branding senior seminar paper
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A senior thesis on branding in higher education.TRANSCRIPT
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BrandU: An Examination on Branding in Higher Education
Bob Brown
COM425 Senior Seminar in Communications
December 3, 2014
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 2
Introduction 3
Branding and Communication Theory 4
Co-creation: the spirit that makes the band 7
Brand graphics: The look and feel 10
The Impact of Color 11
The Power of a Logo 12
Branding on Social Media 14
A Campus United: Consistant Branding 16
Website: The institution’s digital hub 18
Conclusion 20
References 22
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 3
Introduction
"A name is a moniker that a company is going to wear probably the longest of anything
we develop,” explains Sasha Stack, a partner at the brand-strategy and design from Lippencott
(Feloni, 2014). So how does a company, or an institution of higher education, leverage their
moniker to send a clear message whenever it is engaged? This paper will examine how an
institution of higher education can engage stakeholders using digital and visual brand
components. These aspects include logos, color, social media, and websites. Higher education
is an ever changing industry and it is imperative for the document that can truly reflect the
spirit and goals of the institution without needing to be rewritten each year.
There is no one concrete definition of branding, but that there are multiple acceptable
ways to define branding. This paper will operate off several definitions of branding. The first,
from the American Marketing Association (AMA) is: “name, term, design, symbol, or any
other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other
sellers,” (American Marketing Association, 2014). The American Marketing Association’s
definition is very straightforward, yet it lacks the personality and creativity that a brand
includes. Michael Pinto, of Very Memorable Designs, says that branding “is the defined
personality of a product, service, company, organization or individual… A well designed brand
personality can be seen in everything from customer service to the actual products a
company may offer,” (Cohen, 2011). Pinto’s definition of branding adds life, character,
personality to it. Between a combination of the definitions offered by the American Marketing
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 4
Association and Michael Pinto, the paper will explore branding as a component of community
and a necessary staple in higher education. This paper will also explain the necessity for an
institution to brand itself and the dividends that branding plays in the success of an institution.
In the Journal of Brand Management, Matthew Joseph; Eileen Wall Mullen; and Deborah
Spake quote Robert Sevier, a senior vice president at Stamats Communications: “A well-
branded university attracts ‘more and better students, more full and fuller-paying students,
more students who will persist, better faculty and staff, more donated dollars, more media
attention, more research dollars, and more strategic partners’” (Joseph, Mullen, & Spake,
2012). Susan Herbst, the President of the University of Connecticut explained that “we’re not
breakfast cereal, and we’re not a detergent. But we still need to communicate what we do, why
we do it, how we do it, and that we do it well. So branding actually matters a great
deal,” (Jones, 2013). Herbst explained it perfectly. Branding has traditionally been a business
function and many have said that traditional higher education administrators refuse to entertain
the subject of branding the institution. But as President Herbst said, an institution needs to
communication what it does and branding does matter a great deal.
Branding and Communication Theory
Branding as a whole is a large concept and encompasses a wide range of
communication theories. Weber’s Theory of Bureaucracy explains the organization backings of
branding. Branding campaigns are initiated by leadership within the institution and the
authority that the administrators have. The administrators will hire, appoint, or contract
individuals to be part of the branding process. These individuals would report to someone
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 5
within the organization. The individual needs to dedicate the appropriate time and resources to
the staff to ensure success, as explained by Littlejohn (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 295). The
individuals that are brought onto the team have some sort of skill to offer to the institution.
They might be graphic designers, copy writers, have specialized knowledge of the institution,
they might represent a stakeholder, or have another specialization. Littlejohn explains,
“individuals are divided up according to division of labor, and people know their jobs within
the organization,” (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 296). This is not only knowing what their job is
but how to do their job.
“One of the most influential theories of the cybernetic tradition is that of Karl Weick.
Weick’s theory of organizing is significant in the communication field,” explains Littlejohn
(Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 297). Weick’s theory is critical to the success of branding as it
offers a pattern of response. An act is the statement made by the brand. The interact is the
stakeholder’s response to the act. Then, the brand engaging the stakeholder’s interact is a
double interact. This sense-making process sets the brand up for success in that it sets the
brand up for an organic conversation with its stakeholders. (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 297).
