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202: The power of flaws: Turning brand weaknesses into assets

Every school wants to be seen as the perfect choice for families, but perfection is impossible. This episode, Brad and Scully discuss how every school’s brand will falter at some point, but that doesn’t have to mean instant failure. There’s a lesson in every misstep that can help your school become more trustworthy, authentic and turn your brand’s weaknesses into your greatest strength.

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201: School Choice Counts – interview with Graham Catt

In this special interview episode, Brad is joined by Graham Catt, CEO of Independent Schools Australia, to discuss the School Choice Counts campaign which was launched ahead of the federal election. Together they discuss why it matters, how you can support the campaign and, most importantly, how the campaign can support your school community.

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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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199: Why Heads must own marketing

In this episode, Brad and Scully discuss why school Heads must take ownership of their school marketing. They investigate the three main roles of marketing in schools, highlight where leadership is essential and examine the leadership mindset required to balance strategy and promotion with the goal of helping Heads recognise their influence and maximise their marketing impact.

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198: How AI can help school Heads with strategy – interview with Graham Kenny

In this special interview episode, Brad is joined by Graham Kenny, an expert in strategy and performance measurement, who has helped leaders across business, government and education navigate complex challenges, as well as being Australia’s only regular author to the Harvard Business Review. This episode, Graham reveals some lessons he has learnt about strategy and discusses his research into how AI can help school Heads with strategy going forward.

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197: Don’t be the best. Be their favourite.

Choosing a school is an emotional decision for families. Whether it’s about finding the right academic fit, culture or values, each family has unique criteria. Your school competes with dozens of other schools, all vying for a place on prospective families’ shortlists. To truly stand out and secure your spot, you don’t need to be the biggest or the best. You just need to be their favourite.

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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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196: How communication drives thriving school communities – Interview with Ashley Fell

In this special interview episode, we are joined by Ashley Fell, the Director of Advisory at McCrindle, to discuss the tool they have developed, the Thriving Schools Index. This tool delves into understanding the school experience from a range of stakeholder perspectives, to give a score across a number of areas. She also shares how school Heads can use communication as a tool to move the needle on these indicators, to ensure your school is perceived as positively as possible.

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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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