Creating Campaigns that Resonate

Welcome to Issue 6: Creating Campaigns that Resonate

Hi there,

Have you ever seen a campaign so good it made you stop scrolling and think, Wow, I wish I’d come up with that? That’s exactly how I felt watching Dunkin’s Sabrina Carpenter campaign—proof that creativity and connection can drive results. This week, we’re diving into how to create campaigns that truly resonate, with inspiration, tips, and real-world success stories to spark your next big idea.

Let’s get started!

Shaking Up School Marketing: Lessons from Dunkin's Sabrina Carpenter Campaign

In marketing, brands that resonate most with their audience understand the power of collaboration, creativity, and cultural relevance. Dunkin's recent partnership with pop star Sabrina Carpenter to launch "Sabrina's Brown Sugar Shakin' Espresso" provides a masterclass in crafting a campaign that engages, delights, and drives results. While schools and districts might not have Grammy-nominated artists at their disposal, there's much to learn from this case study.

Let's explore how you can adapt Dunkin's strategy to create memorable marketing for your district and connect meaningfully with your community.

The Power of Partnerships

One of the standout elements of Dunkin's campaign is its strategic collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter, a celebrity whose song "Espresso" directly ties into the product being marketed. Partnerships can also amplify messaging for school districts. Think about teaming up with local figures, alums, or current students who have achieved notable success.

These partnerships lend credibility and relatability, ensuring that your audience feels a personal connection to your campaign.

Actionable Tip: Identify influential figures in your community—from business leaders to student achievers—and collaborate with them to promote district programs or events. For example, a local athlete could help inspire attendance at a sports-themed enrollment drive.

Making the Ordinary Extraordinary

Dunkin's campaign transforms a simple drink into a celebration, using the tagline "Shake That Ess" to inject levity and fun. This approach demonstrates the value of turning ordinary moments into extraordinary experiences. In a school setting, you can apply this by reimagining everyday activities—such as the first day of school, parent-teacher conferences, or annual open houses—as exciting events.

Actionable Tip: Add flair to routine school activities. For instance, host a "Red Carpet" back-to-school event with photo ops and live student performances to make families feel celebrated.

Relevance is Key

Dunkin's campaign capitalized on the cultural relevance of Sabrina Carpenter's song "Espresso." Schools can also benefit from tapping into current trends or cultural moments that resonate with students and families. Whether tying a campaign to a popular holiday, viral trend, or community milestone, aligning your messaging with what's already on your audience's mind creates instant engagement.

Actionable Tip: Conduct surveys or focus groups to understand what matters most to your school community. Use this insight to design campaigns that reflect their interests, such as celebrating local traditions or addressing timely topics like mental health awareness.

Storytelling Through Multimedia

A critical component of Dunkin's campaign is its reliance on dynamic storytelling, delivered through engaging video content and vibrant social media posts. Schools, too, can harness the power of multimedia to tell compelling stories about students, staff, and programs.

Actionable Tip: Use videos to showcase "A Day in the Life" of students or teachers, highlighting unique programs or events. Share these stories across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to reach diverse audiences.

Playful and Purposeful Branding

Dunkin''s branding strikes a perfect balance between playfulness and purpose. The campaign's tone aligns with the company's identity as a fun, approachable coffee chain while reinforcing its commitment to quality. Schools can adopt a similar approach by ensuring their messaging engages and reflects their core values.

Actionable Tip: Develop a brand personality for your district. Are you innovative, nurturing, or community-focused? Use this identity to craft authentic messaging that appeals to your audience.

Building Community Excitement

Finally, Dunkin' created a sense of urgency and exclusivity by marketing the drink as a limited-time offering. Schools can use similar strategies to generate excitement for upcoming events or new initiatives.

Actionable Tip: Create buzz around key moments—such as enrollment periods or new program launches—by positioning them as "limited-time opportunities." Offer early registration perks or countdowns to build anticipation.

The Takeaway

Dunkin's "Shake That Ess" campaign exemplifies the potential of blending creativity, cultural relevance, and strategic partnerships to capture attention. For school districts, the same principles apply: by collaborating with the right people, embracing fun, and staying aligned with your community's needs, you can craft marketing that inspires and engages.

Start small. Choose one event or initiative to reimagine using these tactics. Whether it's a playful rebranding of your parent-teacher conference or a multimedia campaign spotlighting student achievements, the key is to be bold, authentic, and purposeful. After all, the best marketing doesn't just inform—it creates an experience worth remembering.

Creative Goldmines: 5 Websites to Spark Your Next Big Idea

As marketers and creatives, we constantly search for fresh ideas and innovative approaches to elevate our campaigns. Inspiration can strike from the unlikeliest places, but having go-to resources can streamline the process and keep your creativity flowing. This week, I'm sharing five websites I frequently visit for campaign design and marketing inspiration.

Whether brainstorming a new project or refining a current one, these sites offer invaluable insights, trends, and tools to spark your next great idea.

HYPEBEAST

Founded in 2005, Hypebeast is a leading global platform for contemporary culture and lifestyle, and a premier destination for editorially-driven news and commerce.

ShopDropDaily

Shop Drop Daily is the go-to destination for the most exciting branded IRL concepts worldwide. They curate a daily drop of innovative and inspiring brand experiences showcasing the best the global retail industry offers. Uncovering the most captivating activations that transform shopping into an unforgettable experience, their platform is the number one resource for reference and inspiration.

HubSpot Marketing Blog

Insights, ideas, and inspiration for modern marketers. Great posts from a variety of marketing experts.

