Branding strategies are only as good as their execution. You might have the most effective and potentially high-impact strategy in the world. It will be worth nothing, however, if it is not championed and lived at every level of an organisation.
We might compare it with the tactics of a high-level sports side. The strategic vision of a top manager hinges on the adherence to its tenets by players. Even one weak link can deeply compromise the success of the whole.
In the university sector, this can be a pronounced challenge. Universities are complex and multivariate by definition.
Members of the academic community will be (quite rightly) pursuing their own agendas. As in many complex public sector organisations, administrative functions can be change averse. And the student body – making up by far the largest constituency at any given institution – is in a state of perpetual flux.
Bringing a strategic vision to bear in such an environment can be a challenge. So, how do we bring these disparate elements together, with a view to enacting your branding strategy? Each institution will be different, but broadly speaking, here are some ways in which we might start.