Today, we noticed a New York Times article about some public schools in Harlem who have been forced to try marketing.  They are literally hiring marketing firms to refresh their image and create buzz around their schools.  Apparently the rise of charter schools in New York City has forced public schools into actual competition for students.  Parents felt that they had no incentive to put their children in the public schools if they had a choice.

We thought this was interesting because it says loud and clear that marketing is not a luxury for successful Fortune 500 companies.  Every organization is always marketing: those that try can produce a positive image of high quality.  Those that do not are marketing themselves as low quality.  Marketing is not really a choice, but a reality that everyone who exists “in the marketplace” faces.  Here is how the public schools responded to their realization of this reality:

They are revamping school logos, encouraging students and teachers to wear T-shirts emblazoned with the new designs. They emphasize their after-school programs as an alternative to the extended days at many charter schools. A few have worked with professional marketing firms to create sophisticated Web sites and blogs.

Brochures, fliers and open houses have become all but required in neighborhoods like Harlem, where parents once simply sent their children to the nearby school but now can enter lotteries for two dozen charters.  (Jennifer Medina, nytimes.com March 9, 2010) full article

(Friendly reminder: Need help refreshing your image?  That’s what we do!  Give us a call or comment.)