Value  =  experience ÷ cost

A college or university, then, has a choice between two routes to increase its perceived value:  it can increase understanding of the quality of the experience it offers, or it can lower its rates.  The latter path leads to smaller budgets, squeezed faculty, reduced opportunities, and a slow and painful death spiral. The former goes right to and through the brand.

Why is it that seven of the ten most selective universities in the country are Ivies?  Are they really that much better than Duke and Chicago and Vanderbilt and Emory and University of Virginia, whose selectivity rates are as much as four times that of Harvard? And how can that august leader-of-the-pack command $50,000 annually from the families of eighteen-year-olds itching to walk its hallowed halls?  The answer:  brand power—and in the case of the Ivies it extends to the whole family, with all eight member institutions being ranked in the top fifteen universities nationwide.  Harvard, quite simply, owns the idea of best-in-class in this country, to the extent that it makes headlines if the top slot in U.S. News isn’t colored crimson.

Reliable studies place the “added value” that consumers are willing to pay for a premium brand at 6%-20%, depending on the category—and higher education may well be at the top of that range.  If a consumer (parent, prospective student) believes that his or her future will be fundamentally better by attending a power-brand college or university, the relative cost difference is marginal compared to the longer-term gain.  So the assignment is theoretically simple:  improve perception of the brand so more people are willing to pay more to associate with it.  The execution, however, is more complex.

Understanding and activating your brand potential begins with a clear-eyed assessment of where your brand sits now—in the mind of the beholder! It’s not enough that you think you know what your brand is or stands for; if nobody shares your opinion, you’re living in a fool’s paradise and your branding initiative will splat like gefilte fish on granite.  You have to know where your prospect places you in the pantheon of organizations or institutions from which he or she could get a similar service.  If the prospect is not looking for a lifetime value brand, but wants a commodity—an individual course or simple certificate—then he or she will go elsewhere. And that’s fine.  We’re not trying to sell all services to all people.  But if your prospect is looking for a value brand, a badge that can be worn proudly as an entry on a c.v., a lapel pin, or a work-out hoodie, you have to deliver a clear, accurate, and compelling portrait of how your brand links to your prospects’ ambitions—and the prospects will pay the price.

So you start by doing brand-focused market research, determining how your prospects see you, how they differentiate you from your competitors, and—importantly—what they value.  With this knowledge you can begin to build your brand platform, develop a creative brief and effective brand expression, and lay out your brand marketing plan.  All easier said than done, I know, but do-able nonetheless.

And then, most importantly:  you execute the plan, keeping track of the effect of each of its myriad strategies and tactics by the results they generate and by an ongoing program of market research.

We have seen this create phenomenal results at the University of Cincinnati, Northern Arizona University, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and elsewhere.

At Cincinnati, a brand-based “Every Student Counts” campaign reversed a decade of faltering enrollments, brought them to an all-time high in FTE student body, reduced their discount rate, and triggered alumni enthusiasm that contributed to the success of an $800 million capital campaign.  Moreover, tracking research showed that public perception of the University shifted from “big” and “basketball” to “quality education” and “excellent faculty” over the course of the branding campaign.

At Northern Arizona University, not only did enrollments skyrocket even after tuition jumped up 40%, but the whole gamut of stakeholders—from prospects to students to faculty to staff—registered significantly greater agreement with fundamental brand messages such as “faculty as mentors” and “good fit” as a result of an aggressive branding campaign.  And the “Mountain Air Makes You Smarter” campaign also captured the attention of William Franke, a successful Phoenix businessman and philanthropist who made a commitment of $25 million to name the NAU College of  Business because of its undergraduate orientation and success at educating first-generation Hispanic and Native American students—attributes he first learned about through the branding campaign.

The University of Texas at Arlington has seen enrollment skyrocket more than 33% in the three years since the “Unbranded” brand campaign was launched. University of Chicago Booth School of Business has claimed and held the top slot in EMBA education according to Business Week rankings.  University of Minnesota Morris reclaimed its position as the top-quality liberal arts option in the UM system.  University of Miami has climbed into the top 50 national universities according to U.S. News—withstanding many a storm along the way—due in no small part to the gale force of President Donna Shalala who epitomizes the Hurricane brand.

Brand campaigns work. They’re not easy; they take diligence and investment; they have to be continually reviewed, assessed, measured, and freshened—but they work.  They deliver dollars to the bottom line because they align an institution’s “offer” with the values and interests of its constituents, and those constituents are therefore willing to pay more.

Bottom line:  a brand campaign is the best investment you can make to improve your bottom line. A tautology, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

— Rob Moore, CEO and President

For more insights on branding in the higher education space, read Rob’s book The Real U: Building Brands That Resonate with Students, Faculty, Staff, and Donors.

Having a muddy, chaotic brand is like trying to simultaneously cram through the doorway of a party with five other guests. The host opens the door to a dismaying display of mass confusion—six people grunting, swearing, shoving, and throwing elbows. Meanwhile, the host stands there baffled, thinking, “What am I to make of this? What am I supposed to do?”

A clear, well-defined brand would enter the same party much differently. One person would take the lead: “Hi, John, thanks for inviting us! I’m Rob from Lipman Hearne, and I’d like you to meet Jeff, Sara, Libby … .” No one is left bruised and sulking on the stoop. No one has to compete for the host’s attention. The host knows who is who, how they’re connected, and how to make further introductions...

To read more, download Join the Party

CASE CURRENTS is an award-winning magazine for CASE Professional Members that explores contemporary issues, trends and best practices in advancement.

Traditionally, these imperatives have put community colleges in a tough spot. There is a natural tension between their institutional commitments to open-access for all students, and their characteristically low graduation rates.

