Avoid The Void: The Real Work Behind Learning Campaigns

Let’s get something straight: a single email and a launch poster do not make a campaign.

The word ‘campaign’ gets thrown around very loosely in the world of L&D. But when you strip it back, most so-called campaigns are just announcements. A new initiative drops. An email goes out. Maybe someone sticks a poster up in the canteen. And then… silence.

In this episode of the Marketing for Learning® podcast, we dig into why that approach isn’t just ineffective, it’s actively holding L&D back.

Because a real campaign isn’t a one-off. It’s not a launch day. It’s not a flashy hero graphic. A real campaign is a strategy — one that’s designed to build awareness, shape perception, and drive sustained behaviour change over time.

In this episode, we explore what an effective campaign actually looks like in the context of learning. That includes planning for different audience segments, mapping out multi-channel communication, and understanding what it takes to stay visible long after the initial buzz wears off.

We look at what L&D can borrow from the worlds of political campaigning, brand marketing, and change management — where messaging isn’t just about frequency, it’s about sequencing, consistency, and timing. And we call out one of the biggest failures in internal comms: assuming that one touchpoint is enough to change behaviour.

This episode also tackles the myth that a great message will “speak for itself.” It won’t. Not in a noisy workplace. Not when your people are overwhelmed, distracted, and battling dozens of other messages every day. If your learning doesn’t show up regularly, in multiple places, in language that actually resonates — it simply gets forgotten.

So if your learning campaigns start with a bang and end in a whimper, it’s time to rethink the approach. Not just what you're saying, but how you're delivering it, who you're speaking to, and what happens next.

Because great campaigns don’t just land. They build. They repeat. They evolve.

So get this pod in your ear’oles now, friendos 🎧🍍