Think beyond the cosmetic, but don't make any boobs

Consulting staff and students is key to the success of university rebranding exercises, a conference has heard.

Rosemary Stamp, group brand director for education for marketing consultants Euro RSCG Riley, told last week's Strategic Marketing in Learning and Skills Conference that many universities pay lip service to rebranding. They simply change their logo or apply other cosmetic changes.

"Branding and marketing practices are still an anathema to many who work in our institutions," she said.

"The toe-in-the-water approach to marketing is a commonplace compromise. It is only those institutions capable of instilling the brand promise across every aspect of their organisation that will win the hearts and minds of their stakeholders."

With the introduction of tuition fees, and top-up fees in 2006, universities find themselves jostling to differentiate themselves. A strong brand is also key in negotiating business partnerships.

An investigation by The Times Higher has found it common for institutions to spend tens, if not hundreds of thousands of pounds on consultants to advise them on marketing, branding and public relations.

But Ms Stamp believes these projects need to be done better. "The question is how deep they go in terms of staff consultation and how they will help staff to do their jobs better," she said.

Rosa Chun, lecturer in reputation management at Manchester Business School, said identifying uniqueness was key factor in branding.

She said: "Branding has to come from a university's culture not just cosmetics. It is about how students, faculty and the administration think about the school."

But even where academics and students are consulted, rebranding can have unforeseen results. Sussex University spent £150,000 creating a single identity that encapsulated its proud past and promising future.

Rob Read, director of communications, said there had been discussions on campus to explain what the rebrand would achieve. Despite early opposition to the project, the university saw a 22 per cent increase in applications this year.

Unfortunately, last month, a national tabloid newspaper ran the story, beginning: "Blundering university chiefs have spent £150,000 on a new logo that resembles a pair of breasts."

But Mr Read said the article had "zero impact. None of our academics or students' parents read The People ."