Configuring integrated marketing communication towards brand image and brand equity of Malaysian higher educational institutions

Abstract

Due to its unique characteristics (variability, perishability, inseparability and so on), managing a service brand is relatively challenging compared to product industry. In addition, numerous perceived risks are associated with it. The branding of a service can therefore plays crucial role in minimizing the risks and give assurance to the service receivers. Higher education as a service provider is also not an exception. Better educational institution is no longer based only on its history and tradition. Establishing a good brand is synonymous with engaging to greater brand equity where brand image is an integral part of it. Brand equity does not only mean brand loyalty but it also denotes confirmed engagement, community feelings and more importantly love marks for the institutions. This consequently leads to positive words of mouth which is an expected action from the service receivers. Marketing communication is treated as a voice of a brand and serves as a bridge between service providers and receivers. However, a comprehensive review of the literature reveals that higher education industry in Malaysia is almost nowhere in terms of coping with the multitude of marketing communication tools (different online and conventional communication methods). It is noted that Malaysia is a prominent place for international education and it sets its vision to become one of the top educational hubs in its vision 2020. In line with this, the current study is aimed at configuring integrated marketing communication towards brand equity and brand image of Malaysian higher educational institutions. The study is quantitative in nature and the selection of the respondents is based on stratified random sampling technique. As a result, more than 350 respondents were chosen from different private and public higher learning institutions in the county. Exploratory factor analysis is used to fit the right items for each construct and structural equation modelling technique is applied to assess the relationship between and among the constructs. The result of the study reveals that brand image is directly related to brand equity of the industry. It is also revealed that brand image plays the role of mediator in establishing relationship between brand equity and conventional marketing communication as well as online marketing communication. In addition, conventional marketing communication has a direct relationship with brand equity. However, the study does not indicate a direct relationship between online marketing communication and brand equity of Malaysian higher education service. Furthermore, in multi group analysis, the study reveals that there is no significant difference between the perception of service providers and service receivers. However, it reveals some key points which suggest that students’ opinion differs from the service providers. The findings of the study are the most valuable asset for higher educational institutions in particular and the Ministry of Education in Malaysia as a whole and those who are struggling to configure its marketing communication tools to create better brand image and brand equity of their institutions. Practitioners, academicians, policy makers and researchers can also benefit from the present study. Further research based on the application of mix methods is recommended to extend the opening of service receivers and providers. In addition, private and public institutions can be studied independently due to the differences in their nature.?