Marketing IAG services
13-March-2006
permalink email thisJoin the discussion about this question below, or make your own contribution to the consultation on the IAG Review website
What are we marketing, what should we be marketing, how and to whom?
The summary of responses (total 42) from the IAG website as of the 30 June 2006 suggest that, in relation to marketing of IAG services:
A recurrent concern expressed in many responses related to the challenge of marketing what are perceived as fragmented services effectively to particular target groups (e.g. nextstep enhanced guidance to pre Level 2 clients). Many respondents felt it is crucial to change the service offer before effective marketing strategies could be devised. That is, marketing a national, universal service as single brand would be a more feasible project than trying to devise low budget marketing campaigns that attempted to sell particular services to narrowly defined groups within specific regions. The majority of respondents felt that an ambitious, coherent, properly resourced marketing strategy is sorely needed. Related to this, one other recurrent theme related to the unfavourable comparison that can be drawn between the marketing strategy (and budget) evident in the approach adopted by learndirect, compared with nextstep. This is felt to be unfair to nextstep organisations and also has the potential to be confusing to users.
Various media for marketing are identified (e.g. posters, television, local radio, local newspapers, word-of-mouth) together with organisations that could be used to market IAG services (e.g. Job Centres, libraries, public access places, local authority offices, colleges & universities). The need to avoid jargon in marketing campaigns is highlighted. ‘Information, Advice and Guidance’ should be replaced with language that was meaningful to the general public (e.g. Learning and Work Support Service). Several comments emphasised the need to market the benefits of the service, rather than the service itself. (e.g. career development, achieving individual potential; economic benefits; social benefits; and lifestyle changes). Simplifying the message would stimulate a market for guidance – but then the question is posed: how could increased demand be satisfied?
Linking and trackbacks
When linking to this weblog entry, please use the 'permalink', which is http://www.guidance-research.org/collaborate/guidance/entries/marketing_services
