Brand Harmonization in the International Higher Education Market

Universities today are increasingly competing for international students in response to trends in global student mobility, diminishing university funding and government-backed recruitment campaigns. This trend has driven the need for universities to focus on clearly articulating and developing their brand, and developing harmony within the brand architecture. This case-study of one University focuses on brand architecture and found evidence of a move towards corporatisation, based on the pressure for UK universities to align with the notion of “a British Education”, promoted through the British Council. However, the process of brand harmonization raises concerns about the potential impact on the marketing positioning and the autonomy of faculties and schools. The challenge seems to be to work on brand-building within the University with an understanding of two-way communication within the brand architecture: schools and faculties should be acknowledged contributors to the identity of the brand. Hemsley-Brown J.V. and Goonawardana, S. (2007) ‘Brand Harmonisation in the International Higher Education Market, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 60 pp 942-948 (20p).