Authenticity in school marketing
You can’t fake authenticity. This is something close to my heart.
A prospective parent looking at schools has never been more savvy than they are in 2025. They can spot a level of fakery from a hundred yards and it can (not always) lead to a feeling of distrust.
Parents understand that marketing happens and sometimes it’s actually OK.
When they see a ‘walking & talking’ shot online with the Head in sunshine, walking through the 76 acres flanked by three or four pupils that reflect the diversity of the school, yes, they know this is a touch contrived.
In some situations this is acceptable. And not just acceptable, you’re demonstrating a level of professionalism and that you take things like diversity representation seriously.
But…
…parents will always want to know what the school is really like.
- How happy are the children when they’re in school from one day to the next, not just in the hero shot on the website.
- What do the teachers feel on a Sunday evening when they’re preparing for the week?
- How well are the parents connected to the school and to each other?
These are the elements of authenticity that drive a prospective parent into making a decision about whether your school is right for them.
This is why we’re into podcasting for school marketing.
A headteacher can speak for 3 minutes on video about the values and ethos at a school (also a good thing to have on your website) but in a podcast recording for 20 minutes they can’t pretend to be someone they’re not.
And when you hear stories about how they got into education, what they do at the weekend, their favourite movies and whether they prefer wine, beer or a chilled glass of Perrier then your school community will find new ways to connect with the SLT.
This also comes across in the Video Testimonials service we provide to schools.
And in our photography and video.
We don’t tell you that authenticity is important just because that’s what we do. We do this because it’s so important.
Thanks for reading 🙂
The Bonjour Agency Ltd