A Case Study of the Relationship Between Marketing Communication and Customer Experiences in An Open and Distance Learning University in Malaysia

• Main Author: Ng, Soo Lee
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: HF5601 Accounting
• Online Access: http://ur.aeu.edu.my/153/1/A%20case%20study%20of%20the%20relationship%20between%20marketing%20communication%20and%20customer%20experiences%20in%20an%20open%20and%20distance%20learning%20university%20in%20Malaysia-1-24.pdf; http://ur.aeu.edu.my/153/2/A%20case%20study%20of%20the%20relationship%20between%20marketing%20communication%20and%20customer%20experiences%20in%20an%20open%20and%20distance%20learning%20university%20in%20Malaysia.pdf; http://ur.aeu.edu.my/153/; https://online.fliphtml5.com/sppgg/ptfa/

This research study found that marketing communications (Marcoms) can act as brand touchpoints to generate positive customer experiences of doctoral students in the PhD decision journey to produce positive results in terms of overall brand satisfaction and brand advocacy. Research findings of this case study indicated that the open and distance learning (ODL) University known as The Study University used a combination of brand touchpoints to deliver its brand of PhD degree programmes by research to doctoral students/customers, and that ‘Marcoms’ as an independent variable had a large effect on customer experiences. In addition to the significant positive relationship between Marcoms and customer experiences, statistical results also showed that customer post-purchase experiences affected overall brand satisfaction positively, which in turn affected brand advocacy positively as well. This study has broken new grounds by uncovering twelve significant brand touchpoints of Marcoms in eliciting audience responses to The Study University’s brand of offer and introducing a new theoretical model labelled as ‘Customer Experiences with Brand Touchpoints of Marketing Communications Model’ for advancing scholarship in the specialist field of Marcoms/experiential marketing. This theoretical model is offered to the academia to deepen investigation into the linkages between Marcoms and the underlying dimensions of customer sensory, emotional, physical, intellectual and relational experiences as well as their interlinks with brand satisfaction, brand advocacy and brand sales.