INTERNATIONAL STUDENT RECRUITMENT: THE OMNI CHANNEL APPROACH … · multichannel distribution multiplies the opportunities for contact with students Presenters: Michelangelo Balicco

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT RECRUITMENT: THE OMNI CHANNEL APPROACH TO ENTER A COMPLEX MARKET

Presenters: Michelangelo Balicco & Arianna Malavasi

MICHELANGELO BALICCOHead Office Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

[email protected]

ARIANNA MALAVASIAsia Regional Manager Università Cattolica del Sacro [email protected]

MIC & ARI


A r e a s t o c o v e01 02

03 04

05 06 OUR SUCCESFUL RECIPEENTER A COMPLEX MARKET

MY DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL APPROACH

WANTED PROFILE & VALUE PROPOSITIUON


MARKET PLACE ISCHANGING

MULTICHANNEL VS OMNICHANNEL

OUR CHALLENGES


NAME: NATALIA PEREZ AGE: 21/23 FAMILY INCOME: $35.000+ TYPE OF EDUCATION: Universidad

de La Sabana (private) MAJOR: DD UCSC and La Sabana -

Economics CHARACTERISTIC: openness, risk-

taking personality INTERESTS: travelling, sports,

outdoor activities NATIONALITY: Latin America

CATTOLICA INTAKE 2012

WANTED PROFILE 2012


WHAT DO YOU MEAN TO MY LIFE?


CATTOLICA is the accomplice that provides me with a different and unique experience where I can feel safe during my studies!

WANTED PROFILE 2014



NAME: Engin Sedat AGE: 21/25 FAMILY INCOME: $40.000+ TYPE OF EDUCATION: Hisar School

+ Sabanci (Istanbul) MAJOR: International Relations CHARACTERISTIC: openness, risk-

taking, personality, social-conscious, strong ethics…

INTERESTS: travelling, soft power, culture

NATIONALITY: Ghana




CATTOLICA is my gateway to the Mediterranean and the perfect location to explore Italy! I can study various subjects in English knowing that I won’t ever be alone.

WANTED PROFILE 2016



NAME: ROHINI DHENGE AGE: 23/25 FAMILY INCOME: $40.000+ TYPE OF EDUCATION:

Maharashtra College (Kolhapur) + Shivaji University (Kolhapur)

MAJOR: Agricultural and Food Economics

CHARACTERISTIC: openness, risk-taking personality, extroverted, ,

INTERESTS: environment, sustainability, food safety,

NATIONALITY: India




Cattolica is my stepping-stone to attain my aspiration to become a global citizen!

UNIVERISTA CATTOLICA DEL SACRO CUORE - 2016

OUR LIMBIC MAP




MY DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL APPROACH PRE - 2014

0


MY DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL APPROACH: EDUCATIONAL FAIRS

Do you feel that in the next five years traditional fairs will be under threat from alternative recruitment

channels? What changes - if any - do you feel you would need to make to traditional fairs?

“I think there is definitely a threat but the power of an in-person fair, the good ones, will hold its ground”

“The big, general all-target fairs will most probably disappear, the target-specific ones will be the popular ones...”

“That is why fairs should go from traditional fairs to ’smart fairs’”


MY DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL APPROACH: AGENTS

They represent over 800 universities worldwide and recruit thousands of students every year

Greater geographical reach Represent you locally Promote your university & courses permanently Arrange school/university visits Help you to focus on a key segment; UG, PG,

Study Abroad Have experience with your institution & national

education system. Should provide sound advice to the student Increasingly being referenced by students


MY DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL APPROACH: “SHORT HEAD APPROACH”

Education in Italy is a “difficult sale”

Talk to my potential students directly

Focus my energies on channels with high penetration

Learn more about my target audience to better segment markets

Rapidly position my programs

Generate emotions

OFF-LINE CHANNELS ARE MY FORTE!


FROM 2011 TO 2014…I WAS SHORT SIGHTED


THE MARKETPLACE IS CHANGING


NEW PLAYERS LEAD TO NEW APPROACHES

Change is a consequence of new technologies whichconnect students and new business models.

