TOPIC: ADVOCACY AND MARKETING MIX VARIABLE STRATEGIES AS

PREDICTORS OF PATRONAGE OF HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT THE

FCE ABEOKUTA.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Marketing is an old profession. It is believed to have started from the beginning of

creation when God conducted marketing research to unveil the value to offer to the world to

create satisfaction and enduring relationship. Thus, God created the heavens and the earth, the

moon and stars, the night and day, the waters, the birds of the earth, etc- all for the satisfaction of

man. If God started it, then it is not out of place to see banks, insurance companies, hospitals,

hotels, and even churches practice it. What then is marketing?

Kotler and Armstrong (2006) define marketing as a social and managerial process by

which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging

value with others. From the definition above, it is obvious that marketing creates value. This

value is not created without the marketer understudying the consumer to know what he needs and

wants, how he wants it, and where he wants it, among others. The moment the marketer

researches to understand his target, he blends some marketing tools that help him to design his

marketing programs. Borden, according to Banting and Randolph (2011) conceptualized what we

know as the marketing mix concept. According to these authors, Borden learnt this from an

associate, James Culliton, who in 1948, described the role of a marketing manager as a “mixer of
ingredients, one who sometimes follows recipes prepared by others, sometimes prepares his

recipe as he goes along, sometimes adapts recipe from immediately available ingredients, and at

other times invents new ingredients no one else has tried.”

Marketing involves several activities. To begin with, an organisation may decide on its target

group of customers to be served. Once the target group is decided, the product is to be placed in

the market by providing the appropriate product, price, distribution and promotional efforts.

These are to be combined or mixed in an appropriate proportion to achieve the marketing goal.

Such mix of product, price, distribution and promotional efforts is known as ‘Marketing Mix’.

Marketing mix is an essential concept, the most visible elements of a company or an

institution, and it is considered by non-marketing professionals as the very foundation of

marketing (Kotler, 2017). Kotler hold that the use of marketing mix is the means, by which the

firm attempt to inform, persuade, and remind consumers directly or indirectly about the products

or services and the brands they offer. Elements of the marketing mix represents the voice of the

company and its brands; they are means, by which the firm can dialogue and build relationships

with consumers (Kotler & Keller, 2012). To certain extend, if well-crafted and implemented, the

marketing mix can have inspired loyalty in the students, who are the main consumers of higher

education services.

Marketing is a kind of course needed by everyone in business for the attainment of individual

and organizational goals.

The marketing mix is not a scientific theory, but a conceptual framework which

highlights the principal decisions that the marketing manager’s makes in configuring their

offerings to suit customers’ needs. The tools can be used to develop both long term strategies and

short term tactical programs (Palmer, 2014). However, marketing mix has been extremely
influential in informing the development of both marketing theory and practice (Möller, 2016).

Though Borden conceptualized the marketing mix concept, it was not popular till McCarthy in

1960 coined the variables into mnemonics called the 4Ps of marketing. Kotler and Armstrong

(2016) define the marketing mix as the set of controllable, tactical marketing tools that the firm

blends to produce the response it wants in the target market.

Similarly, Berkowitz, Kerin, Hartley and Rudelius (2017) define the marketing mix as the

marketing manager’s controllable factors the marketing actions of product, price, promotion, and

place that he or she can take to solve a marketing problem. McCarthy (1981) also sees the

marketing mix as the controllable variables which a company puts together to satisfy its target

market. Concurring, Agbonifoh, Ogwo and Nnolim (1998) define the marketing mix as that

combination of product, price, promotion and distribution utilized by a marketer or company to

address a target market during a given period.

According to Kotler (2015) marketing mix is the set of controllable tactical marketing

tools-product, price, place and promotion-that the firm blends to produce the response it wants in

the target market. The marketing mix is often crucial when determining a product or brand's

offering, and is often synonymous with the four P’s: price, product, promotion, and place; in

service marketing. However, the four Ps have been expanded to the Seven P’s to address the

different nature of services. Additional three P’s that were added to the above ‘Ps’ are People,

Process and Physical evidence. Without this marketing mix in business, it will be difficult to

achieve the organizational goals.

