Meeting Summary: Alpha Marketing Strategy

Overview

Gary Sheng, joined by Peter Han (acting as an advisor), met with key Alpha School staff involved in marketing and content (Jack Oremus, Doug Green, Kelly Davis via call) to discuss the urgent need for Alpha High marketing content, understand the current landscape, and propose solutions.

Key Discussion Points

Kelly Davis (Brand Strategy Consultant):

• Role: Ensures brand consistency across Alpha's 7 brands, 6+ schools, virtual offerings, etc. Works with a large internal marketing team (50+) and external agency (Page Zero).
• Problem: Huge gap in Alpha High content, especially for paid ads. Existing video teams (Gabriel Martin Films via Gabby Bajardo) haven't delivered usable assets for Alpha High.
• Bottleneck: Major issue is lack of approved student media releases. Need a system to identify which students have consented to be filmed/photographed.
• Content Needs: Urgently requires short video clips for paid ads featuring students (approved ones) talking about successes (SAT scores, masterpiece projects, funding raised) or the unique Alpha experience.

Gary Sheng & Jack Oremus's Proposal:

• Offer: Gary & Jack offered to take ownership of creating the needed Alpha High content (paid ad clips initially, potentially longer-form reality content later).
• Capabilities: Have access to students, understand the stories, can identify compelling narratives, and connect with potential production resources (Nik Hill's team mentioned previously).
• Process: Need clarity on the consent process (identifying approved students) and basic creative briefs/guidelines from Kelly.
• Long-Term Vision (Reality Show): Gary reiterated the "Alpha High Real Reality" concept as the ultimate solution for scaling awareness, driving recruitment, and capturing the dynamic Alpha story.

Peter Han (Advisor):

• Critique of Structure: Pointed out the inefficiency and likely bureaucracy of having a large, potentially fragmented marketing team led by a consultant. Argued for streamlined ownership and clear objectives.
• Marketing Strategy: Emphasized the need for clear objectives driving tactical decisions (e.g., target audience dictates platform choice - LinkedIn for parents vs. TikTok for students). Warned against creating content without measurable goals.
• Recommendation: Empower an internal team (like Gary/Jack) with clear agency to execute on Alpha High marketing, cutting through bureaucracy.

Alpha Ecosystem Context:

• Jack discussed student interest in documenting their journey and struggles with current distribution channels (e.g., growing on Twitter).
• Briefly touched upon the need for a potential "Gauntlet for Growth" to develop marketing/distribution talent within the ecosystem.

Action Items / Next Steps

1. Media Release Process: Need to urgently clarify/implement a system to identify students with media consent (Kelly/Doug/Admin?).
2. Content Brief: Kelly Davis to provide specific needs/examples/scripts for the required paid ad clips.
3. Gabby Bajardo Meeting: Gary to meet with Gabby (Head of Growth) to understand her team's scope, the status of existing video crews, and align efforts.
4. Pilot Content Creation: Gary & Jack (potentially with Nik Hill's team) to begin capturing/editing initial content focusing on consented students, based on Kelly's brief.
5. Reality Show Brain Lift: Gary (with Peter's input) to refine the Brain Lift for the reality show, positioning it as the strategic solution to marketing/scaling challenges.