BRAND AUDIT

REPORT ON
PRESIDENCY
UNIVERSITY
 BY:SAISH
DESAI

2015MBA0
24

Executive Summary:

Presidency Group of Institutions (PGI), along with the University,

constitutes 7 Schools and a College. While the college offers programmes
to students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in
information technology, commerce, management and journalism, the
schools offer National and International boards of studies. Presidency
College, located in Bengaluru, has been accredited with an A grade by
NAAC. The postgraduate MBA programme at Presidency College is
approved by the AICTE, Delhi. Within a short span of three decades, PGI
has created a niche for itself as one of the top-notch institutions in
Bengaluru. Recently, Presidency Group of Institutions (PGI) was bestowed
with the Most Promising Institute in South India award at the British
South India Council of Commerce and Business Meet 2014.

The latest venture of the group Presidency University is a testimony to the

fact that the group has almost over three decades of experience in
education from K to 12 to Higher Education. Presidency University aspires
to be among the best universities in the world in the shortest span
possible, with focus on innovative and research oriented teaching
methodology, state-of-the-art facilities, industry-friendly curriculum with
concrete action plans and an unwavering commitment to the pursuit of
excellence.
The Presidency Logo: Just as a bird nestles itself in its nest until its young ones
are fashioned for flight, so does Presidency afford sustenance to all those
aspirants who enter the portals of the University with food for thought, action,
scholarly pursuit intermixed with ethics and moral values. Like the flight of the
birds, students go out into the world soaring to greater heights of
accomplishments in life.

Situation Analysis:
Major competitors, on-campus programs
1. Reva University

2. Gitam University

3. BMSIT college of Engineering.

Presidency University Strengths:

1. Affordable

2. Full-time faculty teach most classes, and there is a strong bond and a high
level of interaction between faculty and students

3. Expertise in teaching non-traditional students

Presidency University Weakness:

1. Underfunding in many departments and programs

2. Underdeveloped campus life and facilities

3. No proper planning in execution of various event and Activities

Presidency University Opportunities:

1. online opportunities worldwide

2. International and off-campus study and exchange programs

Threat to Presidency University:

1. Risk of losing prominent faculty and staff for genuinely better opportunities at
other universities or locally.

2. Growing competition from nearby public universities and small privates

Presidency as a Brand:
Digital marketing is an important tool in helping to raise brand awareness.
"People frequently think of digital marketing as just using social media to sell or
promote goods or services, but Digital Marketing encompasses much more than
this.

It enables businesses to analyse marketing trends, and allows us to know which

techniques are working effectively and which are not. This part is very important.
Good marketing data can indicate that digital marketing is working and providing
a return on investment.
At Presidency University we should focus on positioning it as a Digital
University as we realise that engagement with the digital world, data analysis
and interpretation are key for all organisations seeking to survive and prosper in
today's dynamic business environment.

If done well, digital marketing can put customers in control, drive brand loyalty
and build brand awareness. It can be easily measured and is relatively cost-
effective.

An example of using digital marketing to turn around an organisation is Lego,

who went from being nearly broke to having a powerful brand with Lego-themed
films.

Digital marketing utilises social media marketing platforms such as Facebook,

Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat to gain increased website traffic and
improve brand awareness. These platforms have complex analytics that allow
marketers to target a particular customer base. Which is why when you use
social media you see targeted advertising related to your age, gender and social
profile based on what you have recently searched for, liked, shared and
location.

Social media marketing response rates are higher for videos and images rather
than just plain text; as people share interesting or funny content with their
networks these adverts can 'go viral' and spread across social media being seen
by thousands of potential customers or donors in the case of the amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS) Ice Bucket Challenge a couple of years ago.
Social media is used to drive visitor traffic to websites. Therefore, website design
has to be pleasing to the eye and easy to navigate. It also needs compatibility
with searching using mobile phones, as this has become increasingly the
preferred method of searching. An organisation I have worked with, 6 Towns
Radio has over 50 per cent of their website visits via tablets and mobile phones.

Websites and blogs can be developed in such a way that they can have a high
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ranking. This means your website can appear
at, or near the top when doing a web search. SEO optimisation involves
designing the website in such a way that search engines such as Google
understand and rank it ideally higher than competing websites.