When a brand manager or official with the institution engages in these conversations
with stakeholders as the institution, they are also taking part in James Taylor’s Actor-Network
Theory. The Actor-Network Theory is consistent with Weick’s view, Littlejohn explains. The
role Actor-Theory plays in branding is that the brand managers might be given complex
information to disseminate on social media, write a release or copy for, or design a poster-
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 6
among other options. When in the creative process, the information need translated into “basic,
or micro-interaction, in ways that can be understood and used by actors outside the
network,” (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 299). When creating the brand collateral discussed
above, however, it is imperative to be aware of the conversation and text: being aware of the
word choice and the meaning behind the words. In a world of soundbytes, the text of the
message is just as critical as the conversation. (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 301). Misspeaking
or mistyping a word can cause controversy and put the institution in a light that it would not
want to be in.
Many pieces of branding collateral that are used today are digital and shared amongst a
variety of platforms: websites, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. These networks are
integral forms of communication within an institution and to all stakeholders. Each network
helps foster their own unique communities that cluster forms of communication. An
institution’s branding professionals need to ensure the brand’s messages are conveyed on
formal networks- including portals, online learning modules (i.e. BlackBoard and Moodle),
and intranet sites- just as much as they need to ensure the message on emergent networks
including the social media platforms above. Many formal networks and informal networks
offer certain degrees of connectedness and information sharing. For example, students can
integrate their Facebook profile into their institution’s BlackBoard profile. Professors can link
their Twitter handle to their Moodle feed to tweet out the headlines of all homework
assignments. These levels of connectedness play into the basic structure of network theory. In
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 7
addition to the aforementioned communication theories about branding as a whole, there are
many others this paper explains throughout the text.
Co-creation: the spirit that makes the band
We are in an era when the value of a college education is not only questioned by young
people but also questioned in the headlines regularly, it is imperative for the brand of an
institution to shine through the rhetoric of the debate and show the institution’s value. There is
no argument- it is critical for an institution to focus on academic excellence, maintaining
affordability, and providing a strong social network for students the only way for prospective
students to see that is through branding and marketing material. A key factor in the value of an
institution is the alumni and friend engagement. Generally speaking, the best way to inform
alumni and friends of the work the institution is doing and the caliber of the current student
body is through strong branding and marketing material. The only way for the larger
community to clearly see the strength of the institution it neighbors is through strong branding
and marketing material. Given that it is imperative for an institution to have a strong brand.
This paper will examine the role of branding in higher education and ways the institution can
utilize branding to communicate their message.
In the past decade or so, there has been a shift in how an institution markets itself in
response to economic and social conditions. These conditions have lead to an increase in
marketization and less on marketing. This shift has lead to a reliance on outdated practices and
theories. Previously, the focus has been on marketization with goods. The good in this case is a
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 8
diploma and degree. K.M. Judson and S.A. Taylor make the case that the focus needs to be
moved to marketing an institution, not marketization. The authors make the case that
marketing is a co-creating process that involves personal growth collaboration, that the
primary stakeholders include parents; students; industry; and society, and all this with a long-
term focus. They continue, marketization is the student receives information with the goal for
job relevancy and student; parent; industry satisfaction, all with a short-term focus (Judson &
Taylor, 2014). The ideas that envelop branding correlate to the ideas that Judson and Taylor
described. Branding is a practice that is designed to take the ideas, practices, culture, and
habits of a community and put them into a focus that can be used to represent the community
and attract new members of the community.
Branding stems from co-creation and how “co-creation generates innovation and re-
energizes brands,” (Ind, Fuller, & Trevail, 2012, cover). As Michael Pinto explained above that
branding is the “personality” of an organization, the best way to truly understand and harness
the personality of the organization in the brand is by co-creation (Cohen, 2011). Meaning, it is
important when designing a brand to engage all stakeholders in the organization. Many of the
best ideas from an organization comes from co-creation and collaboration amongst
stakeholders. Steve Johnson explains that “an idea is a network,” in the most basic levels of an
idea come from inside your brain (Johnson, 2010). The idea is developed through “nodes” and
“elements of memory,” (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 152). Once the notes have connected and
processed internally, they are shared with the members of their team for a similar process to
occur. The team members share their own ideas, discuss the individual ideas, then work to find
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 9
commonalities to develop one, unified idea. A very well known example of the co-creative
culture and this process is at PIXAR Studios- the studio behind Toy Story, WALL-E, and The
Incredibles (Ind, Fuller, & Trevail, 2012).
