Communication appeals as a tool for building a positive image of higher education institution

Abstract

The competition of Czech universities is high and every offered study program tries to attract its future applicants. For several years, universities have been trying to find an effective way to attract their potential students through a targeted and well-thought-out marketing strategy. The present study maps the decision-making process of applicants for study in terms of individual communication appeals. The study aims to analyze the development of the perception of the importance of the university image and the values at which the university works. Relevant conclusions of the submitted study are derived from secondary data monitoring the number of applicants for study at a university in the Czech Republic, but also data from selected universities and fields. These secondary data will be supported by the primary data from a questionnaire survey, which the author of the article and his colleagues have been doing for over five years on an annual sample of around 300 respondents. Realized analyzes bring insight into university marketing, their set values, in connection with the perception of its image. The results of the study will thus complete the relevant picture of the correct setting of communication appeals for the university environment in the Czech Republic. The results are also an inspiring model applicable to other cultures, taking local factors into account. The author and research team strive to monitor and adapt communication appeals to the changing needs and values of today's aspirants in the long term. This brings an interesting comparison of the preferences of a given generation to the university's marketing staff, although the survey methodology is generalizable for the approaches at all universities without distinction.