Sometimes we need to step back from our day-to-day work to start a macro-level inquiry into what unites our marketing and communications—and what makes it all matter.
Brand strategy isn’t just for corporations—it’s essential for schools, too. It clarifies how you communicate, who you’re communicating with, and what truly sets you apart. But how do you know if your school needs one? Here are five signs that your brand might need some strategic attention.
1) You’re Talking to Everyone and Reaching No One
If you’re trying to get everyone’s attention, chances are you’re getting no one’s. A Brand Strategy helps you focus on bringing the audiences that matter most closer and understanding how to engage them effectively. It’s about identifying what attracts your true community, how they perceive you, and how they prefer to connect.
Here’s an example I often share in workshops (apologies if you’ve heard this one before!): Imagine a room full of middle-aged North American men. It’s a noisy room—some are reading, others are running on treadmills, playing Nintendo, working on laptops, playing instruments, and learning new languages. Now, if you approach and yell, “Hey!” at the top of your lungs, it’s unlikely anyone will pay attention. But if you yell, “Hey, Matt!” you’ll grab the attention of a noticeable percentage of the room. Why? Because you’re speaking directly to them. A decent percentage of North American men of that age are named Matt, and are likely to look your way.
For your school, the goal is to find your ‘Matts in the room.’ A strong Brand Strategy ensures you’re not shouting into the void but speaking directly to the people who matter most—and making it easier for them to hear and engage with you.
2) Your Marketing Feels Clogged
Does it seem like your marketing team is working tirelessly, but the results don’t translate into increased enrollments or clear engagement? A brand strategy can help clarify the role and goals of marketing, providing a much-needed reset or realignment.
Sometimes, disagreements within or between administrators, communicators and faculty about messaging can create confusion. If you notice stakeholders have varying interpretations of what your school stands for, Its a clue you need alignment.
Other times, marketing teams are so busy handling crises and last-minute requests that they don’t have the bandwidth to focus on the big picture, define their goals, or establish their role within the school.
A strong Brand Strategy starts with examining your audience—how they perceive your school and how you can attract others who would see you the same way. It’s the first step toward clarity, alignment, and clearing the bottlenecks in your marketing efforts.
*Retro-style school logo created with help from Adobe Firefly AI.
Can you teach an old logo new tricks? Sometimes—but often, legacy logos struggle to meet modern needs. Refining or systemizing your visuals might be the right move, but it’s crucial to start with a solid Brand Strategy. New visuals are an investment, and without a well-thought-out strategy, you risk alienating your audience or losing the hard-earned brand recognition your original logo created.
The 1996 ISM logo doesn’t translate well as an app button. While there are ways to work around this, a solid Brand Strategy can serve as an effective guide for tackling these types of challenges.
3) Your Visuals Don’t Match
Your logo isn’t your brand (read more about that here), but it should reflect and symbolize it. School logos are often more timeless than in other industries, with plenty of shields, books, globes, and wheat symbols. When used effectively, these are not mere clichés—they’re visual staples that carry stability and recognition. But the logo designed 30 years ago to establish legitimacy may no longer reflect your school’s current energy, culture, or innovation. Or worse, it might not reproduce well across modern platforms.
That doesn’t mean replacing an old logo with strong recognition is always the answer. A brand strategy should come first, guiding whether your logo needs a replacement or just a touch up and ensuring any type of update to aligns with your school’s true brand identity.
Another common issue is schools having too many logos that don’t work together. Often, every department, program, and club has its own distinct logo, creating visual inconsistency. While schools often need a cohesive logo system rather than relying on a single visual indicator, all these logos must still visually ‘rhyme’ with one another. Starting with a Brand Strategy ensures these visual elements align cohesively and connect meaningfully with your ‘Matts in the room.’
4) You’re Speaking in ‘Alphabet,’ Not Words
Acronyms are everywhere in schools, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing—until they leave your audience in the dark. When you start a sentence with, “For our PYP HTWW unit this spring, we will…,” your colleagues probably understand. But do the ‘Matts in your room?’
A Brand Strategy helps you understand the needs and motivators of your key audiences, showing you how to communicate in ways that reflect why they’ve already connected with your school. Jargon and acronyms that feel second nature to you might confuse parents—especially in international schools, where many families may speak your language as a second (or even third) language. Clear, jargon-free communication ensures everyone feels included and truly connected
Often, a reliance on jargon is a symptom of a deeper issue: a lack of empathy in communication. Empathy is the top skill in effective marketing, and I’ll likely write more on this topic soon. But here’s a key takeaway: Does your marketing focus more on programs and facilities than the unique student experiences or values your school offers? The difference is subtle but critical. Instead of simply showcasing what your school has, your branding should demonstrate how these resources improve students’ and parents’ lives, meeting their needs and aspirations. It’s not about boasting—it’s about demonstrating how your school give them community and effective learning.
5) You See Inconsistencies
Most of us understand the importance of keeping our visuals consistent—our school’s blue should always be the same shade, our logo must follow specific guidelines, and so on. But why is this consistency so important? Effective branding isn’t just about uniformity; it’s about intentionality. A Brand Strategy doesn’t simply say, “Use this blue.” It explains, “We use this blue because it represents [insert meaning here], so it’s vital that it remains consistent.”
Before we can achieve consistency, we need clarity about what we’re being consistent about—and why. It’s more than just following a set of rules; it’s about ensuring every decision aligns with a larger purpose.
This goes beyond marketing and communication. A strong Brand Strategy creates alignment across the entire school, shaping how you communicate, operate, and represent your core values. Consistency in visuals, written voice, decision-making, and key priorities ensures that everything your school does reflects its true identity and purpose.
6) You’re Facing a Brand Crisis
This is the big one. If you’ve noticed a significant gap between how your school is perceived externally and what you aim to represent—or if new families seem surprised by your school’s key values after enrollment—your brand needs immediate attention.
Perceptions are hard to change, and the process takes time. But if you want to close the gap, you need to define the perceptions you want and create a clear strategy to get there. A Brand Strategy helps identify the root causes of confusion and lays out a roadmap for change. It won’t happen overnight, but establishing a solid foundation is the essential first step.
