Building a Positive School Image: Brand Image Strategy in the Competition of Private Educational Institutions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21580/jawda.v7i1.2026.29004Keywords:
School Image; School Competitiveness; Student Loyalty; Educational ManagementAbstract
The increasingly competitive landscape of educational institutions requires adaptive brand management strategies to build reputation and competitiveness. This study aims to analyze brand management strategies at Lajnah Pendidikan dan Pengajaran (LPP) Al-Irsyad Al-Islamiyyah Purwokerto using the theoretical framework of Kevin Lane Keller and M. G. Swaminathan, focusing on the dimensions of favorability, strength, and uniqueness. This study employs a descriptive qualitative method through observation, interviews, and documentation studies. The findings reveal that in the favorability dimension, a positive image is built through consistent service quality, teacher professionalism, and staff loyalty, which foster parental trust. The strength dimension is reflected in high market demand, with a student selection ratio of 3:1, and strong alumni networks. Meanwhile, the uniqueness dimension is represented through a glocal curriculum (integration of the International Baccalaureate and Islamic values) and the global Muadalah network. This strategy has proven effective in creating sustainable competitive advantages and enhancing institutional reputation at both national and international levels. This study suggests that other educational institutions adopt the integration of local values and global standards as a strong brand differentiation.
Downloads
References
Amin, Al. “Pendidikan Islam Sebagai Peearisan Nilai-Nilai Dan Budaya” 10, no. 2 (2018): 1–12.
Arianto, Bambang. Triangulasi Metoda Penelitian Kualitatif. Borneo Novelty Publishing. Vol. 10.70310/q, 2024. https://doi.org/10.70310/q81zdh33.
Arianto, Erwin, M Rikza, and Saekan Muchith. “Implementation of Marketing Management Education in Developing the Image of Madrasah.” Jawda: Journal of Islamic Education Management 6, no. 2 (2025): 6.
Bonfanti, Angelo and Federico Brunetti. “Customer Education, Evaluation Skills, and Perceived Value: A Theoretical Framework.” In Verona International Conference, 27–42. Liverpool, 2014.
Chen, Lihong, Habiba Halepoto, Chunhong Liu, Naveeta Kumari, Xinfeng Yan, Qinying Du, and Hafeezullah Memon. “Relationship Analysis among Apparel Brand Image, Self-Congruity, and Consumers’ Purchase Intention.” Sustainability (Switzerland) 13, no. 22 (2021): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212770.
David A. Aaker. Building a Strong Brand. New York: Free Press, 1996.
Frenredy, Wilson, and Purnama Dharmawan. “Dimensi Brand Image Untuk Memprediksi Brand Love Dan Brand Loyaty.” Jurnal Manajerial Dan Kewirausahaan 2, no. 4 (2020): 1005. https://doi.org/10.24912/jmk.v2i4.9884.
Harisatunisa. “Brand Image Implication in Marketing Islamic Educational Institutions on Student Recruitment Implikasi Citra Merek Dalam Pemasaran Lembaga Pendidikan Islam Terhadap Hasil Rekrutmen Peserta Didik.” INSANIA : Jurnal Pemikiran Alternatif Kependidikan 26, no. 1 (2021): 21–37.
Ianenko, Marina, Mikhail Stepanov, and Liubov Mironova. “Brand Identity Development.” E3S Web of Conferences 164 (2020): 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202016409015.
Ibnu Sholeh, Muh. “Menghadapi Persaingan Sengit Lembaga Pendidikan: Strategi Diferensiasi Dalam Pemasaran Lembaga Pendidikan Islam Di Indonesia.” Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam 1, no. 3 (2020): 192–222.
Keller, Kevin Lane. “Building Customer-Based Brand Equity.” Marketing Management 10, no. 2 (2001): 14–19.
———. “Keller, Strategic Brand Management, 4th Edition | Pearson.” United States: Pearson Education, 2013.
Megaria Damanik, Beby Karina Fawzeea Sembiring, Endang Sulistya Rini, and Arif Qaedi Hutagalung. “Pengaruh Brand Image, Expertiential Marketing, Dan Product Quality Terhadap Customer Loyalty Merek Tropicana Slim Pada Premium Community.” Maeswara : Jurnal Riset Ilmu Manajemen Dan Kewirausahaan 1, no. 6 (2023): 138–53. https://doi.org/10.61132/maeswara.v1i6.386.
Miles;, Matthew B., A. Michael Huberman;, and Johnny Saldana. Qualitative Data Analysis. London: Sage Publications, 2020.
Mitra, Satanik, and M Jenamani. “OBIM: A Computational Model to Estimate Brand Image from Online Consumer Review.” Journal of Business Research 114 (2020): 213.
Park, Cheol Whee, Deborah J. Macinnis, and J. Jaworski Bernard. “Strategic Brand Concept-Image Management.” Journal of Marketing 40, no. 4 (1986): 135.
Priyanti, Indah, and Sumitro. “Pengaruh Kualitas Pelayanan Dan Citra Sekolah Terhadap Loyalitas Orang Tua Siswa Yang Dimediasi Variabel Kepuasan (Studi Kasus Tambun Bekasi).” Jurnal Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi Indonesia, 2020, 1–25.
Robert K. Yin. Qualitative Research from Start to Finish. London: The Guilford Press, 2016.
Salimah, Salimah, and Ruski Ruski. “The Influence of Quality of Service and Cost on Parents’ Decisions to Choose Islamic Boarding Schools.” Edunesia : Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan 5, no. 3 (2024): 1414–29. https://doi.org/10.51276/edu.v5i3.954.
Soegoto, Eddy Soeryanto, Nurul Amelia, Nada Archy Dhafina, and Wellga Berlianti. “Utilization of Word-of-Mouth Marketing Strategy in Culinary Business.” International Journal of Research and Applied Technology 1, no. 2 (2021): 439–47. https://doi.org/10.34010/injuratech.v1i2.6779.
Tohidi, Hamid, and Mohammad Mehdi Jabbari. “Education and Its Customers.” In Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 31:433–35, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.12.080.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 2003.
Zaenal, Mughni, Harisatunisa, and Meirina Khusnul Azizah. “TADBIR : Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam TADBIR : Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam” 13, no. 01 (2025): 221–43.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Meirina Khusnul Azizah, Harisatunisa, Mughni Zaenal Mukhtar

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).






