Why are universities so bad at marketing? – Dr Mike Ryder

Why are universities so bad at marketing? The marketing and recruitment teams at my university have recently decided to plaster the campus with postcards and posters for a postgraduate open day due in a few weeks. However no one seems to have stopped to consider whether this is the right approach... In this video I have a look at the thinking behind the postgraduate open day campaign, and some of the factors that lead universities to do such awful marketing. At the end of the video, I talk about my new book, Advertising: A Practitioner Perspective, which is published by Bloomsbury in November. In it, I have a whole chapter dedicated to integrated campaigns, including how universities don't often do a whole lot of joined up thinking in their attempt to attract students. To buy this new textbook from Bloomsbury here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/adverti... You can also register to attend the pre-launch event on 19th November 2026: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/advert... The event will be run hybrid, with participants welcome to join either in person or online. Finally, if you're thinking about doing a Master's, and maybe even study digital marketing, check our the MSc that I run: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/pos... This video was uploaded by Dr Mike Ryder. You can find out more about me and what I do at my website: www.mjryder.net.