Harley-Davidson doesn't sell steel and chrome; they sell freedom, identity, and brotherhood. Yet global universities constantly market the 'machinery'—rankings, credit hours, and square footage—while neglecting the lived student journey. Drawing on Chip and Dan Heath's The Power of Moments and a recent motorcade at KAUST, Gerben van Niekerk explores the Inside-Out University model: why global brand equity begins in Student Affairs, and why experience curation always beats glo

Higher education marketing often imports corporate positioning frameworks without sufficient scrutiny, treating students and researchers like transient retail consumers. But research universities are decentralised ecosystems of inquiry, not consumer brands. In this piece, Gerben van Niekerk explores why generic taglines alienate faculty, how top-down homogenisation erodes institutional identity, and why strategic communications leaders must act as cultural curators rather tha