https://matthewgann.com/research/ Purpose-driven marketing executive for higher education and nonprofit organizations. Chief marketing officer at the University of Denver. en-us Sun, 01 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/11/opportunity-rich/ https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/11/opportunity-rich/ Sun, 01 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT There's a particular kind of leadership challenge that doesn't get talked about enough. It's what happens when you step into an organization and realize there are more opportunities to improve, grow, and innovate than you could possibly tackle at once. matthew@matthewgann.com (Matthew Gann) https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/10/an-amazing-employee-just-quit/ https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/10/an-amazing-employee-just-quit/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT A few thoughts on developing people, supporting their ambitions, and remembering that we work to live. matthew@matthewgann.com (Matthew Gann) https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/10/when-marketing-is-invited-too-late/ https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/10/when-marketing-is-invited-too-late/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT The best marketing strategy in the world can't always rescue a poorly conceived organizational strategy. And yet we keep asking it to try. matthew@matthewgann.com (Matthew Gann) https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/07/great-players-want-the-truth/ https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/07/great-players-want-the-truth/ Sun, 12 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT The coaches who built women's basketball didn't protect their best players from hard coaching. They gave them more of it. Most organizations do the opposite, and it's costing them. matthew@matthewgann.com (Matthew Gann) https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/07/return-on-objectives/ https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/07/return-on-objectives/ Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT ROI tells you the money came back. ROO asks whether you did what you set out to do. In higher education, the gap between those two questions is where most strategy breaks down. matthew@matthewgann.com (Matthew Gann) https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/06/one-year-in/ https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/06/one-year-in/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT One year at the University of Denver. On making hard decisions on purpose, why brand marketing is an investment the sector keeps getting wrong, and what commencement makes undeniably clear. matthew@matthewgann.com (Matthew Gann) https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/06/future-of-higher-ed-websites/ https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/06/future-of-higher-ed-websites/ Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Higher education websites are still built like org charts with a search bar. What comes next looks nothing like that. matthew@matthewgann.com (Matthew Gann) https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/06/responsibility-without-authority/ https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/06/responsibility-without-authority/ Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Higher education marketers are held accountable for enrollment outcomes they don't control. That's a structural problem. In some states, it has gotten much worse. matthew@matthewgann.com (Matthew Gann) https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/05/data-driven-differentiation/ https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/05/data-driven-differentiation/ Fri, 01 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT Most institutions know they need to stand out. Few have a repeatable system for figuring out what they actually stand out for. matthew@matthewgann.com (Matthew Gann) https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/04/purpose-driven-leadership/ https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/04/purpose-driven-leadership/ Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT Purpose isn't a mission statement on a wall. It's the filter through which every decision gets made, from hiring to campaign strategy. matthew@matthewgann.com (Matthew Gann) https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/03/marketing-maturity-in-higher-ed/ https://matthewgann.com/research/2026/03/marketing-maturity-in-higher-ed/ Sun, 01 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT Most universities are still treating marketing as a production function. The ones winning the future are building it as a strategic capability. matthew@matthewgann.com (Matthew Gann)