Rebranding Established Educational Institutions

Overseeing a rebranding effort could be one of the greatest highlights of your marketing career. A few years ago, the top brass at MISB Bocconi (as it was known then) decided to change the name to SDA Bocconi Asia Center. The idea was not to limit themselves to just Mumbai, but also expand their scope of operations to the rest of Asia. The re-branding was the first piece of the puzzle to enable that vision. I was heading their marketing function at this point, and I remember thinking 'Well, it's a well-recognized brand with a slight change in the name, how difficult could it possibly be?'. As I discovered shortly after, quite difficult. Rebranding is no joke. Bear in mind that the MISB Brand has already been in operation for close to 4 years and that it had already positioned itself in people's minds as 'Mumbai International School of Business - Bocconi'. Undoing this meant that all outward-facing collateral (websites, URLs, forms, metadata, etc.) had to be cataloged and methodically changed to reflect the change. This is what rebranding takes; a lot of grunt work done over an abnormally long period until it starts to yield results. If you ever get the opportunity to work on rebranding, seize it. It's a clear indicator that you won't shy away from gruntwork, AND it teaches you how complex and sprawled out a marketing function can be. P.S. We did such a good job at replacing the old logo that I can't find a high-res image of it online anymore! :D

‘Top talent, great results, and good placements—still nobody knows us’ One of our clients faced this challenge. Despite their rich 15-year history and solid academic record, they were losing ground to newer, more visible competitors. After a thorough understanding of the institute, we realised they had a problem with "branding." We suggested the following solutions: 1. Unique Value Proposition: We identified the institute's strengths. The institute's unique assets were its practical curriculum and impressive results. We advised them to use these to position themselves better in the market. 2. Industry Partnerships: We recommended that they establish partnerships with various companies for internships and research projects. This would not only provide their students with hands-on training, but also help develop a good rapport with them. 3. Use of Alumni Network: We asked them to feature success stories of alumni and organise networking events. This would boost brand perception and market visibility. 4. Strategic Use of Digital Media: We also suggested they leverage digital platforms to their full potential. We advised them to showcase campus life, academic achievements, and career opportunities on social media. We also recommended that decision-makers establish a presence on prominent social media platforms. Has your educational institution faced similar branding challenges? I'd love to hear your experiences and discuss potential solutions.

Dr. Sindi provides a detailed training guide, titled "From Gatekeeper to Game-Changer," intended to transform African Universities and Research Institutions into research-led institutions by drastically increasing revenue from competitive grants. The critical review section diagnoses African institutions' current status as teaching universities and not good research institutions, with a poor digital and brand identity that undermines their research aspirations, exacerbated by Africa’s overall low research internal funding. Strategic recommendations focus on rebranding these institutions by leading with quantifiable research impact and adopting an "enabler mentality" rather than a risk-averse "gatekeeper" approach to administration. This video outlines extensive guidance on grants management, covering compliance, donor cultivation, budgeting best practices, and the critical importance of strong financial controls and documentation to build sustained donor trust. And impact-oriented communication and reporting.

We’re right in the middle of a visual rebrand for a university, and I’ve been reflecting on what it really takes to rebrand well. Our agency is working closely with the university's cabinet and marketing team, and the project is refining everything from color palettes and typography to primary and seal logos, shorthand naming, department templates, and athletics branding. The creative lift has been significant, from us and them, but man am I excited to see this rollout. If you’ve ever considered a rebrand, here are a few signs it might be time: ✔️ Your business has evolved, but your brand hasn’t caught up ✔️ Your audience has changed, but your look still speaks to the past ✔️ You’ve got that gut feeling - it just feels dated and doesn’t reflect who you are anymore So where do you start? ✔️ Get clear on what needs to change: logos, messaging, colors, positioning? ✔️ Decide what you’ll handle in-house and what you need a partner for ✔️ Refresh without losing the brand equity you’ve built And what does a smart process look like? ✔️ Discovery – dig in with your team and your audience ✔️ Strategy – build the plan for what’s changing and how it rolls out ✔️ Creative – begin designing your new visual and verbal identity ✔️ Pre-Launch – prep for a clean, consistent launch ✔️ Launch – reveal the new look and story with purpose ✔️ Evaluate – use analytics and feedback to measure the impact A rebrand isn’t just about new visuals. It’s a shift in how your audience experiences you. And the rollout? Yeah, that's a big one. I want to write more about that later.