Abstract
This chapter observes that branding is a stated strategic priority of four out of seven public universities in Hong Kong. However, the branding activities they propose miss the essence—the alignment of their various identities. By adapting the concept of corporate branding to the analysis of their self-representations in four distinctive types of communication materials (strategic plans, vision and mission statements, student recruitment materials, and press releases), we introduce a new approach to university branding study by examining the content alignment in addition to the content itself. Findings show that while all Hong Kong universities have balanced their self-representations between excellence and uniqueness, new technical universities that openly state branding as a priority show more signs of alignment in the communication materials. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Competition in higher education branding and marketing: National and global perspectives |
| Editors | Antigoni PAPADIMITRIOU |
| Place of Publication | Switzerland |
| Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan |
| Pages | 159-179 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9783319585277 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9783319585260 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2018 |
Citation
Lam, Q. K. H., & Tang, H. H. H. (2018). The notion of branding in the higher education sector: The case of Hong Kong. In A. Papadimitriou (Ed.), Competition in higher education branding and marketing: National and global perspectives (pp. 159-179). Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.Keywords
- Branding
- Strategic priority
- Higher education
- Hong Kong
- Identity
- Brand alignment
- Technical university
- Communication materials (strategic plans, vision and mission statements, student recruitment materials and press releases)