The Hard Things Institutions Don’t Do and The Lies They Tell
Every institution claims students belong there. Dayana Kibilds says that claim falls apart the second you hold it up against the experience students find when they arrive.
`She has worked every seat this industry offers. She led domestic recruitment at Western University, ran brand and messaging engagements at Ologie across dozens of institutions, and now serves as AVP of marketing and community at Simpson Scarborough. She co-wrote “Mailed It,” the book higher ed marketers reach for when their email program stops performing.
OnDeck Marketing CEO John Reid takes the host chair for this one.
Day’s argument: the field avoids talking about the parts that are hard, and students pay for that. Academically rigorous institutions leave the rigor out of the marketing, so students show up unprepared for the reality. Every institution names community as its differentiator, which drains the word of meaning. Getting closer to right means showing instead of telling, then letting the audience decide whether the challenge described is the one they want.
🔑 What You'll Take Away
Why "everyone belongs here" flattened institutional differentiation across the field
What separates institutions closer to getting brand right from the ones repeating the same claim
How to pitch a pilot when there is no data and no support in the room
Why Day reversed her position on print and in-school presence
The audience question that sits underneath every channel decision
Thank you to our founding sponsor. OnDeck Marketing keeps colleges and universities visible where high school decisions actually start—inside the school day. Their North American in-school network puts branded screens in high schools and runs digital channels that maintain consistent presence in feeder markets, so institutions don't go dark on students before they ever start searching. Learn more at ondeckmktg.com.