How a London College Reaches Students Aged From 15 to 85+
by Matthew Cunningham
- Login with LinkedIn to watch the full interview!
What you'll discover
when watching Matthew's story
- Creating content that resonates with different audience segments requires a multi-faceted approach, including social media, events, and themed campaigns.
- Metrics should be tailored for different stakeholders - detailed exploration for marketing teams and high-level scorecards for leadership.
- A simple, flexible brand identity can effectively serve diverse audiences while maintaining consistency across multiple locations.
- Successful product marketing requires close collaboration between marketing teams and product developers to ensure market fit.
- Building brand awareness through diverse channels is crucial for attracting customers in competitive markets.
- Implementing an e-commerce platform can provide valuable insights into customer behavior and enable targeted marketing strategies.
- Representing the voice of the customer to the wider organization is a critical role for marketing teams.
Meet Matthew Cunningham - Chief Marketing and Engagement Officer @ Morley College London
Matthew Cunningham is the Chief Marketing and Engagement Officer at Morley College London, a large adult education institution in London. He has worked in education communications and marketing throughout his career.
Matthew comes from a family of teachers and educators. He was drawn to education as an industry that brings people joy and benefits.
At Morley College London, Matthew oversees marketing, stakeholder engagement, and public engagement. He also has responsibility for an art gallery and radio station.
Matthew joined Morley College London after it merged with another organization 4 years ago. He was attracted by the variety within the organization and his role.
Under Matthew’s leadership, Morley College London has implemented a new e-commerce platform and won an award for its introduction. He focuses on building brand awareness and community engagement to attract students aged 15 to 85+.
Check out Matthew Cunningham's thoughts on marketing strategy and brand management
When asked about how to create engagement using marketing, Matthew shares:
"Content is key. I'm lucky to work in the education sector, which is brimming with great content, from visual art to music, creative writing to dance. So for us it's a curatorial challenge first, then a mission to craft a mainstream message from potentially niche subject matter."
On working with strategic partners he says:
"Partnership is an art, not a science. So I approach it as a good musician approaches a musical score: follow the score and maintain the melody, but have the skills and confidence to vary the tempo or improvise at the right time to get the best result."
And on engaging other leaders as CMO, he says:
"With a healthy dose of humility. We're here to service the business...we're a support function. Building trust through delivering on the basics - solid website, effective campaigns, well managed channels, etc - opens the door to being part of the strategic conversation too."
Get exclusive business growth tips from our top thought leaders
Subscribe and get weekly tips on growing your successful business.