Larry D. Lauer

This week I found myself reflecting on all the travel I do, and I realized what I like mostly about it is just absorbing the everyday experiences of the people and the culture… observing what people are doing, seeing how they look, and fnding out what they are thinking is what interests me most.

It also occured to me how similar this is to discovering the essence of the brand identity for a university, and for many other organizations. It indeed is very challenging to find brand differentiation in very similar organizations. University and other institutional benefits descriptions can all sound alike. After all,  many have similar programs, offer similar activities, and even have similar quality goals.

I believe the very essence of the fabric of an institution is revealed only when spending time walking around, watching the behavior of people, having coffee or lunch, asking about experiences, absorbing the culture, and noting how values are acted out in day-to-day activities. You will find that many times those values are in fact shaped by local geography and the social traditions that have enolved over the years from founding missions.

Location, culture, and values enable discovering the differentiated and substantive brand identities of the largest, most comprehensive, institutions. And just spending time there observing, absorbing, and taking detailed notes, can give you all you need to know.

Some “tourists,” and many brand specialists, make sure to see all the attractions of a destination and then find that most offer the same features.  But others prefer to just be there for a while, and thereby come to know the true character of the place.  Culture and character, then, well communicated, can be the differentating factors in a destination’s brand distinction, and that is also very true for institutions.