BrandingPossible lessons and practices learned from

global perspectives

ProfessorDavid WoodPro Vice-Chancellor Humanities

(DVC International from October)

BrandingPossible lessons and practices learned from

Global Perspectives

ProfessorDavid WoodPro Vice-Chancellor Humanities

(DVC International from October)

What drives universities in 21 century

• Financial resources– Student recruitment

• Domestic and international

– Research (government and Industry)– Benefaction

• Reputation– Times Higher Education supplement– ShaghaiJaio Tong

• Social objectives– Low SES in Australia

• National objectives– Building capacity and capability

• Vietnamese Higher Degree by Research scholarships• Participation rates (Australia strives for 40%)

• Tradition and power?– Alumni

Why brand

• Status– Appealing to the alumni– Appealing to other benefactors

• Recognition– Being at the top (requires substance)• Apealing to governments (national recognition)• Appealing to consumers (recruitment)• Appealing to providers of research funding

• Our reputation rests on the consistency of our actions and the passion with which we live our brand. It is up to all of us. • A new economy has emerged; one that is much more complex and more competitive. Several factors are driving this

change: globalisation, continuous advances in technology, the increasing importance of intangible assets and a new generation entering education and the workplace.

• In an everyday sense and at every level of communication we struggle against the myriad of competing interests. We need to be consistent. We need to be passionate. We need to be heard.

• The Curtin brand is far more than just its logo. Our brand articulates our desired positioning in the marketplace, it helps shape our reputation in the eyes of many and varied stakeholders. We want to be known as a ‘leading edge university’ and aim to be amongst the top twenty universities in Asia by 2020. This positioning gives focus to all our actions and decisions, it defines and gives direction to the way we work together and with the community.

• Our visual identity supports our strategy and the international brand we seek to build. The components of our visual identity reinforce our words and images with meaning and symbolism. Words and images, however, are not enough; we need to be disciplined and use the authority we create from year-on-year consistency, so that we all benefit from the leverage of owning a well-managed Curtin brand.

• Our brand and brand positioning supports and reinforces our strategy and vision to be leading edge in what and how we teach and research; the graduates we produce; and how we innovate.

• Our strategy provides the foundation for how we will teach and research, while our brand positioning is the reputation we want to create in the collective minds of the marketplace. Our brand positioning brings our strategy to life for our people, our partners, our students, our community and other stakeholders. Our brand positioning, if carefully managed, will distinguish us against other universities in Australia and Asia Pacific.

• By aligning our behaviour with our positioning, we will build our reputation as leading edge. A simple equation expresses this: Behaviour = Brand = Reputation

Brand AttributesResponsive • Our culture of high achievement is fostered through our focus on the needs

of our students, researchers, academics and partners. We have strong links to the various industries that we support and are committed in both teaching and research for the benefit of our students and the wider community. It is our aim to be an international leader shaping the future through our graduates and research, and to be positioned amongst the top twenty universities in Asia by 2020.

Innovative• We are internationally recognised as an award-winning university with a

unique teaching and research nexus. We have a legacy of knowing how to solve problems and take action. We have a culture of sharing ideas, flexibility and are leading edge in what and how we teach and research.

Relevant • We are Western Australia’s largest university with over 40,000 students; over

17,000 of these are international and 2,000 are research students. We are culturally diverse. We have the widest range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses and excel in providing industry relevant and practical basis to all programmes. We deliver through high quality resources, staff and technology.

Leading edge • It is this unique combination of the three brand attributes of responsive,

innovative and relevant that make us a forward-looking university and keep us at the leading edge.

Brand Model

• Curtin currently holds a strongly differentiated image that is all about

innovation

– Defined by students as “new ways of thinking” or “creative

thinking”

• UWA and ECU also hold distinct images

– Prestige and recognition (UWA)

– Responsive and flexible (ECU)

The key domestic

competitors

Curtin’s Image in the Market

Advanced

Committed

Applied

Responsive

Creative

Enriching

ForwardThinking

Clever Diverse

Innovative

Multicultural

Straightforward

Appropriate values, but not strongly defined

In advertising shorthand…

Curtin aspires to be a leading edge university of technology. To fulfil this vision, we strive to be innovative and forward-looking in everything we do. It’s in our approach to teaching and learning. It’s in our research. It’s in our staff, our students and our graduates. It’s in the way we think and act. It’s what we call Curtinnovation.

Is it working?(year 12 students)

Before

Curtin

UWA

ECU

Results After Advertising

AfterCurtin

UWA

ECU