Greater brand visibility in both local and international markets – and a streamlined digital platform that’s improving enrolments, operations, and internal alignment.
Marist Brothers International School (MBIS) in Kobe, Japan, needed a digital presence that reflected its 75-year legacy, supported a global student recruitment strategy, and streamlined internal operations.
Head of School Shawn Hutchinson turned to JJ Purton Jones of Wave Digital Design for her 20-year background in education, combined with her expertise in digital strategy.
A clean, professional site that now drives enrolments, boosts staff recruitment, and supports internal operations with seamless systems.
“Our website ensured we had a really strong interest for our open day. We had our largest number of families come through. We saw an increase in inquiry levels and visitors booking tours.”
Marist Brothers International School in Kobe, Japan, was preparing to celebrate its 75th anniversary.
With a brand-new building complete, they’d set an ambitious growth trajectory – aiming to scale from 420 to 750 students.
However, Head of School Shawn Hutchinson suspected their existing website was costing them valuable enrolment opportunities.
“Before international families move to Japan, the first decision parents make is whether there is a school appropriate for their child. Our website is a window into the school for those parents.
“They’ll go to the website to get a sense of who we are, what we believe in and what our values are.
“So it’s vital for international schools to have a good-quality website and SEO strategy because it’s often the first contact that we have.
“We wanted to make sure our online messaging was clear, consistent and telling our narrative accurately.
“Our old website wasn’t telling the full story of the history of Marist Brothers here in Kobe.
“We wanted to strengthen our connection with an audience here in Japan. But we also wanted to ensure our website provided information with the right look and feel for an international audience.”
With a critical open day looming, changes had to be made – and fast.
Shawn knew he needed a strategic digital partner who also understood the challenges of a respected international school.
That’s why he reached out to JJ Purton Jones from Wave Digital Design.
The solution
JJ started her working life as a primary school teacher two decades ago.
But from her first day on the job, it became clear she had a rare flair for tech. So much so, the principal at her first school handed her the entire website to create, design and manage.
JJ knew she’d found her calling, and from there she started designing for friends. Then friends of friends. She experimented with platforms like Wix and Shopify, but eventually settled on WordPress.
Her passion for technology eventually saw her leave the classroom to focus on digital innovation in education.
It was during JJ’s tenure as the digital learning specialist at ACG Education that she first connected with Shawn.
At that time, Shawn was leading schools in Jakarta and New Zealand. JJ consulted with him on digital strategy and innovation – and Shawn was deeply impressed.
So when he knew it was time to upgrade the Marist Brothers International School website, JJ immediately sprang to mind.
"JJ’s background in education played a really important part in our decision. We felt right from the beginning she had a strong understanding of the international market that we were trying to reach out to."
“That allowed us to have strong, meaningful conversations about the competitive nature of the International School market in Asia and particularly in Japan.”
“JJ’s knowledge of what other international school groups were doing on their digital footprint globally provided some really strong insights for us. It helped us strengthen our point of difference as an international school.”
JJ was brought in to help Marist Brothers International School better express its story, connect with new audiences, and support operations across admissions, marketing and staffing.
The school needed a digital presence that reached both local and international audiences, reflected its values, and gave prospective families confidence from the very first click.
The solution
“JJ was very clear about what information she was asking from us.
“We were guided through the process. It wasn’t just about looking at templates and images; it was about the why: why are we doing this? Who is our audience? How are we able to tell our narrative through words and images online?
“And at the same time, she was listening to us all the way through. She was considering our ideas. And in terms of her responsiveness, JJ came back to us in a really timely manner.
“We were scheduling online meetings fairly regularly, and she was able to work with other members of our team. That was also a really important part of working with JJ.
“She is a clear communicator. She guides the different members of the team and leverages their skill sets, as well as presenting ideas of her own to help us develop a high-level website.”
JJ worked with the school’s team to refine language and visuals that matched the brand’s values and tone – collaborating with photographers and designers to make sure every element felt cohesive.
“We spent a lot of time with JJ, developing the copy and choosing words and language that is impactful and reaches a wider audience.
“What we believe in ourselves as a school is what the website now reflects. And much of that is about JJ’s ability to understand us as a customer, but also understand the industry we’re in.
“As a parent herself, JJ understands what parents are looking for in a website. So she brought not only really strong technical knowledge and expertise in web development, but also as a parent and what she might be looking for as a parent who’s looking for a new school.”
The results
After the website launched, Marist Brothers International School saw its largest number of families ever attend an Open Day. Inquiries jumped. Tour bookings increased. The new website quickly became a foundational part of the enrolment strategy.
“Our website ensured that we had a really strong interest. We saw an increase in inquiry levels. We saw an increase in visitors booking tours.”
And the scale of those results was even more impressive given the timeline. This wasn’t a minor website refresh – it was a complete rebuild, with a tight turnaround, right before one of the most important events in the school’s calendar.
“The major open day coming up was a critical period for us in terms of our student recruitment strategy. JJ embraced that short timeframe.”
To keep the project on track, JJ created a clear plan, broke the work into manageable stages, and kept the team focused throughout.
“It wasn’t full of lots of technical jargon. It was clear. It was concise.”
With the SEO strategy in place and copy tailored to global audiences, the school’s visibility began to expand internationally. MBIS is now attracting prospective families from a growing list of countries: US, Korea, India, Australia, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Canada, Japan
“These are key countries where families are showing interest in our school.”
The website doesn’t just attract traffic – it helps families make confident, informed decisions. It sets the tone early and supports the entire admissions journey.
“They make an inquiry, they visit the school, they return to the website for more information and that helps them decide to move forward.”
The funnel is now clearer, stronger and more efficient – connecting with parents earlier and leading to meaningful conversations.
“We can see really strong inquiry level increases. We can see an increase in tours being booked.
“They visit our school, they then return to the website for a little bit more information, and that helps them make a decision to move forward with the application process.”
Marist Brothers International School doesn’t have to rely on word of mouth or relocation packages.
For an international school in a competitive and transient market, that global visibility is essential.
Behind the scenes, the site has become a vital operational tool.
Live reporting dashboards mean the school can monitor engagement and refine its strategy based on those results – in real time.
“What JJ has set up with our team is some real transparency and visibility through a dashboard. We can see the number of clicks, impressions and the international reach.”
And it’s not just leadership that benefits. Across departments, processes have become clearer, leaner, and more functional – easing the burden on staff and providing a better experience for parents.
A standout example: JJ designed a donation portal tailored for Japan’s strict tax requirements, automating what had previously been a complex, paperwork-heavy process.
“We were able to automate the ability for the donor to make the donation, generate a receipt and certification for tax purposes.”
Another in-progress feature: a uniform shop that will reduce on-campus admin time and let families order online with ease.
“These types of functions on our website are really critical for engagement, but they also help with efficiencies to reduce some of our personnel constraints on campus.”
At every level, JJ’s work is helping the school operate more smoothly.
“We’re looking forward to further developing functions with JJ. I think that’s one of her strengths: her ability to identify how technology and the tools she can introduce to us benefit rather than hinder our processes.
“She comes up with things that are pretty amazing.”
What families see online now reflects exactly who the school is – a values-driven institution with a rich history and a modern global outlook.
“We value tradition, but we’re also a vibrant, relevant and progressive educational institution.
“JJ helped us show how we’re helping young people become well-rounded, good people who are prepared for society’s challenges after they graduate.”
Marist Brothers International School now has a leading digital presence that tells its story in a way they can be proud of.
The right families are out there –
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