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Marketing spend on undergraduate courses

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Dear Open University,

Please could you provide me with the following information under the Freedom of Information Act:

In each of the financial years from 1998-99 to 2018-19 how much has your institution spent on advertising and marketing of undergraduate degrees? This should exclude open days and publication costs if possible.

If possible please break down this spending by different types of advertising and marketing:

- Print
- Traditional media
- Social media
- Search engine
- Direct advertising

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

W Tanner

Freedom-of-Information, Open University

Dear W Tanner

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your Freedom of Information Request.

Your request is receiving our attention and you will hear from us again within 20 working days.

Regards
Mel Augusto

Miss Mel Augusto | Information Rights Co-Ordinator
Information Rights, University Secretary’s Office
The Open University, Level 5, Charles Pinfold Building, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA
Tel: +44 (0)1908 653994
Email: [Open University request email]  

Freedom of Information Publication Scheme
         

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Freedom-of-Information, Open University

6 Attachments

Dear W Tanner

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request.

 

I can confirm that the Open University partly holds the information which
constitutes information falling within the scope of your request.  Please
see below for the answers to your request which I have highlighted in
blue;

In each of the financial years from 1998-99 to 2018-19 how much has your
institution spent on advertising and marketing of undergraduate degrees?
This should exclude open days and publication costs if possible.

Year* Annual Media** budget
2003-04 £3,252,771
2004-05 £7,131,000
2005-06 £6,278,389
2006-07 £7,066,497
2007-08 £9,573,501
2008-09 £8,889,132
2009-10 £7,897,236
2010-11 £6,801,874
2011-12 £10,249,733
2012-13 £9,265,960
2013-14 £7,665,606
2014-15 £9,929,352
2015-16 £10,043,566
2016-17 £10,117,907
2017-18 £12,970,329
2018-19 £12,906,827

 

*The  University does not hold data beyond 2003.

**The University does not hold budgetary information on marketing spend
specific to undergraduate study as the spend has often been a combined
activity between undergraduate and postgraduate study. However the
marketing team consider that the vast majority of that spend has been on
undergraduate activity.

If possible please break down this spending by different types of
advertising and marketing:
-              Print
-              Traditional media
-              Social media
-              Search engine
-              Direct advertising

Unfortunately we have not been able to supply this information and are
exempting it under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Section 12 applies where the time taken to extract the personal data
exceeds 18 hours.  In order to provide the information you have requested
we would first need to locate several spreadsheets for each year (one for
each budget centre). Secondly  we would need to identify which agencies
were being used for media buying and whether any media had been purchased
directly. Finally each purchasing order/invoice would have to be manually
sourced to ascertain what media channel had been purchased.  We
consequently estimate that this process would take substantially more than
18 hours to complete. 

Please note: The OU is the UK’s largest academic institution in the UK,
with over 174,000 current students. As a distance learning institute, The
Open University (The OU) operates very differently from traditional “brick
Universities”. Our students do not attend a campus (apart from a small
number Research students who are based on our Milton Keynes site).  They
live in their own homes throughout the UK and in many other countries
throughout the world. 

If you have any concerns about the way the University has observed the
provisions of the Freedom of Information Act you may apply for your
request to be reviewed.  Freedom of Information Reviews are considered by
the University Secretary or his delegate.  Your request must be submitted
within 40 working days of receipt of this letter/email. Reviews should be
addressed to the above [1]inbox, entitled “FOIA Review”, and should set
out the reasons for the review.   You will have a further right of appeal
to the [2]Information Commissioner’s Office.

 

Regards

 

Mel Augusto

 

Miss Mel Augusto | Information Rights Co-Ordinator

Information Rights, University Secretary’s Office

The Open University, Level 5, Charles Pinfold Building, Walton Hall,
Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA
Tel: +44 (0)1908 653994

Email: [3][Open University request email]  

[4]Freedom of Information Publication Scheme

[5][IMG]   [6][IMG]   [7][IMG]   [8][IMG]

 

 

 

 

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We don't know whether the most recent response to this request contains information or not – if you are W Tanner please sign in and let everyone know.