If SEO is not working, or you want fast results, you can invest in Pay per Click
(PPC). This is a way of buying visits to your site, where adverts appear on the
first page of a search result, and you pay for every click made on the advert.

The advantage of PPC is that it can create instant results, although once you stop
paying you stop getting results, whereas good SEO will carry on working.
Similarly, advertising now takes new forms such as banner advertising.
Essentially, it entails the use of ads that can be in the form of text, video or audio
on a website. With increasing sophistication of mobile apps and technology,
banner advertising can be person specific so that it is very targeted.

Digital Marketing:
As a country, India has always given highest priority to the education. With the presence of
120+ universities, the country has already given students great choices in education and
career development. The high numbers of educational institutions have not only opened up
choices for students, but also have intensified competition as well.

Each university is trying to distinguish itself in an aspirants eyes through the innovative use
of digital media. They are trying everything, right from promoting assured placements,
showcasing their campus lifestyle, teaching faculties, etc. But is that all enough to engage the
youth? Or theres more thats needed to engage the vibrant youth sector in India

Digital marketing has the answer to all these questions. It can help universities and
institutions promote their courses and target the prospective parents and students. It works in
simple ways where strategic decisions are implemented to create a favourable aura around a
university among students and parents. Students are the primary targets as they carry a
universitys name all through their life. For them, its one of the most important decisions of
life they take. In such a need, it is suggested for colleges and institutions to reaffirm a belief
that they are the best for students.

As the admission time is nearing, all universities are gearing up to attract sizeable number of
students for new session. Everybody will be trying to put their best foot forward through a
mix of digital and social. Still, theres a humongous gap between the queries and conversions.
Reasons are many. Theres a lot of competition each university is trying to capture students
and parents interests alike. Another possible reason is that universities are assigning their
digital marketing management to agencies which show flowery picture, but show no
returns. An experienced digital marketing agency doesnt do that. It doesnt stay with IFs
and BUTs, but gives a clear picture on the ROI on each rupee Spent

This clarity will give universities an edge over others and will increase the number of
admissions for the upcoming session. So, all PR officers and marketing managers of a
university must take a cue from the better side of digital marketing in India. With effective
support of digital marketing, universities can secure maximum returns in terms of higher
enquiries and increase in the number of admissions.

How Presidency University can attract International Students

Using Digital Marketing

1. Review and Improve Your Website Content

When it comes to your own website you need to carefully consider the experience which a
non Indian based website visitor will enjoy or not when they first visit your website.

Firstly, I recommend reviewing the content which you include on your website for your
international audience - what information is important to somebody moving to India to study?
This content may include;

Visa information

Details on your International Office

Societies and groups for international students

University accommodation / facilities

General local area information

What are your unique selling points?
It's also important to consider how you can make your university stand out, even more so
now with the fact that potential students will be directly comparing you with a number of
different universities in different countries - what makes you unique?

Start at a country level and promote the reasons why India is still a great place for
international students to study, highlight local and regional attractions, and start to paint a
picture of what the life of an international student is like when studying at your institution.
Then consider exactly why your university should be chosen over a neighbouring rival -
what makes your university different?

Provide a Virtual Welcome to your University

One of the overriding feelings that anyone moving into a new environment has is a fear of the
unknown. Therefore, the more content you share online about exactly what your university
can offer, the better.

Providing a virtual tour of the university is one way to achieve this. Technology now allows a
prospective student to explore a university campus at 360-degree angles as if they were
actually on the campus grounds, allowing your university to recreate the experience which
the student would have if attended a campus open day, as doing this in person is impractical
for the majority of international students.

It's worth remembering that the student will often not be the sole decision maker in choosing
a university, he/she will involve key influencers such as their parents, family and friends. By
providing virtual tours, prospects (and their influencers), can get a real feel for what your
university offers, without relying on assumptions.

How Should Presidency Use Digital Marketing to its Advantage:

Having a strong online presence is vital. Statistics show that 60% of the internet
users in India are students. It is likely that students already look to the Internet
as their primary source of information on Indian Universities

Here are a few steps Presidency university can take to ensure they target the
right market, and that usability is optimised:

1. Identify key phrases specific to the target market.

2. Localised research will give an insight into what students are looking for.

3. Social network sites are an effective way to market to potential international

students