Abstract
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMCs) is critical to the performance of an organisation. However, many of the previous studies have focussed on manufacturing firms with very few targeted at private universities. Moreover, empirical evidence revealed that private universities have not been able to effectively deploy IMCs to enhance their performance and have been confronted with the challenge of poor customer satisfaction. The study investigated the effect of IMCs on customer satisfaction of selected private universities in South-West Nigeria. The study adopted cross-sectional survey research design. The population of the study comprised 554 employees of the Institutional Marketing Department and ad-hoc staff of the Registry Department of the universities selected for the study. Total enumeration method was used. The instrument used was a validated adapted questionnaire. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients of the constructs ranged from 0.701 to 0.832. The response rate was 85%. Data were analysed using multiple linear regression. The results revealed that IMCs had positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction (Adj. R2 = 0.834, F (5, 467) = 475.554, p < 0.05). The relative effects of IMCs on customer satisfaction showed that advertising had a positive and significant effect (β = 0.132, t = 3.038, p < 0.05), service promotion had a positive and significant effect (β = 0.195, t = 4.502, p < 0.05), online marketing had a positive and significant effect (β = 0.269, t = 5.972, p < 0.05), public relations also had a positive and significant effect (β = 0.377, t = 7.415, p < 0.05). The effect of direct marketing was however insignificant though positive (β = 0.059, t = 1.130, p > 0.05). The study concluded that IMCs affect customer satisfaction. The study recommended that private universities should prioritise their promotional efforts on advertising, service promotion, online marketing and public relations rather than direct marketing in their bid to sustain and improve their customer satisfaction record.
Highlights
The number of private universities springing up on the African continent has been steadily increasing in recent past with Nigeria recording the fastest growth on the continent (Adetunji & Ogunleye, 2015)
The results indicated that advertising, service promotion, online marketing and public relations all have individual positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction while direct marketing has a positive and insignificant effect on customer satisfaction of selected private universities in South-West, Nigeria
The results revealed that integrated marketing communications has a positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction of selected private universities in South-West Nigeria
Summary
The number of private universities springing up on the African continent has been steadily increasing in recent past with Nigeria recording the fastest growth on the continent (Adetunji & Ogunleye, 2015). According to Higher Education open door (HE, open door, 2017), about 9,494 of Nigerians went abroad to the United States for higher education for the 2014/2015 academic session. In 2015/2016 academic session, a total of 10,674 went to the United States for higher education. The deficiency of a marketing communications focus tends to be the reason for the poor performance of several higher institutions (Yilmaz, 2017). Several researchers such as Adefulu (2016), Joseph, Nsobiari and Benjamin (2014), Muchina and Okello ijms.ccsenet.org
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