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I was not at the conference at which ¡°expert¡± Tom Green made his remarks about university marketing, so perhaps I missed the insights from which his recommendations were derived (¡°Message received: just keep it simple¡±, News, 4 April). But it seems to me that his remarks smack of a naive understanding of both the essence of the sector¡¯s offering (universities as beacons of reflection, ambiguity, diverse voices and spaces for transformation) and the role of ¡°responsible¡± marketing communications (to be authentic, useful and ¡°beyond mere promotion¡±).

If his list of rather frivolous suggestions were enacted (by, say, using fewer words and more attractive pictures in marketing material), not only would we be doing a disservice to future students - by infantilising them - we would also be going against a fundamental principle of marketing: differentiation.

If university heads of marketing really think that pithy, upbeat words are the way to boost morale or achieve sustainable, responsible recruitment, I suggest that they read some of the excellent published research on how ÖйúAƬ is marketed.

Richard Scullion
Senior lecturer
Emerging Consumer Cultures Group
Bournemouth Media School