The Role of University Identification on Students' Perceptions and University Branding Activities

University brand is becoming a topic of interest to most universities worldwide. This paper used the systematic review methodology to examine peer-reviewed journal articles. Practically, the study used a descriptive analysis and material evaluation to assess the different aspects of the university identification, students' perceptions and university branding activities. Base on the social identity theory and social exchange theory, the paper focuses on the role of university identification from students' perceptions in university branding activities. ​This may shed light upon clearer strategic university brand positioning in this highly competitive environment. Finally, apart from focusing the role of university identification, the study not only stimulates future research but provides a reference point for those being lecturers and students who are interested in the topics of university brand.

University Branding: Student Perspectives in Private University in Indonesia

This research aimed to identify and analyze the the phenomenon of the perspective of student towards the university branding, especially in private university in Indonesia. There are 376 students in Indonesia tested as the participant of this study. Path analysis and Sobel tests were used to test the proposed hypothesis and the intervening variable which mediate the influence of independent variable towards the dependent variable. The results of the research show that partially utilitarian value has a significant effect towards brand relationship quality, hedonic value has a significant effect towards brand relationship quality, and relational value has a significant effect towards brand relationship quality. Then in other side, the utilitarian value has a significant effect towards brand resonance, relational value has a significant effect towards brand resonance, brand relationship quality has a significant effect towards brand resonance. On contrary, brand relationship quality had no significant influence as intervening variable in mediating utilitarian value, hedonic value, and relational value towards brand resonance.

UNIVERSITY BRANDING DURING COVID-19: A STUDY ON THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN PROMOTING COVID-19 AWARENESS AND BUILDING BRAND IMAGE

The aim of this study is to understand how digital platform especially social media is being used for branding purpose of higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the present era, the traditional way of branding such as newspaper advertisement, radio jingles, career counseling workshops, education fairs, billboards has taken a back step. The Universities are implementing a unique method to create awareness about COVID-19 and for building up the brand image as part of the outreach program. Higher education especially during the COVID-19 Pandemic has started to use social media to get a competitive advantage. The present study will analyze and compare Facebook pages of the Maharishi University of Information Technology, Lucknow; Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida; Sharda University, Greater Noida, and Rama University, Kanpur from May-July 2020. The purposive sampling method was used to select the sample. The result of this study is divided into four different categories: a) The number of fans b) The posts related to COVID-19 awareness c) Content d) Like, Share & Comment. On basis of this study, the selected posts could be used as an example in case studies for other Universities/Institutions to increase their reach and subsequently build a strong brand image.

Social Media University Branding

Globalization has increased the demands placed on higher education and increased competition among universities. In response, institutions of higher education have started to consider their online presence as a potential competitive advantage. The aim of this article is to analyze and compare Facebook activity and content created by the world’s top ten universities. The professional social media analytics tool Socialbakers is used to monitor activity and collect data for analysis. The world’s top ten universities are determined based on the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) University Rankings. The study results are divided into four categories: an analysis of the number of fans, of content, of style, and of post promotion. All of the studied universities upload a post at least once per day. Based on the study results, selected posts could be examples of best practice and serve to inspire other educational institutions to improve their brand image and communication on social networks. Social media provide a large amount of detailed data concerning the behavior of students and other stakeholders and on the effectiveness of promotional campaigns. To use social media effectively, it is necessary to collect the available data and evaluate them to gain insight on which to base an appropriate social media strategy