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Strategic implications for a European
cross‐border multi‐campus business school
Andreas Kaplan
Professor of Marketing
Director of Brand and Communications
kaplan@escpeurope.eu
05/09/2014

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Explaining: Key facts and concept
Storytelling: Branding and positioning
Capacitating: Coordinated decentralization
Prevailing: Challenges and Opportunities
Agenda
2Andreas Kaplan

3.
Key facts and concept

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About ESCP Europe,
the World‘s First Business School (est. 1819)
• 5 ESCP Europe campuses in Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid, Torino
• Cross-campus programmes with coordinated curricula
• Over 100 academic alliances in Europe and the World
• Triple accredited: EQUIS, AMBA, AACSB
• 4,000 students in degree programmes representing 90 different nationalities
• 5,000 high-level participants in customized trainings and executive education
• More than 130 research-active professors representing over 20 nationalities
• 45,000 active alumni in over 150 countries in the world
Andreas Kaplan

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European cross-border multi-campus
business school – the concept
ESCP Europe
European
cross-border
multi-campus
business school
In contrast to
campuses outside of
Europe, close distance
allows for efficiently
working together
across campuses
on all levels
In contrast to
partnerships with other
business schools, own
campuses allow for
better coordination
and control of
academic excellence
• Complete integration of 5 campuses with
adaptations for local contexts:
One school with five doors
• Relative closeness permits working in cross-
campus teams while on top experiencing
different cultures, learning language, etc.
Andreas Kaplan

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Defining European Management,
notion behind the concept
Kaplan, Andreas M. (2014) European management and European business schools:
Insights from the history of business schools, European Management Journal, 32(4), 529-534.
Societal management takes
into account society’s overall
welfare in addition to mere
profitability considerations
European
management is a
cross-cultural, societal
management approach
based on interdisciplinary principles
Interdisciplinarity creates s.th. new
by crossing boundaries and
combining the knowledge
encompassed in different domains
Cross-cultural management aims to understand how culture affects
management practice, to identify cross-cultural similarities
and differences in management practices
Andreas Kaplan

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Our latest viral marketing video
Andreas Kaplan

8.
Branding and positioning

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A clear positioning might bear surprises:
Europe considered as geographical limit...
In order to underline the European positioning, “Europe” was added to the brand
name with the School becoming “ESCP Europe”
However, add-on led to thoughts that ESCP Europe was limited only to the
European continent and would not offer the possibility to go beyond
• New baseline: The World’s First Business School (est. 1819)
• New slogan: European Identity, Global Perspective
• Newly stressing our international partnerships; our culturally highly diverse
student body; our international faculty
Action
Reaction
Solutions
Andreas Kaplan

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Brand storytelling is vital:
Europe appears difficult to grasp
What’s the advantage
of studying at a
European business
school?
Focus on humanistic
values, understanding
of cultures, tradition,
more transversal
approach, …
Europe embraces a
maximum cultural diversity
at minimal geographical distance
ESCP Europe is/educates experts in European,
cross-cultural management in Europe and beyond
???
?
Andreas Kaplan

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Slogan needs to be credible:
European claim expected to be proven
Andreas Kaplan

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Branding and chosen positioning needs to
be respected / followed everywhere!
Andreas Kaplan

13.
Coordinated decentralization

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Also governance and functioning of School
should follow its positioning
Respect for different cultures and local contexts makes complete centralization
invalid as governance approach, in particular for branding and communications
To allow for a certain degree of flexibility, mixture of centralization and
decentralization, i.e. coordinated decentralization
Complete centralization to be avoided
Coordinated decentralization to be prescribed
Similar to decentralized agencies
within the European Union such as,
e.g., the European Patent Office
located in Munich
in charge of studying
all European patent applications
coming from across Europe.
Andreas Kaplan

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Coordinated decentralisation:
The example of Facebook and Twitter
Until 2009 – Complete centralisation
2010-2012 – Uncoordinated decentralisation / revolt
Since 2013: Coordinated decentralisation
• 1 ESCP Europe page
• 1 community manger
• English / French
• 1 ESCP Europe account
• 1 community manger
• English / French
• Local pages on campuses
• Individual programme efforts
• English / French / Spanish / Italian
• Local accounts on campuses
• Some programmes push tweets
• English / French / Spanish
• 1 ESCP Europe page (English)
• 5 campus pages (Local language)
• Several programme pages
(programme language)
• 1 unique account
• 5 languages (EN, FR, DE, ES, IT)
• No programme tweets
Andreas Kaplan

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Social media offer great potential to try
EU approach of decentralised agencies
Giving each campus a lead in a certain area not only allows for adaptations due
to local contexts, but creates awareness for the complexity of a multi-campus
structure and the challenges to overcome.
Social media at ESCP Europe
• Europe:
• Paris:
• London:
Berlin:
• Madrid:
• Torino:
Whereas the EU institutions are concentrated in Brussels,
Luxembourg, Strasburg and Frankfurt, there is another level of
administration which is present in a large number of European
cites. This is a response to the EU’s desire to decentralise its
governance and to bring the EU closer to all of its member states.
Kaplan Andreas M.
(2014) Social Media and
Viral Marketing at ESCP
Europe, the World''s First
Business School (est.
1819), European Case
Clearing House
Andreas Kaplan

17.
Challenges and opportunities

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Challenges due to structure / complextity
in all fields of communications and beyond
• External communications / Press relations: Coordination of 5 agencies locally
managed + PR agency for international press activities; not all content
constantly is in line with positioning
• Internal communications: Choice of language(s); balance between “of interest
across campuses” and “of interest locally”
• Marketing: Programmes not necessarily adapted to all five local markets; not
the same targets/backgrounds
• Website: Five individual websites versus a unified one; in five languages or only
in English?
Communications
Beyond communications
• Different national legal frameworks and coordination costs
• Programme design: Which language?; On which campuses?; What cross-
campus format?; What target?; What price?
• Executive Education is at present a rather local market
• Alumni relations: Imbalance between nationalities; Definition of nationals versus
international alumni; Fund raising and tax deduction issues
• Scientific research: Professors’ work goes beyond the European positioning
Andreas Kaplan

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Challenges 1:
Focus on press relations
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5 national + 1 international market
• Local/ national agencies are
cheaper
• Need for local stories, local
contacts
• Who coordinates network of local
agencies?
• Who contacts journalists when
organizing a PR event in, e.g.,
Brussels? (local agency?
International agency? School?)
BalanceCross-campus synergies;
harmonized stories/ content
Local structures;
specific stories/ content
Andreas Kaplan

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Challenges 2:
Focus on Website
Questions
Our solution
Nice idea
• Only English or 5 languages?
• Translations: Degree of flexibility
to be SEO friendly?
• Targeting users looking for
ESCP Europe or users looking
for specific campuses?
• All events/news? Location-based?
• Virtual visits render campuses
more ‘real’; during recruiting you
usually only experience one
campus
• Landing pages to target more
national issues
• I-frames for local agencies
Andreas Kaplan

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Opportunities outweigh challenges by far
Competitive
strengths of a
cross-border
multi-campus
B.-school
In times of globalization, to be
trained in cultural diversity/ to
become an expert in cross-cultural
management is certainly a plus
In times of digitalization, to
have a concept where
location is of importance, can
be a powerful barrier
To be close to one’s alumni in five
locations and able to actively
involve them into the School’s life,
might increase their loyalty
Local company networks as
well as being able to adapt
to their needs in several
countries is of high value
Andreas Kaplan

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Opportuntities:
Focus on MOOCs 1
To sell a concept where location
and differences in local contexts
additionally is of academic
importance might be highly
valued in the future
MOOC = Massively Open Online Course
“Within 50 years there will be only
10 institutions of higher learning
left in the world”
But:
• Physical presence might be
necessary to go the extra mile
• Networking often best happens after
class and not during
• Life skills than only knowledge +
know-how
Andreas Kaplan

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Opportuntities:
Focus on MOOCs 2
To be an expert in a certain field will become more and more
important in the future of MOOCs
Andreas Kaplan
• One hardly can be expert in everything
• Universities and schools will produce MOOCs where they have a real legitimacy
• Local / regional players will arise
(languages and different teaching approaches)
Examples:
• ESCP Europe -> European / cross-cultural manager
• Harvard University -> Lawyers
• Wharton School -> Investment bankers

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A final video about ESCP Europe:
European Identity, Global Perspective
Andreas Kaplan