However, collaboration and co-creation isn’t limited to internal stakeholders. The
collaboration process is open to anyone with a relation to the organization. Andrew Welch, of
WPP, contends that an organization should involved and invite customers with positive idea,
but also customers who have had negative ideas and nay-sayers of the organization, (Welch,
n.d.). In the context of higher education, this means inviting, and involving students (including
prospective, current, and engaging students who are leaving the institution prior to their
departure), alumni, faculty, staff, parents, and the local community. The multi-national coffee
company Starbucks embraced every category of stakeholder in the creation of
MyStarbucksIdea- an online platform that is, "enabling customers to contribute, discuss,
evaluate, debate and further improve their ideas about new services to be offered by
Starbucks,” (Sigala, 2012). The online platform utilizes social media and digital
communication to gather ideas and suggestions from customers. With each suggested idea,
there is a comment thread attached to it allowing customers to collaborate on that specific idea
or Starbucks staff to comment on the idea (i.e. stating the suggestion is already in the works).
However, the comment thread also allows for negative comments to be addressed organically
by customers and for staff to address concerns before they can be snowballed or exaggerated.
A concern that many organizations have with co-creation is the two-way communication and
the possibility of negative feedback. This sentiment is understandable, yet by fostering the
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 10
community and engaging stakeholders in the conversation, the likelihood negative feedback
being responded to and resolved organically becomes more likely.
Co-creation and collaboration are a critical components not only to branding, but also
in gaining compliance. The idea that an individual stakeholder can influence the entire
organization is empowering to the stakeholders. “ A person will comply in exchange for
something else supplied by the other person: if you do what I want, I will give you something
in return—esteem, approval, money, relief from obligations, and good feelings, among other
things,” explains Stephen Littlejohn, interpreting Gerald Marwell and David Schmitt’s
research and theory (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 155). Littlejohn does explain that compliance
gaining is power oriented (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 155). In higher education, there is a pre-
existing power orientation between all stakeholders and the final decision makers, be that the
institution’s administration or the governance board (e.x. the Board of Trustees or Board of
Regents). However, if the administration employs the ideas of co-creation, collaboration, and
ultimately compliance gaining it positively impacts the brand and branding efforts. How? The
above elements creates and fosters an environment that is open to conversation, to new ideas,
and constructive criticism.
Brand graphics: The look and feel
The most visible aspects of an institution come from the graphics the brand entails. The
graphics category includes many aspects of the brand beyond the obvious of graphic designs.
Collateral such as the look and feel of an institution’s website, social media, and publications.
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 11
Graphics is one of the most pivotal aspects of a brand because they are what the stakeholders
see first. The graphics of an institution are the visual markers of what the institution stands for.
By way of example, when an individual sees the Starbucks medallion; logo; or graphics, they
associate their personal experiences; quality of their products; and the messages that their
brand stands for. When an individual sees the Walt Disney Company logo or graphics, a
consumer likely associates Mickey Mouse, Disney World, the multitude of products and
creative services the company provides. The same thought process is true for higher education
institutions. When an individual sees the graphics of an institution, they might reflect on their
collegiate experience, the experience of their children, alumni (both personally known and
famous) might come to mind, or the programs offered; ultimately, the quality of the institution
is judged by the reflection of the brand and immediately, the graphics.
The graphics used in an institution’s branding falls directly in the idea of triad of
meaning from the Semiotic Tradition., the graphics-being the sign- are one third of the triad;
the the second third is the stakeholder-being the interpreter; and the final third of the triad is
the object is the institution. The sign is the logo. Meaning, when a stakeholder sees any brand
graphic including the logo; social media; or publication, immediately the stakeholder thinks of
what the institution means (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 45).
The Impact of Color
One of the most critical aspects of the branding of an institution is the color choice. So
important that Paul Sable and Okan Akcay assert that, “Many times it is the very first thing we
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 12
notice. Color shapes the way we think in an immediate and visceral way,” (Sable & Akcay,
2010). Colors resonate in our heads. There what stands out, there what we you remember
before we remember the design. To best convey the message an institution desires to send
branding requires an understanding of what colors mean to each culture. Institutions in any
given nation are no longer just competing with institutions in their geographic area. With the
Internet and social media, they are competing with the rest of the world. That is why it is
paramount to have the color palette for your brand be versatile to connect with viewers and
multiple nations, regions, and cultures. Each color has it’s own unique meaning in regions of
the world. The key to having a color palette that connects with many regions is by having
complimenting shades of colors so that an institution not only appears to be bright and vibrant,
but the institution’s message is received by various regions. By thinking of the color palette in
such a way the institution displays intercultural competence: “knowledge, mindfulness, and
skill,” (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 105).
