Unified Marketing Strategy for Suncrest College
Suncrest College
Suncrest College was established in 2023 as a result of merging Cumberland College and Parkland College. With more than 4,500 learners, 350 employees, and 11 campuses, Suncrest is a leader in accessible education, workforce development, and regional growth.
The Challenge
When Parkland College and Cumberland College combined to form Suncrest College, it wasn’t just a new name. It was a new organization, a new leadership structure, and a team stepping into expanded roles with expanded responsibility.
There were new priorities to define, new internal relationships to navigate, and new expectations to meet. And when you’re deep in the day-to-day, it’s easy to focus on tactics. The next post. The next ad. The next deadline.
Suncrest initially approached us looking for a digital strategy. But as we dug deeper, it became clear that before choosing channels, we needed to step back and align on something bigger. What were they trying to accomplish? What needed immediate attention? How should marketing support that?
The Thinking
We recommended getting everyone in the same room for a facilitated Strategic Marketing Planning session.
Suncrest’s marketing and communications staff were located in different communities and rarely had the opportunity to come together in person. Beyond that, different staff members held different pieces of the bigger picture. If we were going to build a meaningful strategy, all of those perspectives needed to be at the table.
We facilitated a two-day, in-person strategic marketing session designed to create space for honest conversation and focused planning. The energy in the room mattered. We designed the session to be collaborative and engaging, ensuring everyone had a voice.
As facilitators, our role wasn’t to tell Suncrest what their priorities should be. It was to listen, provide an outside perspective, ask the right questions, challenge assumptions where necessary, and help the team shape clear, shared objectives.
After a fun-filled two days, we developed a comprehensive marketing plan grounded in institutional objectives to help guide the team forward.
The Result
The marketing plan that came out of those two days is actively shaping what Suncrest is doing today.
Just as important as the document itself was what happened around it. Several key priorities surfaced in the room that may have otherwise remained unaddressed. The session gave the team a framework for working collectively.
This project wasn’t about delivering a standalone tactic. It was about building the foundation that future tactics could stand on.
