Mary Kane
What makes the University of Ottawa stand out from the rest of the post-secondary pack? Would you recommend uOttawa to friends and family? Are you living the brand?
Amy Davis met several University staff members, including Abdo Ghié.
To those not immersed in the marketing world, thinking of the University as a brand may not seem a good fit for an educational institution. Not so, says Amy Davis, chair of Mayo Clinic’s Brand Management Team. She presented the clinic’s approach to “living the brand” to the University’s senior administration in March. With a focus on connecting to the institutional mission, Davis emphasizes that the benefits to patients – or students – can be enormous.
The world-renowned Mayo Clinic, founded in Rochester, Minnesota, has no brand advertising budget, yet a consumer study conducted in the United States showed that almost 25 per cent of respondents would choose the Mayo Clinic if their health plan or personal finances permitted them to go anywhere in the US for treatment of a serious medical condition. The Mayo Clinic’s popularity is due to recommendations from people who have gone there. In a 2003 study of factors influencing patients’ choice of health care institution, 83 per cent of respondents cited word of mouth.
The multiplier effect of word of mouth recommendations gives the Mayo Clinic a tremendous reach. If we at the University of Ottawa transpose the Mayo message to our environment, an enhanced reach may be within grasp. Of course, our relationship with students is different in many respects to the clinic’s connection. Nonetheless, using the same principle, our aim should be to create a high level of satisfaction, from the initial admissions processes through the academic experience – which, we hope, will result in alumni commitment.
The Mayo Clinic emphasizes the importance of each employee’s role. “The needs of the patient come first” is a core value for all employees, and the aim is to give patients an “ideal service experience,” says Amy Davis. A positive hospital admissions process can have as much bearing on patient satisfaction as the patient–doctor relationship.
Like Mayo Clinic, the University focuses on excellence and reputation, and it is increasingly aware of the need to commit to client service. Last year, uOttawa held its first Client Service Week (part of International Customer Service Week), and the inaugural winners of the President’s Award for Service Excellence were named last week.
Participation in surveys such as the National Survey of Student Engagement and the Canadian University Consortium Survey also provides a roadmap for meeting the needs of our students, as does the University’s academic strategic plan, Vision 2010.
“Living the brand is easier than we think,” says David Mitchell, Vice-President of University Relations. “By recognizing the importance of every interaction with every student, we can build the commitment and belonging for students – and staff – to our historic institution.”
