Recorded at Adobe Summit 2026, this episode of The CMO Show features Yasmin Spencer, Director of Marketing at Western Sydney University, unpacking the research-led reset reshaping one of marketing's most complex paths to purchase – choosing a uni.
After extensive domestic and international research, Yasmin and her team uncovered a clear shift in how students choose where to study. More than half of the top 15 decision drivers now centre on outcomes, specifically how likely a university is to help them land a job. The degree is no longer the product. The destination is.
But the defining insight wasn't just about employability, it was the experience gap. Students are benchmarking universities against the best consumer brands they use every day. As Yasmin puts it, they can order from The Iconic and receive delivery in three hours, yet wait months for a university offer. From application to enrolment, the journey has become more complex than getting a home loan and that disconnect is no longer acceptable.
This episode reframes higher education as a customer experience problem, not communications one. Yasmin breaks down what it takes to meet modern expectations for speed, simplicity and service, and what real customer-centricity looks like when it's tied to outcomes, not activity.
You'll hear how Western Sydney University is responding in practice, from launching ODIE, an AI-powered Open Day concierge designed to remove real friction, to simultaneously leading a major marketing team restructure. By simplifying the operating model, rebuilding capability and focusing the team on experience, execution and impact, they've created the conditions to fix a journey that has historically been too complex to convert.
This episode is brought to you by impact advisory, communications and events agency, ImpactInstitute in partnership with Adobe.
