More than 40 years ago, ESCP Europe, which was established in Paris in 1819, decided to branch out into other European countries and thereby lay the ground for being the first European cross-border multi-campus business school. Today, ESCP Europe has campuses in Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid, and Torino plus an additional 100 partnerships all over the world. A multi-campus structure offers the unique opportunity for students to experience different cultural contexts within the same institution on a large scale and in a coordinated manner via integrated curricula and cross-campus seminars. Obviously, such a concept also bears its challenges due to, for example, coordination costs and different national legal frameworks. To avoid such challenges, many schools decide to exclusively rely on partnerships with other institutions of higher business education in other countries. Again other business schools, such as INSEAD or ESSEC, choose to build campuses even further away on other continents. In contrast a European cross-border multi-campus business school has its particularities as Europe allows it to embrace maximum cultural diversity at minimal geographical distance. This presentation focuses on the implications of such a structure with respect to branding, communications, marketing and positioning. Furthermore, consequences for additional areas such as alumni relations, programme design, executive education, and scientific research are discussed. Equally, an outlook on future trends is given that might influence such a structure including the increasing globalisation of the business school landscape, the rising importance of MOOCs and the emergence of corporate universities. ----------- Presented at Euprio 2014 by Andreas Kaplan, Professor of Marketing and Director of Brand and Communications et ESCP Europe.

1. 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

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

3. Key facts and concept

4. 4
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

5. 5
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

6. 6
Defining European Management,
notion behind the concept
Cross-cultural management aims to understand how culture affects management
practice, to identify cross-cultural similarities
and differences in management practices
management is a
cross-cultural, societal
management approach
based on interdisciplinary principles
Societal management takes into
account society’s overall welfare in
addition to mere profitability
considerations
European
Interdisciplinarity creates s.th. new by
crossing boundaries and combining
the knowledge encompassed in
different domains
Kaplan, Andreas M. (2014) European management and European business schools:
Insights from the history of business schools, European Management Journal, 32(4), 529-534.
Andreas Kaplan

7. 7
Our latest viral marketing video
Andreas Kaplan

8. Branding and positioning

9. 9
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

10. 10
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

11. 11
Slogan needs to be credible:
European claim expected to be proven
Andreas Kaplan

12. 12
Branding and chosen positioning needs to
be respected / followed everywhere!
Andreas Kaplan

13. Coordinated decentralization

14. 14
Also governance and functioning of School
should follow its positioning
Complete centralization to be avoided
Respect for different cultures and local contexts makes complete centralization invalid as
governance approach, in particular for branding and communications
Coordinated decentralization to be prescribed
To allow for a certain degree of flexibility, mixture of centralization and decentralization,
i.e. coordinated decentralization
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

15. 15
Coordinated decentralisation:
The example of Facebook and Twitter
Until 2009 – Complete centralisation
• 1 ESCP Europe page
• 1 community manger
• English / French
• 1 ESCP Europe account
• 1 community manger
• English / French
2010-2012 – Uncoordinated decentralisation / revolt
• Local pages on campuses
• Individual programme efforts
• English / French / Spanish / Italian
• Local accounts on campuses
• Some programmes push tweets
• English / French / Spanish
Since 2013: Coordinated decentralisation
• 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

16. 16
Social media offer great potential to try
EU approach of decentralised agencies
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.
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:
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

18. 18
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

19. Challenges 1:
Focus on press relations
19
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?)
Balance Cross-campus synergies;
harmonized stories/ content
Local structures;
specific stories/ content
Andreas Kaplan

20. 20
Challenges 2:
Focus on Website
Questions
• 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?
Our solution
• Landing pages to target more
national issues
• I-frames for local agencies
Nice idea
• Virtual visits render campuses more
‘real’; during recruiting you usually
only experience one campus
Andreas Kaplan

21. 21
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

22. 22
Opportuntities:
Focus on MOOCs 1
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
To sell a concept where location
and differences in local contexts
additionally is of academic
importance might be highly
valued in the future
Andreas Kaplan

23. 23
Opportuntities:
Focus on MOOCs 2
To be an expert in a certain field will become more and more
important in the future of MOOCs
• 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
Andreas Kaplan

24. 24
A final video about ESCP Europe:
European Identity, Global Perspective
Andreas Kaplan