An investigation into the marketing mix strategies adopted by Nairobi’s middle-Level colleges in an attempt to remain relevant in the competitive tertiary Education sector

Abstract

This research study sought to determine the marketing mix strategies adopted by Nairobi's middle level colleges in an attempt to remain relevant in the competitivetertiary education sector. The objectives of the study were; to establish the intensity of the competition among middle-level colleges in Nairobi, establish the various marketing mix strategies adopted by middle-level colleges to remain competitive, determine which marketing mix factor is the most influential in determining the college students prefer to join and identify the challenges that middle level colleges face when implementing their marketing mix strategies. The study used quantitative analysis research design method to clarify the relationship between variables. Random sampling method was used to identify the population to be studied. .• Data for this study was collected using questionnaires that contained both open and close ended questions. Parameters such as the mean and the mode were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study showed that the intensity of competition among middle-level colleges in Nairobi is high because of too many players in the industry, high bargaining power of students, low entry barriers and availability of substitute products/ services. The study also revealed that the pre-dominant marketing mix used by middlelevel collegesto attract students was a combination of product and promotion. It also established that the most influential marketing mix strategy that determined student's choice of college was the product and its quality i.e. the courses offered and how well they were taught. Lastly, the study established that the major challenge facing middle-level collegesis the rapidly 'changing student's preferences. Students kept on changing the courses they preferred from time to time