Maynard Public Schools

The Little School System that Could!

Like many public schools in the state, Maynard faced the prospect of losing students via choice to surrounding towns.  Several of the districts around Maynard were very large and offered more services, commensurate with its size.   One key challenge was to identify a positioning for the schools that was relevant for teens and parents, reflective of the schools' true strengths, and sufficiently strong enough to appeal to both town students and to others from surrounding districts to convince them to consider Maynard.

Carter Welch conducted several focus groups with scores of students, faculty and parents to uncover the true essence of the Maynard experience.  Rather than competing with larger schools in services, Carter developed a value proposition built on the strengths of being small.  By “resetting the playing field”, Maynard was able to reposition competitive schools in a way that reinforced the power of the small size – intimacy, personal contact, strong friendships, and personalized learning.  Carter and the team recommended and developed a series of TV commercials that were then aired on MTV locally (and other networks), creating tremendous buzz and positive response from students and parents.

Learn more...

< Previous Case Study  |  Next Case Study >  |  Back to List of Case Studies