All-University Advisory Board MeetingNovember 30, 2011

Oakland UniversityBrand Review

Agenda

Three objectives for this morning:

• Briefly introduce the Oakland University Branding Project

• Discuss why branding is important to Oakland University

• Obtain your input to some key questions about Oakland University brand values

Who are we?

A dedicated group of faculty and students with over 80 combined years of academic and business

experience ...

This is our school, our community,

our home ...

Oakland University Branding Project

A 3-Step Process …

Brand Review

Brand Strategy

Implementation

What’s different about this process?

• Internally driven

• Inclusive: Bring the Oakland University community together

• Focused: Create a long term brand framework

• Values-oriented: Improve effectiveness and efficiencies to reinforce competitive advantage

We are at an exciting crossroads …

Brand Review

Identification of Oakland University's brand values and promise• Understanding of core competencies

Definition of Oakland University’s brand position

Clear articulation of a key message • Develop talking points to be managed across all

units (reflecting brand values)

• Create an organizational process for communicating messages to internal and external constituents

Internal Stakeholders

External Stakeholders

Brand Values and Promise

Surveys and interviews about shared values and beliefs are being conducted with: • Students • Faculty• Staff• Key academic leaders• Key administrators• Critical communicators (e.g.

recruiters)• Alumni and advisory boards

Why be concerned with

"branding"?

In the customer’s mind, a brand symbolizes a

consistent value associated with a

product or service.(Erdem and Swait 1998)

Question 1: What do you associate with these

brands?

Question 2: What do these brands have in

common?

In the customer’s mind, a brand symbolizes a

consistent value associated with a

product or service.(Erdem and Swait 1998)

It is important to understand...

Brand values have many sources.

Why Now?

• Students• Programs &

Schools• Research

Tremendous Oakland University Growth

Competition and Encroachment

% of County Students Enrolled in Michigan Universities

81% of OU in-state students come from Oakland and Macomb counties; 95% from the 7-county SE Michigan region

What We Know …

Political

OU is one of the lowest funded state universities

Further state funding cuts likely

Socio-Cultural

Declining number of traditional college students

Increasing age demographics

Economic

Michigan’s industry is struggling and changing

Higher education’s role is relevant because jobs of the future increasingly require higher education

University Purchase Funnel

University name is known:How does competitive awareness compare?

High awareness and brand knowledge:What proportion of awareness is salient?

University brand perceptions:What are the relative strengths and weaknesses?

University brand consideration set:Who are the relevant competitors?

First choice preference:What is the university’s market share of demand?

Enrollment/attendance:What portion of demand is converted?

The university purchase funnel comprises a set of metrics that provide marketing diagnostics and can be used to track brand performance.

We are making some progress ...

Brand Identity

Before projecting an image to the public we must know exactly what we want to project.

A brand is a plan, a vision, a project.

In order to stay strong, brands must be true to their identity.

The brand identity construct is crucial for three reasons:

• We want the brand message to be durable,

• We want to provide coherent signs, and

• We want to be realistic.(Kapferer, 1992)

A Brand is an Identifier

A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors.

(Kotler, 2000)

Brand Identity: Focused or Diffused

Identity vs. Image

Brand Identity.

This is the way in which the company wants others to see it, its products, and/or its services.

Brand identity is defined by the sender.

Brand Image.

This is the way in which others see the company, the products, and/or its services.

Brand image is defined by the receiver.

Question 3: How do you describe Oakland University to

someone you meet who may not know about the school?

Aspirational Universities

Best in Class

Question 4: What schools do you think are aspirational

for Oakland University?

Question 5: What is it about these

schools Oakland University should try to emulate?

A Model of Brand Value Creation

Brand equity (sometimes referred to as “brand value”) provides the essential link between the organization’s investments in the brand and market-based outcomes.

Question 6: What is the one most important thing your

advisory board contributes to Oakland

University?

Question 7: Why is that one thing

important to you?

Next Steps in the Brand Review

To complete the Brand Review: • Analysis and interpretation of

research

• Complete the situation analysis• Report valid and sustainable

differentiators• Derive a key brand message

Phase 2: Brand Strategy

Expected Outcomes:

• Development of key programs and initiatives that will strengthen the brand

• Refinement of talking points to be managed across all units

• Development of a reporting structure to ensure brand experience matches the brand promise

• Establishment of an on-going (long-term) process of review and evaluation

• Implementation: Strategic to tactical integration