seminars/workshops/conferences/dialogues on
themes of topical interests and help students in managing their examination related stress;
distribute leaflets/pump lets/information brochures/prospectus etc. at 10+2, AIEEE, MAT, CAT
and other examination centers located in the probable geographical catchment areas along with
promotional gifts like pen, pen stands, note books, pocket diary, calendar (wall/desk/table),
visiting card size calendars with god/goddess photographs, badges, caps, shirts etc. by putting a
canopy at prominent locations outside the examination centers; place banners/posters/display
boards/hoardings etc. at appropriate identified locations; and developing tie up with Counseling
Centers in order to increase footfalls/enquiry calls. Cinema halls, fast food joints/Tiffin services,
social networking sites and buzz may be other platforms for conducting such activities.
Conduct of BTL outdoor marketing activities are also necessary as outdoor advertising is
available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year which generates incessantly
repeated exposure to potential customers; captures consumers on their way to work/buy/visit;
perfect for reaching mass audiences and great for targeting specific groups and ages; and provide

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ArthPrabandh:A JournalofEconomicsandManagement
Vol.1Issue9,December2012,ISSN22780629

best return on advertising expenditure. In nutshell, outdoor adverting is second to none and with
new digital billboards and technologies, it is only getting better with each passing day.
EFFECTIVE USE OF CREATIVE ROUTES AND PUNCH LINES
Academic institutions adopt many creative routes as well as punch lines to communicate
distinctly and thus attempt to reach target audience. Creative routes highlighting USP e.g.
campus size, geographical presence, physical infrastructure, student enrollment and faculty
strength, faculty- students ratio, hi-tech campus with smart card entry, separate hostels for boys
and girls, round the clock water/power/medical/security, intellectual capital research focused
repudiated faculty, personalized attention, institute-industry interface, foreign collaborations,
twinning academic programs, international faculty, international placements etc. need to be
continuously reflected in all BTL activities including leaflets, pump lets, information brochures
etc. so that target audience may well correlate all such messages and slowly but steadily built
their mindset about a particular institution and its programs. Changing creative routes frequently
may often result the message lost in environment. However, at regular intervals some innovative
refreshing changes in creative routes are necessary to remove monotony and keep interest of
audience alive in the institution. Audience will certainly respond positively to such refreshing
initiatives. Further, use of Punch Lines in BTL marketing activities along with the creative routes
also help in communicating with target audience as it touches the very psyche of the target
audience, which finds their aspirations reflected in such punch lines and thus continuously feel
motivated to achieve their set goals.

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USP - THE BIGGEST STRENGTHS

All academic institutions have one or the other sets of USP, which they might have rigorously
built over the years through sincere and painstaking efforts and regularly highlight the same
every year for attracting admissions. Location accessibility, infrastructure and student support
facilities, institutions promoter(s) background, strong corporate backings, faculty profile, faculty
attrition rate, examination results and merits/positions secured, highest placements in monetary
terms, recognitions and ranking/rating/awards achieved/received by faculty and the institution
from affiliating University/recognized rating agency, social auditing etc. could be some of the
parameters on which the particular institution might have fared well. Such set of USPs do
invariable find place in all the promotional materials being distributed by institutions to reach to
target audience and may be found prominently displayed/reflected at their main entrance,
different academic departments, popular hang around in the campus premises, library and as well
as near the reception counters for immediate attention of all the prospective admission seekers
and their accompanying parents/guardians. However, there may be the possibilities of over
exaggerations in all such claimed USPs by institutions primarily to attract prospective admission
seekers and therefore one need to carefully check authenticity of all such claimed USPs
personally from the appropriate authorities well prior to taking admissions so as to avoid any
repentance in future. There have been instances of befooling students by certain institutions
and/or by fake universities on flimsy grounds, which hold no water whatsoever. Such
institutions/universities not only rob hard earned money of parents but simultaneously ruin
academic and professional careers of students.

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ArthPrabandh:A JournalofEconomicsandManagement
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Over the years marketing strategies being adopted by academic institutions to market their
various UG, PG and other academic verticals of professional nature have witnessed dramatic
changes. Today marketing agencies extensively using latest information communication
technologies (ICT) to communicate with target audience are helping academic institutions for
establishing supremacy of their clients over competitors. With the introduction of internet, ecommerce and now mobile commerce; marketing scenario has witnessed great dynamism,
competitiveness, creativity and challenges. Intensified competitions for differentiation and
developing their own brands have propelled competing institutions to adopt aggressive
marketing strategies to the unprecedented heights. This trend has become more visible since mid
1980 as organizations across the world have starting paying considerable attention towards value
creation of their products, processes and services. In the given scenario, aggressive marketing
below the line (BTL) and above the line (ATL) - by the institutions through electronic and print
media etc. to showcase their superiority over competitors on various rating parameters has
become the order of the day. Thus marketing landscape has seen significant transformation as the
concept of communication and the use of communication has changed drastically resulting into
brutal competition, even using unfair means, to continue to remain on top position in business, be
it education business. Academic institutions, therefore, use different set of permutations and
combinations of mixed and penetrating marketing strategies to reach target audience/groups and
garner optimal benefits each successive academic year.

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BTL MARKETING SUGGESTED STRATEGIES

Following suggested strategies may help institutions to establish their credentials in market and
built on the same for focused marketing of their academic verticals. Suggested strategies may
include: instituting Student of the Year Award/Scholarship for Best Students, conducting
Corporate Quiz and Corporate Cricket Tournaments on campus; work for securing good
rank/rating for institution; sharing information/tips on corporate responsibilities, management
leadership etc. through education supplements in leading newspapers; conduct specialized tailor
made capability building executive excellence residential courses for corporate on subsidized
rates and use this opportunity for an interface with students; conduct
Education/Engineering/Management/Pharmacy
workshops
annually
by
inviting
experts/celebrities and advertise such events in electronic media; and publish a quarterly
newsletter to connect with corporate, students and the alumni. Newsletter may also be promoted
as a revenue generation modal for the institution.
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