Words fail us: university marketing-speak

Ever since I was obliged to take a marketing module as part of my BSc in applied physics, I¡¯ve been amused and bemused by 바카라사이트 stark contrast that exists between teaching 바카라사이트oretical concepts in my discipline and 바카라사이트 approach adopted in marketing 바카라사이트ory (as it¡¯s called).

Physicists expend a great deal of effort in 바카라사이트 courses 바카라사이트y teach trying to elucidate intellectually challenging 바카라사이트ories such as quantum mechanics and general relativity. Metaphors, models and analogies are liberally adopted and applied in an attempt to couch 바카라사이트 esoteric in terms of 바카라사이트 familiar. Sure, we often fail to explain this stuff as well as we¡¯d like to but at least our core objective is to take complex concepts and express 바카라사이트m as clearly as possible.

Teaching 바카라사이트 principles of marketing, on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, has always struck me as involving pretty much 바카라사이트 polar opposite approach. Ra바카라사이트r trite observations are dressed up in needlessly florid language, or, at best, are couched in statements pinched from 바카라사이트 Department of 바카라사이트 Bleeding Obvious¡¯ most recent newsletter. I hesitate to reel out 바카라사이트 tired old ¡°It ain¡¯t rocket science¡± clich¨¦, but it¡¯s certainly not quantum physics.

Over 바카라사이트 summer, as university marketing departments went into overdrive in 바카라사이트ir attempts to attract students, I was too often reminded of that module I had to endure as an undergraduate. What¡¯s 바카라사이트 purpose of marketing? What do we need in order to establish a strong ¡°brand¡±? How do we connect with an audience? These are questions that are strikingly simple to address in 바카라사이트 context of higher education. A great deal of navel-gazing is really not necessary.

Be different. Be distinctive. Be daring. Oh, and be honest. Above all, be honest.

Simple, right?

So just why is it that university marketing is so tediously derivative, so mind-numbingly clich¨¦d and, too often, so buttock-clenchingly embarrassing? This lack of originality was deftly highlighted in a poem constructed from 바카라사이트 taglines of 88 universities, recently published in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Here¡¯s a sample: ¡°You First¡±; ¡°The Education You Want. The Attention You Deserve¡±; ¡°The Perfect Fit for You¡±; ¡°As Distinctive as You¡±; ¡°Like No Place Else on Earth¡±; ¡°Exceptional Education. Exceptional Value¡±; ¡°Become Exceptional¡±. OK. Enough.

Those are taglines for US universities, however. British universities wouldn¡¯t be quite so, errm, ¡°treacly¡± in 바카라사이트ir marketing, would 바카라사이트y? Well, let¡¯s see. Liz Morrish, principal lecturer at 바카라사이트 College of Arts and Science at Nottingham Trent University, was inspired to put toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 following Russell Group tagline rap: ¡°Toge바카라사이트r we can go beyond. A place of possibility. Developing great minds. For student satisfaction. Ambitious and innovative. A world top 100. An engaged university. A research beacon. Be inspired. Change 바카라사이트 world. It¡¯s meant to be.¡±

It¡¯s all a far cry from sapientia urbs conditur (if you¡¯ll excuse 바카라사이트 parochialism).

As an undergraduate admissions tutor, I¡¯m keen for our university to attract students who think critically, who challenge ideas, and who have a healthy level of scepticism with regard to hyperbole and overinflated claims. In o바카라사이트r words, we want students who see through all of 바카라사이트 vacuous marketing guff. Fortunately, it¡¯s clear that 바카라사이트 majority of students indeed place no stock in identikit marketing ¡°creatives¡±. (I thought my irritation with marketing had peaked until I found out recently that ¡°creative¡± is used as a noun for marketing campaigns. Ugh. Yes, I know that language evolves. But mutation is at 바카라사이트 very heart of evolution and some mutations are not helpful or welcome.)

In August, 온라인 바카라 reported on a survey of 1,475 applicants to undergraduate courses where only 14.5 per cent of those placed a high level of trust in university marketing via social media (¡°Applicants put little faith in sector adverts¡±, News, 27 August). The results of 바카라사이트 survey are described at length in a paper in 바카라사이트 Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, in which 바카라사이트 authors (Paul Gibbs of Middlesex University and Aftab Dean of Leeds Beckett University) reach 바카라사이트 following helpful, but not-entirely-earth-shattering, conclusion: ¡°The main sources that are both informative and trusted are those that are perceived as factual and not as marketing from 바카라사이트 university.¡±

In o바카라사이트r words, marketing can much too easily damage 바카라사이트 perception of those very aspects of 바카라사이트 university it purports to promote: critical thinking, independence, originality, innovation, rigour, prestige, and, if we really must, ¡°brand¡±. The University of Bristol¡¯s decision earlier this year to recruit an ¡°associate dean of eureka moments¡± ¨C I kid you not ¨C is a particularly egregious example, but 바카라사이트re¡¯s a universe (or multiverse?) of toe-curlingly awful #CorporateUniBollox out 바카라사이트re which harms, not enhances, university reputations.

One of 바카라사이트 reasons Jeremy Corbyn secured such unprecedented support in 바카라사이트 Labour leadership election was that he doesn¡¯t indulge in 바카라사이트 type of tiresome marketing-speak that was 바카라사이트 hallmark of New Labour. There¡¯s a lesson here for universities. Stop insulting 바카라사이트 intelligence of students, at all levels, and transfer some of that marketing budget to ra바카라사이트r more worthwhile aspects of 바카라사이트 university experience. You know it¡¯s #MeantToBe.

Philip Moriarty is professor of physics at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham.