Not content with what they have, and always looking to improve the image of the University, and enhance its brand perception, the Department of Marketing and Communications has decided to have permanent student Brand Ambassadors for the University. Ten students have been recruited and received their first training on this massive responsibility on 22 February 2024 at the University’s North Campus.
Zama Sishi, Director: Stakeholder Relations in the Department of Marketing and Communications, said they decided to have student Brand Ambassadors to enhance the visibility of MUT among their peers. “Ordinarily, every student becomes an unofficial ambassador of their university as soon as they register with it. The assumption is that they would have chosen that university among many, so they love it. That being the case, nowadays we should not take things lightly, and rely on history and assumptions. We decided to formalise this and make it a proper appointment. We wanted our brand ambassadors to know what it is like to live the brand. To be part of the people that work on the brand 24/7. That is why we requested Market Maters, a PR Consultancy, to train our brand ambassadors,” said Sishi.
The Brand Ambassadors were trained on what a brand is, and on what it is not. One of the representatives from Market Masters, gave a definition of a ‘brand’, and demonstrated how a brand works, and the new Brand Ambassadors could use that knowledge to enhance the MUT brand. The Brand Ambassadors were also trained on how to use social media to enhance their brand, and that of the University’s.
Another representative from Market Masters impressed upon the trainees the importance of the quality of everything that has to do with a brand, either personal branding or organization branding. “Don’t be a follower. Be a leader. You need to ensure that every content you put out is quality. Also, remember to research the community of followers you are looking for. Do not be afraid to network. Know how to start a conversation that will go viral. Be able to generate good content from topics that are trending. Generate what will blow your followers away,” said the representative. The representatives also told the trainees that it was important to build a community of followers that was in line with brand values. The MUT brand is about accountability, excellence, integrity, and respect.
The Brand Ambassadors’ first step is to study the MUT social media Policy, which will guide them when they post any information on social media about the University.
The excited students said they learnt a lot from the training. Andile Mazibuko, a Marketing third-year student from KwaMsane, Mtubatuba, northern KwaZulu-Natal, said emphasised the importance of establishing one’s voice in the sea of noises in social media. She promised “to go above and beyond to give the MUT community my creativity, intelligence and my voice”. She said she felt “honoured” to be one of the MUT Student Brand Ambassadors.