The advent of liberalization of educational sector in African countries has encouraged the influx of private participators. In other western world, the challenge is getting their indigenes to go back to school. Several incentives have been given to encourage their young citizens to go back to school without any success. The population that is going to school in most western world is reducing. The case is the reverse in Africa particularly in Nigeria. We have population to play with and many young men and women are struggling to enter university because of the emphasis on paper qualification. So embracing branding techniques will help our schools and colleges.Be that as it may, education sector in both divides have witnessed a lot of branding exercise that can best be termed as a cosmetic branding. According to a recent research report by Rex whisman, there are danger signals in the branding process embarked upon by most universities, colleges especially the private ones as the government owned are  still slumbering. We hope that when they wake up, they may still continue to get intakes.

According to Rex, and I do share his feelings having watched the landscape for a while, most universities make the mistake of undertaking branding initiative without the support of their stakeholders at all level. All they are presently involved in is a kind of plastic or facelift brand surgery. The concentration has been on developing logo, taglines- most of which have no meaning and which the universities can not defend. Most of these cosmetic brand surgeries do not enjoy a buy-in from either the students, employees or the parent. Most have misunderstood brand development with advertising which is often a one -way traffic.

Rex says educational sector must realize that using product strategy to develop their brands may be catastrophic. Because product branding strategy is often guided by advertisement meanwhile concentrating on the other issues like  core values, beliefs, issues that connect the entire brand will work most.

Has cosmetic branding ever represented the experience people have with a given business or brand? In a market place jam-packed with options, will cosmetic branding sustains the velocity of competition that will soon ensue? I doubt if it will. Some government owned institutions who are trying to wake up from their sleep are damaging their strategies through attitudes of lecturers, faculty officers, cashiers as these people shout on their clients as if without them they can survive. They were never part of the branding process and are still operating with old mentality. Limiting brand management activities to advertising, creation of portal where students can pay online may not be all there is to brand management.

Where there is great branding effort, considering the interest of the clients, stakeholders is a must and not just noise making. Selling your differentiator that is embraced by all is a must.

Related posts:

1. Is your personal brand cosmetic or dirty?
2. Building Brand through trust
3. A culture of deceptive advertisements: closing the gap between banking halls and cosmetic advertisements of banks
4. Personal Branding for Insurers.