Branding Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) is one of the important pledges of SKKUP, the 55th student council of SKKU. As a part of the pledge, SKKUP held the official Korean slogan contest and renewed the student ID card design last semester. The reason for such active marketing policies is that nowadays branding is becoming the competitive power of universities. Hence, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) will introduce the history of SKKU branding and the points that need to be improved.
Branding the University
-What Is University Branding?
University branding is a marketing method that provides services and information to promote positive images of the university. This is a strategy to respond to the changing market environment — implanting the brand image into the public’s mind and ultimately building up the university’s competitiveness. One of the reasons that branding became a key tool for marketing is that university applicants have constantly decreased in recent years. As newly enrolled students and their tuition fees were reduced, the university suffered a big blow to its finances. Therefore, many universities use their unique school brand in various ways, such as through slogans, mascots, goods, and songs, to create a more favorable university image. The commercial (CM) song of Seoul Cyber University (SCU) is a successful case of university branding. SCU’s short yet addictive CM songs stamp their brand image on the public’s mind, and consequently, they reached the top spot in the Brand Reputation Index (BRI) ranking of cyber universities last August.
-SKKU’s Branding So Far
SKKU has also been very keen on branding, focusing on its unique cultural background and colors. The 52nd student council, Iruri, launched a business using mascots as part of the SKKU branding project, and the 53rd student council, S: Energy, worked hard on promoting SKKU’s symbol colors as deep green and gold. The 54th student council, Spring, also continued constructing SKKU’s distinctive school image by setting the deep green as a dress code for the ESKARA 2022 festival. In addition, the current 55th student council, SKKUP, set branding as one of its main focuses. Starting with its popular Korean slogan and the student ID card design contest, SKKUP has been continuously working on many other branding programs. Not only the student council but also the university itself is emphasizing the importance of branding. Pointing out brand advancement as one of VISION 2030’s key policies, a project to be a leading global university, SKKU planned to expand finances in various ways and ultimately destroy the custom of Korean universities that only focus on scores.
Shortage of SKKU Branding
-Only for Kingos
Despite numerous efforts to promote SKKU, the September BRI ranking of SKKU fell by 6.56% compared to the previous month. The BRI ranking, announced by the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, represents the influence of the brand by evaluating the following four criteria: participation, communication, media, and community. SKKU ranked fifth among the 100 universities in the BRI ranking, which can be seen as a high rank; however, this is still roughly 3,300,000 points behind the first-ranked university. One of the main reasons for SKKU’s relatively low brand reputation is its branding strategy only targeted at Kingos. For several years, SKKU has focused primarily on its internal branding. For instance, SKKU’s branding business promotes the improvement of the campus festival environment and the change in shuttle bus designs. Branding from the university itself is not much different either. The branding focuses on internal issues such as financial and cultural advancement, which lacks communication with people outside the campus. Analyzing the BRI criteria, especially the low media, communication, and community index, it is evident that the university’s external communication efforts are feeble. It is important to note that internal branding does not attract people outside of SKKU, thereby going against its initial purpose. Whether this superficial branding will translate into the university’s competitiveness remains uncertain.
-Branding of Non-Essential
Current branding efforts have transformed the university into a commercial entity, treating students as consumers and universities as businesses. SKKU’s brand products, such as Sungkyunkwan Life Health’s foods, are seen as a means to generate revenue rather than create a positive campus image. A marketing strategy that chases short- term profits may eventually brand the university as a place for commercial business instead of an educational institution fostering talent. Another issue with SKKU branding is that it only focuses on advertising the school culture. Current branding emphasizes cultural elements such as festivals rather than highlighting the university’s core attributes, such as its education quality. Thus, it hinders the effective promotion of SKKU. Many students are unaware of SKKU’s achievements across various fields. Son, a sophomore from the Department of Media Communication, said, “I rarely hear about our university’s academic achievements, and I do not know much about them.” Eventually, commercial or cultural branding will fail to enhance the intrinsic value of SKKU and harm the primary goal of brand marketing: attracting new students and securing talent. When asked about the criteria for choosing a university, one senior high school student, who is facing a university entrance examination, pointed out “employment rate, infrastructure, and education level” as the main factors. If this situation persists, SKKU’s image as a prestigious institution with 600 years of history may not improve.
For Better SKKU Branding
-SKKU For Everyone
SKKU branding should expand its focus beyond the campus. To do so, SKKU needs to stimulate the spreading of information to target new students. Online media content should be created on official websites or social media and broadened to non-Kingos. As the in-person entrance briefing session, which stopped after the pandemic, was revived in 2023, it would be effective in conveying SKKU’s unique identity. Furthermore, fostering active participation from university students would guarantee a high-quality marketing strategy. Creating such spaces and devising trendy content can capture the interest of college prep students. In fact, Seoul National University and Yonsei University are positive examples of media promotion. Such university students’ own YouTube channels, alongside their official university channels, have gained a lot of attention from young students. Nonetheless, it is crucial to note that all these promotional activities should contain Sungkyunkwan’s philosophy and spirit. Since SKKU has a unique history extending back to the Joseon Dynasty, it could establish differentiated content that resonates with a broader audience.
-To Protect Real Values
The key to improving the university’s branding lies in its core value: education. It is axiomatic that the power force of a university stems from its talented students. Hence, SKKU should work to heighten its education level without missing out on the fact that the university is not a commercial facility but a space for pursuing knowledge. Derek Bok, a former president of Harvard University, argues through his book Universities in the Marketplace that the university seeking profit could seem successful in the short term; however, in the long term, a university that adheres to its original value could eventually earn the trust of the public. Promoting the diverse achievements of SKKU can also be a solution. For instance, SKKU Webzine, which manages the official social media accounts, recently launched a special section called “Curious about SKKU Departments!” to introduce the university’s distinctive educational system. Also, the SKKU Broadcasting Station (SUBS) regularly presents various news on campus, such as future directions in education and the status of the student rights of disabled people through YouTube. Hence, if SKKU promotes itself through various methods, its brand value will last long as a prestigious institution.
Inside the desire to promote SKKU, there lies the hearts of many people who want SKKU to thrive as one of the world’s best universities. Just as Sungkyunkwan has historically attracted talented students since ancient times, wise branding tactics will be essential for its future success. If Kingos keep an interest in university branding and actively participate in it, SKKU can have the potential to solidify its position as the best.