The Power of a Logo
An institution’s logo and marks are some of the most important visual references an
institution has available to them. The authors of The Power of a Good Logo “found that the
logo of a brand can be an integrator of the marketing efforts of the brand, a reflector of such
effort and the icon of what the brand means to its customers,” (Park, Eisingerich, & Pol,
2014). The authors are explain that an institution’s logo is a direct reflection of the institution,
including “identification, differentiation and positive associations,” (Park, Eisingerich, & Pol,
2014). To further explain, the institution’s logo is how stakeholders identify and differentiate
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 13
the institution from the thousands of other institutions and make connections in their mind to
that institution.
The logo for an institution needs to be reflective of the community it represents. When
the Canadian legislature passed an act that changed the name of Ontario College of Art and
Design in Toronto to a university, the institution had to rebrand. The institution worked with
Bruce Mau Design company to create the new logo. Hunter Tura, Bruce Mau Design’s
president and CEO, explains that “students play such a pivotal role in the university so it was
important to incorporate them,” (Birchard, 2011). Birchard reports that Bruce Mau Designs
and Ontario College of Art and Design University developed a special partnership to create the
best logo for the institution it could. Bruce Mau Designs embedded a team inside Ontario
College of Art and Design University and engaged with the sets of stakeholders: the students,
the faculty, and the staff. Bruce Mau Designs solicited feedback and thoughts using social
media and even accepted several Ontario College of Art and Design University students as
interns (Birchard, 2011). The process the Bruce Mau Designs used was learning the domains
of the organizational culture within the institution. Bruce Mau Designs examined the
“ecological context: the physical world, including location, the time and history, and social
context,” (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 105). Through this understanding, Bruce Mau Designs
observed the architecture and the arts the students were passionate for. The firm also observed
the “differential interaction” and “collective understanding” by interacting with the students
and learning about how the social groups at the institution behave (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p.
105). And finally, Bruce Mau Designs observed the “individual domain” by engaging with the
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 14
students, faculty, and staff through conversations and focus groups. (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011,
p. 105). The result was a logo that was simplistic, straightforward, and represented the
institution. By using squares, Bruce Mau Designs captured the feel of the square-looking
buildings- seen in the ecological context. The firm captured the passions of the students by
having the squares be frames or canvases to show the students art inside the logo- discovered
through the “differential action” and “collective understanding.” And the character of the
individuals on the campus by having the logo be minimalistic and simplistic- likely learned
through the “individual domain” of the institution, (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 105).
Branding on Social Media
In this day in age, it’s nearly a requirement for every brand- inside higher education
and out- to be on some form of social media. However, it is not a requirement. But the
statistics of how many institutions utilize social media makes it appear to be one. Radian6, a
marketing company, found that “95% of college admission offices,” are “using some form of
social media,” (Radian6). Additionally, Cursive marketing found that “More than 90% of
colleges have a Facebook fan page,” but found that less than a quarter of prospective students
actually viewed them, (Cretella, 2013). But how can social media be used to engage
stakeholders and push an institution’s brand? Be interactive. Maintain strong communication
and “create meaningful connections with their audiences through simple, honest
storytelling,” (Cretella, 2013). But there are countless ways for an individual institution to
engage stakeholders on social media. Social media is a product of the the “second media age”
which is described as “(1) decentralized; (2) two-way; (3) beyond state control; (5) promoting
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 15
individual consciousness; and (6) individually oriented,” (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011, p. 340).
Social media is a product of connecting individuals with individuals. The idea of incorporating
brands (including institutions and companies), came after the creation of most networks. By
way of example, Facebook for the first three years of its existence, brands were not officially
recognized by the site. In 2007 the company introduced Brand Pages which is the foundation
of the social network’s business profiles (Weaver, 2012). Higher education has found unique
and creative ways to embrace social media. Some institutions have found success engaging all
demographics through photo uploading campaigns. Some institutions found success in the
“gamification” of fundraising and social media.
