What the Connection? Brand-Ed to Branding

Schools are not branding expensive designer shoes or purses, but education. And that’s a luxury item too. Education is worth presenting to a market in that same shining light of value the biggest brands use to gather loyalty and support from their customers. In today’s age of distraction, a school leader has to get the entire school community focused, and yes…excited about “buying” the luxury of education. The platform for accomplishing this has a name that is different from the Madison Avenue strategy of Branding. For Education and Business camps to connect to your thinking, use the “Brand-Ed” term to get the ball rolling.

“Brand-Ed” means being open to appreciating, exploring and practicing tools you may have only heard about from the world of business and then, incorporating some of these marketing ideas into your personal leadership model. When you take on the notion of being “Brand-Ed, you are using a business based sales tool to improve school culture and performance. This may be a natural process for some, and not so easy for others. Take the Brand-Ed test right now to see if you can make the leap. If the connection of branding to being Brand-Ed works for you, you’ll answer yes to the following:

1. Does this Approach Matter to me?
2. Is this Doable for me as Leader?

If you can’t answer both with a positive response, you may need to put down the book! If you can answer yes to the first question only, reading further will persuade you that you can do this, and soon you’ll see the doable within your grasp. So, to make the personal connection, the first conversations about Brand-Ed could be with yourself as you answer those two questions with more than a single word answer. Take a moment to write down a few reasons why this seems to matter to you and why you feel it’s doable. You might begin keeping a brand journal. I use a small pocket notebook and write connections as I see them to branding and education. If you are going to present this new idea, your ability to be genuinely grounded in it is primary, and as a former writing consultant, and USA Today’s Writing Educator, I’ve know the value of making your thoughts visible.
Here’s some other questions to think about or do a quick google search on. Also, you might consider putting a question out on Linkedin if you are a member and part of any educational groups. If you are on Twitter, start looking educators who might want to engage in this type of thinking. Adding that thinking to your brand journal can create a wealth of information that you can use in your development stage of being Brand-Ed .

• What’s the connection to brand building of product and a school’s branding of its services?
• Why would schools welcome a branding conversation?

Think of your reasons for rallying around this cause:

• Are you looking to build community?
• Are you seeking a way to develop trust in your school?
• Is a new lens on student performance needed?


Also, you might consider putting one of these questions out on Linkedin, if you are a member and part of any educational groups. Adding that thinking to your brand journal can create a wealth of information that you can use in your development stage of Brand-Ed Any of these these questions can support your beginning brand-Ed journey.