{"podcast":{"title":"The Signal","slug":"the-signal-7024065","podcast_index_feed_id":7024065,"rss_url":"https://feeds.castos.com/4xqr8","website_url":"https://edtechconnect.castos.com","image_url":"https://episodes.castos.com/66cf7b74d67cb0-47099354/images/podcast/covers/c1a-mp079-qd154xrxu74q-t9z0us.jpg","author":"Jeff Dillon","episode_count":96,"summary":"With more than 450,000 downloads, The Signal is the definitive podcast for higher education’s transformation leaders. Hosted by Jeff Dillon, The Signal cuts through the noise of the \"status quo\" to bring you the strategic intelligence needed to reshape how institutions recruit, support, and retain students. Every Friday, we sit down with the practitioners and technology builders who are actively defining the next decade of campus life. Why Higher Ed Leaders Listen: In one of the most consequential periods for academia, we move past the hype to focus on Human-Centered Innovation. Our episodes feature deep-dive interviews with guest experts focusing on the \"real work\" of institutional evolution. Core Topics & AI Strategy: * Artificial Intelligence: Practical AI adoption, governance, and the \"Human in the Loop\" mindset. * Enrollment Marketing: Modern recruitment strategies and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). * Student Success: Data-driven retention, mental health, and digital engagement. * Institutional Transformation: Navigating digital transformation with a focus on workforce readiness and AVPs reimagining student care. Whether you are a C-suite leader, IT Director, or Facult…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-17T20:20:41.808526+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-signal-7024065"},"episode":{"title":"Ep. 94 - Elysia Labita: Marketing Can't Out-Optimize Misalignment","slug":"ep-94-elysia-labita-marketing-can-t-out-optimize-misalignment","published_at":"2026-07-03T14:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-signal-7024065/ep-94-elysia-labita-marketing-can-t-out-optimize-misalignment","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-signal-7024065","url":"https://edtechconnect.castos.com/episodes/elysia-labita-marketing-cant-out-optimize-misalignment","audio_url":"https://episodes.castos.com/66cf7b74d67cb0-47099354/2499779/c1e-1w0v2fn8mpocx1xkm-mk9d8q3gs320-qbpje3.mp3","summary":"What if the biggest barrier to enrollment growth isn't your marketing budget—but your program portfolio itself? In this episode, host Jeff Dillon sits down with Elysia Labita, Executive Director of Portfolio Strategy and Marketing at EdPlus at Arizona State University. Over the past decade, Elysia has helped scale ASU Online from roughly four programs to more than 400, serving over 118,000 students. She brings a provocative and practical lens to one of higher ed's most uncomfortable conversations: programs are products. Elysia explains why \"if you build it, they will come\" is a dangerous myth, and why great intentions don't create demand. She shares how her team uses funnel data, market signals, and program life cycle analysis to make decisions about what to launch, modernize, or sunset—without alienating faculty. She also offers a guide to having difficult conversations about underperforming programs, using data not as a weapon but as a tool to uncover systemic friction. From the insight that high-enrolling campus programs consistently become high-enrolling online programs, to the revelation that AI is most valuable as a listening tool rather than a content generator, this episode is packed with actionable frameworks for any institutional leader trying to build a healthier, more sustainable academic portfolio. Key Takeaways Great Intentions Don't Create Demand: Marketing can't out-optimize misalignment. If a program isn't positioned correctly, if the value proposition isn't clear, or if demand simply doesn't exist, no amount of ad spend will fix it. The problem isn't marketing—it's the portfolio. Programs Are Products—And That's Not a Dirty Phrase: When Elysia says \"programs are products,\" she's not saying education is a commodity. She's acknowledging that students ha…","meta_description":"What if the biggest barrier to enrollment growth isn't your marketing budget—but your program portfolio itself? In this episode, host Jeff Dillon sits dow…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1883,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-signal-7024065/episodes/ep-94-elysia-labita-marketing-can-t-out-optimize-misalignment/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-signal-7024065/ep-94-elysia-labita-marketing-can-t-out-optimize-misalignment.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}