5 ways universities can ignite their Enterprise and Innovation brands

Higher education income from industry is dominated by just a handful of well-known, established players. That’s because the majority of universities talk about their offerings in similar ways. This ‘blanding in’ makes it difficult to get noticed. And, as we outlined in ‘Why universities are missing out on their share of Innovation and Enterprise income’, brand stand-out is vital if you want businesses to think of you when they’re considering where to invest and who to partner with.

So, this time out, we’re focusing on 5 ways universities seeking to grow their enterprise and innovation income can create distinctive and memorable brands.

Sound good? Read on…

  1. Being expert isn’t enough. Being seen and noticed is what makes the difference.

    Joshua Bell played for 45 minutes in a New York subway, raising $30 in tips. Yet, just two days before he’d sold out a theatre in Boston where seats averaged $100.

    Some of the world’s most commercially successful brands are no more expert or innovative than their competitors. Yet where and how they present themselves, and how they communicate, brings critical advantage in how they are perceived.

    It’s easy to believe that fantastic work done by university innovation and enterprise teams will automatically deliver more income. And, yes, it probably will. In time. But it’s unlikely to do so at the speed or scale desired. That’s because the extraordinary in an ordinary environment does not shine and is often overlooked and undervalued.

    Brand distinction plays a key role in delivering an extraordinary environment in which enterprise offerings can flourish. That’s about having the clarity, focus and emotional resonance to invigorate your team and drive exponential industry engagement.


  2. Brands are more than names and logos

    Dua Lipa has conquered the world without worrying about hip-hop or metal fans. She’s avoided brand blandness by being clear about what she’s great at and focussing on making that fresh, memorable and distinctive to as many people as possible. We’re willing to bet that includes hip-hop and metal fans too.

    Brand distinction applies to organisations as much as people. It enables them to stand out, rise above competitors and resonate with audiences that are big enough to enable them to achieve their goals. 

    Consider the world’s 10 most recognisable brands. Just hearing their name… 

    • We instinctively associate them with certain things

    • We can tell them apart from their competition

    • And everyone we know would also recognise them

    The most successful innovation and enterprise teams know having an offering-specific name and logo is important. But it’s only the start point. Brands live in minds, not logos. It’s attaching relevant associations to your brand for prospective partners that really matters. That process starts with insight, strategy and storytelling. Not design. 


  3. Take a look at your label from outside the bottle

    An outside perspective is the start point if you want your enterprise offering to live in the minds of prospective partners.  And that means discovering multiple audience perspectives. It’s all about them. Not you. What they need. What they think. How they currently perceive you. 

    Partners. What features and benefits do they associate with your organisation or initiative? What’s distinctive about you vs. others? How do they validate their decision to choose you?

    Prospects. Which universities do they associate with innovation and enterprise excellence? Which would they consider?

    Competitor brands. What spaces do they occupy? Are there opportunities for you to create clear water and be distinct?

    Stakeholders. The insider perspective. What strengths are waiting to be made more of? What passion and belief drives people? Does everyone have a consistent view?


  4. Turn insight into distinction

    We’ve talked about brands living in minds, not logos. That’s about creating relevant meaning and associations we can attach to an entity. As human beings emotion plays a pivotal role in creating memory structures around those associations that form shortcuts to help us make decisions. (Yes! Even in business.) 

    Take Specsavers for instance. Their genius has been not simply in making you think of glasses when you hear their name. But for Specsavers to spring instantly to mind when you think of glasses. It’s a critical - but powerful - distinction. And it relies on the emotion prompted by their distinctive and consistent advertising to build and reinforce that association.

    Alongside what you do, telling the story of how and why you do it also matters. Partners want to work with organisations that share their goals and passions. That have a culture that stimulates and inspires them. Your brand needs to encapsulate all this. More than just a logo, that’s about…

    • Brand ideas, straplines, audio branding (McDonald’s whistle anyone?)

    • How your brand looks, visually. Colours, fonts, layouts.

    • How it speaks. Like people, brands have distinct voices. 

    • Brand narratives. A reference point for future marketing, how the brand behaves.

    • Brand manifesto. There’s nothing like 60 seconds of film to lift a concept off a page. 

    Documenting these things means innovation and enterprise teams and initiatives are empowered to be consistently, and memorably, distinct.


  5. Treat brand building as a team gig

    If great brands live in minds, that’s as true for your team as it is for your partners. In large, complex organisations like universities, failing to make sure your team are all dancing to the same tune will lead to confusion, inconsistency and disengagement. Any momentum will be lost.  

    Bringing your team on that journey isn’t simply about them understanding where you’re heading and what you’re trying to achieve. They need to feel and believe in it too, and be empowered to act. Brand behaviour is about all those marginal gains that help your innovation and enterprise boat go faster:

    • Define a set of shared values and behaviours that support achieving your goals.

    • Understand how your culture and environment support growth… and how they don’t.

    • Translate what your vision means to people’s roles on a daily basis.

    • Provide guardrails to build confidence in bringing your brand to life consistently.

    • Acknowledge their relationship with change, and help them embrace the transition.

The good news is, most universities aren’t following these principles in their quest to grow their research, innovation and enterprise income. That creates opportunities for those who do recognise that brand distinction paves the way to greater reach, greater memorability and greater engagement. If you’d like to understand more, get in touch.

READ OR DOWNLOAD THE FULL PAPER BELOW:

Previous
Previous

Protect your cycling business, build your brand

Next
Next

The future of engineering