Sep 27, 2018

At BC’s Simon Fraser University, “the Engaged University,” the slogan is much more than mere marketing; it’s the focus for the institution’s planning framework. (Although yes, it also helps differentiate the university’s brand.) SFU president Andrew Petter invited Ken Steele for a campus site visit late last...

Sep 21, 2018

Ken Steele returns to the Brand Chemistry™ lab to round up 10 recent examples of colleges and universities that have focused their brands on a single word.   It can be a real challenge to get campus-wide consensus, but there’s a growing trend to quite literally “own a word” in the higher ed marketplace.

1) UC...

Sep 18, 2018

College and university marketers have to work hard to gather research and build campus consensus around a new brand position. Although the goal is to develop a distinctive position, the reality is that many higher ed branding projects result in some awfully similar creative executions.

Next week, we’ll round up ten...

Sep 15, 2018

Sure, your brand needs to “own a word” in the minds of your customers. But what if some think it’s an insult?

Ken Steele has been a higher ed brand consultant for decades, working with hundreds of institutions across North America.  He’s seen plenty of “one-word wonders” – college or university brands that...

Sep 14, 2018

When maverick university marketers create a brilliant brand, but campus stakeholders feel uncomfortable about potential sexist or racist implications, what do you do?

In the “Wild West” of higher ed branding, the University of Wyoming charged ahead with its new slogan, “The World Needs More Cowboys” – and...