Building a University Department Brand through Brand Association Network Technology

Abstract

Taiwan’s birthrate has been declining for nearly a decade, with the newborn population falling from 305,312 in 2000 to 153,820 in 2021. Education has been adversely affected by the low birthrates but also by other industries. Schools must therefore review their brand positioning and develop their brand value. Brand influence, from products to retail stores, from people to organizations, was regarded as the most valuable intangible asset in the past. Schools need to establish brand symbols so that relevant briefings, publicity, stationery, posters, and packaging convey a consistent image of the school. For example, the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Chaoyang University of Technology have used this method to build a series of brand identities. Of course, the department inherits the brand spirit of the school but is full of its characteristics and positioning. Despite this, few departments establish their brand symbols to achieve consistent brand communication, which is an important research gap in the present study. In this research, the faculty and students of the department were invited to extract the brand knowledge of the Department of Marketing and Logistics Management of Chaoyang University of Science and Technology through the idea of free associations. A total of 7 questionnaires for faculties and 50 questionnaires for students were collected; the questionnaire was composed of five dimensions. As a result, 23 symbols were obtained to represent the Department of Marketing and Logistics Management. The Department of Design’s brand symbols can be used for related cultural product design, event posters, and other applications to create a specific brand association and improve brand equity, brand reputation, and memory. These symbols can also be used in related cultural products, event posters, and other applications.

Keywords

• department brand symbol
• free-association method
• networking technology