School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe In this practical follow-up to episode 213, Brad and Scully take Heads from mindset to action as they reveal how to build a true ‘lighthouse’ strategy for your school. They dismantle common strategic myths, discuss how to uncover the unique value your school delivers and introduce a three-layer strategic hierarchy. Then, they share five daily habits all designed to help your school shine consistently. Get in touch at smj@imagesev...
Jun 26, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 215
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe In this special interview episode, Brad sits down with Dr Brian Harris, veteran Christian educator and former Principal of Vose Seminary, now leading the Avenir Leadership Institute. They discuss the unique tension Christian schools face between upholding their faith-based mission and meeting enrolment goals. Dr Harris explores why many families choose religious schools for non-faith reasons, the risks of misaligned expectations ...
Jun 20, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 214
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe In this episode, Brad and Scully introduce a metaphor that challenges the way school leaders approach problems. Many Heads of school rely on ‘lifeboat thinking’, a reactive, short-term approach focused on immediate fixes. While this approach may feel effective, it often leads to misalignment in message internally and amongst parents. Instead, the duo discuss how Heads can become lighthouses by guiding their marketing and communic...
Jun 12, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 213
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe Brad is joined by John Black, Founder and Executive Chairman of Education Geographics, to discuss the evolving enrolment demographic of Australia and how schools can proactively respond. John outlines the critical trend changes impacting enrolments, including slowing population growth, evolving migration patterns and family dynamics. Together, they explore how schools can use data to align their messaging, values and strategy wit...
Jun 05, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 212
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe In this episode, we continue our deep dive into why campaign thinking falls short in school marketing and how Bold School Brand thinking offers a more effective path forward. Brad and Scully explore why personal connection, long-term positioning and internal alignment matter more than short-term campaigns. Discover how the Bold School Brand approach helps schools build clarity, trust and consistency across every parent touchpoint...
May 29, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 211
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe Enrolment begins inside your school. In this special interview episode, Brad sits down with Mike Connor, Founder and President of Connor Associates, to explore why alignment is a leadership responsibility. Mike unpacks how internal culture shapes external perception, and why every teacher plays a critical role in marketing. Together, they dive into how teacher interactions influence parent decisions, how Heads can lead by modelli...
May 22, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 210
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 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 i...
May 15, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 209
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 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 ali...
May 08, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 208
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 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 ...
May 01, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 207
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 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. Get in touch at smj@ima...
Apr 10, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 206
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 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 th...
Apr 03, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 205
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 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 consi...
Mar 27, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 204
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 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. Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au...
Mar 20, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 203
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 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. Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au...
Mar 13, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 202
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 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. Visit School Choice Counts at: schoolchoicecounts.isa.edu.au Get in touch at smj@imagese...
Mar 06, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 201
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 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 decisio...
Feb 27, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 200
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 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. Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au...
Feb 20, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 199
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 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 st...
Feb 13, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 198
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 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. Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au...
Feb 06, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 197
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe 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 you...
Dec 05, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 196
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe In this special interview episode, we are joined by Peter Baron , who served as the Chief Member Relations Officer for the US Enrollment Management Association, directing their marketing and communications, member recruitment and retention, leadership training programs, and research. He introduces us to his new business, MoonshotOS , which is designed to help education leaders to reimagine the independent school business model. W...
Nov 28, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 195
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe Managing enrolments is about more than just filling seats. It’s about building a secure and sustainable future for your school, and that takes an approach that goes beyond surface level fixes. Introducing imageseven’s newest offering: the Enrolments Practice. In this episode, we are joined by imageseven’s Belinda McCubbin and Pauline Shuttleworth, to take you through the rationale behind the Enrolments Practice, why now is the ri...
Nov 21, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 194
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe In this episode, we discuss the importance of delivering on your brand promise. Prompted by a case study of a school in America, we explore how moving away from your brand promise as a school, risks losing its distinctiveness in this increasingly competitive market. We also share some tips to help you get on the front foot to ensure that what you are communicating as your promise, matches your school's offering. Get in touch at s...
Nov 13, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 193
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe In this special interview, we dive into a case study of how one school has successfully differentiated itself from the competition. Clayton Johnston, Director of Admissions at Brentwood College in British Columbia, Canada, shares the College’s journey of developing 11 differentiators which align with the College’s values, enabling Brentwood to clearly define who they are and what they stand for. You can find out more in Clayton's...
Nov 08, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 192
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe A brand video is more than just a promotional piece – it's a powerful tool to tell your school's story, showcase its values and connect with the community. In this episode, we dive into the importance of brand videos for schools and introduce award-winning producer and director Gavin Carroll to unveil our exciting new video service offering, imaginate for Education . We discuss how brand videos can communicate a school's identity...
Oct 31, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 191
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe Heads of independent schools confront a conundrum: how do you introduce change and innovation while preserving the traditional values that resonate with their community? How can you strike a perfect communications balance between progress and maintaining a reassuring sense of stability? In this episode, we discuss the MAYA (Most Advanced Yet Acceptable) principle and how it applies to school communications, offering a framework t...
Oct 24, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 190
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe School communication and marketing is changing, and whether you like it or not, this means your school marketing will need to change. However, the most significant barrier to your school’s adaptation to this new landscape is not the customers nor the technology, it’s managing the change required. This episode, we discuss how we believe you can lead your school through change effectively, and share some common reasons why school m...
Oct 17, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 189
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe To do great school communication and marketing, some of the most impactful levers you can pull don’t depend on the size of your budget. This episode, we discuss six things you can do that won’t put any strain on your school financially. But we warn you, it’s not going to be easy. Through our experience of working with hundreds of school Heads, we know these ideas can be difficult to action ... but not impossible. Get in touch at ...
Sep 26, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 188
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe There is a problem that is deeply ingrained into the structural fabric of Australia’s independent school sector. Schools need high-level marketing support, but only a few of the largest schools can access this type of talent. A concept borrowed from the commercial world might be the answer. This episode, we discuss the role of the 'Fractional' Director of Marketing, how they operate and why this role might be right for your schoo...
Sep 19, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 187
School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe For generations, we've been told that logic dictates our decision making. However, a growing body of research suggests that it's our emotions that drive our decisions, especially when it comes to complex purchase decisions. This episode, we discuss how you can lead your communication and marketing team to limit the logical and elevate the emotional in your quest for increased enrolment enquiries. Get in touch at smj@imageseven.co...
Sep 12, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 186
