94 Copyright © 2014, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Chapter 7 Exploring the Secret of Successful University Brands ABSTRACT This chapter contributes to the topical area of higher education marketing by exploring how branding adds value to universities. The primary focus of exploring branding concepts associated with success- ful higher education brands in a UK context was chosen for this work with a view to later comparison with other countries such as the United States, where branding of universities has a longer practical and academic history. The concept of “successful” brands was explored through the extant literature, and the subsequent research identified constructs underpinning a successful university brand. These constructs were then tested among a larger sample of UK university stakeholders. The findings explored the variables associated with successful university brands and suggested significant relationships among these variables. A further stage involved qualitative exploration of current perceptions and practices in HE branding, designed to maintain currency and build ongoing research possibilities. Overall, the chapter offers suggestions for both academia and practice on what underpins a successful university brand, and the variables associated with these brands. INTRODUCTION Education is increasingly a quasi- commercial service industry (Brookes, 2003) and universities are behaving as corporations in many respects (Veloutsou et al, 2004; Bunzel, 2007). With increased commercialization comes an associated focus on marketing and branding and the adoption of marketing as an ethos by diverse sectors, including education, is no longer under debate (Shepherd, 2005). The challenge for uni- versities, however, is that effective application of marketing to specialist areas such as education is arguably not well developed (Hankinson, 2004). As part of marketization it is argued that branding is a necessary organisational compe- tence as competition increases (Louro & Cunha, 2001; Veloutsou et al, 2004; Helmsley-Brown & Oplatka, 2006). In UK higher education brand- ing has become “ever more important given the huge shift in the HE environment since 2009” (Distinct, 2011). Chris Chapleo Bournemouth University, UK DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-4860-9.ch007