Like every aspect of communication, utilizing strategy is imperative to success. Temple
University of Philadelphia harnessed the power of social media through the “Temple Made”
campaign. The campaign was designed to crowdsource images on social media, connect
stakeholders, and is organized on a microsite (http://www.templemade.com). At the time the
Chronicle of Higher Education covered the “Temple Made” campaign, over 1,000 photos had
been posted to social media and many used in a promotional video that was “literally Temple
made,” (Peterkin, 2012). The “Temple Made” campaign brought awareness to key
stakeholders the institution was trying to engage: Temple was able to show the vibrant campus
community through the lens of current students, the experiences and successes via the lens of
alumni, and display it all for prospective students to see when they’re researching schools to
apply to.
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 16
Georgetown University took the competitive nature of people and school spirit and made a
social media game out of it. The Development Office created a microsite that challenged seven
different markets to donate to the institution. The University utilized social media to gather
attention, created custom graphics for each market (example a graphic that said ‘I’m a proud
Boston Hoya’), and used geo-posting to post in the market’s region. The result was $529,000
raised from 1,514 donors. Of the 1,514 donors, 898 were new donors for the fiscal year,
bringing Georgetown’s alumni giving rate from 28% to 35% (Stoner, Slover-Linett, & Ware,
2013).
A Campus United: Consistant Branding
Every institution is unique and is made up of a many different divisions, communities,
and groups. It is imperative for the institution to maintain a consistent brand across all
divisions, communities, and groups. One of the most important instances when brand
consistency is needed is between the institution and the athletic brand. It is very common in a
collegiate athletic brand to use the mascot as their logo or mark. But it is not always the case
for the institution’s brand and the athletics brand to share many similarities. The benefits of an
institution and intercollegiate athletics can pay dividends. University athletics have been
credited as being a powerful recruiting tool for universities (Toma & Cross, 1998). While
many look to the athletic records for the recruitment of players, the visual appeal of the
athletics brand is what drives fans in.
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 17
There is no one right answer on how to accurately integrate the athletics brand into the
institution’s, but there are examples of various institution’s effort that can prove to be
successful. The first example is the University of Connecticut, now officially known as
UCONN, is the land-grant university based in Storrs, Connecticut. The institution might be
best known for it’s athletic programs having attained the men’s and women’s basketball NCAA
championship multiple times in the past decade-including multiple years when the men and
women were national champions. The state institution has maintained a relationship with Nike
for uniforming the student-athletes and athletic merchandise. The move to rebrand the
institution from the University of Connecticut to UCONN came in April 2013. The first move
came in the University President Susan Herbst’s State of the University address where she
announced the move akin to other institutions including “UCLA or Penn or Georgia Tech or
Cal or MIT, nicknames all -- and proud ones,” (Fortuna, 2013). Then, two weeks later, the
Athletic Director announced and revealed the new logo.
A second avenue for an institution is by having the institution and athletics brands
separate, but have commonalities. This is a much more common example where we see
athletic brands using the same color schemes or having mascots that are related to the
institution’s name (e.g. The George Washington University Colonials). One example is Robert
Morris University in Pennsylvania. Robert Morris University engaged in a brand awareness
campaign in the past few years to expand it’s reach beyond the the southwestern Pennsylvania/
southeastern Ohio region. The institution’s new president tasked the Athletic Director, Dr.
Susan Hofacre, to lead the effort on brand awareness campaign and have athletics be at the
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 18
forefront of the effort, this is in part due to 15% of the student body participating in a varsity
sport so there would be a wide impact on the student body. The Athletic Director had a game
plan in her head: she weighed the pro’s and con’s of her options, including how the the teams
would feel if the campaigned focused on a couple of sports, the legal Title IX ramifications of
a flagship sport, and staff morale (Clark, Apostolopoulou, Branvold, & Synowka 2009). Kyle
Fisher, vice president for marketing and public relations, feels that the athletic division:
1) aid in creating awareness among of market segment that traditionally has
not considered RMU to be a viable alternative for higher education;
2) expand the reach in terms of awareness to the current market segment
from which RMU draws students; and,
3) create awareness to academically stronger students who may have been
aware of RMU, but never seriously considered attending the institution
because of the university’s perceived brand position (Clark,
Apostolopoulou, Branvold, & Synowka 2009).
