The Honest Marketer

Business school 'hall of fame' examples


  • Effective teaching: Strathclyde Business School's Nigel Lockett is an accomplished Professor of Entrepreneurship who also blogs as The Dyslexic Professor 
  • In-demand graduate skills: The University of Bradford's user-friendly graduate attributes are structured around employability and professionalism; academic development and critical thinking; and inclusivity
  • Relevant programmes: Business schools engage with prominent leaders from private and public sector businesses and organisations. Membership of the University of Exeter and Leeds Business School advisory boards includes: the Chairman of the Phoenix Group, WH Smith and Bright House; Chief Executive Officer, ACCA; Former Chief Executive Officer, Reuters Group; and Vice President, IBM Asia Pacific​

We all love a good story...​ 
And have for quite some time, according to murals dating back as far as 13,000 BC or the 200s BC when Aesop's Fables were first written down. Today, as social media and websites cry out for continuous content, marketing is all about story telling. It begs the question: are you telling your story effectively?


My new website allaboutbusinessschools.com was created specifically to share some of the stories from UK business schools that have inspired me. The 10 key attributes, which I believe all the best business schools share, provide a 'user-friendly' platform to disseminate news - or stories - around a particular theme. Think of them as the chapters of a book about the very best in business education.


Top tips for memorable & engaging story telling 

  • A good story has structure, a plot to take us from the beginning to the end in a concise, compelling way
    e.g. a global challenge, the quest for a solution, your research and next steps
  • ​​​Audiences need to understand and relate to the plot – the reason why you’re telling this particular story to them, the personal connections, relevance and common reference points
    e.g innovative, proven teaching methods will interest prospective students who want to do well at study
  • Focus on concrete subjects, issues, problems, actions andsolutions
    e.g. overcoming adversity or the achievements of someone the audience can relate to 
  • Every story needs characters: large organisations can appear faceless, so help your audience get to know your people a little better
    e.g. expert faculty are allowed to be 'human' - they're often more inspirational that way too


A former journalist, Kathryn has been writing 'stories' for over 25 years, most of that time spent conceiving and implementing brand strategy and marketing communications for higher education institutions. She can help you identify the stories and messages which will enhance your reputation and positioning, improving perceptions across all stakeholder communities. ​