Towards a branding oriented higher education sector: An overview of the four perspectives on university marketing studies

Abstract

The paper provides a background to the discussion of the evolution and influence of marketing and brand management within UK universities. Four perspectives are considered, namely, marketing management in universities, branding in universities, corporate branding in universities and internal branding. The discussion suggests that higher education institutions are encouraged on all sides to become more market oriented. Private universities, which may be more dependent upon tuition fees (since they receive less funding from the government), appear to be ahead of public universities in using the initiatives in internal brand communication. Employees need to understand the brand values, in order to align their attitudes and behaviour in support of the corporate brand. Although internal branding has become important for universities in increasingly competitive markets, it is still recognised as a new phenomenon and therefore more research is encouraged in this area.