DOI: https://doi.org/10.56712/latam.v5i5.2829
Impact of Marketing Strategies on Strengthening the
Image of Public Universities in Ecuador
Incidencia de las estrategias de
marketing en el fortalecimiento de la imagen de las universidades
públicas en el Ecuador
Silvana Andrea Cerón Silva
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5637-7224
Universidad
Técnica de Babahoyo
Babahoyo–
Ecuador
Sandra Piedad Ochoa Inga
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5462-4244
Universidad
Técnica de Babahoyo
Babahoyo–
Ecuador
Jorge Manuel Paredes Montero
jorgeparedesmontero2022@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6183-7386
Servicio
Nacional de Atención Integral (SNAI)
Empresa-
RcMac
Machala
– Ecuador
Islam Muhammad Sal=
ama
Muhammad
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4250-5783
Unidad Educativa
Simón Bolívar
Babahoyo–
Ecuador
Artículo recibido: 05 de octubre de 202=
4.
Aceptado para publicación: 19 de octubre de 2024.
Conflictos de
Interés: Ninguno que declarar.
Abstract
This article analyzes how marketing strategies impact the strengthen=
ing
of public universities' images in Ecuador. In a systematic literature revie=
w,
it shows that the main problems affecting institutional reputation are foun=
d in
the lack of qualified personnel in their communication departments, as well=
as
administrative management deficiencies. Then, it introduces some of the
emerging relational tools, like artificial intelligence and neuromarketing,
whose effectiveness has been already tested with a view to improving
institutional perception. The competitiveness theory will provide insights =
for
understanding how universities can acquire differential advantages within an
increasingly globalized and competitive market for educational services. It
follows that effective marketing strategies, digital marketing, and
personalized contents help in increasing visibility, thereby attracting more
students and enabling international collaborations. The article concluded t=
hat
what public universities need to do is integrate such strategies coherently
with their institutional objectives for effective positioning and improved
public perception.
Keywords: marketing
strategies, institutional image, neuromarketing, digital transformation,
artificial intelligence
Resumen
Este
artículo analiza cómo las estrategias de marketing impactan e=
n el
fortalecimiento de la imagen de las universidades públicas en Ecuado=
r. A
través de una revisión sistemática de la literatura, se
muestra que los principales problemas que afectan la reputación
institucional se encuentran en la falta de personal calificado en sus
departamentos de comunicación, así como en deficiencias en la
gestión administrativa. Luego, se presentan algunas de las herramien=
tas
relacionales emergentes, como la inteligencia artificial y el neuromarketin=
g,
cuya efectividad ya ha sido probada con vistas a mejorar la percepció=
;n
institucional. La teoría de la competitividad proporcionará
información para comprender cómo las universidades pueden
adquirir ventajas diferenciales dentro de un mercado cada vez más
globalizado y competitivo de servicios educativos. Se deduce que las estrat=
egias
de marketing efectivas, el marketing digital y los contenidos personalizados
ayudan a aumentar la visibilidad, atrayendo así a más estudia=
ntes
y posibilitando colaboraciones internacionales. El artículo concluye=
que
lo que las universidades públicas necesitan hacer es integrar dichas
estrategias de manera coherente con sus objetivos institucionales para un
posicionamiento efectivo y una mejor percepción pública.
Palabras clave: estrategias de marketing, imagen
institucional, neuromarketing, transformación digital, inteligencia
artificial
Todo el contenido
de LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades,
publicado en este sitio está disponibles bajo Licencia <=
span
lang=3DES-EC style=3D'color:black;mso-color-alt:windowtext'>Creative Commons.
Cómo citar: Cer&oa=
cute;n
Silva, S. A., Ochoa Inga, S. P., Paredes Montero , J.
M., & Salama Muhammad , I. M. (2024). Impact of
Marketing Strategies on Strengthening the Image of Public Universities in
Ecuador. LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de
Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades 5 (5), 2965 – 2976. https://doi.org/1=
0.56712/latam.v5i5.2829
INTRODUCTION
Education is the foundation upon which
development is effected in society; it shapes th=
e mind
of those later responsible for innovation, leadership, and social change. In
this line, universities, especially public ones, have the mandate to be
responsible in making knowledge available, not only accessibly but also in
setting up standards of quality and credibility in a world that has turned
global yet highly competitive. Serious problems take place within public
universities in Ecuador, and this in turn allows the very same universities=
to develop
neither an institutional image at the local or international levels.
The image of a university encompasses more =
than
aesthetics or a branding issue but epitomizes collective perceptions by
students, faculty, possible employers, and the general public. These
perceptions, however, affect the reputation of universities in attracting
ability to talent, in forming partnerships, and creating meaningful social
change. In today's educational ecosystem, where students are considered
educated consumers, universities have been called to go further in developi=
ng
innovative strategies that brand their uniqueness and competitive advantage.
According to the theory of competitive strategy by (Porter, 1980) , institutions should find a way of fitting into the
environment where they operate and also ensure that their strategic actions
yield sustainable benefits.
Actually, it should be underlined that in
Ecuador, step by step, the image of public universities was deteriorated, b=
ut
such deterioration might be due to a number of reasons: firstly, the absenc=
e of
professional marketers within university communication departments. First, =
most
of them lacked an integrated and well-focused marketing strategy that would
highlight their strengths concerning academic excellence, research, and
community engagement. Besides, inefficient management, including bureaucrat=
ic
delays not supportive of student service delivery at an administrative leve=
l,
further reduced growth. Resulting from these internal challenges, the
universities were unprepared to face the competition with other private one=
s,
which were more often than not better resourced with streamlined operations=
.
Besides, with all the negative experiences =
of
students, professors, and every other stakeholder, matters have worsened to=
the
point of degrading the institutional image of Ecuador's public universities.
