Mediaboss Marketing

This article is written by a member of our expert contributor community.

There are strategies that colleges and universities need to embed in their communicative DNA, all of which not only help prevent brand issues from arising, but also ensure an enhanced level of preparedness should a worst-case-scenario emerge.

This weekend, as countless college and university seniors process across the stage to receive their degrees and commence their professional lives, it may be easy to forget the myriad issues that are impacting higher education brands these days.

Its not just the events that make national news, such as the Virginia Tech massacre, the Penn State football scandal, or the raucous student protests against Gallaudet Universitys leadership a few years back. In recent years, weve seen lawsuits take aim at schools alleged to have inflated job placement data. Weve seen campus leaders taken to task for accepting donations from less-than-savory sources. Lets not even get started on the NCAA, which rarely goes a week without front page headlines that detail some form of alleged recruiting, reporting, or behavioral controversy. And ascollege tuitions have outpaced inflation by five-fold for the past 25 years, soaring debt has become a high profile issue putting universities on the defensive.

Its no wonder that campuses from Burlington to Tacoma are scrambling to ensure that they have crisis response plans in place should any of the above issues threaten their reputations. But in an age of unanticipated risks, total transparency, and instant and lasting impressions, a response plan simply isnt enough to dim the harsh spotlight. Colleges and universities need to take proactive steps that assume control of a potentially damaging narrative before it ever materializes. To that end, there are three strategies that colleges and universities need to embed in their communicative DNA, all of which not only help prevent brand issues from arising, but also ensure an enhanced level of preparedness should a worst-case-scenario emerge.

Be authentic.

When four graduates of Thomas M. Cooley Law School sued their alma mater for allegedly luring them with misleading employment statistics, every institution of higher learning was reminded of the dangers associated with inauthentic marketing. Ten years ago, no one bothered to fact-check a claim that 80 percent of a schools graduates landed jobs. But in this transparent digital age, students and parents have the tools at their disposal to do so--and they wont hesitate to take action if they feel theyve been duped. As such, honesty (as viewed from a critical, outside the ivory castle view) and integrity must be top marketing priorities.

Of course, theres more to authenticity than not allegedly inflating statistics. Its about being up front about relationships with potentially controversial donors. Its about involving community leaders in expansion plans and others activities that impact a schools surroundings and neighbors. And its about making decisions that align with the institutions educational mission. The Penn State scandal was so troubling not only because of the monstrous allegations levied, but because there was a sense that the school elevated football above the ethics and values the institution was founded on. In this context, authenticity is just as much about a school being true to itself as it is about being true to its students, parents, faculty, and alumni.

Control the narrative.

Go here to see the original:
Debt, Scandal, And Bruised Reputations: Damage Control For Colleges In Crisis