Higher Education
Brand
Blanding In vs. Standing Out
In higher education branding, and beyond, a peculiar trend has emerged: a gradual homogenization of messaging, aesthetics, and even institutional identities.
Blanding In or Standing Out?
Higher ed loves to talk about innovation—except when it comes to branding. As competition gets fiercer, most schools aren’t standing out. They’re blending in. Safe messaging. Stock imagery. The same Ivy-lite aesthetics. But in a market where skepticism is rising and enrollments are falling, is looking like everyone else really the best strategy?
Why Every College Looks the Same (and Why That's a Problem)
Risk Aversion Kills Creativity
When tuition is high and stakes are higher, families want reassurance. So, institutions lean on the familiar: prestigious-sounding taglines, stock phrases like Unlock Your Potential, and campus imagery that mirrors Ivy League aesthetics.
It’s safe. It’s predictable. And it’s the fastest way to be ignored.
Data-Driven Conformity
Marketing is now dictated by analytics, where “best practices” lead to slight refinements instead of bold moves. If one school’s drone-shot campus tour performs well, everyone copies it. The result? A flood of nearly identical content, where originality gets buried under what’s been A/B tested to death.
Fitting In Won’t Save You
Higher ed brands crave credibility, so they mimic the symbols and language of prestige. But when every institution showcases the same things in the same ways, no one actually stands out.
The Cost of Playing It Safe
Lost Identity
When schools sound interchangeable, their true character—their quirks, values, and culture—gets diluted. Headlines like Our Mission, empty taglines and Campus News articles don’t tell a story. They tell nothing.
Weak Loyalty
Students and alumni don’t connect deeply with institutions that feel generic. If a college looks and sounds just like five others, why should anyone feel a lasting bond?
Stagnation
Copying the competition leads to a stale, uninspired landscape. Schools focused on keeping up instead of leading risk becoming obsolete.
Is Blending In the Goal Now?
Maybe. Familiarity is comforting, and looking the part of a “good school” might be enough for some audiences. But in a time when higher ed is under fire for its cost and relevance, playing it safe won’t fix the bigger problems.
How to Stand Out in a Sea of Sameness
Own What Makes You Unmistakable
Every school has ‘great professors’ and a ‘vibrant student experience.’ So what’s the one thing no one else can claim? Build your entire brand around that—or risk being forgettable.
Flip the Script
If every school is using the same formula, rewrite the rules. Ditch the generic “student experience” montage for real, unexpected storytelling.
Make Noise
The best brands don’t just look different—they challenge the status quo. Call out the sameness. Make standing apart your strategy. Stop playing by the same tired branding rules. Turn your brand into a manifesto, not another meaningless tagline. Because in a sea of sameness, being different isn’t risky—it’s the only way to survive.