A few years back, we received a call from the Head of PR at a prominent business school.
The request: to promote a major report on the greenest cities worldwide.
The catch? The launch was scheduled for the next week, leaving us minimal time to prepare.
We’re always pleased to help business schools unveil new initiatives. But this rushed scenario often triggers a sense of concern.
Bringing in a PR consultancy at the eleventh hour is a classic example of short-term thinking. This is because it results in a hurried media rollout and limits coverage from journalists with longer deadlines.
Short-term thinking: a persistent problem
Unfortunately, short-term thinking seems to be a persistent issue in business school marketing communications.
In a forthcoming survey to be released on March 13, 2024, conducted in collaboration with CarringtonCrisp and EFMD, we unveil a troubling statistic.
50% of marketing communications professionals in business schools express concerns about an excess of short-term thinking.
In fact, it’s their number one challenge.
Torn between projects
Now let’s say right here that “we get it”.
Business school marketing communication teams are torn between numerous projects and constrained resources. They are juggling the demands of faculty, senior management, and their own objectives. As a result, they often find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. It’s a struggle to find enough time in the day.
The root of the problem lies in perpetual fire-fighting. There’s just no breathing space to construct the desired reputation.
Take back control
Jumping from one project to another might garner some media coverage. However, it often lacks the quality desired by both teams and faculty.
This constant topic-switching and short-term thinking prevents a school from establishing itself as an authority in a specific field.
Building a strong reputation demands time, planning, and control over one’s agenda.
It necessitates the courage to say “no” to projects that may derail them.
Want to know more?
We will be releasing the full results of our survey into the challenges faced by business school communications on March 13th, 2024.
And we will be offering ideas to address them.
The webinar takes place at 12.00 CET.
You can register here: Meeting Registration – Zoom