Student portals: from facilitator to protagonist


THE MARKETPLACE IS CHANGING

My NEW distribution channel approach – from 2015


My NEW distribution channel approach: a “long-tail approach”

Fairs and agents are slaves to PLACE

Fairs and agents are slaves to COSTS

Fairs and agents are slaves to SPACE

Fairs and agents are slaves to TIME

Fairs and agent are slaves to POPULAR PROGRAMS

MULTICHANNEL DISTRIBUTION MULTIPLIES THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONTACT WITH STUDENTS


A multichannel approach is a value creation approach

Multi-touch points

Larger recruitment opportunities

University awareness

More cost-effective in the long run

More frequent and interactive

engagement

My Portal Education

Fair

My Click & Mortar


NO!

OMNICHANNEL is not only abouta long-tail or multichannelapproach, but it is about all the channels working together and being experiential and catchy, able to generate a relational dimension with your target audience whatever touch pointsthey decided to use.


Have we implemented an OMNICHANNEL approach?

JULY 2015

Let's conquer China!Presenters: Michelangelo Balicco & Arianna Malavasi

Start with the right DIAGNOSIS

The diagnosis seeks for a holistic vision of the situation.

INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT

• DNA• Students• Programs• Competitors


Start with the right diagnosis: DNA

A complex ecosystem

Strong tradition

Contrary to head-on collision

Unique positioning

.


START WITH THE RIGHT DIAGNOSIS: STUDENTS

Students in Cattolica = a constantly growing curve

Private + Catholic = quality + service!


START WITH THE RIGHT DIAGNOSIS: PROGRAMMES

Heterogeneous approaches of different faculties lead to different decisions

Limited commercial approach


START WITH THE RIGHT DIAGNOSIS: COMPETITORS

In Italy we do not like to compete but students do!

Social networks

Increased international students mobility

Globalization

Less language barriers

Market size


Shall we go?


BUT …. “YOU HAVE TO”and 加油！

PRIVATE CATHOLIC & TRADITIONAL

NON ATTRACTIVE PROGRAMS

LOW RANKINGS

RUINED NATIONAL HE REPUTATION

RESEARCH POSITIVE

OUTCOMES

MARKETING ANALYSIS

We identify the right partner

We run a feasibility study

We try to highlight all the postives

We start designing differententry market models

There is a possible market in 3rd tiercities.

Demand for Italian-taught programs.

Growing number of small agenciesfocused on Non English-speakingcountries

Semester programs: potential?

We decided to open a REP OFFICE embedded in a partner agency


PROS CONS

A REP OFFICE INCUBATED IN AN AGENCY?!

marketing proximity

local language

existing know-how

agencies contact

brand awareness

no headhaches with local regulation

PENETRATION AND WEIGHTED COVERAGE

less contol

fully dependent

cultural differences

RISK OF CONFLICTS


THE SUCCESFUL RECIPE


FIND THE BEST REP !

Salary 10.000

Travel budget 7.000

Marketing budget 10.000

Benefits 3.000

Commissions 18%


MY TARGETS

PROGRAMS STATE OF THE ART 1° YEAR 2° YEAR 3° YEAR

DEGREE-SEEKINGUNDERGRADUATE 2 2-5 7-9 13-15

DEGREE-SEEKING GRADUATE 4 6-8 12-15 22-25

STUDY-ABROAD 6 8 12 15

SUMMER COURSES 0 4 8 12


1st YEAR PLANNING

Meeting all Italian key players in the market

Building a sub-agents network

Wechat and info material in Mandarin + [email protected]

Visiting SOME partner institutions


1st YEAR IMPLEMENTING

Show our face around!

