From Little Red Riding Hood to Romeo and Juliet, we learn from a young age the power of stories. We cheer on the protagonist, weep at the loss of a beloved pet, and make meaning from the hero’s journey. More than facts and figures, a story remains with us long after the book’s completion.
The same emotional connection elicited from a powerful story can also be harnessed by your school’s marketing team through the use of narrative storytelling. McCallie (Chattanooga, TN) — a boarding and day school for boys in grades 6-12 — masterfully translates its unique value proposition through storytelling, including a viral story shared at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
Understanding Storytelling
“At its core, storytelling in marketing involves crafting a narrative that resonates with your audience on an emotional level,” shares marketing expert Maria Alonso in Forbes. “It goes beyond promoting products or services; it’s about creating a connection that fosters trust and loyalty. In an age where consumers are bombarded with information, a compelling story can cut through the noise and leave a lasting impression.”
A lasting impression is just what McCallie delivered with its emotional video portrayal of graduating seniors who take a moment for reflection. In 2018, inspired by the film “Boyhood,” McCallie Director of Video Brandan Roberts selected five sixth-grade students to film, posing questions to their future selves. Ever the consummate planner, Roberts had the foresight, organization, and production expertise to create this seven-year-long project.
That this video went viral surprised the McCallie marketing and communications (MarCom) team, which is comprised of six staff members, including Roberts: Department Head and Project Manager Jamie Feild Baker, Graphic Design and Brand Manager Alex Marr, Writer Mark Wiedmer, Social Media Professional Yasmin Rubayo, and Systems and Data Administrator Jennifer Driver.
Roberts creates approximately 15 videos a year for McCallie, posting them across the school’s social media channels (YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram). While previous videos have received thousands of views, the “Future Selves” video, which was part of the school’s annual post-graduation video strategy, garnered worldwide attention and views far exceeding initial expectations.
The video topped 100,000 likes on TikTok and was being shared at a rapid pace on all of the school’s social media and communications platforms. Comments on social media and texts began flooding in, with media requests from all over the world. Among the dozens of videos the school generates each year, what was it about this particular video that resonated so much with audiences both within and beyond McCallie?
The Importance of Understanding the Brand
Department Head and Project Manager Jamie Feild Baker attributes the “Future Selves” video’s viral success to “a convergence of timing, authenticity, and unexpected vulnerability on the part of both the middle school students and their older selves.”
Baker says, “Who can resist the unabashed happiness and lack of self-consciousness of middle school boys, not young kids anymore, and not at all grown up. That was one point of emotional resonance. Then you see older versions of the cute middle school boys and are wowed by how much they have grown and matured. That gets to any parent. There is both joy and sadness as they advance in age and, upon graduation, are about to leave home.”
One of McCallie’s strongest brand attributes is authenticity and sincerity. As Baker attests, there is no script, overt messaging, or overly polished nature to this video. The concept and questions provide a framework. Viewers see the mission, values, and impact of the school through how these boys conduct themselves, reflect on their younger selves’ questions, react emotionally to their younger selves, and share their excitement about their futures. The adage, “Show, don’t tell” is hard to execute, but McCallie has done just that with video production.
As a free-standing department within McCallie’s administrative structure, reporting directly to the head of school, the MarCom team has the freedom to tackle projects and develop marketing strategies that move the school forward to achieve its mission. The MarCom team spent an entire year articulating the McCallie brand identity and system, conducting all the work in-house to tap into a deep understanding of the school’s DNA and culture.
The viral “Future Selves” video has helped with the reach of the McCallie brand, making hundreds of thousands more people aware of the school and its ability to shape and prepare young men. Admission inquiries immediately spiked when the video went viral, prompting some people who were still undecided to enroll. Seeing the middle schoolers grow into well-spoken young men at graduation creates a great deal of pride in the work that McCallie does and the transformative influence it has on boys’ development.
The proof of value for McCallie lies in the experiences of its students and alumni, who have many impactful stories that the MarCom team seeks to capture. The department is making an intentional transition from long-form, formal profiles to more individually shared, authentic, and concise videos and written pieces, along with a focus on consistent digital posting of stories, rather than collecting stories for use in print publications, such as the viewbook or the school magazine. There is also a conscious, strategic decision to let go of perfection in marketing to embrace more authentic glimpses of the student experience.
