Scholastic Education Solutions

Project Overview

Scholastic Education Solutions, a critical revenue driver for Scholastic, faced a significant challenge: a fragmented brand narrative, low market differentiation, and a lack of a compelling story that resonated with educators, administrators, and district decision-makers. Despite its widespread adoption—serving 90% of U.S. schools—the brand lacked a cohesive way to communicate its impact beyond book fairs and magazines. The goal was to craft a compelling brand narrative and sales deck that would unify Scholastic Education Solutions’ offerings, strengthen its positioning, and drive higher engagement and conversions.

Strategy & Execution

1. Stakeholder & Competitor Research

  • Conducted in-depth stakeholder interviews across marketing, sales, and leadership to identify pain points and narrative gaps.

  • Analyzed competitor messaging and positioning to understand market differentiation opportunities.

  • Identified key customer personas (administrators, curriculum coordinators, teachers) to ensure the narrative resonated across audiences.

2. Brand Narrative Development

  • Crafted a compelling, research-backed narrative built around learning to read, reading to learn, and loving to read—a framework that resonated with educators and decision-makers.

  • Integrated culturally relevant storytelling and Scholastic’s century-long credibility into the positioning.

  • Designed a modular sales narrative that could be customized for different education stakeholders and sales scenarios.

3. Sales & Marketing Deck Creation

  • Developed a polished, engaging sales deck with sections that clearly articulate:

    • Who Scholastic Education Solutions is

    • What differentiates it from competitors

    • The value it brings to students, teachers, and administrators

    • Top product overviews and key benefits

    • Research-backed outcomes and success stories

  • Partnered with visual design expert Kyle Courtright to ensure the deck was clear, compelling, and easy to use for both sales and marketing teams.

Results & Impact

  • Unveiled a clear, unified brand narrative that elevated Scholastic Education Solutions from a fragmented offering to a cohesive, compelling story.

  • Provided the sales team with a high-impact, customizable sales deck that strengthened their ability to close deals and increase product adoption.

  • Established Scholastic as a differentiated leader in education solutions by integrating research-backed literacy approaches with real-world learning outcomes.

  • Created a scalable messaging framework that could be applied across marketing, PR, and digital channels, ensuring brand consistency.

  • Increased internal alignment across sales and marketing, ensuring teams were telling the same compelling story to target customers.

Key Takeaways

  • Strong storytelling drives brand engagement—the new narrative gave Scholastic Education Solutions a powerful, differentiated voice in the market.

  • Customization is key for sales success—modular messaging empowered sales reps to tailor pitches based on customer needs.

  • Research-backed messaging builds credibility—grounding the narrative in literacy research and learning outcomes enhanced trust and adoption.

  • A well-structured brand story bridges internal gaps—aligning marketing, sales, and leadership around a common message led to more effective communication and outreach.