Why Branding in Education Can’t Be an Afterthought: A Conversation with Joey Yorba

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Episode Title: Beyond the Logo: Why Education Needs Bold Brands and Smart Strategy Guest: Joey Yorba, Managing Director, Super Top Secret Guest Website: wearetopsecret.com [https://wearetopsecret.com] Guest LinkedIn: Joey Yorba [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeyyorba/] Host: Jacob Hanson About Joey Yorba:Joey Yorba is the Managing Director of Super Top Secret, a creative agency that’s helped some of the world’s most recognizable brands—from Nike to Xbox—cut through the noise with bold, emotionally resonant storytelling. With a deep background in creative direction and brand psychology, Joey now brings that global expertise to the education space, helping mission-driven organizations lead with authenticity and impact. At STS, he leads multidisciplinary teams that develop everything from foundational strategy to full-scale campaigns—all with one goal: building brands that don’t just look good, but feel unforgettable. Key Topics Covered: * What a brand actually is—and why most education orgs get it wrong “A brand is what someone says about you when you're not in the room.” * The high cost of reactive communications and under-invested branding “We still have people who think, ‘We’ll just do the logo now and figure the rest out later.’ That’s how you waste money.” * The importance of emotional resonance and design systems “Every touchpoint matters. You can't say you care about equity and then have a clunky, inaccessible website.” * Why brand strategy is foundational—not optional “This isn’t a nice-to-have anymore. If you’re not shaping the narrative, you’re being shaped by it.” * Quick tests to assess your messaging clarity “Ask five people to explain what your company does. If you get five different answers, you’ve got a brand problem.” Resources Mentioned: * Super Top Secret [https://wearetopsecret.com] * STS LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/super-top-secret/]

The Future of Standardized Testing – Disruption, Innovation, and Opportunity

As universities move toward test-optional admissions, the standardized testing industry is at a crossroads. While critics argue that the SAT and ACT perpetuate inequality, others question how colleges can fairly evaluate students without a common metric. If standardized tests disappear, what replaces them? Host Jacob Hanson sits down with Adil Husain, founder of Emerging Strategy, and PR expert Kristen Plemon to explore the uncertain future of high-stakes testing. They dissect the industry's failure to control its own narrative and the risks of abandoning standardized assessments without a clear alternative. Despite decades of influence, organizations like the College Board and ACT have been surprisingly silent in the debate over their own relevance. "What we always counsel clients on in terms of PR is when you leave a void, others are going to fill it,” says Plemon. “So you lose that thought leadership. And they have spent decades building this expertise, this trusted brand and credibility. And if they're letting others step in to take that, that's going to erode their brand over time.” Meanwhile, as test-optional policies become common, data is becoming more skewed—leading to an even more competitive and subjective admissions process. “What’s happening now with test-optional policies is that only students with the highest scores are submitting, which is skewing data and making the admissions process even more competitive,” Plemon adds. “Colleges need a way to fairly compare students, and without a standardized measure, that becomes much harder.” Without a strong voice from the industry, critics of standardized testing are shaping the conversation. As Husain says, “The criticisms that they're biased or ineffective should be addressed either through improvements or better communication, but simply accepting the criticism and backing off from the debate altogether seems to be a disservice, not only to their business and their employees but to the institutions trying to make objective decisions from a growing number of applicants.” The future of standardized testing isn’t just about whether the SAT and ACT survive. It’s about whether the education industry can define a better way to assess student readiness—or if test-optional policies are simply shifting the advantage to those with more resources. Listen now for a candid discussion on what’s next for testing, equity, and college admissions. Questions? Ideas for our next episode? Drop us a line, jhanson@hawkemedia.com [jhanson@hawkemedia.com] Guest Links: * * Emerging Strategy: www.emerging-strategy.com [https://www.emerging-strategy.com] * Adil Husain’s LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile [https://www.linkedin.com/in/adilhusain/] Key Topics Covered in this Episode: * The consequences of test-optional policies: who benefits, who loses * Why the SAT and ACT are struggling to defend their place in college admissions * How the lack of industry leadership is leaving space for critics to control the conversation * The role of AI and adaptive assessments in reshaping student evaluation * What happens when there’s no standardized measure—how do universities fairly compare students? For education professionals, policymakers, and anyone invested in student success, this episode is essential listening.

19 de mar de 202547 min

Why Branding in Education Can’t Be an Afterthought: A Conversation with Joey Yorba

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