policy & reform
Tactics shift with the times
Higher education is changing more rapidly than ever and marketing needs to adjust just as quickly. By Neil Shewan
18 | Issue 8 2013
Over this decade there will be more change in university brands than in any other we have seen. My son – now 12 – is likely to be one of many Australian students who will build their own course from a selection of universities around the world. His course will be delivered predominantly online, and his qualifications will be recognised globally.
So how do traditional universities respond to these changes – and how do they shape their brands to compete in an increasingly global and online market?
Universities have traditionally relied on heritage as a cornerstone of their brand. Heritage speaks to history, character, social class and status. It focuses on links between the past and present: shared experiences and a common history.
Early university brands were underpinned by visual identities and rituals that dated to mediaeval times – including the use of shield logos, university colours, ceremonies and traditional clothing to signify hierarchy.
Until the last century, a university education was not a right but a privilege, limited to the elite, who were chosen through family connections, wealth or religious scholarship and selection. The modern university, however, is run as a business. The high regard for the integrity of academia is still of utmost importance, but this is now combined with the reality of being accountable for balance sheets and focused on market needs.
Governments realise the valued role universities play in building the knowledge base of their people and the prosperity of the economy, yet most institutions are still constrained by fiscal pressures that limit educational budgets.
Universities under such pressure are looking for new ways to secure direct funding, through joint-ventures with the private sector for research and facilities, as well as through the sale of education to overseas students and alternative delivery methods.
Online: blessing or curse? Depending on whom you talk to, online delivery of education is either the saviour or death of education. Two platforms gathering momentum globally are Coursera and Apple’ s iTunes U.
Coursera was launched on April 23 last year as a partnership between Princeton, Stanford, Michigan and Pennsylvania universities. In September, the company announced that more than 1.5 million