the changing nature of brand experience in higher education
DESCRIPTION
The brand experience at colleges and universities has long been rich and multi-faceted. Prospective students tour the campus, current students attend carefully designed classes and alumni return for homecoming and sporting events. But as more university activities move online, our constituents now interact with our brand in different ways. Recruiting students, alumni engagement and even the academic experience are increasingly happening in the digital space. This presentation examines the different ways audiences experience higher education brands in a digital age.TRANSCRIPT
The Changing Nature of Brand Experience in
Higher Education
Thursday, March 14, 13
Joel PattisonDirector of Web Communications
McIntire School of Commerce
University of Virginia
@jwpattison
Thursday, March 14, 13
Associate Director of Creative Services
William & Mary
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Is a university like an airline?
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Today’s Topic:
The evolution of brand experience in higher education.
Step 1: Definitions
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“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or company...
...brand is defined by individuals, not by companies, markets, or the so-called general public.”
-Marty Neumeier, The Brand Gap
brand/brand/
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Brand is what they say it is, not what we say it is.
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Desired perceptions about brand
Actual perceptions about brand
• Visual Identity
• Logos
• Photos, videos
• Language
• Brand experiences
(Strategy)(Execution)
(Results)
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All the interactions people have with an organization, product, service (or institution of higher education!)
brand experience/brand/ /ex·pe·ri·ence /
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Desired perceptions about brand
Actual perceptions about brand
• Visual Identity
• Logos
• Photos, videos
• Writing/copy
• Brand experiences
Brand Promise
PromiseFulfilled
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Brand experiences should fulfill the brand promise.
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A New American is Arriving
• Time to become better versions of ourselves
• Greater than expected, more than you hoped for
• Not just a bigger airline, something so much greater
This commercial's promise: A revolutionary new airline that exceeds our expectations in every way
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The reality of our (brand) experience:
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≠
Message ≠ Experience
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Desired perceptions about brand
Actual perceptions about brand
• Visual Identity
• Logos
• Photos, videos
• Writing/copy
• Brand experiences
(Strategy)(Execution)
(Results)
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zeroThursday, March 14, 13
If actual experiences don’t align with strategy, you will
never be a strong brand.
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Higher education experiences that shape
brand perceptions
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What experiences shape the perception of higher-ed
brands?
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Growth in Internet Traffic
0!
5000!
10000!
15000!
20000!
25000!
30000!
2000! 2001! 2002! 2003! 2004! 2005! 2006! 2007! 2008! 2009! 2010! 2011!
IP Traffic!(PB/month)!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_traffic
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Minutes per day spent on the internet
http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Consumers-Spend-More-Time-with-Mobile-Online-Growth-Slows/1009431
0"
50"
100"
150"
200"
250"
300"
2009" 2010" 2011" 2012"
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“Over the past several years we have seen double-digit increases in international students, especially those from China.”
-Greg Roberts, Dean of Admission, UVAThe Daily Beast “10 College Admissions Trends”
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That’s great.
Except our digital experiences aren’t consistent - and they don’t always
keep the brand promise.
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*The following illustrations are fictitious
to protect the innocent(and the guilty)
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But…we’ve been getting away with it!
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0!
5000!
10000!
15000!
20000!
25000!
30000!
2000! 2001! 2002! 2003! 2004! 2005! 2006! 2007! 2008! 2009! 2010! 2011!
IP Traffic!(PB/month)!
“Over the past several years we have seen double-digit increases in international students, especially those from China.”
-Greg Roberts, Dean of Admission, UVAThe Daily Beast “10 College Admissions Trends”
0"
50"
100"
150"
200"
250"
300"
2009" 2010" 2011" 2012"
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3 miles from my house
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We can’t rely on traditional interactions to overpower
digital experiences forever.
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≠
≠
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Solutions?
My Case1) Brand is important to higher education institutions
2) Brand experiences shape people’s perceptions
3) Traditional higher-ed experiences are positive
4) More of our experiences are becoming digital
5) Our digital experiences are inconsistent
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“The entire institution needs to live the brand.”
- Roger Dooley Founder, College Confidential Forbes.com
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Communications/Marketing
Student Affairs Development
Admissions
Get out of our silos (at least occasionally)
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Apply existing elements
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Remember: there’s a precedent!
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Think long-termThursday, March 14, 13
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