A Systematic Literature Review of Higher Education Reputation Management: Active/Reactive Framework

Abstract

The marketisation and internationalisation of higher education (HE) in several national contexts has led to the development of thinking about HE access as ‘buying a service’. This has led to increased prioritisation among universities regarding how to promote their reputation among their targeted audiences. However, recent literature regarding reputation management (RM) in Chinese HE is mainly conducted from an international perspective; this means the analysis is usually focused on international students in Chinese universities, and thus the other aspects such as the rationale and strategies of RM in Chinese HE remains relatively underdeveloped. In this article, we conduct a systematic literature review using the PRISMA convention to illustrate the meaning(s) of RM in Chinese HE and particularly how it is understood and developed. The review comprises branding and RM in HE. Moreover, we contribute to the theory of marketing for HE by proposing a new framework arising from the review: RM as an active-reactive continuum in which we provide a new perspective to characterise and better understand RM, particularly in the Chinese context. Active RM refers to how universities promote themselves; reactive RM refers to how universities cope with crises or other forms of negative events. This contribution helps the field understand Chinese universities’ RM practices and strategies nationally and internationally.

Finding reasons to choose a campus: The impact of social media and brand strategy

“…In essence, brand reputation is determined by customers, as it is formed by their opinions. Public relations must convince customers of a brand's quality and trustworthiness (Sun & Lim, 2021). A university's brand reputation is how outsiders perceive the institution's identity, character, and message (Yaping et al, 2023).…”

“…Moreover, content marketing not only drives brand and marketing content but also influences purchasing decisions campus. It serves as a mediator for purchase intention in various domains, including domestic brands in independent restaurants (Basu et al., 2022), low involvement products (Lang et al., 2022), private label brands (Marques et al., 2020), and footholding in the Chinese market (Sun & Lim, 2021). Content marketing, being a dynamic and influential tool, extends beyond mere communication.…”

“…Brand post‐marketing content, including custom content, directly influences consumer purchasing decisions, contributing to brand reputation and popularity. Content marketing serves as a tool to build brand trust and enhance reputation (Sun & Lim, 2021). This synthesis of theoretical and empirical evidence establishes content marketing not only as a communication tool but also as a significant factor influencing brand reputation across various sectors.…”