In the competitive job market, where job security is more of a privilege than a guarantee, employees are increasingly turning to higher education in their quests to find professional stability. During the past three decades, participation in adult-centered educational programs has risen steadily, creating a competitive environment among today’s learning institutions. Whereas reputation had often been the key to an individual’s choice of schools, traditional universities are now facing the challenges created by adult-centered institutions.

Today’s traditional universities often find themselves over-subscribed and unable to accommodate the vastly growing number of traditional student applications. In addition, the high demand for adult-centered programs has pushed the traditional institutions to compete in the nontraditional marketplace. To meet this high demand and provide educational opportunities for both traditional and non-traditional students, universities are using various means of advertising to inform the public of the unique programs they (universities) have developed.

A popular technique had been the use of market targeting. Using market-targeting techniques, schools are seeking to provide access to an educational avenue for anyone who is interested. Market targeting looks at how to appeal to the vastly different needs that individuals may have. In the industry of higher education, market targeting seeks to point out the various education options that people have to choose from and evaluate the market to decide which audience to target and how to provide for their individual needs.

To do this effectively, three factors must be examined: the impact of competition, size and growth, and institutional objectives and resources. Today, as colleges and universities compete for market shares, traditional and non-traditional institutions are finding market-targeting techniques an effective means of advertising.

With the myriad of choices offered today, there no longer exists a “traditional market profile.” Anyone can find an educational program to meet his needs, whether it’s attending a community college, four-year university, adult-credentialing program, or an online program. In addition, with annual enrollment steadily increasing, successful marketers of higher education understand the critical need to separate themselves from the competition and identify themselves in the marketplace. To compete, colleges and universities must be recognizably different. Market targeting provides a unique means of advertising for each school to meet its individual needs.

The lure of market targeting reaches well beyond the realm of those learning institutions with large advertising budgets. Market targeting is often used by departments within schools to attract students to particular programs. Also, in an attempt to best utilize the funds they have available, smaller budgeted programs are turning to professional advertising agencies to develop their market targeting strategies.

In today’s education market, the bottom line is all schools seek to increase enrollment. And, in a society where higher education is becoming a necessity in order for individuals to advance in the job market, advertising is the means for schools to communicate with the targeted audience who will benefit from that school’s program.

What does the future look like for higher education? Competitive. But by using market targeting, today’s colleges and universities are reaching greater numbers of people and, in turn, these people are using higher education to obtain their career goals.