Is Brand IIT-IIM Waning?

Is Brand IIT-IIM Waning?

Expected Learning Outcomes

• • Understand the brand elements of iconic educational brands like IITs and IIMs with the help of CBBE model
• • Discuss and debate whether IITs and IIMs brand value has been diminishing, especially since the beginning of the millennium in the light of EMA Partners study
• • Suggest measures to ensure that IITs and IIMs too figure in the global educational institutions ranking

I. Brand Elements – Ordinary Educational Brand vs IITs and IIMs

1. Name a few prominent IITians and IIMites or IIT-IIMites and why do you recall them?
2. Name a few start-ups started by IIT/IIM/IIT-IIM alumni.
3. As the base article quotes, “IIT, IIM: these magical letters have launched several thousand corporate careers, shaped the destiny of Corporate India and even boosted literary careers and marriage prospects”. What does IIT or IIM brand signify? Why do they command a bright career, marriage and social prospects?
4. .............

II. IITs and IIMs Diminishing Brand Value

1. K.Sudarshan, Regional Managing Partner, Asia, EMA Partners remarked that, “It’s (IIT & IIM) certainly a diminishing trend.” He recalls instances of HR heads of some MNC companies in the FMCG insisting on an IIM(A) degree as a prequalification. That, he says, is a matter of the past”. Why do you think there is a diminishing trend for IIT & IIM brands in India?
2. Of the three kinds of companies – MNCs, Indian Private Sector companies and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) – PSUs have the least IITians and IIMites. Why do PSUs end up recruiting mostly from other institutes and not IITs and IIMs?
3. ..............

III. Measures for Improvement

1. Although many call the IITs and IIMs ‘pinnacles of excellence’, they seldom figure in significant positions in global rankings (Times Higher Education, QS World University Rankings, etc.). Why do IITs and IIMs not figure in these rankings as often? What specific measures can be taken to improve the global ranking of the IITs and IIMs?
2. What is the role of following in brand building of IITs and IIMs?
a. Current Students
b. Alumni
c. Faculty & Ph.D scholars
d. Directors/Deans
e. Companies
f. Government
g. Media
h. No-IIT and Non-IIM students
i. Non-IIT and Non-IIM executives
3. ....................

Is Brand IIT-IIM Waning?

Synopsis

This case flyer offers an overview of iconic educational brands like IITs and IIMs. It further discusses and debates whether IITs and IIMs brand value has been diminishing, especially since the beginning of the millennium as shown in EMA Partners study. It further studies the measures to ensure that IITs and IIMs too figure in the global educational institutions ranking.

Prerequisite Conceptual Understanding (PCU)/Before the Classroom Discussion

This case flyer presupposes an understanding of the concepts of branding higher educational brands. The students should also have a basic understanding of the Customer Based Brand Equity (CBBE)  Model. Accordingly, the participants were asked to read the following chapter to help them better connect the concepts:

• • Kevin Lane Keller, et al., “Customer Based Brand Equity”, Strategic Brand Management, 3^rd Edition, Pearson Education Inc., 2011– To relate CBBE model to IIT and IIM brands

Case Positioning and Setting

This case flyer can be used for either of the following:

• • MBA and Executive MBA/Executive Development Programs – Brand Management Course – Concept of Customer Based Brand Equity (CBBE) – To relate the  theoretical constructs of CBBE model to IIT and IIM Brands
• • Faculty Development Programs – Institutional Building module – To discuss and debate on what it takes for IITs and IIMs to get into Top-100 rankings of either QS or Times Higher Education

Case Flyer Analysis and Classroom Discussion

Preamble to this Case Flyer Analysis

This case flyer enables a discussion, based on EMA Partners study, on whether IITs and IIMs brand is waning. The brand elements of iconic educational brands like IITs and IIMs were analyzed using the CBBE model. Accordingly, this case flyer was discussed as given in Exhibit (TN)-I...................

I. Brand Elements – Ordinary Educational Brand vs IITs & IIMs

The purpose of the first segment/section of this case flyer is to let the students/participants understand the brand elements of iconic educational brands like IITs and IIMs. Exhibit (TN)-II was used to let the students/participants understand the basic framework of IITs and IIMs.............

1. Name a few prominent IITians and IIMites or IIT-IIMites and why do you recall them?

The participants said that there is a general perception that most top entrepreneurs in India are from IITs, IIMs and IIT-IIMs. The participants discussed as to how the current startup ecosystem is dotted with success stories of top entrepreneurs who graduated from an IIT, IIM or IIT-IIM. Exhibit (TN)-III gives a partial list of illustrious IIT, IIM and IIT-IIM Alumni who have exceled in business, politics and sports..............

2. Name a few start-ups started by IIT/IIM alumni.

Startup research firm Tracxn finds out that 37% of the 3,373 startups founded in 2015 were founded by alumni of at least one of the following prestigious institutes – IIT, IIM, BITS (Pilani) and NIT (National Institutes of Technology). Exhibit (TN)-IV lists out 25 successful start-ups which were founded by IIT, IIM & IIT-IIM alumni..............

Exhibits

Exhibit (TN)-I: Classroom Discussion Dashboard

Exhibit (TN)-II: Framework of IITs and IIMs

Exhibit (TN)-III: List of Illustrious IIT & IIM Alumni

Exhibit (TN)-IV: List of 25 Successful Start-ups by IIT & IIM Alumni

Exhibit (TN)-V: Structure of IIT-IIM

Exhibit (TN)-VI: Prospective Consumers of IITs, IIMs and IIT-IIM Brands

Exhibit (TN)-VII: Factors Influencing IITs and IIMs Consumers’ Behavior

Exhibit (TN)-VIII: Reference Groups that Influence IIT-IIM Brand Consumers

Exhibit (TN)-IX: Unique Traits of IIT/IIM Graduates

Exhibit (TN)-X: Factors Contributing to IIT/IIM Demand

Exhibit (TN)-XI: Students Perceptions of an Educational Brand

Exhibit (TN)-XII: Attributes of a Successful Educational Brand

Exhibit (TN)-XIII: IIT, IIM Brand Equity w.r.t. CBBE Model

Exhibit (TN)-XIV: Salary Disparities and Family Expectations Create Stress among IIT and IIM Students

Exhibit (TN)-XV : List of Top Five Recruiters/Placement Offers in Non-IITs for 2015

Exhibit (TN)-XVI: Snapshot of Vineet Nayar’s Tweet on IIT-IIM Brand Erosion

Exhibit (TN)-XVII: Role of Various Stakeholders in Brand Building of IITs and IIMs