As we know education is often slower to embrace business concepts than other sectors of society. There exists a sharper degree of skepticism and expectations to deliver are heightened. Educators demand a process that achieves measurable results. They want a forum to offer an opinion. I guess it makes sense that the education community as a whole is still deciding how branding fits.
These are all justifiable requests. If we think of branding as the process of aligning a system's internal culture with its external reputation, then branding seems like a logical fit for educators. Unfortunately some initiatives leave out the very important internal pieces. Often marketers who lead these initiatives are not trained to think internal and do not understand the value of employee engagement.
When done right, branding honors the history and traditions of a system, and places it in a 21st century context. This approach is sustainable. Reform movements seem to want to turn the education system upside-down or on its ear. These movements often seem politically motivated. In my view, branding is not a reform movement. Branding is about engagement, recruitment and retention of your brand champions. The people who love you.
If a system embraces a reform movement, it should be guided and fall under an overarching brand strategy.
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