This paper explores the phenomenon of marketing in schools in Australia and Israel and shows how it contributes to school success.  The paper draws on data from case studies conducted as part of the International Successful School Principals Project (ISSPP). The study examines the role of the principal in shaping the marketing agenda in order to help the school compete for students, resources and to enhance the school’s reputation. In both countries marketing was found to be an important aspect in the success of the school. Successful principals were found to be strategic in developing relationships with a range of stakeholders and community members to engage them and secure their support. Successful principals took a proactive approach to marketing.  

Background

While marketing is normally associated with business and commercial enterprises, more recently it has become common in not-for-profit organisations such as public and private institutions, government and semi government agencies, public utilities and a range of voluntary and charitable organisations. Schools generally fit into the category of not-for profit organisations although for-profits schools are a growing segment of the market.

Competition between schools and educational systems has increased with the marketisation of education. In many countries such as Australia competence is fierce. In the state of Victoria, Australia marketing is an important management function in both government (known as state schools) and non-government schools (known as independent or private, and religious including Catholic). In Israel there are no private schools and education is free; however, competition between the secular, religious and orthodox sectors is strong. In these contexts marketing has emerged as a necessity rather than an optional extra.

Research questions

How do school principals view the marketing of their schools?

What approach do they use in interacting with the market?

To what extent is there a link between marketing and the success of the school?

Conceptual Framework

‘Marketing’ is one of the most confusing and misunderstood concepts in management. The enigma of marketing is that it is one of man's oldest activities and yet it is regarded as the most recent of the business disciplines (Baker, 1995). Because we are all exposed to marketing on a daily basis everyone has an opinion about it, and it is commonly viewed negatively. To illustrate the range of definitions, Baker (1996) lists 16 different definitions. This paper uses a conceptual framework which defines marketing as four dimensions: a philosophy (the way we do business); a management function; a strategy, and a relationship with the market. Each of these lenses provides a perspective of how schools relate to their markets (Drysdale, 2002). The research explores the phenomenon of marketing through each lens to show how the schools relate to their stakeholders and the external environment.  In the case of Israel relationship marketing emerged as a key strategy for the principals in engaging and gaining support within the community. In Australia relationship marketing was also an important strategy but there was also evidence that marketing was viewed equally as ‘a philosophy’ and ‘function’. 

Baker, M. J. (1995). Marketing - philosophy or function? In M. J. Baker (Ed.), Companion Encyclopaedia of Marketing (pp. 3-22). London: Routledge. Baker, M. J. (1996). Marketing: an introductory text. ( Sixth ed.). Houndmills: Macmillan Business. Drysdale, L. & Gurr, D. (2003) Market Centred Leadership. Paper presented at the Learning Conference, London, July 15-18. Drysdale, L. (2002) A Study of Marketing and Market Orientation in Selected Victorian Schools of the Future. PhD Thesis, University of Melbourne. 443pp Drysdale, L. and Gurr, D. (2002). Market Centred Leadership. Paper presented at the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management Conference, Umea, Sweden, September 23-25. Drysdale, L. (2001). Getting the most out of marketing for schools. Practicing Administrator, 23(4). Drysdale, L. (2000). Market Centred Leadership. Paper delivered at the Australian Council of Educational Administration International Conference in Hobart, September 2000. Drysdale, L. (1999). Relationship marketing: A new paradigm for marketing schools. Principal Matters, 36(1), pp. 36-37. Grönroos, C. (1997). Keynote paper – “From marketing mix to relationship marketing - towards a paradigm shift in marketing”, Management Decision, 35(4), 322-339. Oplatka, I (2007). “The principal's role in marketing the school: subjective interpretations and personal influences”, Planning and Changing, 38(3&4), 208-221 Oplatka, I. & Hemsley-Brown, J. (2004). “The research on school marketing: Current issues and future directions”, Journal of Educational Administration, 42(3), pp.375-400. Palmatier, R. W., Dant, R.P., Grewal, D. & Kenneth R.E. (2006). “Factors influencing the effectiveness of relationship marketing: a meta-analysis”, Journal of Marketing, 70, 136-153. Sheth J.N. & Parvatiyar, A. (1995). “The evolution of relationship marketing”, International Business Review, (), 397-418. Vinhber, B., Ben Nun, R. & Shifman, A. (2008). Review of the Involvement of Non-profit Organizations, Foundations, and Business Philanthropy in the Education System. Beit Berl College, The Institute for Educational Initiatives (Hebrew).