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Why has the way we advertise to teachers changed?

An introduction to the Education Marketing Briefings from Hamilton House Mailings

1. Advertising always changes

Watch TV adverts from 20 years ago and you’ll see at once how very much advertising has changed. Yet look at the advertising that was sent to teachers 20 years ago and you’ll find it very similar to the advertising that is sent out by many firms to schools today.

The two questions we need to ask are, why has this happened, and does it matter?

2. Why has advertising to teachers changed less than other forms of advertising?

The reason why advertising to teachers has not changed much is that, while public attitudes have changed dramatically over the years, attitudes within the classroom have changed far less. True, schools now have computers in them, but the idea of the teacher working with a group of pupils in a classroom is still pretty much the same as it was in 1950.

Schooling has clung to its old ways for two reasons. One is that there is government control of the syllabuses, the teachers and the buildings – all of which tends to hold back change. The other is that, while social attitudes have changed beyond recognition in the past 60 years, the school’s vision of what it is doing generally has not.

And because schools look and feel much as they did years ago, there is a temptation to continue advertising in the old style.

And for many years this approach worked perfectly well.

3. But why did everything else change?

Most advertising changes as society changes. But at the end of the 20th century it took a particularly violent lurch.

Digital technology gave rise to new challenges and new creative solutions. September 11th and the realisation of just how big an impact global warming has had shook our view of products, services, society and personal responsibility, and advertisers picked up on this.

Then, as if that weren’t enough, we had the collapse of the banking system and the scandal of MP’s expenses. Few were untouched by at least one of these changes, and to be successful advertising needs to reflect the new world views that have emerged.

4. Education’s reaction

But the collapse of the banks, the advent of digital technology, September 11th, energy issues… these things have not affected the working lives of teachers. While people in business have watched trade collapse through the uncertainty resulting from the end of the dot com boom, terrorism, the banking crisis, environmental issues, etc, etc, teachers have continued as before. Their jobs are still there, their mortgages cost less in some cases, some energy prices have come down. Why should they be concerned?

But although their personal lives are not deeply affected by these crises, they recognise how everything else in the world has changed. They recognise that their status in society has declined. They recognise that their authority in the classroom is challenged more than ever before.

And so, slowly, and years behind everyone else, teachers have begun to expect something different from the advertising that reaches them. Such has been the dynamism of change since 2000 that it has even reached teachers in their world removed from the economic realities that face the rest of us.

But many companies have been so used to turning out the same form of advertising for years, that they have forgotten how to change. When they see their sales levels declining they think that it must be something to do with the amount of money schools have, rather than drawing the conclusion that the attitude of teachers has changed and that the old style of advertising doesn’t work any more.

5. The old style

The old style of advertising was focussed on announcements. The announcement said, “we have this product” and not much more.

Any sophistication that does get added to the advertising comes from shouting at the reader either by using capital letters or by inserting a large number of exclamation marks. So we are told that there is “30% off!!!” and we are told to “Buy now!!!” in order to get the discount (although there is generally no explanation as to why the offer is available only for a short while).

Such advertisements are totally one way – there is no attempt to engage with the reader and only a very limited attempt to talk about the benefits of a product or service to the recipient of the advert. Humour (a major part of advertising in most other areas) is almost utterly ignored (generally with the excuse of not wanting to annoy anyone).

So old style adverts focus on announcements and prices, and virtually nothing else.

6. The new style

Companies using the new style of advertising treat advertising as a conversation. They ask interesting questions and set out discussion points. The writer reveals details of him/herself and speaks to the recipient as an individual. A phrase such as “some of you may know” disappears completely as the writer looks at interesting issues, suggests solutions and invites phone calls, emails and correspondence. The old “please call my secretary” has long since gone, and sales letters and emails come from a person who will be happy to help the customer out. Advertising is a conversation, not a shout.

7. So what to do?

Of course, if you are getting a good response there is no need to change what you do. But if your response rates are declining you will need to decide why. Is it the medium?  Or the product?  It could be either – but in my experience the most likely explanation is the message.

If you would like to explore these issues further, or if you would like my colleagues and me to take a look at your advert and give our view on how it might be changed, just call 01536 399 000 or email a copy of the advert, with a note inviting us to comment and your phone number to Creative@hamilton-house.com

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