A new year means new possibilities, and new possibilities require new ideas.  Fifteen years ago, headlines in USA Today (January 6, 2010) announced that children are leaving private schools and are being enrolled in public schools.  At the start of the school year ten years ago (August, 2015), headlines told us that the number of homeschooled children outnumber those enrolled in private schools in North Carolina.

Five years ago (in 2020, in case you need to be reminded), a new word entered our vernacular – COVID.  And that, along with political polarity and sanitization practices, changed the landscape of PK-12 education completely.

It was thought that there were only two things one can do relative to these patterns of parents today: acquiesce or fight.

But there’s a third alternative: be creative

Creativity is simply a connection – taking something out of the ordinary to create interest, and then connecting it to what you want to accomplish.

A number of years ago, at a meeting of school administrators and principals, I entered the room where the budget discussion meeting was, and brought a hammer to the table. Some people asked what it was for, others felt fearful, others were probably wondering.  The point of the exercise was simply to get people thinking.

When my part of the agenda began, I held up the hammer.  I said we were going to “hammer out” some new ways of using the “announced tuition” at their school as a marketing “tool.”   It also related to the fact that sometimes, you have to keep repeating the message over and over again, “hammering at it” until people “get it.”

And that’s a great definition of what marketing is in 2025.  It’s not promotion, it’s not your Web site, it not your brochure – its all of it, and more.  It’s “The Experience.”  Therefore, Marketing is (write this down) – Creating memorable experiences to start people talking about them.

And to create memorable experiences, you need to be creative!

Fifteen years ago, marketing experts told us that it took at least – let me say that again with emphasis – at leastnine exposures to a concept in order to simply begin a change in mindset.  Ten years ago, with the amount of messaging that we were exposed to every day, that’ number climbed to around FIFTEEN.  Five years ago, it was SEVENTEEN, and today, it’s significantly more than that, since there are SO many things that clamor for our attention (also known as Shiny Object Syndrome).

Recall that the Gospels at Sunday Mass follow a three-year cycle. The same gospel reading is presented every third year. Since we needed at least 20 exposures to the same message, perhaps that’s why it takes some people to come to a “logical” realization of Christ during their 30’s or 40’s.  If the number is around 20 today, people will hear the same series of Gospel readings 20 times – and by that time, they’ll be in their 70’s or 80’s – and that’s if they attend Mass every week!

An emotional experience, however, can kickstart that process much faster.  Just look at St. Paul.  He was Saul, a persecutor of Christians, and it’s said that he held the cloaks of those people who were coming to stone St. Stephen.

If you’re looking for a way to bring creativing and excitement together, here’s an effective way to share those emotions.

When our kids were in our local high school’s band, the tradition was to come to “The Preview Show” to see what the band would be performing during their competitive season.  It was pretty overwhelming to see what the kids would accomplish over the summer.  However, as people became busier, and leadership changed, the new perspective was to build the show over the year, so only the first third of the program was performed.  Attendance and enthusiasm waned.

Enter new leadership, and a new concept: The Unveiling

Before school was out for the summer, an assembly was held in the evening, which was attended by band members, those interested in joining the high school band from the middle school, and parents and band supporters.  Even alumni and POAs (Parents of Alumni).

The staff for the year was introduced in a way that’s comparable to “The Price Is Right”‘s “Come On Down” introduction.  The expectations of the program were reviewed, and the band’s schedule of performances was revealed one line at a time.  Then, samples of the music were played, which culminated in revealing the title of the year’s show.

Then everyone there was told not to post anything about it on social media.

How were people made to feel?  Special.  Insiders.  Bursting with excitement.  The director and staff created an experience that generated the enthusiasm necessary to carry the show forward and support the vision that was presented to them.

Here’s another way to share emotions, and let people know how you feel, rather than sharing only what you think:

My wife and I used to be part of a ministry to couples preparing for marriage in the Church.  During the preparation classes, there is an exercise presented which couples can use to share their feelings.  It’s one thing for a wife to tell her husband that she’s angry, for instance, but perhaps the husband can’t relate to the degree of that feeling.  After all, his assessment of the situation could have been completely different from hers.

One must relate the experienced emotion to an experience that the other has had. Then, the other spouse can know what the one is truly feeling.

If the angry wife remembers how enraged her husband was when the neighbor’s dog dug up his landscaping that he had worked on for several weeks, buying new plants and shrubs, and meticulously trimming and edging the surrounding grass, she could use this imagery to vividly convey her feelings in a calm and rational manner.  Rather than saying, “I’m really mad right now,” she could say, “Remember when the Smith’s dog wrecked your landscaping? Remember how angry you were? Well, that’s how I’m feeling right now.”

Now, he can more fully understand her feelings.

Students are leaving. Costs are increasing. Donations are down. Is your school still the best place for their educational experience?

If you said “Yes,” then try connecting a seemingly unconnected idea to produce a creative connection to get your school recognized for its “remarkable differentiators.”  Remember, parents today expect excellence, and they’ll pay for excellent experiences.  If just one aspect of it is simply “OK,” there’s a good chance that parents may not be excited about the entire experience of your school.

Since this is the time of the year when re-enrollment efforts kick into high gear, ask your school’s parent community what one thing do they feel would make other parents excited about enrolling their children in your school – NOT what they “think.”

© Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2005-2020 (Original publication date: 20050110)