Last week I had the opportunity to talk with a fellow education brand consultant in Europe. We were comparing notes on some of respective projects. Of course we discussed the importance of engaging stakeholders in the brand development process. In the case of a school, getting buy-in and participation from all stakeholder groups is important, but especially the faculties, students and alumni.
Another topic that my friend and I talked about is brand speak. We both continue to experience situations where people are skeptical about branding. Many still think that branding is a substitute word for marketing, which they think is advertising. As brand and marketing professionals we are obligated to help others realize that a brand is a name and the associations that people make with that name. Branding is the process of aligning our internal culture with our external reputation.
In the very early stages of brand development, it might be helpful to use words like identity, reputation, culture building and others if you determine that the word brand might have misconceptions. I do not think that we should hide from the word brand. We need to help others understand what it is and what it is not. We are all educators.
Rex Whisman
Brand Champions Blog
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