FRAMEWORK)
3.3. Marketing Strategy
13.3.1.Principles, objectives, message, brand
The National Institute of Administration’s marketing strategy took into consideration the exploitation and development of the existing competitive advantage, with the purpose of understanding and satisfying the need of knowledge and lifelong learning programs training in public administration. The Institute’s brand values, promoted both by the employees and the collaborators, formulated by the strategy, were: PROFESSIONALISM, QUALITY, and DYNAMISM.
The strategy started from the premise that the product value of the National Institute of Administration is given by the importance of satisfying the need for lifelong learning training programs, expressed at the individual level, for career development in line with institutional requirements for increased quality of public services.
The competitive advantage is not enough to obtain good results and a good position on the training market must not be endangered by poor performance; the creation, exploitation and preservation of this advantage represent a continuous process. The desire to succeed, communicated from the management level throughout the entire organization and further development of operational capability represent the key to this achievement.
From a financial perspective, an opinion has been formulated that the training programs are organized in terms of economic efficiency, while profit is not an institutional objective. NIA intends to keep the constantly ascending trend of the proportion of their income in the total annual budget of the Institute.
Marketing objectives formulated were:
1.
Permanent knowledge regarding the demand for continuing training, by using tools designed to facilitate the extraction of the information necessary for developing quality lifelong learning training programs;2. Development of quality lifelong learning training programs, adequate for satisfying the existing need on the market;
3. Promotion of endogenous programs and development of a strong brand of the National Institute of Administration - as a reference point for lifelong learning programs in public administration. In terms of marketing message, it has been found that the quality of the training programs offered is the main carrier of the message, and the trainers and organizers of the programs are able to provide the best service of its kind. The message is addressed to the public administration personnel, who is the center of high concern for NIA programs, given the statutory powers and responsibilities.
The NIA brand represents a construction based on customer satisfaction. Every opportunity should be used to promote the brand's visual elements, as defined in NIA’s visual identity manual because NIA intends to become a reference point in terms of quality standard of professional training for public administration.
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3.3.2. Lifelong learning marketing training programs. Marketing Mix (NIA Marketing Strategy, 2006)
By means of the marketing strategy, the following opinions have been formulated: Product
The lifelong learning training programs, as a product of the Institute, represent the key component used by the marketing mix and the product quality represents the best advertising. The quality standard proposed is always improved, in order to preserve the value of the product offered.
Price (rates)
The price of the lifelong learning training programs is not an important element of the marketing strategy, economic efficiency representing the only criterion for determining its level, adapted to market conditions.
Promotion
Promoting the
NIA product is centered on successful management relationships with customers and partners. Special events represent opportunities for promoting the Institute and its offer. Starting from the fact that a strategy based on advertising is not adequate in relation to the nature of the product offered by the Institute and the specific legal framework, this tool can be a complementary promoting option. In addition to developing quality programs and providing them in an optimal environment, NIA must constantly notify its customers regarding its offer and activity.Advertising
Advertising is not designed to be an important part of the marketing strategy with regard to NIA’s position as a public institution. However, the Institute’s offers are submitted directly to potential customers, and the portal is designed to provide useful information in this regard.
Public Relations
Public relations represent the main marketing tool for promoting lifelong learning training programs on institutional or individual plateau. Within the promotion strategy, special attention is given to the relationship with customers and partners and to the transmission of information to the media.
Through the communication and public relations plan, specific communication tools and messages for each target group are been identified, including a component dedicated to internal communication.
4.
PERFORMANCE OR THE RESULTS OF THE MARKETING STRATEGY
Once the strategies have been developed and adopted, implementing the action plans attached to them represented a priority. The results were spectacular, such as in less than two years NIA was capable to respond to customer’s expectations and to its founding purpose.
On a quantitative level, is remarkable (Figure 3) a constant increase of the number of participants in short-term training programs, although during the reported period we have witnessed a reduction of the training budgets of public institutions.2 In terms of quality, there is a noticeable increase in the number of programs organized, due to the course topics diversification approach, result of internal activity analysis of training needs at the administrative system level of (Fig. no. 4). In this context, the average number of trainees on a program decreased, approaching the ideal in 2008: in average, 24 students in a training program lasting 5 days.
2
Moreover, in the last three months of year 2008, by order of the Minister of Finance, it was forbidden to participate in training programs outside the employer’s city of residence.
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FIGURE 3
The number of participants in short-term training programs of NIA
FIGURE 4
The number of short-term programs organized by NIA
Source: Development Strategy of the National Institute of Administration, 2006-2009.
A special remark must be made concerning The Program for Specialized Training for Senior Civil Servants. This was a unique program, NIA brand, considered the main INTRUMENT to promote quality in training and generating clients for other types of programs. Although the completion of this program was mandatory for entry into the body of senior civil servants, in year 2006, the program didn’t received special attention, bringing together less than one candidate on a place (85 candidates admitted for the 100 places allocated). The promotion of the program, especially by the alumni, led, in the context of raising the number of places and of substantially increasing the fee, to nearly 3 candidates on a place in 2008.
In the field of public image, during the analyzed period we witnessed a substantial increase of the number of appearances in the newspapers and audio-visual, as a result of the organization of events of interest, from the festivities honoring students, trainers, to volunteer campaign or open doors day. To be noted that these appearances were overwhelmingly favorable to NIA.
Referring strictly to the marketing strategy, some of the results obtained must be presented, as mentioned in the annual activity reports and operational plans.
Marketing Objective 1 – KNOWING THE DEMAND FOR LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMS Operational objective Results
1.1. Market research