Workshop Branding of Higher Education Institutions

This 2-day course will offer an introduction to the key aspects of branding and how a strong brand is essential in our increasingly competitive higher education environment.

Importance of branding in higher education

The role branding currently plays in higher education is significant. Universities and colleges compete for the attention of domestic and international students just as other service industries do, and issues of visibility, loyalty and reputation have become more apparent in recent years. In addition, with an increasing number of universities faced with having to charge (full cost) tuition fees, the joint issues of branding and positioning have become more important.

Programme

Day 1

Welcome, objectives & introduction	• Introduction to the course • Participants welcome and aims
Introduction to brand theory	• Introduction to brand theory • Key elements of commercial branding • Market research
Association networks: task 1	• Association networks task in small groups • Feedback session • Key elements of association networks
Lunch
Developing an education brand	• Case studies of effective education brands • Explanation of the brand process • Internal and external issues
Coffee break
Developing your own brand: task 2	• Assignment to develop a brand identity • Internal discussion to assess key elements • Preparation for presentation on Day 2
Dinner

Day 2

Lessons from business	• Case studies of commercial success • Relevancy for higher education • Best practice features of good brands
Coffee break
Branding in an online world	• Social media and brand integrity • Key features of online branding • Managing a viral brand
Lunch
Assignment preparation	• Small discussion groups
Coffee break
Presentations & plenary discussions	• Group presentations • Discussion of lessons learned
Q&A and closure	• Questions and answers

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, participants will be able to:

Recognise the elements of brand theory most useful for their institutional position.
Identify the potential role a brand may play in education marketing.
Identify the internal steps needed in building their institution’s brand.
Identify a potential brand position for their institution in either the national or international market.
Draw out valuable and relevant lessons from the world of commercial branding.
Adopt best practice in branding from other universities and colleges.

Target audience

This course is aimed at university and college staff with the following responsibilities:

(Inter)national marketing & recruitment
Corporate communications
Internal communications
International relations
Marketing and communications
Business development
Corporate liaison

Level

Intermediate

Pre-requisites

As the course is of intermediate level, participants should be familiar with some of the basics of marketing, including the 4 Ps, SWOT analysis, services marketing and communications planning.

This workshop was rated 9.25 out of 10, by 67% of all participants and the workshop on Strategic Marketing received a rating of 8.56 by 88% of all participants. See some reviews.

The course is offered by iE&D Solutions and International Education Consultants UK jointly.

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