Target Market Research
Target Market
Primary: Female High-School Seniors
Secondary: Parent(s), guidance counselors, high-school sports coaches, female highschool juniors and females enrolled in junior/community colleges interested in
transferring
Demographics
Pennsylvania: 2010-2011
http://www.education.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/graduates/7426
Graduating females 17-18 years old
 65,175 total public school female graduates
 52,117 college bound (80%)
 88 American Indian
 1,821 Asian
 9,325 African American
 4,007 Hispanic
 441 Multi-Racial
 36 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
 49,457 White
Female high school students are more likely to be in the labor force (24.7 percent) than
are males (19.5 percent) (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011).
Geographics
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2010 Female Population by Age for Pittsburgh, PA
o Age 12 to 17 – 6% or 9,247
o Age 18 to 24 – 15% or 23,076
Census 2010 – Totals based on all school districts
o PA females ages 15 to 17 – 251,182
o PA females ages 18 to 19 – 191,419
o WV females ages 15 to 17 – 32,903
o WV females ages 18 to 19 – 25,330
o NJ females ages 15 to 17 – 134,262
o NJ females ages 18 to 19 – 83,305
Dropout Statistics by Geographic Region (2009 study)
o Northeast – 7.1%
o South – 8.4%
o West – 8.6%
Coraopolis, PA Weather Facts (according to TheWeatherChannel.com)
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o
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On average, the warmest month is July.
The highest recorded temperature was 103°F in 1988.
The averages coolest month is January.
The lowest recorded temperature was -22°F in 1994.
June is the average wettest month.
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Psychographics
What behavior patterns of a high school girl make her want to come to RMU? - I went
around and asked, “What makes girls choose a college? Why did you come here?”
 THE CAMPUS! They felt that Robert Morris University had a beautiful campus
and loved the hills because it was a good workout to keep them thin. They could
not get over how beautiful it was in the fall, and loved how it was not in the city
(somewhat secluded). Great campus feel. Girls want that campus feel.
 Robert Morris is a great size. The classes are not extremely large. They would
not be just a number. They could stand out here, and really make something of
themselves.
 Girls want to be comfortable; they feel that with this school being so small they
wouldn’t have a problem making friends, and getting involved in activities. We
have great activities, programs and clubs on campus.
 Our business program is fantastic, there were other great majors to fall back on
as well if they decided to switch. They agreed that most women are indecisive
and do not exactly know what they want to do.
 We have a great roommate matching system, which is very important to girls.
They said that they were worried about being matched with a freak, but were
satisfied.
 Most people here are from PA, they can stay close to their family, friends and
boyfriends
 Our food in the cafeteria is very above average for the college level.
 Athletics  They could go to school and play a sport at the division one level.
 Private atmosphere
 Job placement after college
 Close to Robinson mall, and not far from a major city
Nationally, girls in 12th grade look like this:
 Social Life
o 82% get together informally with friends at least once a week
o 67% use Facebook or other social media almost every day
o 70% go out at least two evenings per week for fun and recreation
 After High School
o 88% think their lives will get better in the next five years
o 66% plan to graduate from a 4-year college program
o 64% agree or mostly agree that they are eager to leave home and live
independently of their parents
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (August 2012 Study)
 96% of female high-school seniors wanted to go to college
 Female students who do enroll in college tend to do it immediately after
graduation, close to half chose a four-year institution
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80% of female high-school seniors consulted college web sites, publications, or
search guides for information on college entrance requirements
Female students are more likely than male students to ask a college rep for
information
Study also found that female students are more likely than male students to
participate in campus clubs during their first year during college
When looking at postsecondary school choice factors…
o “In 2004, among the 93 percent of high school seniors (both genders) with
postsecondary aspirations, 67 percent reported that the availability of
courses was very important to them when selecting an educational
institution. Seniors with postsecondary aspirations also reported the
following as very important choice factors: low expenses (36 percent), the
availability of financial aid (57 percent), and an institution’s academic
reputation (58 percent). Higher percentages of females than males
considered all of these school choice factors to be very important to
their school choice. (Ross et al., 2012).”
Behavioral
 “In 2004, more females than males enrolled in third-year-and-above foreign
language courses in their senior year (18 versus 11 percent, respectively).”
 “In the August 2012 issued of its magazine, Direct Marketing News reported that
marketing efforts targeting millennials must be engaging and entertaining to be
effective (“Entertaining…”, 2012).”
