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Intelligence
Who’s Afraid of Branding?

Intelligence

Who’s Afraid of Branding?

Mar 30, 2015By mStoner Staff

The idea of branding has come a long way in higher ed. Ten years ago, it was rare to hear about a college or university undertaking a formal brand strategy practice. Over that time, however, most higher ed marketing, enrollment, and advancement leaders have come to understand the importance of defining and communicating a unique institutional brand.

And yet pockets of resistance remain. Among some groups on campus (often faculty), the word “brand” is still met with resistance. On these campuses, marketing leaders must dance around that word, using euphemisms like “characteristics” and “image.”

Why has higher ed been slow to embrace the concept of branding?

1. Concern that a brand can’t communicate the complexity of a higher ed institution. 

Most products and services do pretty much the same thing for everyone. And most people want pretty much the same thing from a product or service. People want shampoo to clean their hair and a brush to style it. But a higher ed institution offers different benefits to different people. (In fact, it offers different “products” to different people: To prospective students, the product is a degree. To hiring managers, the product is the graduate.)  People who associate branding with consumer goods or services often have trouble seeing how it applies in the complexity of higher ed.

2. Confusion about what a brand is. 

Internally, “brand” represents the creative execution that is translated to external audiences through such things as a logo, a tagline, and a campaign. The problem is that the word “brand” is often used as a short-hand term for these outward creative expressions. And because logos, taglines, and campaigns can be lightning rods that draw attention, feedback, and hate from people who don’t like them, the word “brand” gets a bad reputation.

3. Belief that branding activities are separate from the “real” activities of the institution.

Because the concepts of marketing and branding are still fairly new in higher ed, branding can be seen as something that happens independently of communication. At some institutions, there’s a long-held belief that there are branding activities, and then there’s all of the other stuff that happens, like internal communication, media relations, and delivery of courses and programs. In reality, all of those things affect perceptions of the brand, are important elements of delivering on the brand promise, and must be part of the overall marketing strategy for the institution.

[Tweet ““Brand” is not simply a logo or tagline. #hebrand #mStoner”]

How do you calm the naysayers?

1. Educate the community.

Brand education is a critical part of a brand strategy project. Particularly when rolling out the brand to the larger campus community, it’s important to include general education about what a brand is, how it fits in with everything else, and how it’s used.

2. Invite the resistors to the table.

If there are people who are adamantly opposed to the idea of brand strategy, invite them to be part of the team. Allowing them to express their points of view throughout the project will make them feel ownership over the final brand strategy, and may quiet other naysayers as well.

3. Help people see how it’s all connected.

Developing specific brand message maps for each major audience can help people see how every communication to every audience can be part of overall brand communication. By seeing the detailed messaging, the community will have an appreciation for how all of the individual parts can be connected through brand messaging. For more information on the elements of the brand framework, including message maps that translate the brand to each key audience, see this recent blog post on the elements of a brand.

 


Higher education branding doesn’t have to be difficult. By understanding the unique dynamics — and the potential pitfalls that can arise – you can create a process that ensures that you get buy-in for a compelling brand positioning that will capture the unique story of your institution.

Want to learn more? We recently published a white paper that explores the specific challenges of higher education branding and gives you strategies for clearing the most common hurdles.