Following the global 'capitalisation' of public institutions, academic institutions have embarked continuously on a drive towards 'marketisation' and commodification of their services. Tertiary institutions are utilising aggressive marketing strategies and media campaigns to attract students. This study examines the advertising campaign embarked on by the University of Natal in 1998/ 1999. This is a first stage of a two-tier marketing strategy, and it involves brand-building the University. This research assesses the University of Natal's advertising campaign both on radio and in print, it analyses the campaign from creative conceptualisation to media exposure, while giving a brief background to advertising and commodification trends among tertiary institutions in South Africa. Eric Michaels' (1990) proposal of a circular message transmission model called 'hermeneutic circle' (12-28) of a teleported text serves as the theoretical backdrop for the assessment of lhe conceptualisation process to the media exposure of the campaign. A semiotic analysis of the University of Natal's advertising campaign is also given and located within a particular context in the 'henneneutic circle'. Various focus group discussions were conducted : one comprising mainly white students from Pinetown Girls High School in Standard Nine; the second, mainly Indian students in their matric year at Queensburgh High School. The others comprised of black students from Ferndale Secondary School, Phoenix, but who reside in KwaMashu, and also black students from Amangwane High School in Bergeville, near Ladysmith. One on one interviews were also conducted with high school students. Most of these students were in Standard Nine with some completing their matric year. These discussions were conducted separately to avoid any kind of intimidation and domination of the discussions by students from the private schools who are more fluent in the command of the English language. The other group comprised of an alumnus, a parent, four students - two local and two international, and two staff members of the University. Their comments provide information in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the campaign as well as the evaluation of the campaign concepts and contents in correlation with the cultural contexts of the target groups. The group discussions also provide insight into the reception and perception of the campaign. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2000.

Changes in global political economy are moving towards 'capitalisation' of public institutions through market instruments. These changes create new environments and challenges. In order to meet these challenges, higher education institutions are restructuring to position themselves in their new environment. In this process, the media play an active role. Using corporate communication as a focal point, this research examines how higher education institutions aim to accomplish their mission, on one hand and mitigate challenges of the new political economy, characterised, by globalisation and marketisation, on the other. Using the University of Natal's corporate communication media campaign as a case study, the research looks into how education is commodified through processes of institutional restructuring and how this is reflected or mirrored through corporate communication strategies. This study is done within cultural studies and critical media research tradition. In contrast to 'administrative' studies that focus on how to use mass communications within the given political economic order to influence audiences, sell products or promote institutions, it addresses social and cultural effects of corporate communication in higher education. It offers insight into how corporate communication could be utilised for societal good instead of perpetuating social inequalities. Chapter One provides an overview of corporate communication and how it interacts with higher education by looking into challenges that threaten institutions to accomplish their mission. Chapter Two offers a theoretical framework of the new political economy through which higher education is now operating and how the media plays a role in this framework. Chapter Three provides an analysis of the media campaign of the University of Natal as evaluated against the institution's mission statement, and Chapter Four offers data analysis and lessons learned from the University of Natal media campaign. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.