If reputation is what stakeholders think of us, and brand is what we tell them we are all about, it's important to try to establish the alignment of the two! We can offer both stakeholder reputation audits and analysis of your brands via social media, web content and campaigns, comparing your strengths with your main competitors. Reputation audits involving qualitative and quantitative tools will help you see what your main stakeholder groups think of you. Both these research processes help you test and refine your marketing and communications, and boost stakeholder engagement.

We can help you understand the power and salience of your messages across your institution to ensure that they are reaching intended audiences, and that all your internal stakeholders are telling a consistent story.

Every university sets out a strategy to draw together its staff and establish its vision. We have a great deal of expertise in helping universities with strategy development, from initial research with staff, students and external stakeholders to creating the final plan. When it comes to restructure and change, we have helped many universities with plans to revise and modernise communications, marketing and student recruitment functions.

Many universities want to take time to test the effectiveness of external relations functions and sometimes restructure teams. We can help with internal reviews of Communications, Marketing and Student recruitment to help you make the most of your people and support the competitive world of external affairs.

Getting the right slogan, the right message and engaging content is critical before you spend money on placing adverts or launching a fundraising campaign. We can help you get the words right and test messages with stakeholders to ensure your campaigns work and strike the right note.

For steering communications, marketing or recruitment teams, we can provide short term support until you have recruited a full-time director. All our staff available for interim work have directorship expertise at leading research universities.

Universities need to have clarity over which students they want to attract, from where and for which programmes. We can support you in understanding how to focus your energies and help with the consultation and data analysis behind a successful student recruitment or marketing strategy.

Understanding who your key stakeholders are and how they are being engaged with across your organisation is critical to building a strong reputation. We have wide experience in helping universities map their key stakeholder relationships and developing successful engagement strategies.