Higher education is increasingly recognized as a service industry, placing greater

emphasis on meeting the expectations and needs of its participating customers, who are the

students (Oscar, et al 2015). According to Astin (2013), just like any form of business, issues
associated with satisfaction levels and students’ perceptions of quality will attract and retain

students. Astin (2013) also showed that there is a “direct relationship between student

satisfaction and retention. For any business to be successful in today’s increasingly competitive

marketplace, it must provide a quality product that satisfies customer needs, offer affordable

price, and engage in wider distribution and back it up with an effective promotion strategy

(Owomoyela, et al. 2013). Thus, many institutions have agreed on aggressive marketing

activities and movement towards market-orientation by concentrating on student needs (Ivy,

2016). Nevertheless, one of the challenges faced by higher educational institutions is catering to

the needs of an increasingly diverse group of students that include a growing segment of more

mature students from nontraditional backgrounds, international students, and students who enroll

to achieve very specific objectives (Veloutsou, Lewis, and Paton, 2014). The marketing mix

consists of everything the educational sector can do to influence the demand for its product.

There is also an increase in the perception of the consumers of the term ‘quality’ on the services

recommended by the educational sectors. The relationship between customer satisfaction and

service quality has also undergone a good deal of attention.

1.2 Statement of Problem

Looking into the present Educational sector and with heavy competition at hand, there is

a major need for effective and efficient marketing mix strategy for all educational sectors in

order to generate a good result. Competitive pressures are intensifying. New schools are merging

as they seek to make themselves more competitive. There is a problem of incompetent faculty

and staff; this has resulted in the inability and inadequate capacity required by the faculty and

staff to carry out their functions. This hinders their ability to effectively provide adequate

educational services. Another important factor to be noted is the poor insufficient salary that the
faculty receives, which leads to lack of motivational drive and nonchalance amongst faculty and

staff. So, this study seeks to examine advocacy and marketing mix variable as predictors of

patronage of higher education programs at Federal College of Education, Abeokuta and how

this problem can be solved using marketing mix strategies.

1.3 Objective of the Study

The main objective of this study is to investigate advocacy and marketing mix variable as

predictors of patronage of higher education programs at Federal College of Education, Abeokuta.

Specifically, this study will determine;

1. The important of advocacy on the patronage of higher education programs

2. If there is any significant impact of mix marketing variables on patronage of higher

education programs

3. If faculty and staff competence on students will significantly influence willingness to

advocate the college to others.

4. The extent to which distribution strategy of a college affects the repeat purchase intention

of the students.

1.4 Research questions

The following research questions will guide this study

1. Is there any significant effect of advocacy on the patronage of higher education programs

2. To what extend does marketing mix variables have significant impact on patronage of

higher education programs

3. Is there any significant influence of faculty and staff competence on student willingness to

advocate the college to others.

4. Did distribution strategy of a college affect the repeat purchase intention of the students.

1.5 Significance of the study

Since marketing is consumer oriented, it has a positive impact on the higher education programs.

This study will propels the stake holders of tertiary institution to improve the quality of their

educational standard and services in their colleges. It will helps in improving the standard of

education by offering a wide variety of programs that can help the students and give them

freedom of choices, and by treating them as the important person in the college. This study will

also help in the employment of more staff as to attract the attention of many student. The

knowledge of marketing will help both the college and the students to have deep

understanding of how to relate with customers to create a mutual benefit. The marketing

mix strategies can also the a great help for the higher institutions when they want to sell

admission forms.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The scope of the study will examine advocacy and marketing mix variable as predictors of

patronage of higher education programs at Federal College of Education, Abeokuta.

1.7 Definition of Terms

Marketing: Marketing can be defined as the management process of identifying, anticipating

and satisfying customers’ needs at a profit to an organization

Marketing mix: Marketing mix refers to the set of actions, or tactics, that a company
uses to promote its brand or product in the market. The 4Ps make up a typical
marketing mix - Price, Product, Promotion and Place.
Product: A product is anything that the producer or seller offers to the marketing to
satisfy the need of the customers.

Price: Price is the sum or amount of money or its equivalent for which anything is
bought, sold, or offered for sale.

Promotion: Promotion is a marketing tool, used as a strategy to communicate

between sellers and buyers.

Place: Place the process of moving products from the producer or point of production
to the intended user.

Marketing Strategy: A marketing strategy refers to a business’s overall game plan for
reaching prospective consumers and turning them into customers of their products or
services.

Advocacy advertising is a form of marketing used primarily by nonprofit organizations

and private groups to sway public opinion to support a particular cause or message.

Education: Education is the process of training and developing the knowledge, skill,
mind, character, etc., esp. by formal schooling; teaching; training.

Patronage: Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that

an organization or individual bestows on another.