Indeed, research supports the very fact that unsatisfactory user
experiences-from administrative procedures to the quality of academic
programs-are directly related to reduced reputation. If universities will n=
ot
be able to retain or engage their students and alumni, failure to win
credibility as well as failure in securing collaborations and research fund=
ing
within and outside the country might be possible.
The higher education marketplace has turned
immensely competitive. With the help of digital tools, advanced analytics, =
and
other personalized marketing techniques, universities worldwide can plan and
establish a strong brand identity, thereby selling their services to studen=
ts
all over the world. Public universities in Ecuador have so far fought their
demons internally; very soon, they will have to face this stiff competition=
. It
is here that modern marketing strategies assume prime importance. An
institution's image is not built either by word of mouth or by traditional
media, but universities need to adopt modern marketing strategies, including
AI, neuromarketing, and data-driven marketing, in order to get their message
across to and impress their target audience effectively. Whereas AI would h=
ave
the university move forward with economizing on marketing operations, manage
personalized outreach, and predict the needs of the students, neuromarketing
lets an institution look at the reaction from behind the emotional and cogn=
itive
standpoints of the target audience-to forge much better relations with, and
eventually make more loyal-the prospect and stakeholder in question. It
reinforces the university's institutional image and thus enables them to
communicate their values, achievements, and distinctiveness to a wider audi=
ence
with greater effect.
This paper will research the theoretical and
practical effects of marketing strategies on the image of public universiti=
es
in Ecuador.
The target is to understand how successful
marketing can reverse the trend so far and provide a relative advantage in =
this
new digital, global educational environment. Based on the previous premise,=
the
current research discusses the role of marketing in Higher Education, in the
case of Ecuadorian Public Universities through a systematic literature revi=
ew.
Additionally, it identifies key opportunities for using marketing to enhance
reputation, student recruitment, and overall institutional competitiveness.
Generally, the approach of this work is to establish how marketing strategi=
es
shape the perception of public universities and make some useful
recommendations on what to do to retrieve and sustain a better and more
positive image. Along with times of change in higher education, Ecuadorian
public universities will have to take up the new paradigms of marketing with
the guarantee of holding a place as the main institution for education,
research, and social development.
METHODOLOGY
The research will analyze the importance of
marketing strategies for the improvement of the image of public universitie=
s in
Ecuador. It follows a mixed-method approach, combining three methods: a
systematic literature review, qualitative interviews, and the analysis of
quantitative data with the purpose of comprehensively establishing a clear
understanding of the subject. Each was designed to deliver knowledge with
respect to the way marketing could affect institutional perception and which
are the strategies best adapted to solving the current challenges.
RESEARCH DESIGN
This present study will adopt a mixed-metho=
ds
design since it furthers the topic from multiple standpoints. It will begin
with a systematic literature review of various established theories and
frameworks from three identified contexts: educational marketing, image
perception, and competitive strategy. It will be complemented by a series of
in-depth interviews with the marketing professionals in each university and
their administrations, expecting to understand firsthand information of the
challenges going on against the public universities in Ecuador. It identifi=
es
the patterns and correlations among marketing efforts and institutional ima=
ge,
which are based on the quantitative data of students' satisfaction surveys =
and
other reputation metrics.
This is justified on two levels: First, whi=
le
the literature currently has a significant conceptual basis from which it c=
an
ascend to develop an understanding of the marketing institutional image
relationship, in order to contextualize those findings for the purpose of t=
he present
study in Ecuadorian public universities, the relevant data needs to come
directly from this particular stakeholder population. Second, mixed-methods
allow not only the validation and cross-referencing of findings but also
greater robustness and depth to the conclusions derivable from such researc=
h.
Systematic
Literature Review
The first step in this research was a
systematic review of the literature, focusing on three key areas: (1) marke=
ting
strategies in higher education, (2) institutional image and reputation
management, and (3) the role of technology, particularly artificial
intelligence (AI) and neuromarketing, in modern marketing. The review aimed=
to
synthesize current knowledge and identify gaps that this study could addres=
s.
It will identify data from relevant
peer-reviewing journals, books, and conference proceedings incorporating
databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, and JSTOR.
Keywords will be mainly selected based on "higher education
marketing," "university image," "competitive strategy,&=
quot;
"neuromarketing," and "artificial intelligence in
education." Selection will be done based on relevance and reliability,
with an up-to-date issue date. It will prefer the most recent studies from =
the
last decade. More than 50 sources were reviewed in total-from seminal pieces
like Porter's 1980 work Competitive Strategy to more recent works related to
digital marketing tools in education by (Agag et al., 2024).
The literature review, therefore, helped in
framing the research question and brought a conceptual framework from which
data collected in subsequent stages of the study are analyzed. Besides, it
revealed that though there is a wide range of studies related to marketing =
in
higher education, few of these addresses the problems faced by a public uni=
versity
in a developing country like Ecuador; this gap in the literature underlines=
the
relevance of localized studies that may give practical recommendations.
Qualitative
Interviews
A further stage in this investigation consi=
sted
of interviews using semi-structured guides with key informants from Ecuador=
ian
public universities, responsible for the direction of marketing departments,
communications officers, or administrative staff who could describe the cur=
rent
situation regarding institutional practices, challenges, and perceptions of=
the
image in institutions, by those who are directly responsible for handling a=
nd
implementing the strategies.
Altogether, interviews were conducted on 15
people chosen using a purposive sampling approach. As a matter of fact, this
kind of approach has been implemented because this nature of research requi=
res
only those people who have experienced university marketing and administrat=
ion
firsthand. These interview sessions were either face-to-face or via Zoom,
depending upon the availability, and each of these lasted from 30 to 60
minutes.
Themes of interest that are used in this
interview guide were focused on:
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