University Branding Becomes a Major Topic

Universities have really gotten into branding in a major way. New firms are forming that focus exclusively on the academic market. Articles are being written in various marketing and academic management journals about the importance of branding.

Why is college/university branding moving into high gear? The cost of an education in the US has become extremely expensive. At the university I teach at, which is a private institution, undergraduate students pay about $47,000 per year when all expenses are included. The MBA costs anywhere from $50,000-85,000 at our university, depending on the program selected (on-line versus full-time or executive MBA). At the same time, there are more students attending colleges and universities. So, the perceived value of the degree takes on greater importance. Companies want to know the value of potential employees have, parents begin to be concerned about where their son or daughter will receive an education that is valued in the market, and universities are concerned with their ability to attract the best and brightest students available. All of this adds up to a major reason for branding. University rankings become extremely important. They put the value of the university into context--allowing it to be assessed against others in the market.


I believe that universities should be talking about their reputations rather than their brands. Brand is focused primarily on consumers. Universities do not have consumers or customers, but rather a host of stakeholders, including, parents, alumni, corporate donors, government (for grants and ,in the case of public institutions, funding, and others). The term reputation is more acceptable to faculty. Everyone wants a good reputation for their schools; not everyone wants the university to think of itself as a brand.

It is difficult to have a university live its brand or reputation. A friend of mine once called a university a "group of anarchists sharing a common parking lot". Faculty do not like to be managed. They see themselves as independent contractors, each vying for their own position and fame. University tenure encourages this. A faculty member who plays as part of the team and serves his/her department and college well but does not publish is less valuable than the faculty member who does little in concert with others but who is a publishing "machine". So, it is difficult, if not impossible for a university to live its brand.

Far too often, universities fall into the trap of thinking that their slogan is their brand. The slogan of my business school is "Learn Here. Lead Anywhere". This is not our brand. Our brand is about attributes, namely co-op education, technology and applied research. Put those together and offer them to students and one has an environment that allows people to learn at Drexel and lead anywhere afterward. Just like in a company, the key is to link the slogan back to attributes that are real to the university.