Ep. 59: Risky or Rewarding? Bold Design Lessons for Education Marketing

Most higher ed campaigns play it safe—and end up milk toast. In this episode of Talking Tactics, Safaniya Stevenson sits down with Baldwin&’s Ashley Yetman and Emily Watson to unpack why bold ideas beget bold design. Partnering with the North Carolina School Board Association on a hearts & minds campaign, they leaned into disarming nostalgic illustrations and creator collaborations to humanize messaging. They reveal how taking creative risks can unite communities, energize audiences, and spark real impact in education marketing.

Guest Names:
Ashley Yetman, Co-CEO, Director of Brand Strategy, Baldwin&
Emily Watson, Group Creative Director, Baldwin&

Guest Socials:
Ashley Yetman - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-yetman-a39a0b14/
Emily Watson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-watson-b9383312/

Guest Bios:
Ashley Yetman - As 1/3 of the kick-ass, co-CEO team, Ashley Yetman has been growing and leading the brand strategy practice at Baldwin& since 2016 — after years in the Bay Area, working on global brands like Apple, Audi, AAA and Callaway Golf. Since joining B&, she’s tackled all things brand and strategy for brands across all industries; from established companies like Radio Flyer, Krispy Kreme, Gaia Herbs, Lansinoh, and KIOTI tractors, to start-up brands like Circ, Pivotal, Shibumi Shade, and Ithaca Hummus. Ashley has dedicated her career to helping companies extricate and articulate their inherent goodness, so they can live into their most real-est selves. ‘Cause she believes that being yourself (brand-self or human-self) is the best sales tool you can ever uncover. When she’s not geeking out here at B&, she’s either shredding mountains, at home in Durham putting up with her goofy-but-adorable sheepadoodle, or loving/negotiating every moment with her husband and two boys.

Emily Watson - Emily Watson is Group Creative Director at Baldwin&, where she has led creative for Gaia Herbs, KIOTI Tractor, Long John Silver’s, NCSBA, and Zulily. Since joining in 2019, she has played an integral role in growing the agency. She helped launch Take Your Seat, helping to increase Black representation in corporate boardrooms, and The Lieutenant Governor’s Fund for the Fabulous, which won Gold at the Shorty Impact Awards and the Grand Award the ANA Awards. She previously did more creative stuff at MullenLowe and GSD&M, working on brands like BMW, Trésemme, Food Lion, and NC Lottery. She has many interests outside of work but is trying to keep this bio to an appropriate length and so will not bore you with stories about hiking and little kids and hound dogs.

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Connect With Our Host:
Safaniya Stevenson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Talking Tactics is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

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