And Carrie On

It’s almost time for the American Marketing Association Conference, which is one of the biggest gatherings of higher education marketing professionals each year.

The sessions offer a mix of horizon issues conversations, creative new approaches, and industry best practices. If you’re looking to grow, innovate or scale your efforts – this is a great place to see what industry partners are doing and see what works well!

This year’s conference is in National Harbor, and the sessions (once again) look incredible. For this blog post, I’m solely looking at sessions. However, there are SO many incredible conversations happening in pre-conference programming, the exhibit hall, and in idea exchanges. If you’re going to AMA, you should really look at the full conference agenda.

Sessions On My Short List:

1. What Fashion Gets Right, Graduate Marketing Gets… Close
Graduate education, particularly master’s and doctorate programs, is an important revenue stream for institutions. These programs aren’t just academic offerings, they’re premium products that carry the weight of brand equity, cultural relevance, and price justification. So why does the marketing feel so… meh? Let’s look at an industry that understands premium positioning: luxury fashion retail. This panel explores what we can learn from the luxury world—from crafting a distinctive brand promise to deploying strategies that drive conversion and loyalty. Through case studies, we’ll share takeaways you can bring to your teams right away to elevate how you market graduate-level programs.

Speakers:

• Cheryl Fisher, Adjunct Professor, VP of Brand and Creative, Ed.D. Candidate, New York University, The HelloMethod
• Jose Mendoza, Academic Director and Clinical Associate Professor, New York University
• James Pearce, Emerging Technologies and Innovative Technology and Digital Production Manager, Fashion Institute of Technology – FIT

2. Leading AI Change: Upskilling Your Team and Institution
How can institutions effectively upskill their marketing and enrollment teams for AI-driven transformation? In this session, Bart Caylor (Caylor Solutions) and Steven Rutt (Abilene Christian University) share leadership strategies for training teams, managing organizational change, and building an AI-ready culture. Learn practical frameworks for empowering your staff, leading cross-campus collaboration, and fostering resilience through change management. Real-world lessons from ACU’s experience with AI integration will be highlighted. Attendees will leave equipped with actionable strategies to guide their departments and institutions through today’s evolving digital landscape.

Speakers:

• Bart Caylor, President & Founder, Caylor Solutions & The Higher Ed Marketer
• Steven Rutt, Chief Revenue Officer, Abilene Christian University

Why I like it: AI is something we’re all grappling with, but this session feels incredibly actionable. As a leader, sometimes I feel like I know AI is important, but I am unsure how my team should be focused on using it. I hope this session will help me with that.

3. We Planned, They Posted, It Worked
How do you build an integrated content strategy when content creators are scattered across schools, colleges, and departments? This session will discuss how one university implemented an integrated content planning model that connects institutional-level storytelling with school-specific priorities. Learn how to build a master content calendar, adapt it for school and departmental use, and implement a structured planning process that fosters monthly collaboration. We’ll share our workflow, sample tools, and case studies that demonstrate real results. Walk away with actionable tools to start connecting your campus-wide content strategy today.

Speakers:

• Frannie Schneider, Associate Vice President, Marketing, Creighton University
• Kate Neuhaus, Director, Content Strategy, Creighton University

Why I like it: Too often, we struggle with supporting our campus partners. There are simply more needs than time. This session gives a practical approach to how we can collaborate with these groups and help them with great content to share that supports the brand.

4. From Data to Direction: Leveraging Market Research Strategically
You’ve invested in market research—now what? This session is all about turning insights into action that drives real results. We’ll share how Siena has used formal studies, internal data and everything in between to refine messaging, guide a forthcoming transition to university, launch a new graduate program, improve marketing ROI, secure new marketing investments and more. You’ll walk away with a practical, flexible approach to aligning research with your strategic goals and inspire institutional buy-in.

Speakers:

• Allison Turcio, Assistant VP for Enrollment and Marketing, Siena University
• Jason Rich, Vice President for Strategy, Communications and Outreach, Siena University

Why I like it: As a MarComm leader who has recently done market research, I think this will help answer the “so what” question of how to transition from reading the results in a spreadsheet, to turning those results into meaningful strategy.

