%0 Journal Article %T CUSTOMER CENTRIC MARKETING STRATEGY FOR UNIVERSITIES %A Olga Voropai %J Scientific Papers NaUKMA. Economics %P 28-32 %@ 2519-4747 %R 10.18523/2519-4739312018148782 %X The purpose of the paper is to analyze the ways of using a customer centric approach to develop a marketing strategy for universities. Customer centricity is defined as the university marketing strategy that implies unique intra-disciplinary and interdisciplinary studies, bringing into line individual students¡¯ experiences and capabilities with changing the market place and job opportunities. The main forces that urge higher education institutions to change the core of their marketing strategy are characterized; namely, MOOC development and eliminated geographical barriers that stimulate students¡¯ mobility. Further, four important directions of customer centricity are described, depending on the role the students and other university target audiences play in the process: the customers being the source of sustainable competitive advantage; customers as the source of information for the company; customers as the source of information for other representatives of the target audience; customers as employees and value co-creators. Universities need to revise their marketing mix, implementing consumer-oriented elements and reducing students¡¯ risks and expenses. Students should also be an essential part of the university¡¯s integrated marketing communications as the source of relevant information for target audiences. In addition, the role of students in value co-creation needs significant expansion. Customer-centricity in this case will no longer be limited to the use of individual elements without significant positive effects, but it will ensure obtaining a long-term competitive advantage in the education market. In a world of life-long learners it will not only assist in completing singular transactions with first-year students but also ensure repeated ¡°purchases¡± among alumni. %K customer centric %K marketing strategy %K university management %K sustainable competitive advantage %U http://spne.ukma.edu.ua/article/view/148782