Put simply, the athletic brand would help raise the university up in different aspects. But to
truly market the athletic brand, Dr. Susan Hofacre would have to select a ‘flagship’ sport or
sports. Meaning, these sports would be the subject of the branding as opposed to the entire
division. That conversation, Dr. Hofacre felt needed to be had by the administration.
Website: The institution’s digital hub
Institutional websites “are now the most prominent outward-facing recruitment tool for
most institutions,” asserts the Lawlor Group (Mayer, n.d.). But more startling is CASE- the
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 19
Council for Advancement and Support of Education- reports that “nearly 50 percent of
students say a bad institutional website experience would have a negative effect on their
perception of a school—and one in five students says a bad website would cause them to
remove a school from consideration,” (Russell, 2011). An institution’ websites is the primary
hub of information in the 21st century and institutions have been utilizing them since the
1990’s. Every institution’s website has it’s own look, feel, and organization to it. But has found
that there are specific features that visitors look for and go to first on a website. Hite and
Railsback of Emporia University reported on a study that found that 90% of community
college websites offered downloadable forms, 65% of them offered click-to-submit forms,
58% offered online registration and course searches, 47% had online applications, 37% had
virtual tours, and 21% had electronic versions of the catalog (Hite & Railsback, 2010). These
features might seem more technical, but to one of the key stakeholders- prospective students
and their parents, utilize institution websites to get a feel for the institution. The openness
provided by having the general forms and catalog online make great leaps toward showing the
openness. The virtual tours offered help show what the campus is from any location in the
world. But to put in perspective how an institution’s website is utilized, the study showed that
the most used hyperlinks were alumni, admissions, athletics, academics, and about the
university- in that order (Hite & Railsback, 2010). Just with any form of communication, it is
important to keep the information on an institution’s website current and easy to understand.
But how can an institution utilize it’s website to provide for better branding? Using the
website in conjunction with every other communication channel. One primary example is
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 20
through lead generation. Utilize information collected about prospective students and alumni
on the institution’s website and other websites to make the personal connection with the
prospect or alumni. Brendan Mayer, of the Lawlor Group, explains how lead generation
impacts a prospective student, but the same scenario and logic can be applied to alumni and
donors as well:
Because prospective students are inherently comfortable with technology and
will research colleges extensively on their own time, they don’t need or want
general facts or broad-swath messages when it comes to direct communication
with an institution. What today’s prospective student craves (along with her
parents) when facing so many choices, is not the reasons why any student
should attend a given institution, but the reasons that she should (Russell, 2011).
The website is the centerpiece to the institution’s digital branding. It is imperative the site be
receptive to the changes that the stakeholders desire through lead generation, but also making
the information easily accessible.
Conclusion
An institution is “not breakfast cereal, and we’re not a detergent. But we still need to
communicate what we do, why we do it, how we do it, and that we do it well. So branding
actually matters a great deal,” asserted UCONN President Herbst at the State of the University
Address in 2013 (Jones, 2013). Higher education is in a state of constant competition with
each other and it is imperative for a brand to be reflect the institution. The brand must tell a
story of the institution and what it stands for while simultaneously inviting in stakeholders.
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 21
However, thrust of any branding effort must come from co-creation and collaboration. Without
these efforts, the brand cannot and will not truly reflect the institution. Every institution has a
message to send. Every institution has a unique and interesting aspects to them. Harness the
brand that is being organically created and tell the world the story of the institution. But tell
the story accurately. Just like with social media, maintain strong communication and “create
meaningful connections with their audiences through simple, honest storytelling,” (Cretella,
2013). Engage the brand utilizing an international color palette on social media and in
publications while maintaining an engaging website. Utilize the data collected for lead
generation to to show prospective students why they should attend an institution and alumni
and donors why should consider making a gift to the institution (Russell, 2011). By engaging
in organized branding efforts, institutions will succeed.
BRANDU: AN EXAMINATION ON BRANDING HIGHER EDUCATION 22
References
American Marketing Association. (2014). Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.ama.org/
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Birchard, K. (2011, May 10). A versatile logo for a dynamic design school. Retrieved from http://
chronicle.com/blogs/arts/a-versatile-logo-for-a-dynamic-design-school/29356
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