Deepfakes are where Artificial Intelligence is used to create or alter video and audio recordings with remarkable realism. In this episode, Brad and Scully discuss the rise of deepfakes and how, for schools, the advent of deepfake technology brings a host of communication, reputation and safety concerns with a range of opportunities for misuse. We present a multifaceted approach for schools to mitigate the risks associated with deepfakes, including key actions for school Heads to prepare for deepfake challenges.

This episode, Brad is joined by Maria Kadison, President and CEO of EdwardsCo, a branding, marketing, strategy and design agency for independent schools across the United States. In the first episode of a special four-part series, they discuss how school marketers can deeply understand their school’s mission and how to turn that into the school’s brand. They explore how creating a meaningful brand creates trust for the community and prospective parents and eventually leads to school growth.

Looking into the future, Brad and Scully discuss the ‘Martec Revolution’ and the implications and challenges that schools will face adapting to rapid technological changes. They provide an action plan for school Heads to implement to ensure their schools are embracing change, aligning technology with their overall strategies and adapting to the dynamic marketing environment. To conclude, they discuss the role of the school Head in all of this and how to balance expectations and practices within your team.

This episode we talk to multi-award-winning speaker, change strategist and bestselling author of ten books, Michael McQueen. Michael discusses how to master the art of changing people’s minds and persuading stubborn people, and how to apply this in the context of a school Head. We investigate a number of education industry examples, including how faith-based schools can effectively target a wider audience, strategies Michael finds particularly effective for schools, and the common mistakes people make when trying to persuade others.

This episode we talk to Anthony McCausland from Feesable, who has been analysing nearly 31,000 fee estimates from July 2022 to June 2023. Anthony shares his insights on all things school fees, from how schools are fine-tuning levies and early payment discounts to meet their financial objectives, to what strategies schools can use to ensure they are meeting market demand, and importantly, how school Heads can communicate fee changes effectively to maintain trust and retention.

As Heads start to think strategically about their 2024 marketing and communication plans, we take this opportunity to share what we see as some of the key pitfalls and challenges likely to affect school Heads in the next 12 months. We have an in depth discussion on how a lack of differentiation, ineffective communication, neglect of storytelling and oversight across the digital landscape are some of the major challenges facing your School in 2024.