This challenge has made it particularly gratifying for us to partner with Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count. Since 2008, we have been working with ATD – which has received significant funding from Lumina Foundation for Education and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – to help community colleges stay true to their role while improving their outcomes. What began as a 26-college pilot program in 2004 has blossomed into a network of 130 such institutions spread over 24 states and the District of Columbia.

The success of this initiative receives some much-deserved credit and recognition in this Sept. 6th cover story in Community College Week. By highlighting the practices some “leader colleges” have employed to boost their graduation rates, the article provides ample food for thought for institutions struggling with similar challenges.

What is less well known is the big news management opportunity in the Tuesday morning after a holiday weekend. This is when the President can take advantage of a slow news cycle and reset the national conversation to his agenda and his priorities.

President Bush and his PR team were beyond excellent at this maneuver. Please note I’m not passing judgment or sharing my personal opinions about the content of these announcements—I’m referring to the technique. Bush, his press aides, and other staffers would undoubtedly find a way to release major news at about 7:10 a.m. on the Tuesday after a three-day weekend—right during “The Today Show.” I still remember how they rolled out a Supreme Court nominee that way, as well as economic policy announcements and other initiatives.

The advantage is that while the rest of America is still hitting the snooze button Tuesday morning, the President has deliberately said: “Here’s what I think is important. Now, follow my lead.” It also throws a bit of a surprise factor out there.

President Obama has mastered the Friday afternoon document dump, but not the Tuesday reset. He didn’t do it after the Fourth of July holiday. And the Tuesday morning after Labor Day has come and gone without such a move. Instead, Obama presented his new economic plans on Labor Day itself (when no one was paying attention) and will speak further about it tomorrow. That leaves today open to the President’s critics to control the airwaves, newspapers and websites with attacks and criticisms (as was the case during this morning’s “Today Show” news segment).

Does a day or two really make a difference? Yes, in this high-stakes political world it does.

Regardless of whether you are a fan or critic of Obama or Bush, it’s important to understand news management. And news management doesn’t always mean one wins with the public. But a Tuesday morning reset is a powerful tool. The PR team with the current occupant of the Oval Office should consider it when the next holiday weekend presents itself.

While the clients and issues we deal with don’t receive the same level of scrutiny as pronouncements from the White House, they do require the same level of strategic thinking and understanding of news cycles. In today’s competitive media world, visionary people and institutions want to do all they can to ensure they are heard above the news echo chamber.

- Adam Shapiro, Vice President, Public Affairs

All told, he’s right on target.  I wrote the book to meet both a beginner’s needs and a mid-level professional’s interests in learning more.  And hey, he ends up saying, “the final product is a worthwhile how-to resource for higher ed marketers.  I plan to share it widely with members of our branding and marketing team, and maybe even with some administrators.”

Thanks, Andrew. Your autographed copy is on the way.  Bound to be worth at least $2 more than the face value, someday.

-Rob Moore, President and CEO

Céad míle fáilte: While the Irish greeting for “100,000 Welcomes” hasn’t translated exactly to  that number of new client relationships in 2010, we have had quite the busy first two quarters at Lipman Hearne establishing new partnerships. We are proud of, and excited by, the collaborations that are underway and would like to take a moment to properly welcome the following nonprofit organizations:

Advocate Health Care
Alverno College
American Medical Association
California State University, Northridge
Council for a Strong America
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
George Washington University
National Defense University
Northwest Area Foundation
Rhodes College
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Schoolnet
Seton Hall University
Society of Actuaries
University at Buffalo
University of Alabama in Huntsville
University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business
University of Virginia Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

My take on this topic…brand experience is the next most important horizon for all brands. As marketers, we continue to refine and master the “channels” and the product positioning and the pitch — but, ugh, those darn actual brand experiences that real people have with our real enterprises, products and services. Those make or break moments of reality that are the ultimate differentiators. The article does a fine job making the point that people (their motivation, behaviors, passion, etc.) are important to brands. Certainly a point worth making. The question is what are the new models and approaches that are going to make this possible? I think there are ways to tackle this and some interesting new models are emerging. But we all have a long way to go before a real discipline evolves around this subject.

- Tim Westerbeck, Managing Director & Principal

This topic has had a lot of coverage for several years, starting even before Enron and other high-profile ethical messes. The global financial meltdown has given this issue even more steam. I just hope that this time the discussion evolves past “teaching ethics,” which is a questionable concept (adults learning to be ethical). I see a lot of business schools digging way deeper than new courses or experiences or requirements of some sort. They are looking at their entire cultures, the values that the institution stands for, the deeper ethic of the place and how the entire enterprise reflects that there is a lot more to sustainable business success than technical skills, hands on experience, global perspectives and the many other buzzwords nearly every business school today tries to use to differentiate its value in the marketplace. Beyond the fact that this is the right thing to do and will, if pursued seriously, perhaps up the esteem the world currently has for business education, it’s also a smart strategic step from a reputation building standpoint. I’ve studied many business schools and never seen one that doesn’t have at its core particular values and a related educational culture that really makes it unique. I see an era where great business school brands will be built on the character of institutions and how well they cultivate a new set of values in students. For further reading on the subject, I recommend this recent article in the Baylor Business Review.

- Tim Westerbeck, Managing Director & Principal

Why Character is Destiny for Business Schools – and the MBAs They Groom, in the new issue of the Baylor Business Review takes a look at the role issues of “character formation” play in the business school of the future.  In the article, I observe that this is not only important from a curriculum standpoint—and, we all hope, for the future of the global economy – but also regarding how schools will differentiate their brands in today’s hypercompetitive management education marketplace.

Marketing on a specific type of program attribute is ineffective, when so many business schools – or at least their marketing – look the same on nearly every level.  What each school owns that is unique is its values and culture, the basis of a distinctive brand.

- Tim Westerbeck, Managing Director & Principal