A systematic approach to marketing and communication : a case study of MIT System Design and Management Program

Abstract

Different from the for-profit organizations' marketing objectives, marketers in academic sectors tend to have a different set of priorities comparing to ultimately increasing goods or services sales to gain profit. This thesis attempts to explore the effective marketing and communication methods to establish strong brand recognition and to attract the best and brightest candidates for the graduate program - the MIT's System Design and Management Program (SDM). This research incorporates findings and observations from the semi-structured interviews with the program employees to obtain a historical overview of the program, the current marketing and communication efforts, and the challenges and difficulties it faces. On the other hand, a student and alumni survey was conducted to exam students' perceptions of SDM's marketing and communication. Based on the data collected and findings gathered, further analysis is carried out to assess SDM's competitiveness among the seven programs participated in the Master of Engineering Management Program Consortium (MEMPC), and to map-out the program's stakeholder value network for stakeholder management navigation. Additionally, a marketing and communication project assessment form is proposed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of a proposed project based on the ratio of the input values required (dollar amount, man-hour commitment, etc.) and the values it generates (stakeholder satisfactions, increase in engagement, brand recognitions or other anticipated impacts). Meanwhile, the considered implementations to improve SDM's online presence and alumni engagement are suggested.