Building a trustworthy university brand: An inside-out approach

In today's competitive environment, higher education institutions (hereafter HEIs) are struggling to develop a competitive edge in the marketplace. Extant literature suggests that branding can offer HEIs an opportunity to help stakeholders differentiate them from competitors, build reputation, and attract prospective students (Chapleo, 2015). Strong brands can determine the success of HEIs as these act as surrogates for the quality and credibility of services offered to the students. This reduces students' perceived risk and increases their trust in the HEI (Khanna, Jacob, and Yadav, 2014).