Student Branding

Faculty Sponsor

Musa Pinar

College

Business Administration

Discipline(s)

Marketing

ORCID Identifier(s)

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2130-1921 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3708-7950 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7139-6036

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 5-3-2018

Abstract

Examining the Factors in Creating a Strong Student Personal Brand: Comparisons of Importance versus Expectations

The main objective of this study is to examine students’ perceptions of the factors important creating a strong student brand as well as evaluations of their performance on these factors. The specific objectives of the study are to: a) examine importance and evaluation of these factors for creating a strong student brand; and b) compare the importance and evaluations of these factors, as well as examine these factors by student demographics. Based on literature reviews, personal interviews and focus groups, the study identified nine factors to measure student’s personal brands, which are academic performance, internships, work experience, attitude/moral standards, study abroad, cultural awareness, campus involvement an extroverted personality, and community service. These factors are measured on a 5-point importance and agreement scale.

The survey based on 181 student responses revealed that attitude/moral standards were perceived as the most important for becoming a strong student brand. Concerning evaluations of their performance, students believe that attitude/moral standards are strongest for their personal brand. The comparisons of expectations versus evaluations of these nine factors found a significant relationship between perceptions of importance vs. evaluation for academic performance and internships. Comparing T-tests for male vs. female perceptions of community service and cultural awareness found that females perceive both factors as more important than males. There is also a significant difference in male and female perception of attitude, study abroad experience, and campus involvement. A statistically significant difference was found between the importance and expectations of cultural awareness among class levels. The results also show there was a significant difference among class levels. The results also showed there was a significant difference among class levels for community service, academic performance, attitude, and cultural awareness. The results provided important insight for students seeking a strong personal brand after graduation.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

Sihao Zhou, Matthew Pieroth, and Lauren Tehan are senior Marketing students. The topic of student branding was presented in a marketing research class they took together.They saw potential for this topic to provide a road map for students post-graduation.

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