academic planning committee brand development dr anthony marsella director, marketing and external...
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Academic Planning CommitteeAcademic Planning CommitteeBrand DevelopmentBrand Development
Dr Anthony MarsellaDr Anthony MarsellaDirector, Marketing and External LinkagesDirector, Marketing and External Linkages
MEL Alignment with the Strategic Plan
PR & Comms
Web & Publications
International
Alumni & Development
UK Recruitment
UG Admissions
Ceremonies & Events
PG Admissions
Marketing Vision “Recognised as one of the leading universities
internationally”
InternationalisationBrand & Web Development
Financial Sustainability
MELActivities
Priorities
Agenda
• Rationale for Change
• Driving Brand Consistency
• Increasing Brand Awareness and Reputation
• Developing the Brand on-line
Agenda
• Rationale for Change
Rationale - Market Imperatives
• Demographic Situation Requires Urgent Action– Population declining in North by 9% over 5 years– Applications for Home/EU UG down 6% on last year as
versus overall increase across UK and 94 group– LU recruitment bias for Home students in North– Action needed to compensate decline by increasing share of
students• Government funding pressure on HE increasing
– Cuts resulting in higher market competition – Pressure for shorter degrees and educational pattern
• Awareness and reputation of LU still low– Many prospective students still not aware of LU – Brand research by LUMS shows brand strength not enough
to convert into registration. Students say League Table achievement is counter intuitive
Rationale – Need for Income Growth
• Income growth will come mainly from International student fees and partnerships in the next few years
• Need to be increase ranking to top 15 university to – Attract international students and partnerships– Increase fee revenue stream
• The ability to attract higher performing UK students with higher grades and increase ranking and fees depends upon brand and reputation
• Long term, higher reputation positions LU for future growth post UK fee cap
Agenda
• Rationale for Change
• Driving Brand Consistency
What are we saying about our brand?
What are we saying about our brand?
Prospective PG Students – LU as a car brand....
Prospective PG Students – LU as a car brand....
VW Beetle
Driving Brand Consistency – Brand Message
• Realignment of current messaging with the Strategic Plan• Major shift in message positioning – a new direction for
communications away from a focus on social aspects of the campus towards learning and research destination
• LU brand messaging should communicate Lancaster’s brand values:• Lancaster University is a world leading quality international
study and research destination• Demonstrated by Faculty/Department achievements
• A preferred place for traditional types of degree study rather than the shorter types of degrees
• Carry through message position and brand consistency into all forms of university communications (campaign, marketing literature, web etc...)
• A brand development campaign will need to focus on the long-term vision, creating an enduring brand position, not tactical action
Driving Brand Consistency
Drive brand consistency through :• Realignment of the Brand Message• A single brand strategy and brand
guidance• Improved customer experience at key
interaction points• A marketing agency management
process• MEL realignment to support
Faculties/Department marketing
Agenda
• Rationale for Change
• Driving Brand Consistency
• Increasing Brand Awareness and Reputation
OneMS Research Findings (LUMS)
15
I just hadn’t heard of it. Nothing against it or the course but it is mainly perception. It needs
more awareness, more presence and wider
acclaim(Prospect Student,
Imperial, International)
It was a real dilemma between LUMS and Cass. But based on reputation, I thought that Cass would be better known in the
industry. It is difficult to choose(Prospect Student, Cass,
International)
I chose Manchester as my brother said it had the best reputation of all. Even though the course
wasn’t as good as Lancaster, my brother said that course content was less important than the
reputation of the university(Prospect student, Manchester, International)
Don’t get me wrong, I got the impression it
was a good University, but it is isolated and no-one knows much about it. People have heard of Durham and it has a good reputation
for producing good graduates
(Prospect student, Durham, British)
For many, awareness of Lancaster is low and the perceptions are that it is…
Rural…. ‘It is just a little town’In the quiet backwaterDifficult to accessIsolated…. ‘even further north than Preston!’
The Situation Today
• Low awareness
• We cannot rely on the reputation of a big city to prop up our brand
• Rankings counter intuitive
• Brand not strong enough to automatically convert interest into registration
16
Brand Development – Campaign Objectives
• Raise awareness of Lancaster University• Increase consideration for Lancaster among UG
(CF and CI choice) and PG Students – at home and abroad
• Increase total number of higher achieving students UG applying to Lancaster
• Prepare for lifting of Fee cap
Brand Development – Target Audience
• UK Prospective students (UG/PG)• Influencers
• Parents• Press• Policy makers• School teachers/careers advisors
• Not directly included as covered by other means:• Academics
Brand Development – Campaign Strategy
1. Build long term awareness through strategically selected out of home poster sites• Focus on key transport links for the North• Campus sites• Long term build through 2 year commitment• Rotating Faculty messages
Example: Key Transport Links New Dehli
Railways...
Airports...
Brand Development – Campaign Strategy
2. Activate the brand online with exciting digital marketing aimed at social networks and influencers
Brand Development – Campaign Strategy
1. Build long term awareness through strategically selected out of home poster sites
2. Activate the brand online with exciting* digital marketing aimed at social networks and influencers
3. Create brand value transfer and media cut through using high media profile spokespeople PR
Agenda
• Rationale for Change
• Driving Brand Consistency
• Increasing Brand Awareness and Reputation
• Developing the Brand on-line
Development of LU Web Strategy
Three major areas of focus:
• Content Management
• Common Look and Feel
• Navigation and Access
Common Look and Feel – Current Situation
Common Look and Feel – First Phase
Common Look and Feel – Refresh Central Pages
Common Look and Feel – Common Header
Common Look and Feel – Common Header
Common Look and Feel – Phase 1
1. New website design applied to the central pages
2. A single Content Management System on central pages
3. Brand Guidelines, Content Guidelines
4. A new masthead element for all Faculty, department and other non-central web pages
5. Navigation to key audience-appropriate content defined by user journeys
Common Look and Feel – Phase 2
1. Improvement of the site search engine
2. Compatibility of new site search engine
3. Reporting improvements
4. Roll out of standard templates where agreed
5. Review and learning from the pilot central CMS
6. Implementation of Brand and Content Guidelines across all websites
Take Away
• Today, there is a unique opportunity to build our brand presence, awareness and reputation
• Need to reposition messaging to the market
• Build brand vehicle to create a stronger awareness
• Make a step change in our online presence