Branding is the foundation that holds it all together. 

For more than 20 years, I’ve worked in higher education, starting on campuses and now partnering with institutions nationwide. I consistently see marketing and communications teams juggling the competing priorities of enrollment campaigns, alumni outreach, crisis communication, fundraising initiatives, internal messaging and more. Amid this chaos, it’s common for branding to be treated as just another element of the work.

Without a strong, cohesive brand, even the best marketing tactics can feel disconnected and lack impact. Conversely, when branding is at the core, an integrated marketing communications approach can emerge, in which every touchpoint reinforces a consistent market position, making it easier to achieve institutional goals. While this may feel obvious, many institutions still struggle with delivering tactics and can’t get their footing to deliver strategy.

Branding Defines the Framework for Integration

An integrated marketing communications strategy is about alignment. It ensures that every message, campaign, and channel works together toward a common goal. But alignment doesn’t happen without a framework, and that’s where branding comes in.

A strong brand makes that alignment possible by offering key elements that serve as the foundation. 

• Clarity of Purpose. The brand reflects the institution’s mission, vision and values, serving as a compass for all messaging. A brand can only be authentic if it articulates what makes an institution distinct. 
• Consistent Identity. From visuals to tone of voice, the brand ensures that every interaction feels like it’s coming from the same source. This takes discipline and the central marketing and communications team must remain diligent in their work and partnerships across campus. 
• A Unified Narrative. The brand tells a cohesive story that ties together all areas of the institution, from academics to athletics to advancement. While there are nuances by audience and purpose, the central story remains consistent. We need to beat the same drum so people hear it.

Institutions can avoid fragmentation by anchoring integrated marketing communications efforts in a clear brand strategy, ensuring their messaging resonates across diverse audiences. When done well, an institution’s brand informs enrollment messaging, alumni engagement messaging, your decisions about what stories to tell, what the president says while on a stage and so on.

Branding as the Litmus Test for Messaging

When branding is central, it becomes the litmus test for every piece of communication. Teams can ask three questions before launching a new campaign, sending an email or updating a website.

• Does this message highlight the institution’s areas of distinction?
• Does it use the defined brand personality?
• Is it highlighting the institution’s value proposition as it relates to the target audience?

This doesn’t just streamline decision-making; it ensures that every effort contributes to building a cohesive and compelling identity. In an integrated marketing communications approach, different channels, such as social media, websites, print materials, emails and events, work together to engage audiences. Branding ensures these channels aren’t just operating in silos but are part of a broader, unified strategy.

The brand should be the driver for internal decision-making.

Behind the Brand: One School’s Real Strategy in Motion

A small, private non-profit institution in California is driven by its mission of access and affordability, but also its relentless focus on removing the common barriers that prevent students from graduating. This institution launched a brand in September 2024 with goals focused on institutional success and being a challenger brand in the industry, working to tear down systemic issues within higher education. The strategy reflects a drive for student enrollment at the undergraduate and graduate levels and alumni re-engagement, while focusing on national thought leadership. The tactics become focused when you have a brand and clear institutional goals.

• Prospective Students. An authentic brand communicates the institution’s message of tearing down barriers through the website, email marketing, digital ads, campus tours, print materials and more.
• Alumni and Donors. A continued lack of communication with alumni created a need to reintroduce the institution to past graduates. The new brand creates a framework for pride and connection, making it easier to re-engage alumni for an eventual giving campaign and events.
• Faculty and Staff. The new brand reinforces internal alignment, helping employees understand and advocate for the institution’s goals and become brand champions as they speak about the institution.
• National Audience. For the institution to be seen as a true challenger brand, it actively showcases its work to the national higher education community. The president and other leaders are speaking at events, writing op-eds and engaging with media to get the story out, leveraging the brand narrative. 

When each channel reflects the same brand identity, audiences experience a seamless and memorable story. This creates the consistent drumbeat needed to build a reputation.

Your Brand Is the Strategy

Branding is often reduced to just a design or tagline. It’s so much more than that. It’s the foundation for how institutions communicate their value, connect with their audiences and achieve their goals. In an integrated marketing communications strategy, branding provides the clarity, consistency and cohesion needed to make an impact. If done really well, the brand should become the driver for internal decision-making. If a new direction doesn’t align with your brand, you shouldn’t do it.

When branding is treated as central, rather than an afterthought, it elevates every part of the strategy. It ties together enrollment campaigns and alumni outreach, strengthens internal alignment and amplifies the institution’s voice in an increasingly crowded landscape. For institutions navigating today’s challenges, branding isn’t just a tool in the integrated marketing communications toolbox; it’s the thread that weaves the whole strategy together.