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If you want aspiring business students from the Middle East and Africa to enroll in your program, be sure to share your marketing messages with the people they trust most to help them make the right decisions—their family members.
You’ll have the greatest success if you do the talking in person and your brand is recognized—and valued—in these regions. But you can establish personal contact and create a viral buzz about your brand, even if budget constraints restrict or prevent you from traveling there to recruit. Here’s how, according to panelists at a GMAC Annual Industry Conference session for admissions and marketing professionals on recruiting in the Middle East and Africa:
- Learn what the market has to offer
- Understand students’ preferences and decision-making processes
- Collaborate with educational assistance programs on the ground
Opportunities abound
Nearly 10,000 students in the Middle East and Africa sat for the GMAT test in 2008. This talent makes up five percent of the current student pipeline and “is looking to the US and Europe for their graduate management education,” according to session moderator Michelle Sparkman-Renz, associate director, research, at GMAC.
“The GMAT data point to an increasing student pipeline and potential for schools today—and these regions account for a growing share of the world’s international students by 2025,” she added.
If, as American film auteur Woody Allen once claimed, 80 percent of success is showing up, schools at the forefront of recruiting efforts here definitely boost their brand. “We still don’t see a lot of investment from business schools in this market,” said Leila Murat, assistant director of admissions, MBA programme, INSEAD. “So if you go there, you stand out.”
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