5. Wielding Influence: How to Engage with Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing dominates modern consumer strategy, yet many higher ed institutions remain tethered to traditional channels like billboards and brochures. In this session, discover how Penn State is leveraging influencer marketing across organic and paid social, from UGC to TikTok campaigns. You’ll learn how Courtney’s team built a proposal, earned leadership buy-in, secured a budget, partnered with legal, identified the right influencers, launched creative campaigns, and developed a content grading system to evaluate performance. Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to scale, this session offers practical insights into building a sustainable and strategic influencer marketing program in higher ed.

Speaker:

• Courtney Witmer, Assistant Director of Social Media, Adjunct Professor, Penn State University

Why I like it: This session is another practical one. As someone who’s thinking about influences, my hope is this session helps me to hear the nuances of planning and find ways to apply them at my institution.

6. One Index to Rule Them All: Inform Your Marketing
Tasked with finding a clearer way to explain the impact of digital marketing efforts, the Gettysburg College Communications and Marketing office developed a process to gauge performance by combining different KPIs. Over time their Digital Marketing Performance Index (DMPI) has become more sophisticated, as well as the primary way the office talks about marketing performance with the Board and President. The DMPI weighs multiple KPIs differently to reflect funnel location, then calculates one figure that allows year-over-year digital performance comparisons. This presentation explains the math, how it’s informed the work, and how it has been received by College leadership.

Speakers:

• Staci Grimes, Director of Marketing and Digital Engagement, Gettysburg College
• Jamie Yates, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, Gettysburg College

Why I like it: Data matters, but sharing data isn’t always easy. Sometimes it’s hard to teach articulate what data is important, and what data should help us in our work. My hope is this session will give me more tools as I try to help our university with reporting and making data-informed decisions.

7. Conquer and Prevail: Licensing Beer, Funding Scholarships
When Vanderbilt launched Conquer & Prevail Pale Ale, a co-crafted beer with a local alum-owned brewery, it wasn’t just a clever marketing move—it was a strategic brand extension rooted in institutional mission. This session explores how the university leveraged licensing, storytelling, and partnership to create a purpose-driven product that deepened brand affinity, engaged new audiences, and funded student scholarships with royalties. Attendees will walk away with a framework for aligning non-traditional branding initiatives with institutional goals and long-term impact.

Speaker:

• Stephanie Burset, Senior Director of Brand Marketing, Vanderbilt University

Why I like it: Licensing is a key revenue source, and it’s a great indicator of community interest and affinity. However, I’m a firm believer that licensing takes intentional work and partnerships. I’m curious to see how Vanderbilt built new partnerships as part of its licensing model.

8. Mobilizing a University-Wide Effort: Duke Research Saves Lives
Duke Research Saves Lives campaign is a multi-phased initiative designed to raise awareness of Duke’s research impact across North Carolina amidst a crucial moment for university research with federal funding cuts. Through strategic partnerships, targeted outreach, and high-visibility placements, the campaign has driven significant engagement. This session will provide an inside look at strategic planning, targeting, metrics, and more. Attendees will gain actionable insights into turning crisis into opportunity, leveraging high profile moments, using paid and earned media, and sustaining momentum. Learn how Duke is shaping the conversation around research that saves lives—and how your institution can too.

Speakers:

• Beth Berg, Director of Integrated Marketing, Duke University
• Blyth Morell, Assistant Vice President, Marketing and Brand Strategy, Duke University
• Julie Schoonmaker, Director, Multimedia and Production, Duke University

Why I like it: My university hired their first research communicator this fall. We’re tying to do a better job at talking about the positive impact of research. I think all institutions should be talking about their research implications. While the scale might be different, I’m hopeful this session has several actionable takeaways.

Other Conference Highlights

As I mentioned, there are so many learning opportunities aside from the sessions themselves. I would encourage everyone to visit at least one idea exchange or session in the exhibit space as well.

This is a conference you get out what you put into it, so make the time and find something every session block. You’ll be tired, but it will be well worth it.

Say Hello

I’m presenting in a pre-conference session, modeling in a branded-merch fashion show and sharing insights with other Enrollify creators. Please say hello!