How to survive the zero-click admissions era without letting algorithms flatten your university communication Try a quick experiment. Open ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Claude, and ask it to compare three world-class research universities. Too lazy? Okay, let me do it. I asked ChatGPT to compare Cambridge, Harvard and ETH Zurich. This is the response: Within two seconds, centuries of distinct academic heritage, eccentric campus traditions, and unique research breakthroughs are flat

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

Tired of transactional university marketing? Learn from the non-commercial Malmö art installation, Elsewhere. Discover how unexpected, creative campus interventions—like shared mental health photography, locker exhibitions, and collaborative murals—can authentically foster student belonging, boost well-being, and drive retention without a sales pitch. Embrace the strategic power of non-transactional communication in higher education to build a genuine sense of home.