HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Higher Education Invests in Marketing: “The Wall Street Journal reports that a number of universities, wary of the public perception that the degrees they offer may not be worth the student loan burden, have taken to hiring highly-paid “CMOs” (Chief Marketing Officers) to build their brands and coordinate their admissions offices’ sales pitch. Although many in academia disdain corporate marketing methods, the practice is becoming increasingly common.”

They’d be smarter to lower tuition and increase value, but that would require sacrifice by internal constituencies. I agree with Peter Thiel here: “If you need large marketing budgets, it suggests that something has gone wrong with the substance of the product.”