smc podcast

Should you use emojis in your social media? Creating a strong tone of voice and lessons learned from Ferrari’s Formula 1 campaign [Podcast #228]

In this episode, Charlie is joined by imageseven Account Manager James Tindall to discuss all things school marketing. In Making News, the pair discuss what caught their attention from the recent release of InspirEd School Marketers’ annual MarCom Survey Report. In the Deep Dive, they discuss whether you should include emojis in your social media posts and how to create a strong tone of voice for your school. Finally, the team raves about Ferrari’s new Formula 1 ad campaign and what your school can learn from their use of heritage, history and storytelling.

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Digital Marketing update, is content still king and could you advertise without your school’s logo? [podcast #227]

In this episode, Charlie and Rita are once again joined by imageseven Digital Marketing Specialist Harrison Shearn, who updates on the latest changes in Meta, Google and AI and what it means for your school marketing. The team deep dives into the challenge of rising online advertising costs in 2025, as well as sharing how to capture audience attention while reducing dependency on expensive ad campaigns. Finally, inspired by some famous viral campaigns, the team is posed the question “Could schools ever drop their logo?”.  

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Font psychology and how to write a brief like Charli XCX [podcast #226]

In this episode of SMC, Charlie and Rita are joined by imageseven Senior Designer Imogen Smith. In the Making News section, the team discuss the future of TikTok as the world watches on to see what the American Government’s next move will mean for the app. Imogen takes us through a Deep Dive into the psychology behind fonts and how they make you feel. Finally, the team raves about the viral marketing phenomenon that is Charlie XCX’s brand BRAT, and how to create a marketing brief like Charlie XCX.

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Managing your digital reputation, an AI Granbot and that Jaguar ad [225]

In this episode of SMC, Charlie and Rita are joined by imageseven Account Manager James Tindall, to discuss the impact of reviews on consumers’ purchasing decisions. In an extended Rants and Raves, Jaguar’s controversial new rebrand is put under the microscope as the team share their thoughts. Finally, the team rave about ‘Daisy’, an AI ‘Granbot’ designed to combat scammers by mimicking the conversational style of a grandmother, wasting their time and resources.

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The UK’s most consistent brand and the latest AI developments [224]

In this episode of SMC, Charlie and Rita are joined by returning guest, imageseven Digital Specialist Harrison Shearn, to discuss the latest advancements in AI and LinkedIn’s new AI models. In the Deep Dive, we explore the surprising brand labelled as the UK’s most consistent, and explore how they have established their brand consistency over time. Finally, we share our thoughts on Instagram’s announcement of their changes to the privacy of teenage users’ accounts.

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Top five goals shared between Marketing and Enrolments [223]

In this episode of SMC, Charlie is joined by Rita and special guest, imageseven Advancement Specialist, Pauline Shuttleworth, to discuss how data-driven personalisation can co-exist with creativity. In the Deep Dive, we explore how to build a seamless relationship between marketing and enrolments and how they can work in tandem to achieve their shared goals. Finally, we share our thoughts on Tim Riches’ article Does brand build culture, or is it the other way around? 

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What is a Design System and do I need one? [podcast #221]

In this episode of SMC, Charlie is joined by imageseven Account Manager James Tindall and Senior Designer Chris Leopardi. In the Making News segment, the trio discuss where out-of-home media fits into your paid advertising mix and how to leverage its strengths to increase your return on investment. In the Deep Dive, Chris takes us through Design Systems, including how they differ from a Style Guide, and the team explore how to work out if a Design System is right for your school. Finally, the team Rave about AAMI’s new campaign involving the Olympics.

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How to choose your digital marketing supplier [podcast #220]

In this episode of SMC, Charlie and Rita are joined by Digital Specialist Harrison Shearn, to discuss Meta AI’s announcement that they will be using historical data and images posted by users to train its model, and what this means for schools and school marketers. In the Deep Dive, the team discuss how to interpret digital marketing campaign reports, and setting expectations from your digital marketing agency. Our Question of the Month poses the question: Should I be using ChatGPT for social media? Finally, the team Rave about Telstra’s new stop motion ads starring Aussie wildlife.

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Perfecting page plans and a sour apple ad [podcast #219]

In the episode of SMC, Charlie, Rita and Vanessa go square-eyed discussing screen time trends and what it means for school marketers when considering their paid media activity. In the Deep Dive, Vanessa shares her knowledge on how to create perfect page plans and shares a free resource to help school marketers nail their next publication. Finally, in the Rants and Raves, the group discuss the latest apple ad that leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

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