Specialisations
Higher
Education
Rob’s impact on Higher Education has been ground-breaking. He has created many of the sector’s most unforgettable brands and campaigns, and his pioneering work in research informed marketing strategies, has led to many of the activities considered integral to most institutions today.
Rob has worked on market and business development strategies across every level, including longitudinal undergraduate tracking studies of the student journey, to unique postgraduate delivery models. Rob has also worked on many research centre projects to create independent revenue streams.
Rob understands the challenges and nuances of academia. This trust by university staff has been proven through their endorsement of countless and ‘informed’ strategies, and founded on Rob’s strategic insights and inputs. These have often been based upon his absolute understanding of personal academic values and the professional academic environmental pressures and priorities incumbent upon academics and researchers.
Notwithstanding these, as Higher Education has evolved, locally and globally, Rob continues to provide the directional insights needed to a) secure a differentiated local and international position b) meet the twin-measures of appetite and capacity, and c) ensure that any future growth and revenue flows are sustainable.
Employer Branding
Securing and retaining top talent requires a proposition that makes the employer the preferred destination.
The core values that impact prospective talent are shaped by circumstances, experiences, motives, and priorities. These can include lifestyle choices and family considerations, location, career growth opportunities, financial incentives, and workplace flexibility. Such individuals all look for an employer and workplace that matches their values and needs.
Creating an employer brand is essential for recruiting and retaining talent. It starts internally and reflects the organisation’s values, culture, and environment. It shows how opportunities are defined and how rewards are distributed.
A well-constructed employer brand helps make an organisation a desirable workplace. It should embody what future employees stand for and how they can advance their lives through working with the organisation.
Our approach to employer branding addresses the factors influencing how future talent views your brand as a workplace. It uses in-depth research to inform strategy, within a structured framework that defines your employer brand in relation to the market dynamics.
Then we create a unique employer signature. It incorporates the employer brand proposition, alongside the key messages and communications needed to competitively define and distinguish your organisation.
Due Diligence
The key question: Is there sufficient demand to make a concept financially viable and reputationally appropriate. The answer resides in examining all aspects of the proposition against key criteria influencing the decision-making processes of the relevant target audiences. These are based on their circumstances, needs, expectations, and ability to meet the necessary purchase requirements.
We conduct market due diligence both locally and globally. Instead of relying solely on published sources and feedback from parties with vested interests, we explore market demand rigorously and independently, with our clients’ interests at heart.
Every due diligence study follows strict screening criteria and meticulous examination of enquiry lines pertinent to the audiences in question. Plus, we aim to identify other market opportunities based on the feedback obtained during the study.
Our best practice approach involves identifying relevant target audiences and examining those parameters contributing to decision-making. And many of our studies are in next generation space, meaning these are first of type.
Our due diligence research ensures that the results provide the confidence needed about how best to progress. We consider all aspects of reputational and financial risk, and we ensure that progress is based around securing a unique, differentiated and viable market position.
Market
Forecasting
There are many ways to identify how various market trends, including economic and social dynamics, influence perceptions and demand.
Some measures can be based on empirical patterns. Others provide unique insights, such as purchase priorities, individual behaviours, access to education, household dynamics, employment, and the use of leisure time. These all illustrate priorities according to different audience categories and value groups, shaped by supporting considerations such as cultural preferences, family inputs, technology, media, social networks, travel, and fashion.
Whatever the patterns and according to audience, our research and strategy expertise is designed to accurately forecast demand.
This all resides in applying indicators that determine how target audience segments make their choices, and how these choices are influenced by such factors as household composition, individual wealth, peer pressures, and aspirations. They also include behaviours, circumstances, preferences, aspirations and barriers of diverse audience segments.
Transnational
Education
Rob has been actively involved with TNE from the outset. He has worked on over 150 projects, including such high impact start-up campuses as RMIT (Vietnam), Monash (Malaysia), Wollongong (UAE), UTS (Sri Lanka) and Curtin (East Malaysia).
Rob has conducted numerous due diligence studies across China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines, some of which have met with a red light due to risks. And on that front, Rob has worked on many partnership exit strategies designed to minimise financial and reputational damage, including several in Australia.
Rob’s understanding of TNE partnerships and offshore campuses, from schools to universities is unparalleled. He is expert at evaluating the market dynamics and potential, determining the most appropriate course, price and delivery mix, and accomplished at ensuring that any partnership fulfils the necessary regulatory, financial, cultural and compliance parameters.
International Positioning
Whether a corporation, university, or service provider, the local brand ultimately determines the global brand. It reflects the outcomes, values and attributes associated with that brand, and how that brand is perceived at its weakest point, ultimately dictates how it is perceived everywhere.
Our strength resides in ensuring the continuity of the brand vision and values. We help create the audience related benefits associated with the brand, from future employees to students. This works by aligning the core messages, values and attributes associated with the brand, with target audience needs and expectations.
Our unique signatures provide the glue which creates seamless continuity and consistency, across every application, whether through messaging, imagery, visuals or voice. It is a unique approach which generates exceptional outcomes, however great the challenge.
Schools
Across every measure, the choice of school is a highly emotive decision. It occurs over a long and protracted period, interspersed with different decision-making points and the ongoing influence of significant others.
For many families, the choice of school determines future directions. This is often based upon where specific talents and capabilities reside, as well as embedded family values and aspirations.
Some of these decisions are in response to circumstances and needs. These include boarding, sense of wellbeing and community, sporting and creative arts prowess, academic standards, and family ties. Then there are the financial implications, and whether the paying of fees and from which source, represents a sustainable proposition.
Our expertise resides in knowing how best to manage how families and associated influencers navigate the entire selection journey, wherever they reside, and whatever their values and motives. And given that schools are continually in the front line of public opinion, we know how to best manage any situation or challenge, irrespective of the situation.