Authenticity is the Key
Authenticity in marketing is critical for making connections, especially with Millennials and Gen Alpha. McCallie strives to capture authentic learning moments from classrooms; relational moments from residential life; and examples of persistence and endurance from arts, athletics, and after-school activities. All non-classroom moments are part of learning and mission fulfillment and are viewed as an important part of the student’s total experience. Over the years, MarCom has built a trusting relationship with faculty, helping them understand the importance of seeing the high-quality and impactful work they do in a genuine way, not in an overly packaged, marketing-focused manner.
Parent testimonials are also essential in McCallie’s storytelling: sharing stories of the school-home partnership, learning support, parent engagement, and especially conveying how the initial trepidation about sending their son to boarding school evolves into unwavering appreciation and gratitude with each passing year.
To inform new stories and approaches, the McCallie MarCom team hosts focus groups with key stakeholders in admission, advancement, faculty, and the head of school’s office. Focus groups with students keep the team grounded in an increasing amount of authenticity, rather than “fake” marketing stories.
Informing With Intentionality
The need to inform is constant, but how we inform changes. Baker and her team think of informing as “tearing down the wall between insider and outsider. We want to show insider viewpoints, experiences, outcomes, joy, realizations, and appreciation. Those are informative in that they are personalized manifestations of the institutional mission, values, educational philosophy, history, and culture.”
Baker shares that McCallie’s social media strategy evolves based on the use of and popularity of the platforms, with a focused effort to be intentional about where content is posted, targeting the most likely audience on each channel. Strategy includes showing prospective students and families the breadth of McCallie’s program and the fun students have together on campus, with an emphasis on (1) the deep relationships boys make in an all-boys environment; (2) showing current and future parents how McCallie delivers on its mission and values in all aspects of its program; and (3) activating alumni pride in and connection to the McCallie experience while informing them of current school happenings, student achievements, and programmatic excellence in academics, arts, and athletics.
Building Strong Partnerships
Where marketing ends and the work of advancement and enrollment begins is a continuous conversation between the admissions, fundraising, and MarCom teams. MarCom listens to the advancement and enrollment challenges and goals, crafts strategy recommendations, and then implements the strategy that has been collaboratively finalized.
Because of its in-depth work on the McCallie brand and identity system, the MarCom team has a clear understanding of key messages and target audiences, aiming to bring these messages to the forefront when telling stories and targeting specific audiences, rather than a single story to be broadcast widely to everyone. To do this requires more planning on the front end. Team members meet with students, faculty, and alumni to hear the story they have to share and discuss how their experience can highlight specific message points. After this pre-recording conversation, the MarCom department steps back and allows an authentic version of their story to unfold. These inside-out stories reinforce the outcomes at which McCallie excels.
Aligning storytelling with admission efforts is about showcasing the McCallie experience, which Baker describes as excellence, depth of programming, quality faculty, sincere relationships, and lifelong brotherhood and friendships. Aligning storytelling with advancement is about showcasing the consistency of McCallie’s mission fulfillment and fidelity to its founding values, the preparation and success of McCallie graduates in college and life, the community and close friendships created at McCallie that are sustained throughout adulthood, and the generosity of the McCallie network. Young men graduate and leave McCallie, but McCallie never leaves them. It becomes a deep part of who they are — McCallie is for life.
Ideas Into Action
With an overwhelming cacophony of marketing messages bombarding audiences at every turn, people tend to tune out marketing. To make a connection, schools need to find authentic, emotional, and relatable means for sharing messaging. McCallie shares their advice for creating mission-aligned content that’s capable of reaching your primary audience–and beyond.
Related Programming
The 2025 SAIS Annual Conference, October 19-21, 2025, in Atlanta, GA, features four impactful learning journeys, including a track devoted to Brand & Communication. Continue exploring more on storytelling with topics such as “Crafting a Compelling School Brand Story,” “The Power of Humor and Storytelling in Strengthening Donor Engagement,” and more.
Make plans to join us February 11-12, 2026, in Chattanooga, TN, for the SAIS Independent School Brand Summit. This premier gathering is designed for brand strategists, marketing and communication professionals, fundraisers, and enrollment management leaders in independent schools. This event brings together experts and practitioners to explore the evolving landscape of school branding, storytelling, and strategic positioning in an increasingly competitive market. Save the date!
