John Muir Charter Schools
THE CHALLENGE
Can you inspire both a non-traditional and an institutional audience at the same time?
JMCS came to Friday with goals that are typical for schools: a recruitment strategy that increases enrollment. But JMCS isn’t a typical school, and the students they seek to recruit aren’t typical learners. The 16- to 26-year-old students JMCS targets have left (or have been excluded by) conventional school systems because their learning styles, personalities, and life circumstances did not fit the script. Reaching these students requires storytelling that breaks through two assumptions: that school isn’t for them—and that they aren’t for school. In addition to persuading students, JMCS needed a brand and recruitment strategy that would also appeal to the partners they depend on for referrals. The only way for students to enroll into JMCS is through one of the school’s partner organizations, each of which has its own own audiences, priorities, and goals to consider.
THE SOLUTION
Tell a story very few will to move an audience very few reach.
JMCS students have already succeeded, but common stories about “success” don’t include theirs. Through stakeholder interviews and focus groups with current students, alumnae, teachers, and partners, the Friday team worked with JMCS to develop a brand that amplifies JMCS students’ strengths rather than all too common deficit-based narratives. Using a refreshed brand messaging and visual identity, we built a website that helped JMCS’ various audiences immediately find the information most relevant to them without ever diminishing students or alienating partners. With their new website serving as a sophisticated, energizing hub of information, we identified the most impactful ways JMCS could accomplish their recruitment goals, including a longterm communications plan, a campaign designed to engage prospective students and referral partners, a suite of branded marketing collateral, and precise guidance for hiring a marketing director.