A tool for institutional transformation is already available. But is it being used?
It’s clear that some in university leadership positions feel discomfort with the term ‘brand’. These are generally concerns about commodification, inauthentic messaging, or agency-led makeovers that have missed the mark.
These concerns are valid.
But at a time when the sector and its multiple institutions are (re)defining their purpose, specialisms and comparative advantage – many of the strategic choices being made in universities are effectively those of a brand strategy.
The challenge is that by not recognising it as such, or actively resisting it, the rest of the process gets missed. One that starts with “who we are” and “who we’re for”, and then delivers it consistently through experience, communication and behaviour – internally and externally.
So why is there a question mark over ‘brand’ when it should be integral to the answer?
There appear to be four main reasons for this unease, quite possibly rooted in the opinion that brand is the preserve of the private sector.
Commercialisation: The term ‘brand’ feels too corporate for mission-driven, not-for-profit institutions.
Marketisation: Brand is strongly associated with the competitive markets of the commercial sector and ‘consumerism’, which demeans the value of teaching and research,
Commodification: Linked to the previous points, the perception that brand leads to reducing universities to indistinct market entities.
Substance vs. Image: Focusing on branding may detract from educational and civic purposes.
Brand strategy and branding done poorly is just more noise.
It’s a waste of time, money and energy.
So why bother?
It’s possible to look at all of the current challenges in silos in the hope that the sum of the parts will add up to an answer and success. But this rarely if ever results in a cohesive vision – a north star as many refer to it.
And a huge opportunity would be missed.
Creating an integrated strategy starting from why you exist, who you are for and how you’ll deliver, will unite the parts into a whole. The north star is the objective rather than just one of the outcomes.
This will inform critical choices about:
Purpose and Positioning
Audience Insights and your Narrative(s)
Identity and Experience
Touchpoints and Management
Measurement of strategic effectiveness and Evolution over time
These elements of an institutional strategy are long term goals with shorter term proof points. And they all sit at the heart of brand strategy thinking.
Brand, done right, is not a betrayal of higher education’s purpose or an individual institution’s role within it.
It’s an articulation of it.
Which makes it rather timely.
Brand strategy done well is a leadership tool.
In short, it provides:
A framework for strategic decision-making
A cohesive position and vision
A consistent platform from which to deliver change
A distillation and expression of the organisation’s culture
And it has an ROI that is not profit but reputation and perceived value
The challenge in HE is that it’s not easy to achieve. But many important things aren’t.
Moving to meaningful and authentic platforms that inspire fresh thinking, new approaches, and organisational transformation at a time of great change is tough.
But not impossible.