Brands are not only applicable to products and services, but can also include people (Kotler and Kotler 2012; Rein et al. 2006). According to McNally and Speak (2002 p. 29) “everybody has a brand”, including professors (Jillapalli and Jillapalli 2014). With an increased competitive educational environment (Casidy 2014; Tanrikulu and Gelibolu 2015), creating a strong brand identity for Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) includes the use of professors, instructors and teachers (as educators) to attract students and funding. Due to limited research into professor brand identity, the purpose of this research is to investigate the nature and development of a professor brand within a business school, specifically the creation of a brand by professors.

In the study, use was made of personal branding theory (Montoya and Vandehey 2002; Peters 1997) where the professor is regarded as the CEO of “Brand You” (Gad 2002). Additionally, theory from Corporate branding (Abratt and Kleyn 2012) which identifies two major components of corporate identity namely strategic choices and corporate expression was incorporated. In applying this to a professor brand, the strategic choices include course management (e.g. planning, goals) and the representation was expanded to include language, tone and style of personal presentation (dress) (Rein et al. 2006).

This exploratory study uses semi-structured interviews among educators to achieve the purpose of the research, using a convenience sample of professors in a Swedish HEI. An interview guide was developed associated with the theoretical concepts. Interviews were recorded and transcribed prior to content analysis in order to ensure trustworthiness of the data.

Professors identified various roles and target audiences, and that brand development took place in different ways was dependent on the role undertaken. The initial findings suggest mixed responses to the identification of a professor brand. Themes identified include the Performance (of the professor in the student experience), Flexibility or responsiveness to student needs and Respect towards the students. The potential “dark side” of the strong brand was also noted.

Theoretically, the findings will enable the development of an integrated model of professor brand identity, including both antecedents and outcomes. Practically, this research suggests strategies for the development of professor brands as positive professor brand equity can impact the students’ retention, engagement and word-of-mouth, creating a positive effect for the HEI’s brand equity.