Come on, admit it. There was a time when us higher ed marketers avoided using the B-word when talking with members of our administration or faculty, opting for some “safer” combination of brand-related terms like promoting institutional image and identity or managing reputation and message consistency when describing our roles. As an industry, higher ed has been slower than most to get on the brand bandwagon, but we have come a long way in the last five, ten years. I talked with several higher ed marketers to get their views on how our industry and institutions value branding.
Cathy Loranger, a marketing communications practitioner at Shenandoah University, has been studying branding since 2003 and is doing her doctoral dissertation on the topic. “In many ways, it’s still the wild, wild west,” she says. “Some institutions are doing it well, others are just getting started, and some aren’t focused on it at all.”
I think most would agree that when it comes to higher ed branding there is a wide spectrum — from the early adopters to the not-yet-on-my-radar-screen set. The universities that are doing it well looked at the big picture, heeded certain wake-up calls and are in it for the long-term.
“Years ago, most higher ed administrators would shudder at the idea of branding,” says Deede Dowdle, Assoc. V.P. for Communications and Marketing at Miami University. “The landscape began to change with increased pressure for accountability, continually declining appropriations, and increasing competition. Those were wake up calls for many institutions, although there are a surprising number that still avoid a holistic brand approach.”
At many institutions integrated branding has the full support of the leadership and is identified as an institutional priority, which, in practice, translates into hiring a chief marketer, realigning responsibilities, building or revamping marketing teams, and allocating a budget.
Marty Parkes was brought on two and half years ago to lead the branding effort at Lebanon Valley College. Although Marty has the full support of his administration and community, it’s taken time. “We started with a blank slate and have accomplished quite a bit, but I’d still say that we’re in the bottom of the second of a nine-inning game.”
While there has certainly been a shift among many higher ed leaders, not every institution has bought into the importance and value of branding. The reasons vary from institution to institution, but in many cases it’s a lack of knowledge or understanding of branding and its value. In either case, integrated branding is not a priority.
One marketing colleague at a large public university out West has been pushing for an institutional brand effort, and the resources that go along with it, for years, but the support from the very top is just not there. Given a lack of administrative support in a highly decentralized environment, the central marketing team does what it can to build support and main consistency within the schools, colleges and departments.
No matter what the obstacles are, if your institution hasn’t started talking about an institutional brand strategy, you need to initiate the conversation. Higher education will continue to feel the pressures of increased competition, declining enrollments, tightening state budgets, the proposed college rating system, and the lingering question surrounding the value of a college degree. A strong, well-articulated and integrated branding strategy is key to attracting the right students and faculty, and garnering support from alumni and the state.
Marilyn Kail, AVP Marketing Communications for Carnegie Mellon University agrees, “Given the scrutiny higher education is under to show value and impact, if the right people don’t know who you are, what you do, and the distinct value you offer–you could be in trouble. That’s branding, and why we need to be out front helping to strategically shape the perception of the university’s brand.”
Let’s keep the conversation going. We’d like to know how your institution and leadership value branding.