Leveraging reputational drivers

in Education

A world-renowned university with a commitment to influence the world. The university's alumni and faculty include numerous heads of state, Nobel laureates, and influential figures in academia and industry.

The Challenge

To strengthen its status as a top global educational institution, the university commissioned Savanta to design and deliver a baseline survey for a long-term robust tracker programme aiming to gather stakeholders’ perceptions. The ultimate goal was to measure key brand metrics, understand how the university’s brand aligns with its strategic vision, identify the factors influencing its reputation, and determine how it could best engage with various stakeholders going forward.

Our approach

Savanta conducted an online survey targeting 20 diverse stakeholder groups, capturing perspectives from alumni and people working in academia, business sectors, policy makers, and individuals from charity, among others. The survey assessed brand health and brand performance, as well as exploring reputation drivers and gathering feedback on stakeholder engagement with the university. To ensure maximum reach, the survey was distributed via personal professional networks and open links on social media platforms.

Nearly 1,000 stakeholders from over 13 sectors, completed the survey, with a significant portion of responses coming from outside the UK. The geographic spread of stakeholders was critical to understanding the reputation of such an international institution.

A key driver’s analysis (KDA) was conducted to identify the elements driving reputation among different stakeholder groups, looking at various aspects of the university such as its international position, the research it conducts and the education and experience they provide students.

The outcome

This project pinpointed the university’s strengths among its different audiences and informed strategic positioning at an institutional level. The findings were presented to the leadership team and disseminated among internal teams.

The KDA enabled the university to better understand its strategic position and reputational levers, while the robust sample size and the diversity of audiences provided the insight needed to identify needs and inform tailored outreach strategies, ultimately boosting confidence in its path forward.