We talk a lot about storytelling in school marketing – and rightly so. But not all stories are created equal. In fact, many aren’t stories at all. True storytelling isn’t about what’s said – it’s about what’s experienced, felt and remembered.
Even the strongest school brands can lose clarity through slow and silent erosion. Brad and Scully explore the hidden danger of message drift: how small, well-intentioned changes can blur your voice and weaken your impact. They discuss why drift is a leadership issue, how to spot it before it spreads, and share a five-step guide to re-anchor your school’s story so it stays clear, consistent and trusted.
Families care less about job titles and more about how your school makes them feel at every step … they care about the experience. When marketing and enrolments aren’t aligned, the story they hear and the experience they live don’t match. That mismatch can cost you the enrolment.
Brad is joined by US education marketing strategist and Founder of Caylor Solutions, Bart Caylor, to explore how rapid AI advances are reshaping school communication and leadership. With tools like OpenAI’s Sora 2 creating lifelike videos in seconds, the discussion dives into what this means for authenticity, brand risk and crisis readiness. Brad and Bart explore the dangers of ‘work slop’, how AI-generated noise dilutes brand trust, and explain why Heads must become AI-literate, lead with human purpose and set guardrails to protect their school’s brand in a synthetic world.
School Heads should focus on leading strategy rather than constantly reacting to problems. By shifting from ‘lifeboat’ firefighting to ‘lighthouse’ leadership, they create clarity, empower teams, and build a sustainable culture of trust and strategic alignment.
In this episode, Brad and Scully explain why consistency is the foundation of every strong school brand, and why it’s so difficult to achieve. They explain how inconsistency erodes trust, why chasing the ‘new and different’ isn’t always better, and how brand confusion impacts both parents and staff outlook and communication. To help school Heads lead with clarity, the duo introduces a practical seven-step framework for building strategic, visual and verbal consistency across every touchpoint.
In this episode, Charlie is joined by Rita and Digital Marketing Specialist, Harrison, to explore some eye-opening stats from the marketing world. From job-switching in the industry, to the surprisingly low awareness of brand purpose, and even why ads perform better when the weather changes. In the Deep Dive, the trio discuss imageseven’s latest analysis of school website traffic and how AI is reshaping SEO for schools of all sizes. And, in Rants and Raves, the team rave about Wesley College’s Centenary Project and its creative community engagement.
In the rush to do more with less, Heads are being asked to embrace AI as a way to speed up everything from enrolment communications to curriculum content. But what if the real opportunity with AI isn’t acceleration — it’s deceleration? What if AI gives you the space to lead with deeper insight, better questions and more thoughtful strategy?
Someone once said a creative’s work is only as good as the number of uncomfortable conversations she is willing to have with her client. Positive results are dependent on the successful navigation of a variety of fraught topics – expectations, budgets, deadlines – and breaking them down takes guts. From both parties.
Hiring a marketing professional isn’t like hiring a teacher, it requires a different approach. Brad and Scully outline 10 key questions every Head should ask before making a decision. They explain why defining success first matters, how to spot true experience and why strong marketers acknowledge their limits. The duo also reveals how facing failure, the ability to explain and planning systematic approaches to tasks are signs of true expertise.
Your school’s brand will always have flaws, but these imperfections can be a strength if embraced and woven into your story. By acknowledging mistakes, humanising your brand, and showing progress over perfection, schools can build authentic connections with families.
In this interview episode, Brad is joined by Jill Goodman to explore how school Heads can turn conversations into powerful sources of insight on the school experience. Together they unpack how intentional, qualitative conversations reveal the ‘why’ behind parent and staff behaviour, why starting with open-ended and positive questions builds trust, and how repeating themes highlight patterns worth acting on. Jill also explains how leaders can capture insights from everyday chats, avoid bias and use external perspectives to see blind spots more clearly.
