Understanding MBA Consumer Needs and the Development of Marketing Strategy

The need to develop marketing strategies in higher education is evident. In order to develop effective strategies, marketers must understand the basic needs that their product fulfills. Exploratory research was utilized to identify and better understand the needs that motivate consumers to pursue an MBA degree. This paper emphasizes the importance of need identification in the determination of MBA marketing strategies. Specifically, consumer needs are suggested to potentially impact market segmentation and targeting, 4-Ps decision making, and consumer satisfaction. Examples are given to assist MBA marketers in utilizing needs in developing marketing strategy. (C) 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.