Aha! :: Elliance Blog

As consultants to higher education institutions, we often begin new engagements by going to campus to try to understand the bigger picture at the college of university. We want to see both the forest and the trees, and then we base all of our work is based on that deep understanding. I know my friends […]

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 […]

One simple truth, so many ways of saying it. Here are a some you may recognize and others you may not: “Keep your eye clear, and hit ’em where they ain’t” said the baseball legend William Keeler. “The purple cow”, a book written by Seth Godin of “Permission Marketing” fame. “Zag when others zig”, the […]

In today’s revolutionary new marketing landscape, consumers have become more confident, capable and impatient. They know what they want, based on the fabulous wealth of data in search, and the trusted reviews of their peers in social networks. Even while traditional marketing continues to over-saturate every aspect of their lives, consumers are increasingly enlightened to […]

With the maturing of the digital age, traditional public relations, or PR 1.0, has evolved into PR 2.0. The traditional rules of PR for building reputation in key areas and conveying values have fallen to the way side, and a new paradigm has emerged. Instead of relying on media relations contacts as gatekeepers for the […]

Inspiration by German industrial designer, Ingo Maurer, who focuses on lighting design. Enjoy.

I sense that the 21st century will be the century of generative thinking. Internet, search, social media, and mobile communications are opening up conversations that were simply hard to coordinate and imagine just 30 years ago. Now, we are truly operating at the speed of thought. Though our schools and colleges could be teaching this, […]

After disciplines were divided into smaller components, we have reached a turning point. New integrated disciplines and new paradigms of thinking are emerging. This-AND-That paradigm is replacing the This-OR-That thinking. A few data points to consider: The zeitgeist: In 2010, Parker Palmer and Arthur Zajonc make a case to re-envision education to integrate mind, heart […]

You don’t have to take my word for it. Google Insights shows the trend for the keyword “Infographics”. Vox populi.

Savvy higher ed leaders realize they need to add search engine marketing (SEM) to their overall marketing plans. But several common mistakes can hinder efforts.