International fairs (CEE and

CIEET) and local fairs to

meet students and agents

Create 关系with the Italiancommunity in

China

Avoid the big 4 and focus on

2nd and 3rd tier cities

Organizeseminars in universities

and high schools


WANTED PROFILE 2016



NAME: ZHOU QIANRU AGE: 22 FAMILY INCOME: 300.000+

RMB/YEAR TYPE OF EDUCATION: Sichuan

International Studies University MAJOR: Italian Language and

Culture (Major) + Finance (Minor) CHARACTERISTIC: creative, going

against the flow INTERESTS: arts, food, fashion,

opera NATIONALITY: China

ALICE’S JOURNEY TO CATTOLICA

Upper-middle class family from 3rd tier city in China, Jiangsu province,

Wuxi

To work as event manager in a non-profit

arts organization

Family friend (“my uncle said…”) and professors

HER BACKGROUND HER DREAM HER ENDORSERS

SHE IS A TOP STUDENT AT HER HIGH SCHOOL

AND GETS ADMITTED TO A TOP UNIVERSITY IN

CHINA: SISU

SHE DECIDES TO MAJOR IN ITALIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE AND MINOR IN

FINANCE

SHE PARTICIPATES IN AN AGENT FAIR IN

CHONGQUING AND DECIDES TO GO ABROAD

FOR HER MASTER OF SCIENCE

SHE MAKES A WISH LIST OF 3 UNIVERSITIES SHE WOULD LIKE TO STUDY AT, AND ASKS HER PROFESSOR AND MR LIN FOR

ADVICE

SHE READS ALL INFO AVAILABLE ON WECHAT

PLATFORMS AND DECIDES TO EMAIL ALL OF THEM TO

GATHER FURTHER INFORMATION

2 OF THEM REPLY AND UNIVERSITÀ CATTOLICA

SENDS HER A LINK ”MEET OUR

REPRESENTATIVE IN YOUR COUNTRY”

SHE DECIDES TO ATTEND THE SEMINAR ORGANIZED

BY CATTOLICA IN CHONGQUING – ITALIAN

DAYS ON HIGHER EDUCATION

SHE MEETS ARIANNA AND GETS A DEEPER

UNDERSTANDING OF CATTOLICA, ITS

PROGRAMS AND STUDY ENVIRONMENT

SHE LIKES THE SCHOOL AND DISCUSSES WITH HER

FAMILY

SHE ASKS THE UNIVERSITY THE POSSIBILITY TO CONTACT A CHINESE

STUDENT ON CAMPUS AND THE FEEDBACK IS POSITIVE

SHE DECIDES TO CONFIRM HER PLACE AT CATTOLICA

IN MILAN

offlineonline

2nd YEAR PLANNING

Organizing ad hoc Cattolica events

Supporting sub–agents = priority

Wechat communication plan

New target: International Studies Universities


2nd YEAR IMPLEMENTING

Wine from food to meditation

product – meet the Italian expert Professor Poni.

Video of currentstudents

Ad hoc sub agent strategy

including webinars with all UC key offices

Designing ad hoc model to eachinternational

studies university


PhDs for Chinese Italian language professors

Alumni

Regular visits of UC faculty members.

Activities in Hong-Kong Taiwan.


3rd YEAR PLANNING

Part-time PhD in Italian language at

Cattolica

Study Medicine in a leading

The Cattolica Alumni

Shanghai chapter

Regular seminarsin chineseuniverisites

including Rectorand Vice Rector

offical visit


3rd YEAR IMPLEMENTING

OUR NUMBERS

PROGRAMS STATE OF THE ART

1° YEAR 2° YEAR 3° YEAR

DEGREE SEEKINGUNDERGRADUATE 2 4 7 9 + 9

DEGREE SEEKING GRADUATE 4 7 15 28

STUDY- ABROAD 6 15 38 59

SUMMER COURSES 0 4 6 5



PANTA REI

Presenters Michelangelo Balicco & Arianna Malavasi

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Focus on students’ needs

Do your homework regularly

The role of “trust” on channel management

Take some risk and do not be afraid to fail

Documents

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT RECRUITMENT: THE OMNI CHANNEL APPROACH … · multichannel distribution multiplies the opportunities for contact with students Presenters: Michelangelo Balicco