 Noel-Levitz, OmniUpdate, CollegeWeekLive and NRCCUA conducted a survey
of nearly 2,300 college-bound high school students regarding the use of mobile
devices for college searches. 94% said they use a mobile device to research
colleges.
o 52% said they had views a school’s Web site on a mobile device
o The following items were considered most valuable content for mobile
searching:
 Academic program listing
 Cost/scholarship calculators
 A calendar of important dates and deadlines
 Specific details about academic programs
 An application process summary
 Online application forms
o Content they said was somewhat valuable:
 Forms to receive more information (by e-mail, postal, or text
messages)
 Scheduling interviews and campus visits
 An interactive campus map
 A tour of residence hall facilities
 Videos on student life, academics and alumni
 Live phone/instant message communications with admissions
representatives
 Links to a school’s Facebook and Twitter pages
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o 93% reported that they were able to find the information they needed while
browsing via mobile device
 Optimizing for mobile browsing and updating content regularly, it is
more likely students would come away with a positive opinion of the
school and return to visit the school’s mobile site
o 84% of students reported using Facebook; 76% on a mobile device
o 78% reported using YouTube; 63% on mobile device
o 25% reported using Twitter; 24% on mobile device
o Nearly half of students have visited a school’s Facebook page more than
once
o 50% of students said they would “like” a school’s Facebook page so
postings would appear on their walls
o 83% would view the Facebook page of a school they were considering
if
given the chance
Competition for RMU
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University of Pittsburgh
o Pittsburgh, PA
o 28,000 students
o Tuition: $16,000
o Most popular majors: Business, Health, Engineering
Duquesne University
o Pittsburgh, PA
o 5,000 students
o Tuition: $30,000
o Most popular majors: Business, Health
Carlow University
o Pittsburgh, PA
o 1,900 students
o Tuition: $24,000
o Most popular majors: Health, Education, Business
Allegheny College
o Meadville, PA
o 2,000 students
o Tuition: $37,000
o Most popular majors: Biology, Social Sciences, Psychology
Carnegie Mellon University
o Pittsburgh, PA
o 6,000 students
o Tuition: $45,000
o Most popular majors: Engineering, Computer and Information Sciences,
Visual and Performance Arts
La Roche University
o Pittsburgh, PA
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o 1,300 students
o Tuition: $24,000
o Most popular majors: Business, Health, Visual and Performing Arts
Community College of Allegheny County (2-year program)
o Pittsburgh, PA
o 20,000 students
o Tuition: $3,000
o Most popular majors: Health, Business, Liberal Arts
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
o Indiana, PA
o 13,000 students
o Tuition: $8,600
o Most popular majors: Business, Social Sciences, Health
Chatham University
o Pittsburgh, PA
o 2,178 students
o Tuition: $21,841
Washington & Jefferson College
o Washington, PA
o Undergrad students: 1,457
o Student-to-faculty ratio:11 to 1
o Campus setting: Suburb
o Tuition: $25,561
Point Park University
o Pittsburgh, PA
o Campus Setting: City
o Population: 3,861 (3,332 undergrad)
o Student-to-faculty ratio: 14 to 1
o Tuition: $20,222
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The competition of Robert Morris University uses the following methods of advertising
 T.V commercials
 Radio commercials
 Billboards
 High school college fairs
 Social networking
 Online Ads through websites promoting colleges such as collegeboard.com and
others
Business Major Statistics (Nationwide)
 One out of every five new college grads is a business major
Other Useful Statistics (Nationwide)
 Employers indicated that workplaces most value three skill sets: Analytic,
communication and teamwork
 45% of college students don't learn much of anything in their first two years of
college, while more than one out of three students graduate with no improvement
in writing and analytical skills.
Useful Sites for High School Seniors
 20
Things
High
School
Seniors
Should
Be
Doing
Now
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-37246061/20-things-high-schoolseniors-should-be-doing-now/
 JuniorsandSeniors.com - http://www.highschoolseniors.org/
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Other Successful Ads Run by Universities: Targeted Towards Women
Virginia College
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References
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2011). Labor force participation among students and
nonstudents. U.S. Department of Labor, The Editor's Desk.
http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2012/ted_20120420.htm
Chapman, C., Laird, J., Ifill, N., KewalRamani, A. (2011). Trends in high school dropout
and completion rates in the Unites States: 1972 – 2009. U.S. Department of
Education. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012006.pdf
Entertaining + engaging = effective. (2012). Oncampusadvertising.com.
http://blog.oncampusadvertising.com/blog/how-to-market-to-students
Ingels, S., Dalton, B., & LoGerfo, L. (2008). Trends among high school seniors: 19722004. U.S. Department of Education: National Center for Education Statistics.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/2008320.pdf
Kramer, A. (2012). Girl talk: what high school senior girls have to say about sex, love
and relationships. Seventeen Magazine.
http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/pubs/girl-talk.pdf
O’Shaughnessy, L. (2011). 8 reasons not to get a business degree. CBSnews.com.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-37244200/8-reasons-not-to-get-abusiness-degree/?tag=mwuser
Pittsburgh Population by Age. (2012). CLRsearch.com.
http://www.clrsearch.com/Pittsburgh_Demographics/PA/Population-by-Age
Ross, T., Kena, G., Rathbun, A., KewalRamani, A., Zhang, J., Kristapovich, P.,
Manning, E. (2012). Higher education: gaps in access and persistence study:
statistical analysis report. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for
Educational Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012046.pdf
School District Demographics System – Map Viewer. (2012). National Center for
Education Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sdds/ed/index.asp?st=PA
The mobile browsing behaviors and expectations of college-bound high school
students. (2012). Noel-Levitz, Inc.
http://omniupdate.com/assets/whitepapers/pdfs/MobileExpectations.pdf