Regardless of how you’re developing your strategic marketing plan, there are core principles that guide successful and authentic brands. As you think about your own institutional efforts, what are the key “truths” that differentiate and set successful brands up for success? Hear from conference faculty as they share their insights and provide examples.

RIT University Communications is responsible for strategically enhancing the reputation of the university through owned, shared, and earned media efforts. Much of this work starts with “owned media” and strategic content marketing. Working with University Marketing Intelligence, a measurement framework was developed to assess the exposure of owned media and the amplification of brand messaging. Using that framework, a dashboard was developed that provides the University Communications team with information to make data-driven decision-making with respect to content development. RIT is also measuring how earned media aligns with key university messaging.

As higher education institutions adapt how they’re marketing and conveying value to stakeholders, brand experience and strategy have grown into an integral part of the process. With universities across the nation struggling to differentiate their product within a crowded market, it’s hard not to promise similar aspects: great location, great academics, great opportunities. So how does one institution convey their unique campus and academic highlights in a noticeable way? The University of Montana has leaned into branding, both from a strategy and experience standpoint. By reframing the term ‘brand,' we can deliver authentic experiences for both prospective and current students.

“Enrollment cliff” is one of the critical challenges threatening the financial and reputational sustainability of many institutions. This interactive session provides an overview of Morning Consult’s Most Trusted Universities survey, highlighting trust as one of the key brand health metrics. It shows the importance of bridging the trust gaps that exist by race/ethnicity, gender, first-gen, and Gen Z high school students as the key to unlocking the potential for growth in enrollments and endowments. This session will also include reflections and experiences of a university leader on building data-informed strategies that aim at measuring and improving brand health metrics.