Interview: Dr. Akshay Jain, Director of Marketing and Admission at Amity University

An interview with Dr. Akshay Jain, Director of Marketing and Admission at Amity University, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Dr. Akshay Jain, a distinguished professional in the field of education, serves as the Director of Marketing and Admission at Amity University, Jaipur, Rajasthan. With a profound understanding of both academic excellence and strategic marketing, Dr. Jain plays a pivotal role in shaping the university’s image and attracting top talent.

His wealth of experience and innovative approach to admissions have contributed significantly to the growth and success of Amity University, establishing it as a premier educational institution in the region.

Can you share your journey and experience in the field of marketing and admissions within the education sector, leading up to your role as Director at Amity University?

Dr. Akshay Jain: Around 24 Years ago, My Career Journey Began with one of the world’s largest Advertising Agencies in their PR division. This was followed by my initial exposure to the education industry with a brief role in Media Marketing with a Pre-School chain in Europe in Rajasthan and Maharashtra and as a freelance consultant to one of the learning newspapers’ flagship education programs, giving me exposure to interact with more than 130 schools and their children.

This laid the foundation for my exposure to the education industry and I have been observing this sector since then while working with leading media houses like Dainik Bhaskar, Amar Ujala, My FM, etc.

As an Experiential marketing expert giving market penetration solutions to clients from all sectors and segments. This allowed me to interact with some big national private universities and brands in the higher education sector, where I acted as a pivot in giving them local market solutions for admissions and outreach in the northern and western markets.

I have always enjoyed mentoring a lot of young talent for their education and career journeys, and most of the time I would get positive feedback on my suggestions and recommendations for career choices.

I then cleared my Ph.D. entrance from the University of Rajasthan in 2018 and in early 2019, around 5 Years Back, Circumstances and Time created an opportunity for me with Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur to join them as Director of Admissions and Marketing.

What unique strategies have you implemented to enhance the visibility and reputation of Amity University in Jaipur and beyond?

Dr. Akshay Jain: After Joining, Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur – I realized that people look upon us considering the Legacy of Amity Noida, and we need to reach out to the stakeholders, opinion makers, students, and parents giving them the same confidence and experience for Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur. 

We realized that the campus admissions are largely contributed from across India apart from Jaipur and Rajasthan and we extended our outreach and social media approach with constant information sharing across the key states and markets.

We extended our communication regularly for our good placements, best practices on choice-based credit systems, alumni connect, student and faculty achievements, and downloading and sharing the management vision to showcase our campus as an approachable, accessible, and affordable choice for quality education and all-around development.

All this effort from outreach great academic products and consistent and good placements combined are helping us create a Strong Brand Imagery, for Amity Jaipur.

We have recently been granted a NAAC A+ accreditation by UGC; which will further add to our 360-degree approach.

How do you ensure alignment between marketing efforts and the academic offerings of Amity University to attract the right candidates?

Dr. Akshay Jain: One Good Practice Amity Ecosystem follows is that of aligning the curriculum as per the industry requirements and as per Industry Advisory counsel’s Inputs. This was further strengthened by the marketing and admissions teams’ regular feedback based on market research and inputs from students and parents.

The Amity University management Team proactively introduces knowledge and skills-based and new-age employable programs and modules to our wide range of institutions in Engineering, Information Technology, Management, Food Tech, Microbiology and Biotech, Law, Media, Animation and Journalism, Foreign Languages, Psychology, Cyber Security and Data Sciences PG Programs, Architecture, Design, Fashion etc.

That helps the marketing efforts to be planned and aligned to reach the right target groups through curated communication and outreach.

With the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, what are some innovative approaches you’ve employed to engage prospective students and parents effectively?

Dr. Akshay Jain: Digital Marketing has been a game changer in the Industry itself, one needs to understand the mood of the young prospects and their aspirations and expectations.

The last 5 years have seen significant contributions by social media and digital media in our perception-building, engagement, and communications drive for Amity University Rajasthan Jaipur.

Our analysis shows that Campus Life, student achievements, Club activities, facilities, Faculty Achievements, Participative approach by the young minds of the campus, and the installation University Digital Club have ensured a distinct visibility and character to our university campus, which is acting as a magnet in attracting the right talent for engagement and enrolment with us.

We focus on creating heroes amongst our students and facilities instead of banking on external collaborations. Amity Management has always believed in being Action Oriented thought Leaders and that is reflected in our marketing approach also

Amity University is known for its diverse range of programs. How do you tailor marketing strategies to appeal to various demographics and interests?

Dr. Akshay Jain: All our programs sells like a Hot Cake and the programs are designed keeping the historical admissions data of Amity University, Rajasthan, and the Industry enrolment data of various programs at various geographical levels in mind.

We strongly believe in creating our program-based marketing scenarios for different geographies through Meets, Building Synergies with our Amity Information Centers, reaching out to the domain experts in various markets to be the opinion leaders and influencers; utilizing the cross-geographies and domicile benefits of our cultural diverse rich set of Intellectual Properties in terms of Faculties, researchers and scholars.

Special Teams for Domain-specific programs align the marketing efforts in ATL and BTL backed by strong counselors and Tele-calling setup. All Programs have compulsory Foreign Language education with options for any one of the French, German, Spanish, and Mandarin elementary languages to be chosen by the students as part of their career-building process.

The Behavioural Modules in the curriculum, soft skills compulsory training by our special training division ASCENT, and compulsory Military Training 7 day program for team building and leadership, etc.; and an array of sporting facilities etc, Helps us in our marketing efforts in getting some quality and meritorious enrolments.

Our range of Merit-based unlimited scholarships adds to our quality intake and every year, around one-fourth of our student cohort enrolling with us is scholarship-driven.

In today’s competitive market, how do you differentiate Amity University from other institutions to attract top talent and maintain a strong enrollment rate?

Dr. Akshay Jain: The higher Education Market is emerging and evolving and India’s GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio) for higher education is around 28%, which should ideally be 50% considering India’s Growth Story and the vision laid for Developed India by 2047. So there is enough space for everyone to grow.

We have always been focusing on our strong product deliveries, introducing or adding the industry-driven curriculum, building skills, following the UGC mandate, quality infrastructure, strong research establishment, and communicating with stakeholders on a regular level, to be the industry leaders and influencers in the industry.

Our strong desire to be the leaders and the right set of communication with the potential enrolments and one-to-one relationship building with stakeholders is regularly shaping up the growing enrolments and greater perceptions.

How do you foresee the future of marketing and admissions within the higher education sector, and what strategies do you plan to implement to stay ahead of the curve?

Dr. Akshay Jain: To stay ahead of the curve:

• Anticipate Industry Requirements and build strong programs with regional, national, and global outlooks.
• Deliver and live Upto the Brand Promise and always remain a step ahead in deliveries.
• Stay connected with stakeholders through all engagement and communication channels and be accessible to all.
• Ensure to be trendsetters and stay true to the Brand’s DNA.
• Hire Good Talent and build a strong relationship and networking team in the marketing and admissions department.
• Train, Upskill and Upgrade the team members, ensuring their growth for them to remain motivated and loyal, as it is valued in our ecosystem.
• Focus on International recruitment for building International diversity and cultural mixes.

Dr. Akshay Jain’s leadership as the Director of Marketing and Admission at Amity University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, reflects his unwavering commitment to academic excellence and innovation. His strategic vision and dedication have not only enhanced the university’s reputation but also facilitated access to quality education for countless students.

Dr. Jain’s invaluable contributions continue to shape the future of Amity University, reaffirming its position as a beacon of knowledge and opportunity in Rajasthan and beyond.

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