Philippine higher education institutions planning to implement strategic brand communication must remember that the international audience is not looking for basics or for compliance, but for uniqueness.

According to Matec Villanueva, founding director of Ateneo de Manila University’s University Marketing and Communications Office, communicating credentials common to other HEIs will not result in HEI differentiation or distinction, the two key principles in brand positioning. “It would not make sense for HEIs to spend a lot of effort to communicate that they have cafeterias, or parking lots, or even to list down each and every accreditation and credential they have, because these do not really differentiate them from other schools,” she explained.

To further explain how HEIs should communicate their brand, Villanueva and Ali Figueroa, ADMU’s UMCO Branding and Creative Services Head, obliged to answer questions on strategic brand communication from the ANTENA team.

This feature is the third and last part of a series on higher education institution internationalization and branding. The first part discussed how branding strategy could help Philippine HEIs cope with the increasingly competitive and cluttered local and international scenes. The second part discussed strategic international positioning through branding.

ANTENA: When should an HEI begin the strategic communication of its brand in the international scene?

AF: With a working positioning statement, an HEI can begin to take its brand to market. Michelangelo is alleged to have said, “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block before I start my work. It is already there; I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” This is the principle behind designing and communicating based on your positioning statement. Chances are, you already have a lot of things to show and tell your audience. With positioning statement in hand, you need take a long, hard look at what you have, and then take away everything that does not conform with your brand position.

MV: Regarding the effort, and even the budget you put into branding, the Pareto principle is a good guide. Spend 80 percent of your resources on the top 20 percent of your messaging, as laid out in your positioning statement, and are usually uniquely yours. Try to spend only 20 percent on the remaining 80 percent of the messages, which are usually just things you have in common with everybody else.

ANTENA: Still on strategic communication, how important are design and other visual elements when it comes to HEI brand communication?

AF: As mentioned, most people have the perception that branding is all about superficial images, mainly logos, packaging, and slogans. While brands are much more than these items, a person’s first encounter with our brand is almost always visual, and the primary means of connecting with our audience, especially in this time when almost everything is communicated online, is through visuals.

The power of a relevant and consistent symbol cannot be overstated. You will find that your existing logos and symbols already have at least some, if not all the qualities and direction of your positioning statement. There are many resources available on logo design for branding, but the core principle is to pick a core symbol that communicates an idea, a feeling, or impression that strongly aligns with your brand position. You may need to redraw or clean up your logos but resist the temptation to become too trendy or modern, unless that is the essence of your brand. It is also important to note that most of the time, the strongest, clearest, and most memorable renditions of logos are the earliest/oldest ones. In addition to seals and logos, colleges and universities are often identified through school colors, mascots, and other symbols that alumni and even the public have strong feelings about. This is a case where it is especially important to find out what visuals have taken root in the minds and hearts of our target market. Gather them, pick the most powerful ones, and standardize.

Supplementary to these symbols are letters and colors. Pick just a few fonts or typefaces to use with your brand. This is a situation where less is more, as fewer styles project a more consistent and stable brand. Last, but not the least, and potentially the most emotionally powerful, pick and define your colors. Used properly, colors are where your brand can shine brightest. Without even naming the HEIs involved, most Filipinos know which universities blue, green, and maroon represent.

Once your logos and symbols, fonts, and colors have been chosen and focused, set them in stone. Protect them from arbitrary use and modification, and make sure they are used properly. Resist the temptation, at least for several years, of making any further adjustments and changes to your core visuals, as these will be the visual and physical anchors of your brand design. This is where technology becomes invaluable. Once you have the high resolution files of your logos and symbols, font files, and the color codes and numbers of your colors, putting them online for authorized users makes it easier to make your brand design and communications clearer and more consistent.

ANTENA: What would be your advice to HEIs working on their brand design?

MV: I would tell them not to try to fit in. An important thing to consider for HEI branding efforts is to avoid using generic symbols and images. If you leaf through college admission brochures from all over the world, you will see photos of the campus and buildings and of happy smiling students in beautiful surroundings. More specifically if you are looking at images for science and technology programs, most of the materials you encounter will be of people in white gowns in a laboratory. While these images are appropriate, and may be beautiful when taken on their own, they do not help to distinguish you from the competition. At the minimum, find new ways of presenting images, exploring new angles, creative styles, or colors. But ideally you should develop a “visual language” of your own. As brand guru Marty Neumeier says, "When everybody zigs, zag."

AF: HEIs also need to “democratize” the design of their visuals. Your office staff, teachers, and students can be your most valuable creatives and brand ambassadors. Whether or not you can afford a design agency, sharing your brand materials on familiar, everyday tools helps build a constellation of materials that strengthen and reinforce your brand. Almost all HEIs have institutional apps for productivity, like Microsoft Office or Google Documents. Creating templates using these programs enables your people to create communications that even beginners can use for letters, memos, social media, and other purposes.

MV: I would also advise HEIs to follow this time-tested adage:  Don’t Sell Your Structure, Tell your Story”. Another pitfall many HEIs fall into is spending too much time and effort communicating things better left in their organizational chart and process documents. Most outsiders do not want or need to know the fine details of how our institution is structured, and so many internal details would be lost on them. Eliminate or simplify complex charts, infographics, and other materials, sticking only to what is essential. Alongside this, consider your social media and online assets. Keep only those accounts and channels which truly engage and inform your audience.

ANTENA: To conclude, kindly share some practical advice or your final message to Philippine HEIs planning to leverage on institution branding.

MV: We have just introduced you to the concept of branding and given you some insights on how you may use brand positioning and brand design to rise above the competitive and cluttered Philippine HEI market. As an introduction, we needed to be brief, and for those interested in beginning or continuing their own branding efforts in their HEIs, this is just the beginning of an ongoing journey for your college or university.

AF: There are many resources and tools available online, and many professionals and agencies available to help you in this process. But the heart of it, which we must all hold on to, is a commitment to the core values and identity of our institutions, and loyalty to the market, which is composed of the people we are called to educate and serve, as we all contribute to building our nation and bettering our shared globe.

Ateneo de Manila University is a partner of ANTENA, a capacity building cooperation project co-funded by the Erasmus + program of the European Commission. Other partners are Benguet State University, Central Luzon State University, De La Salle University, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Saint Louis University, University of the Philippines, the University of San Carlos, Xavier University–Ateneo de Cagayan, and the Commission on Higher Education.