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Like a blindfolded volunteer in an “Old Coke, New Coke” taste test, Republican pollsters and pundits seemed genuinely surprised last week to learn that their trusted brand — “USA” — had changed. Although demographers and groups such as the Pew Research Center have been charting changing US birth/death rates and immigration patterns for decades, and essayists like Richard Rodriguez have written with depth and nuance about the change, some in the political class seemed caught flat footed, if not flat stunned. Higher education marketing and enrollment professionals have watched and responded to these trends for years, and college presidents and boards have grappled with a range of issues related to student success, admissions policies, financial aid, and more. Often, the assumption in higher education circles is that institutions play a significant role in helping first generation students advance professionally and personally. While nobody would argue that case, colleges miss a huge opportunity if they fail to acknowledge a wide range … Continue reading
Posted in: Brand Voice, Branding, Higher Ed Marketing, Higher Education Branding, Storytelling
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In this season of debates, we turn to a higher ed marketing area where debate is endless. What type of college best prepares students for “the real world?” While consumers — students and parents — can find great programs at the extremes of vocational education and classic liberal arts colleges, most of the higher ed marketing battle happens in the in-between. Elliance has done work for all kinds of schools, always believing that great higher ed marketing involves finding authentic proof aimed at right-fit students. For now, let’s focus on the great many of four-year liberal arts colleges that seem to have either lost their one true brand voice or somehow stand too afraid to speak it. Elliance begins our higher ed marketing work with such schools by taking a close look at a school’s general education core and first year studies courses. How do these and other student experiences shape one’s mental muscle and instills certain habits of the … Continue reading
Posted in: Brand Voice, Branding, Higher Ed Marketing, liberal arts
Last week, I was floored. A prospect looked at our portfolio and clustered our work into two groups: like and not like as much. Asked me if I could explain why. I looked at the two groups and quickly realized that the the ones he liked were all written by our storytellers/copywriters from scratch and had a singular voice; the others were written by a combination of our storytellers/copywriters and client’s. I have never resisted the client’s needs to collaborate with us because I want to be respectful of their budgetary constraints. However, the loss of voice integrity is the silent cost of resource mashup, despite our sharing a common brand voice guide; it’s all about how different people interpret voice guides. A sensitive ear will pick this fracture in brand voice. Wow. You decide how important the integrity of brand voice truly is. We believe it is vital.
Posted in: Brand Voice
Colleges and universities have found brand religion. However, branding of higher education institutions is more challenging than creating consumer product brands. Why? Because higher education institutions serve an extraordinarily large number of stakeholders and make decisions by building consensus. Following these 10 steps to build a college brand may be harder than it sounds: Recognize both the value and limitations of quantitative research, which can confirm past or existing strengths and weaknesses, but can often to be overused or misused and effectively narrow your routes forward. Invest generously and enthusiastically in qualitative research — to generate the kind of insights and nuance that only come from smart questions and active listening. A recent survey of CMO’s by IBM confirms this trend. Gather the institutional will needed to find and claim your strong-to-impenetrable differentiation, including a president’s understanding and leadership. Know that brand firms and in-house marketing departments do not hold the essential ingredients of your brand — these can only … Continue reading
Posted in: Brand Voice, Branding, Higher Education Branding