Five key

learnings on the
value of brand
for universities
By Avarina Wilson-Dyer-Gough
How can students and their parents identify which university will best help them achieve their dream
career? What makes an international student come to your university? How can universities attract
funding? How do universities differentiate themselves in a crowded and often confusing marketplace?

Over the past two years weve worked with a range of university brands, gaining valuable first-hand
observations and research with internal stakeholders, students, parents and opinion formers. As the
first part of our 2015 focus on the value of branding for universities, we have brought together five key
observations on what it takes to bring clarity and coherence to successful university brands.

1. Successful university brands are built on a long-term strategy, not a short-term

campaign.
Universities are complex organizations. Their individual department structures, overwhelming range of
courses as well as diverse student cultures can present a disjointed image. If they steer away from
who they really are using generic eye-catching, short-term messages, they too can present an
unrealistic view of who they actually are. To overcome their often complex existence, clarity and
simplicity are essential.

A brand lens can help to cut through this complexity, shining a light on the core essence of a
university and distilling it into digestible bite-size messages. By asking the simplest questions, who
are we?, where do we want to go? and what would be missing in the world if we didnt exist?, a
university is better able to simplify and craft a brand positioning and vision that synthesizes their rich
and unique value. Knowing what makes them special means they can present a clear and engaging
impression of its dreams for itself, or even how it will fit with the dreams of its students.

2. Sell an experience, not just a name.

Students dont sign up to attend a university based on clichs like the community feel. While their
parents may be more focused on how many hours of lectures their child will attend, students are often
more interested in the people they will meet and how the university will help them achieve their dream
job after their three years of (hard) work.

Successful universities understand their role as the springboard for many people into adulthood. They
know that the students experience of a university helps to develop them as an individual, in their
career and the future ambitions. To sell a university experience doesnt mean personal testimonies of
how a student enjoyed a course or pictures of the scenery. It means promoting the true, multi-faceted
ways that their specific student-experience helps to develop them as individuals and as adults. Often
the best student experiences are at the universities that focus on the different opportunities and
experiences it can offer a student outside of the class tables and away from a focus on the league
tables.
3. Collaborative internal branding leads to successful brand creation.
People like to have their opinions heard. If you ask someone for their feelings or experiences about an
organisation, they will highlight unknown emotional and functional aspects to a brand that would
otherwise go unnoticed.

Successful brands understand the value of collaborative thinking and sharing in the creation of a
brand. It is viewed as their most important asset. When a university builds its vision and strategy by
working in co-production with its stakeholders, not just the senior management team, individuals feel
emotionally connected to the institution and its future. Internal and external stakeholders, like
academics, lecturers, students and even careers advisors, will provide an outside angle on what makes
the university special or what isnt being promoted enough. In addition, it is this form of collaboration
that sets the foundations for internal buy-in and support. If people feel respected and involved they will
often actively engage in the creation and roll-out a compelling and sustainable brand.

4. Tell a good story

Between 2012 and 2013, UK universities increased their combined marketing spend to a total of 36
million. This high spend can be futile when seeking to attract more students and funding if universities
arent telling a good story.

Brand narratives help universities to shout about their valuable stories in an engaging way. When
these stories are brought together into a central brand narrative, reflecting the unique essence of who
they really are, the impact is automatically amplified. A strong central brand narrative enables
successful university brands to be flexible in their brand messaging, choosing whether to focus on the
value of their overall brand or promote the strengths of their courses and campuses.

5. ...And tell it to the right people.

Successful university brands know how to translate their brand positioning into engaging and targeted
communications for the right people. They know how to talk to students about the issues that count to
them compared to those that matter to parents and careers advisers. Messages are co-ordinated at
the same time around the right themes and detail, creating a powerful centre of gravity that engages
with stakeholders. By knowing what tone of voice and messages appeal to the different audiences,
universities are better placed to strategically shout about what makes them special to the interested
parties.

Our experiences highlight that universities need a clear central brand strategy. Differentiation in the
marketplace occurs through a brand narrative that amplifies the strengths of an institution and guides
everything it does. This enables students and their parents to buy into a brand experience, not just a
name and a logo. UK and international students will pick the university that understands and openly
wants to help them achieve their ambitions. Successful brands work with their stakeholders to know
why they are great and tell it in the mostengaging way.