AdWeek.com

Adweek is the leading source of news and insight serving the brand marketing ecosystem. It is an unparalleled resource for leaders across multiple industries who rely on its content to help them do their jobs better. Subscription needed for some articles.

My LinkedIn News Feed

LinkedIn is no longer a "Job site." I follow key marketing, branding, and advertising industry leaders to gain insight into best practices. I open my feed every morning, read articles and case studies, and then examine how they would work in School Marketing.

Inspiration is everywhere—you need to know where to look. These websites have been game-changers for me, helping transform creative blocks into opportunities for bold, effective marketing. I encourage you to explore them, adapt what resonates, and make them part of your creative arsenal.

If you have a favorite source of inspiration, I'd love to hear about it. Let's keep the creative conversation going!

Success Stories: Reinventing Teacher Recruitment

Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD redefined teacher recruitment with an innovative marketing strategy tailored to attract millennial educators. Recognizing that millennials prioritize company culture, growth opportunities, and technological engagement, CFBISD developed a multi-faceted approach to meet these expectations.

Key initiatives included rebranding their LinkedIn presence to highlight district achievements, launching the "Teaching in Dallas" blog as a hub for new educators, and leveraging social media targeting. With millennial-friendly design and features like classroom tips, local activity guides, and professional development resources, "Teaching in Dallas" became a one-stop shop for potential hires. Additionally, targeted Facebook and Instagram ads and retargeting campaigns reached college education majors, increasing traffic to CFBISD's recruitment portal.

On the ground, CFBISD enhanced its college job fairs with eye-catching booths, meaningful interactions, including post-job fair mixers, and robust follow-up processes, including personalized communications and drip marketing campaigns. These efforts were complemented by the "Grow Your Own Teacher" program, which nurtured local talent and engaged new hire mixers to foster community among staff.

CFBISD's creative strategies demonstrate how understanding your audience and leveraging technology can build a recruitment pipeline and strengthen your district's brand. Their approach serves as a model for how public schools can compete in today's workforce market.

Weekly AI Recap - Big News in Artificial Intelligence

Each week, I plan to inform you of trending AI news to help you navigate this new technology for your school district. Here is this week’s news:

• Supercomputers: The New Superpower Status Symbol
  Data centers have become the modern status symbols of superpower nations, akin to the skyscraper battles of the past. OpenAI's 'Stargate' project, endorsed by President Donald Trump, plans to invest up to $500 billion over four years to build pioneering AI infrastructure, underscoring the strategic significance of artificial intelligence.

  Financial Times

• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Increases AI Spending Guidance
  Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a significant increase in capital expenditures for AI advancements, planning to invest $60 billion to $65 billion this year, up from the previously expected $38 billion to $40 billion. This move underscores Meta's commitment to AI development and the intensifying competition in the field.

  barrons.com

• AI Leaders Debate Safety Amid $500 Billion 'Stargate' Project

  At the World Economic Forum in Davos, AI leaders expressed differing views on the rapid advancements in AI technology and its potential dangers. Google DeepMind's Sir Demis Hassabis and others warned AI might threaten civilization if not properly controlled. Yann LeCun from Meta critiqued these views, calling them hypocritical given their competitive nature. The debate was fueled by the announcement of 'Stargate,' a $500 billion AI infrastructure project between OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle. Despite Donald Trump's support and executive orders to hasten AI development, funding for 'Stargate' has yet to be secured.

  Financial Times

• Music Legends Unite Against AI's Impact on Copyright

  Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney have voiced concerns about the impact of AI on artists' copyright. John supports amendments to the Data (Use and Access) Bill, which aim to extend existing copyright protections to generative AI, ahead of a pivotal House of Lords vote. McCartney similarly opposes the proposed government changes to copyright laws, fearing they could lead to financial losses for artists. Both artists highlight the struggles of new and emerging musicians and emphasize the importance of robust copyright protections to safeguard the future success of the UK's creative industries.

  thetimes.co.uk

• Meta's Live AI Glasses: Innovation Seeking Purpose

  Meta's latest Ray-Ban glasses feature Live AI, an assistant designed to answer questions about the user’s surroundings. Despite its potential, the AI's responses often prove too vague or obvious to be genuinely useful. For example, when asked for breakfast ideas with limited ingredients, it failed to provide practical suggestions. Similarly, its fashion and decor advice lacked personalization. Users must refine their questioning techniques to receive meaningful assistance, a skill not easily acquired. Additionally, Live AI struggles with context recognition and has a limited battery life, necessitating intentional use. The overall vision of seamlessly integrated AI is compelling, but in practice, users frequently revert to their phones for more reliable information.

  The Verge

AI Tip for School Marketers:

Enhance your school's marketing strategy by utilizing AI-powered analytics tools to monitor and analyze engagement metrics across your digital platforms. These insights can help tailor content strategies to better connect with your audience, optimize communication efforts, and improve overall outreach effectiveness.

Question of the Week: Creating Campaigns That Resonate

What’s one marketing campaign—big or small—that really resonated with you and why? Was it the storytelling, the visuals, the relatability, or something else that made it memorable? Share your thoughts and examples with us on X by tagging @JasonAWheeler.

Let’s start a conversation about what makes campaigns stick and inspire!

Thank you for diving into this week’s newsletter! 🎉 Which idea resonated most with you? Hit reply and let me know—I’d love to hear your thoughts!

And if you found value here, don’t keep it to yourself. Please share this with a colleague who is ready to shake up their next big campaign. Together, we can redefine what’s possible in school marketing.

Until next week - Jason W.