Marketing Superstars: Meet W&M’s Big CMO On Campus

Established by royal decree in 1693, Williamsburg, Va.-based university William & Mary certainly has an interesting story to tell—and bringing on a CMO is a relatively new way to share it. Jake Perez discusses the unique aspects of marketing in the higher-ed space in this week’s podcast.

For more than 320 years, William & Mary has been producing leaders. Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Jon Stewart, and even this host of Marketing Superstars are just part of a lengthy and impressive list of alumni from the Williamsburg, Va.-based university.

“We’re in the enviable position of having some pretty great stories to tell,” said William & Mary CMO Jake Perez, who, among his priorities, is driving alumni engagement and, ultimately, philanthropic support.

Yet, Perez said, it can be a struggle to connect customer touchpoints, a problem seen throughout higher education. “The customer journey isn’t well-defined or understood. … Higher ed is a challenge space in that way that there isn’t a thoughtful sort of data picture for an individual and understanding one’s relationship with the university,” he explained.

Other highlights from this episode of Marketing Superstars include:

• Perez’s path to W&M and his initial mandate (5:35)
• Communicating W&M’s brand story with constituents (10:40)
• Content markting beyond the alumni magazine (15:45)
• Struggles of marketing in higher education (21:00)

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