Price & Positioning Research

June 2009 Interview with Chris Farrell (12 min)

“The paradigm of colleges raising tuition and therefore perceived value was only valid in a particular economy, and that economy is no more.”

Chris Farrell, Economics Correspondent
Marketplace Money
2009 Summer Seminar

Hardwick-Day pioneered statewide research in family finance and higher education funding at the Minnesota Private College Council. This was replicated in Oregon and the findings were similar to those in Minnesota: the most affluent student population in the state was found at the flagship public institution. This informs our understanding of how parents respond to price and position, the role state policy plays in student choice and institutional finance, and the ways in which colleges can compete more effectively with increasingly aggressive competitors.

Contact Jim Day or Kevin Menk.

Student and Parent Focus Groups

Focus groups allow for dynamic, in-depth discussion from small groups of prospective students and parents to identify and refine issues. The take-aways? Better understanding of the role of awareness in the college consideration process, a deepened appreciation for the ways in which current high school students and their parents interact and inter-depend, and some very concrete ideas for further exploration and tactical implementation. More…

Survey Research

Hardwick-Day and Strategic Resource Partners conduct phone interviews with a variety of key stakeholders to obtain quantifiable data to identify the perceived opportunities and barriers associated with attending a particular college or university and  a competitor set. More…

Discrete Choice Modeling

Discrete choice modeling poses questions specific to an institution, its price, and its value, framed in terms of choices between the college or university and its competitors. Discrete choice modeling poses questions about price and value as reality-based alternatives. That is, exactly how much more or less is an institution worth compared to its overlap schools? This is made more real because Hardwick-Day utilizes a web-based response mechanism and phone recruiting process that captures the joint decision making of parent and student. More…

Brand Identification, Testing, and Clarification

Hardwick-Day goes far deeper than a logo or the pages of a viewbook – to an institution’s unique program strengths, position, persona, and attitude. The firm provides an objective assessment of how well an institution’s electronic and print communications—not to mention in-person touch points such as the campus tour and college fairs—convey those brand fundamentals. More…