Insights

Nice to knows and need to knows.

The hottest trends and latest insights from around the world of higher education.

Maximize Marketing Impact: Strategic Priorities in Higher Ed

If there's a constant to be found in higher education, it's variability. It's made the gap between institutions thriving and barely surviving feel more significant than ever. That variability is...

2023-2024 CMO Study
The Higher Ed CMO Has Arrived...And So Have Expectations

A decade ago, SimpsonScarborough partnered with The Chronicle of Higher Education to publish the first iteration of our Higher Ed CMO Study. Back then, the role of the Chief Marketing Officer was in...

2023-2024 CMO Study
Be Real With Me: Brand Authenticity in Higher Ed

In a strange turn of events, authenticity—the quality highly prized by Millennials and Gen Z—has become something of a corporate buzzword. Brands strive for it and build strategies, campaigns, and...

Thought leadership, Branding
Onward to 2024

For years, politicians, pundits, critics, venture capitalists, and demographers have been touting the certain demise of higher education. They’ve decried the costs and beat up the value of the...

Thought leadership, Future of Higher Ed Marcom
The Integrated Campaign for Blue Turf Thinking

Before Boise State University could take its brand to the nation’s biggest stages, it needed a bold breakthrough to close the perception gap it was experiencing at home. Declining state funding and...

Thought leadership, Media Planning
Boise State's Branding Blueprint

We've all heard the question echo across national media outlets: "Is college worth it?" This question has shifted the discourse about the value of higher education across our country. Higher...

Thought leadership, Branding
The Impact of AI on Higher Education Marketing

There's a lot of noise right now about Artificial Intelligence and the impact it will have on society. That noise gets more signaled as you get into specific categories of impact, like marketing,...

Thought leadership, AI
The Higher Ed Hero's Journey

Alums are undoubtedly a leading segment of institutional donor pipelines. It’s simple, in theory; students graduate, become alums, and enter an alum database marked as potential donors. But, as we...

Thought leadership, 2023 Alumni Philanthropy Study
The New Rules of Engagement
Hello, Jason? This is your alma mater speaking.
My first job in college was cold-calling alums and asking for donations. Three nights a week, I biked down to the Indiana University Foundation and...
Thought leadership, 2023 Alumni Philanthropy Study
Agency News — Summer 2023

We are thrilled to announce the newest members of the SimpsonScarborough team and recognize recent promotions within the agency! Join us in congratulating the following individuals on their new (and...

Announcements
Higher Ed's Mission Problem

In 15 years as a higher ed professional, I've been inspired by and privileged to tell stories of transformational experiences for students, faculty, and the communities served by the colleges and...

Thought leadership, 2023 Alumni Philanthropy Study
Welcome to the SimpsonScarborough CMOLab

Back in 2014, we partnered with The Chronicle of Higher Education to launch the first study of its kind: a benchmarking study of the higher education Chief Marketing Officer. At that time, the role...

CMOLab