Campaign thinking was originally designed for commercial marketing, but it often misfires when applied to school marketing. In this episode, we dive into six key reasons why school marketing demands a different approach, from the importance of internal alignment and emotion driven storytelling to understanding long purchasing cycles and narrow target audiences. Brad and Scully explore how campaign thinking can dilute a school’s identity and confuse prospective parents.

Independent schools in Australia are navigating a rapidly evolving landscape, facing rising operational costs, shifting parent expectations, and growing competition. In this interview episode, Brad sits down with Mike Connor, Founder and President of Connor Associates, a leading expert in aligning school culture and strategy to drive enrolment. Together, they explore the critical role of interdependence within schools and why aligned, school-wide communication is essential to effectively convey a school’s mission to prospective parents.

Focus groups were designed to complement data, not replace it. Yet in many schools, focus groups are being misused as decision-making tools. In this episode, we unpack the history of focus groups, highlight common pitfalls like selection bias and moderator influence, and explore how these missteps can lead schools off course. We share examples of where it’s gone wrong and offer a practical checklist for running focus groups that deliver insight, not false certainty.

Parents are overwhelmed. Attention spans are shrinking. Yet schools keep sending newsletters and emails that are long, complex and unclear. At imageseven, we’ve seen communication cut-through deteriorate across the board. If they don’t adapt, schools risk becoming irrelevant to the very families they’re trying to engage. This episode, we explore a communication framework that helps Heads lead with clarity.

In this episode, Brad and Scully continue the theme from last week by speaking on all things rebrands. The pair delve deeper into what a school’s rebrand entails, from visual identity to brand personality and promise. They then go on to discuss the different categories of a rebrand to help school Heads establish whether it’s right for your school and how to approach such an endeavour while ensuring your school’s health remains the priority.

When enrolments are slipping, pressure is mounting and the Board starts asking tough questions, the temptation to undertake a rebrand can seem appealing. A well undertaken rebrand can transform your school for the better, but it’s not always necessary. This episode, we discuss why sometimes a rebrand can be a costly mistake for schools, how to know if a rebrand is right for your school and what alternatives school Heads can consider instead.

Your enrolment success is a result of all the work that’s gone into your marketing and your brand building efforts, but having full admissions and long waitlists should never mean halting your marketing efforts completely. This episode, we make the case for continuous marketing – which isn’t just about getting new students but reinforcing your school’s brand and building brand longevity.

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.

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.

In this milestone 200th episode, Brad and Scully reflect on the history of the School Marketing Journal Podcast, whilst hearing from a selection of previous guests and listeners. As they look back on the biggest shifts in school marketing across the years, they consolidate the lessons they’ve learned from a range of experts across numerous topics to ultimately help school Heads feel confident in making strategic marketing decisions.

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.

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.