I\u2019ve been thinking a lot lately about the power branding has on our understanding of companies around the world.\u00a0 When one thinks about companies like Apple Computers, for example, it\u2019s not unusual for people to associate words like hip, trendy, youthful, rich, and educated.\u00a0 This association is by no means an accident, and is another example of the power of effective branding.\u00a0 As proof of this I\u2019m reminded of a story I read this summer about the US-based travel website Orbitz<\/i>, which would channel visitors using Apple computers to more expensive hotels and vacation packages because it was believed that these users would prefer options that started on the higher end.<\/p>\n
I believe that few would argue that branding is an important part of any business or organization (heck I\u2019ve even taken a lot of time to think about what brand I\u2019m creating at Learn[ed]Leadership)\u2026but what about a school?\u00a0 As I\u2019ve interviewed various school leaders over the last year, some have seemed to be uncomfortable using the word brand<\/i> while others have fully accepted it.\u00a0 Either way I believe, whether we realize it or not our schools create a brand in our community for better or for worse.\u00a0 However, unlike multi-national companies that can spend billions on building their brands and reputation, our schools\u2019 brands are built on their standing in the community.<\/p>\n
I had a chance to speak with Nick Kent the current Assistant HS Principal at Concordia Shanghai, who put it this way:<\/p>\n
\u201c[I find that when I] try to have conversations with people about marketing & PR of their schools, their immediate inclination is to think about advertising, and that\u2019s not it at all.\u00a0 It is about recognizing what your brand is and who you are.\u00a0 It\u2019s also communicating your vision, most importantly with your faculty and then secondly with your current families.\u00a0 I\u2019ve found that marketing is significantly more important than worrying about advertising to potential families, but getting everybody on board and understanding what we as a school community believe in, what direction we\u2019re moving, and [making sure] we\u2019re all moving there together\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
I believe Nick is exactly right when he says that creating a brand is more than just about marketing or advertising.\u00a0 Instead a school\u2019s vision has to be more than just a statement on the wall, or your brand will become just that, stuck on a wall.\u00a0 However, I add that if we want to help shape our brands, we need to harness the power of effective design used by marketers and advertisers, not to reach an external audience, but instead to reinforce our beliefs to send a message to our internal community about who we are.<\/p>\n
Today more than ever I\u2019m finding myself, and my students, to be ultra aware of quality and visually stunning pieces of media.\u00a0 I think this is because of our ever-increasing connectiveness and increased screen time that we\u2019ve somehow become hypersensitive to beautiful design.\u00a0 In other words our standards have risen and with them has come an expectation that the messages worth listening to are the ones that come packaged well.<\/p>\n