Job Discussion Forums

tiberio · Joined: 18 May 2006 Posts: 56

Today I found the explanation why HCT could only give a 15% payrise. It was right there, on my TV on BBC World News. The ONLY advert before the news at 5 local time was a somewhat weird advert by HCT talking about excellence and innovation. I have no idea why and I have no idea what the target group is, but at least now I know that HCT is a centre of innovation and excellence or has centres of innovation and excellence or something with innovation and excellence anyways. Mabrook!

I mean, 40 nobel prize nominees - or winners, I forgot - to talk to college students, ok, at least I can see some kind of very very very weak relationship, but an advert on BBC World News???

kaisen · Joined: 21 May 2007 Posts: 13

The UAE government post-secondary educational instituions have never really been short of funds to create a fantasy world.

tiberio · Joined: 18 May 2006 Posts: 56

sowsan · Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 16 Location: Island Paradise

Well, here it is for all the world to see in the public domain

http://www.hct.ac.ae/news/aspx/ViewDetails.aspx?newsid=58

And now you know!

uaeobserver · Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 236

The cabinet decreed immediate increases in budgets, to cover pay raises - but I'm guessing HCT is using its increment to cover the pay raises given last year - without commesurate increases in funding.

I don't get the BBC stunt.

I can understand a targeted student recruitment effort. That makes sense --- especially if funding depends on enrollment.

But come on --- how many students that HCT is trying to recruit will be watching BBC?

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

My question exactly... do they even take students who are not Emirati? I am wondering if these satellite systems are able to target audiences. For instance on US cable systems, the program is national, but the ads can be local. Who outside of the UAE has seen this ad on their BBC news.

I wonder if anyone outside of the UAE or the Middle East sees this ad. We can't get BBC World on US cable systems.

VS

globalnomad2 · Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 562

The first lesson you learn in Advertising Copywriting 101 is: do not write about "Here's what we've been doing lately and this is how great we are!" Instead, emphasize "Here's what we can do for YOU!"

Who thinks some Arab education ministry is aware of or cares about such basics? The HCT commercial is more about disseminating national prestige.

That is something along the lines of a Pakistani cell phone company commercial I keep seeing on CNN--glorious music, colorful costumes, successful, happy college graduates in caps and gowns, dazzling scenery, everyone deliriously happy and dancing in the streets; it goes on and on and finally at the end they tell you it's a great telecom company. It's like Malaysia, truly Asia, but it's Pakistan, truly confused. Consider the sources and remember it's the Middle East.

kiefer · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 268

uaeobserver · Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 236

Hey - I have an idea.

Google has a Google-ads php hack that pays per click.

Maybe Dave can install the pay-per-click hack -- and the HCT ads will start showing up at the top of the forum pages.

Every time a user clicks on the ad, HCT pays Dave a penny (those pennies add up).

kaisen · Joined: 21 May 2007 Posts: 13

Quote:

My question exactly... do they even take students who are not Emirati?

The HCT take only Emirati students at the moment. However, I have heard whispers that they are contemplating expansion to Bangalore in southern India.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

al bidarnd · Joined: 17 Sep 2007 Posts: 53

eha · Joined: 26 May 2005 Posts: 355 Location: ME

But they're not advertising to attract students; as their publicity stunts always were, it's another bid to be taken seriously as an 'educational' institution. Lots of people never look deeper than the surface... ya just gotta be there. Or preferably, ... have been there.

773 · Joined: 29 May 2005 Posts: 213

There is also BBC Arabic now, so maybe the ad is running there and they cross some of their ads over to the English BBC channel???

sowsan · Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 16 Location: Island Paradise

The management at HCT doesn't care how much money it wastes for smoke and mirrors, fireworks, and BBC advertisements to enhance the profile of HCT (rather than target any audience whatsoever; certainly not the stakeholders and the particular stakeholders, or "customers", that are the students. Oil is at $130 a barrel now; 6 years ago it was at $35.) HCT is funding its 15% pay increase by squeezing the student-teacher ratio. Every college must have a 20 to 1 ratio. Who cares if this is too large for absolute beginners and too small at most Western colleges for undergrad survey courses where you can have up to 200-300 students in a lecture hall. 20 to 1 has been determined to be the magic ratio by the powers that be at HCT. Yours is not to question why; and if you do (or question anything for that matter), you will be transferred to a backwater college or CERT (profit-arm of HCT).