241: What new school marketers learn the hard way – 4/5
SMC: School Marketing and Communications
Release Date: 04/02/2026
241: What new school marketers learn the hard way – 4/5
SMC: School Marketing and Communications
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Why school marketing works differently – What we see In episode four of Why school marketing works differently, Charlie is joined by imageseven Account Director Cassandra Kirkpatrick to discuss what marketers often underestimate when they enter the education sector. Drawing on her own experience, Cas explains why school marketing is rarely limited to campaigns or advertising, requiring marketers to wear many hats, translate complex educational language, and build support for marketing inside the school. Together, Charlie and Cas explore the...
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240: What school brands actually are – 3/5
SMC: School Marketing and Communications
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Why school marketing works differently – The Insight In episode three of ‘Why school marketing works differently’, Charlie reframes what a school brand actually is — and why clarity and consistency often matter more than creativity. For prospective parents, brand is not decoration. It’s a risk-reduction mechanism in an emotional, high-stakes decision. What builds confidence isn’t novelty, but familiarity, proof and alignment across every touchpoint. Charlie explores why school marketing behaves less like traditional B2C and more like...
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239: When schools get marketing wrong – 2/5
SMC: School Marketing and Communications
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Why school marketing works differently – The Reality In episode two of ‘Why school marketing works differently’, Charlie explores the reality of how school marketing can go off track when it borrows from the wrong playbook, especially a bottom-of-the-funnel mindset that overweights performance marketing and underinvests in brand-building. Charlie discusses what’s often misunderstood about marketing in schools: the long decision journey, the need to build confidence and trust, and the hidden cost of campaign-only thinking. When a...
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238: Why school marketing works differently - 1/5
SMC: School Marketing and Communications
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Why school marketing works differently – Orientation Welcome to the first topic in The Insight Series. In this orientation episode, Charlie sets the context for why school marketing often feels harder than it should — and why that tension isn’t accidental. School choice is a high-stakes, identity-driven decision shaped by long timelines, multiple influencers and emotional weight. Parents are often well advanced in their thinking before they enquire, reshaping how marketing must work. Charlie explores what this means for...
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237: Welcome to The Insight Series
SMC: School Marketing and Communications
Introducing The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan In the first episode of 2026, Charlie introduces a new format for SMC – The Insight Series. These short, focused mini chapters are designed to make big school marketing topics easier to tackle, with clearer priorities and practical next steps. Each topic follows a structured flow: Orientation sets the context, Reality names what gets in the way, Insights shares useful frameworks, What We See brings in what’s happening in schools, and Applied turns it into next steps for you. Got questions or feedback for Charlie...
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236: The solution to your video content needs
SMC: School Marketing and Communications
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, James Tindall and José Caceres In the final episode of SMC for 2025, Charlie is joined again by Senior Account Manager James Tindall and imageseven’s Director of Design — José Caceres — to discuss a new video content solution created to help schools produce consistent, high-quality content – imaginate. The team explores how imaginate supports schools by connecting overarching strategy with the demands of day-to-day content creation. In the Deep Dive, the team assess what makes a design feel truly balanced and ‘just...
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235: Stop chasing clicks: how brand building drives long-term school growth
SMC: School Marketing and Communications
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and James Tindall In this episode of SMC, Charlie and Rita are joined by Senior Account Manager James Tindall to chat about why it’s time for school marketers to stop chasing clicks and start building brands that last. In Making News, the team first discuss fresh data showing CMOs shifting their focus from performance marketing to brand awareness and what schools marketers can take from this. In the Deep Dive, they explore why authentic, experience-led content cuts through digital fatigue, and how live events can spark a...
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234: Dude, where did my search traffic go? — Why AI summaries are changing SEO
SMC: School Marketing and Communications
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Harrison Shearn 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...
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233: Putting your school brand purpose first and is anyone on Threads?
SMC: School Marketing and Communications
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Harrison Shearn In this episode of SMC, Charlie is again joined in the studio by Rita and Harrison. The team explores Meta’s latest addition of Threads as a placement option and whether schools should consider advertising on Threads. In the Deep Dive, the trio dissect comments from Carlsberg’s new CMO regarding their renewed commitment to brand purpose and the importance of clarity and value proposition, and discuss the similarities with school marketing and branding. Finally, in Rants and Raves, the team swoon...
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232: Have your prospective parents already decided before they engage?
SMC: School Marketing and Communications
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Andrew Sculthorpe and Harrison Shearn In this episode, Charlie is joined by imageseven Managing Partner Andrew ‘Scully’ Sculthorpe and Digital Marketing Specialist Harrison Shearn. The trio explore how AI-generated summaries are affecting website traffic and SEO, and how school marketers should adapt. In the Deep Dive, they explore key findings from the 6sense B2B Buyer Experience Report, highlighting strong parallels between the B2B buyer purchasing process and the prospective parent journey in education marketing. Finally,...
info_outlineThe Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Why school marketing works differently – What we see
In episode four of Why school marketing works differently, Charlie is joined by imageseven Account Director Cassandra Kirkpatrick to discuss what marketers often underestimate when they enter the education sector.
Drawing on her own experience, Cas explains why school marketing is rarely limited to campaigns or advertising, requiring marketers to wear many hats, translate complex educational language, and build support for marketing inside the school.
Together, Charlie and Cas explore the assumptions marketers bring with them, the challenge of long enrolment cycles, and why listening to stakeholders is often the key to understanding what makes a school genuinely distinctive.
Episode Links:
- The B2B Buyer Experience Report – 6sense
- School Choice: A Research Report - Independent Schools Australia
- Parents often lack metacognitive insight into what drives school choice decisions. - PLOS ONE
- The B2B Buying Journey: Key Stages and How to Optimize Them – Gartner
Got more questions for Charlie and the team? You can ask them via the following:
- Email: smc@imageseven.com.au
Have you heard about imaginate? The bespoke video solution for schools. If you’re ready to take your school’s video to the next level, head to imageseven.com.au/imaginate