Gone are the days when a school’s brand—not that many people used the “b” word—just, well… was. The task today is to manage your brand with intent.
Not so long ago, a college or university went about its business, accrued over time what we would now call brand attributes (party school, really hard to get in to, innovative curriculum, career-focused), and, through word of mouth and the aggregate pursuits of alumni, earned its reputation in the higher ed landscape. Communications and marketing didn’t play a huge role in the process.
That was then. Now, with education costs steadily increasing for both institutions and students, demographic shifts, ever-blurrier distinctions between the offerings of private and public institutions, noisy chatter about the ROI of an expensive degree, less geo-centrism, and increased competition for both tuition and contributed dollars, more and more administrations and boards have come to understand there’s no time to let reputation-evolution take its course. Natural selection also de-selects.
Brand, once a taboo notion within campus gates, is now a buzzword and a must-have in academia—even if some of those buzzing are not exactly clear what a brand actually is, or how to “get one.”
Simply put, your brand is what you mean: your value and values, the expectations people have of you and those you set for yourself, attributes associated with you, and what differentiates you within your competitive landscape. (It’s not, and has never been, your logo or seal, although when effectively paired with what you want to mean, these symbols become useful shorthand for your brand.)