CAMPUS SNEAK AFRICA: VEGA School of Brand Leadership hosts Campus Sneak Africa

THE VEGA STORY

Vega is the name of the brightest star in the celestial constellation of Lyra. Due to its intense luminescence and the crucial role it plays in maritime navigation, Vega has been described by astrophysicist Austin F. Gulliver as “the next most important star in the sky after the Sun”.

Founded in 1999 by a breakaway group of pioneers, mavericks and innovators, Vega The School of Brand Leadership was born in response to the urgent need to shift the paradigm of conventional marketing communications.

The traditional approaches to brand-building, marketing and advertising had been exhausted and were rapidly reaching their sell-by date. A new school of thought was called for and Vega answered that call.

The belief that the brand is born to lead is the cornerstone of the Vega philosophy. In the words of Vega founder Gordon Cook, “a brand delivers particular and unique meaning in order to add value and connect with people.”

In other words, a brand is not merely the name of a product but the manifestation of an identity and, more importantly,

a purpose: think of brands such as Apple, Greenpeace and Google and you quickly realise that brands are far

more than letters and logos but powerful cultural forces shaping the world as we know it.

THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Of fundamental importance at Vega is the commitment to making students “industry ready” when they graduate.

In other words, by the time you leave Vega

you are ready to slot seamlessly into your chosen profession as opposed to having to brace for the shock of “the real world”

once your studies are over.

The emphasis at Vega is upon a synthesis of the theoretical and practical which mirrors closely the reality of the industry that you will be entering.

The idea is that you hit the ground running and dive directly into your career

without having to make any radical readjustments as the abstractions of theory make way for the hard facts of reality.

Through an intensive combination of working on live briefs; receiving hands-on navigation by industry veterans;

relentlessly honing your craft; undergoing industry internships and experiencing the legendary Vega Brand Challenge,

by the time you leave the Vega fold you will be as much a seasoned pro as a newly-minted graduate.

THE TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

The core pedagogic principle embraced by Vega is reflected in our very name.

Since Vega is the navigational star, the concept of navigation is central to Vega’s unique teaching methodology.

Vega lecturers are navigators: we are driven by the ethos of pro-active, expert guidance rather than that of merely imparting information that is passively absorbed.

Central to the navigational process is the dialogue established between navigator and student.