Beyond the Pitch: The Case for Low Concept Marketing in Schools

I found myself caught in a conversation this week - or rather, listening in on one - between Simon Sinek and Phil Rosenthal. One is a leadership thinker. The other created the sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond. 

Looking back on his career in broadcast television, at one point Phil explains the difference between creative content that is “high concept” versus "low concept”.

Imagine, he says, that a screenwriter comes up with an idea for a new sitcom in which there is a family from Mars living down the street, pretending to be normal Americans. This, he suggests, is a high concept story, characterised by a simple, easily understood premise that can be pitched in a few sentences, often relying on a unique or novel idea. 

Low concept, on the other hand, is a show that - for the sake of argument - tells the story of a guy who lives with his family across the street from his parents. Low concept tends to focus on character development, relationships, and subtle nuances, rather than a flashy, easily summarized plot.

What's interesting, however, is that he also adds that, because with high concept shows the same premise needs to be served up in every episode - “Oh no, they are going to find out we're from Mars!” - there is a limit to how many times it can run before audiences start to get bored. Low concept stories, on the other hand, while harder to pitch, have an infinite shelf life as long as the execution is good. In the end, it's the execution that counts.

Reflecting on this distinction, it struck me how easily this maps onto the world of schools. In fact, in many ways, the way we tell the story of education follows the same patterns.

And I kept coming back to this question: Are we marketing our schools using high concept pitches, when, in fact, the product that we are trying to sell is low concept and we would be better off avoiding the flashy, easily summarized versions of education that we tend to talk about on our homepages?

High concept schools and marketing campaigns are typically those that focus on technology-rich environments, green schools and sustainability issues, future-ready learning models, global citizenship, leadership development, innovation labs, design thinking, entrepreneurial mindsets, and values-driven education - all packaged in sleek, emotionally resonant messaging.

It's not that any of these things are wrong, but there is always the danger that these pedagogical storylines will not have the longevity to run over the 13 seasons of a child's learning journey.

So what's the alternative?

Perhaps it begins with the simple recognition that the story we are trying to tell - the real story of a school - is rarely captured in a single bold idea or headline.

Low concept storytelling invites us to look again at the everyday texture of school life: the way a teacher greets students at the door each morning, the unnoticed kindness between classmates, the small but significant moment when a student begins to believe in their own voice. These are not flashy or easily summarised. But they are real. And they last.

In contrast to the high concept pitch - neat, polished, often ambitious - the low concept story resists simplification. It unfolds in time. It deepens with context. And while it might not grab attention in the first three seconds of a website visit, it has the potential to build something far more enduring: trust.

This isn’t to say we should abandon high concept altogether. It serves a purpose. It opens the door. It offers a way in. But it’s what people find once they’re inside that really matters.

Which leads to a simple question for those of us involved in shaping school identity and experience: Are we crafting bold promises, or are we telling honest stories?

Because in the end, it’s not the concept that counts. It’s the execution. It’s what happens - again and again - across the many seasons of a child’s learning journey.

And maybe that’s the story worth telling.

Photo by Brands&People on Unsplash.