Do universities have a distinctive brand personality? The case of ECIU Universities

Abstract

Brands increasingly adopt human qualities as a way to attract consumers. Brands must be physically attractive, intellectually persuasive, socially involved, and emotionally appealing, all while demonstrating a strong personality and moral foundation. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are no exception, seeking their audiences through a distinctive and attractive brand personality. The main purpose of this paper is to identify the main brand personality traits of European universities, based on content analysis of institutional websites. Twelve universities from the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU) were studied. The results indicate the existence of HEIs with distinctive brand personalities while others present weak personality dimensions. The main conclusions point to the need for a focus on strategic brand management that includes a robust identity definition. The brand personality, an integral part of the institution's identity, must be communicated consistently across all points of contact and communication channels.