This afternoon I’m sitting in on a panel discussion on integrated marketing called “The Politics of Branding.” (I’m struggling mightily to resist the urge to sing lyrics from an early ’80s song by Re-Flex, “The Politics of Dancing.”)
The panelists:
- Lynette Brown-Sow of the Community College of Philadelphia, who opened the session about working with boards and councils.
- Kathi Swanson of Clarus Corp., a marketing and communications consulting firm.
- Larry Lauer of Texas Christian University, an integrated marketing guru in higher ed circles, who talked about dealing with faculty politics.
Lynette, a former deputy mayor for Philadelphia who has been involved in politics for years, said she really didn’t understand the nature of politics until she got into higher education. The politics of Philly had nothing on higher ed politics.
Larry noted that politics is “something they don’t teach you in PR school” and added that higher ed PR/marketing folks need to “learn to love the politics” of higher education. Marketing is still a dirty word among some academics, but not as bad as it used to be. The idea of “giving the students what they want” is also a thorn in the side for some faculty. “You have to be prepared to educate the educators. It’s a long-term process in some institutions.”
Some key points from Larry’s presentation:
- Sometimes you have to substitute words. Instead of talking about a dirty word like “branding” with academics, you might want to talk about “institutional identity” at first. But eventually, you should use the real term.
- Make your institution’s competitive edge apparent. “Differentiation is what branding is ultimately all about.”
- Think strategically — and politically. Know who’s for you, who’s against you, and who’s neutral. Educate those who are neutral, get the academics who are for you to rally for the cause, and avoid those who are against you. Usually, the pros and neutrals can make up the majority. Once the train begins to move, those who don’t get on board will be left behind.
- Stick with it. You have to “have the constitution to lose a few battles to win the war.” Exercise “calm persistence.”
- Lead the cause. “Ultimately, over time, you can make it work.”
During Q-and-A, Larry gave one of the best descriptions of a campus that I’ve heard: “A university is more like a city than a corporation.” Meaning, consistency of brand identity may threaten deans and department heads who want to maintain their unique identity. Larry advises thinking of these departments as “sub-brands” and the university as the primary brand. “We don’t always have the control that we might have in a corporate setting.”
Kathi, who works with Lynette on the CCP branding and marketing effort, talked about the characteristics of institutions who make progress.
- Understand who your current students are. Often the data exists but the marketing people don’t have that information, or don’t know it. Conductmarketing research in order to understandwhat perceptions exist for an institution. Often, “There’s a disconnect in what the institution is saying and what the consumers think about the institution.”
- Understand board — and institution — politics. Get buy-in from the board as well as from influentials on the campus — your VPs, etc.
- Think of a branding study as an educational process. “The biggest thing you’re doing in a branding campaign is educating your institution,” Kathi said.
Andy writes! 
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