We created a distinctive set of animated banner gifs that helped our client rise above competitors in a crowded digital space by focusing on the uniqueness of their offer.

Background

The MBA is Manchester Business School’s flagship programme. Back in the 1960s, our client was one of the first organisations to start delivering MBA programmes in the UK, with a unique approach that has always focused on action or practice-based learning, learning by doing, also known as The Manchester Method.

The MBA market is highly competitive and our client is not only competing against similar schools in the UK, but also other schools worldwide.

Challenge

With more and more competition trying to attract top candidates, and having previously relied on LinkedIn and PPC/Google Ads advertising, our client felt it was time to boost their marketing efforts by targeting digital channels specific to the MBA market, such as AccessMBA, TopMBA, as well as the Financial Times website.

Our client required a set of animated banner gifs that would help them stand out in a competitive space that is already crowded, with many schools competing for share of voice and messaging that is very similar. To drive more leads, Manchester Business School needed a campaign that stood out both from a messaging and a look and feel point of view.

Solution

The design of past animated banners had relied on a combination of buildings from around the world. This time, we wanted to highlight the uniqueness of the Manchester programme and method, and the personality of the location, so we focused our new creative and messaging on the city of Manchester and its proud and confident heritage, linking it to our client’s Manchester Method – doing things the Manchester way.

With the very small space allowed for most of the animated banner gifs (some as small as 300 x 50 pixels), and the many distractions for the online audience, we “built high”.

Blocks of colour rising, falling, and rising again add a unique sense of dynamism to the design which captivates audiences straight away. The colour blocks are also reminiscent of statistical graphs, tying into the business theme as well as the idea of personal and professional growth, while also nodding at the colour glass panels that make the Manchester Business School building a beacon in the area.

Inspired by the distinctive and memorable purple colour in our client’s logo, we maximised its use in the design to attract attention and help the animated banners stand out against competitors.

We delivered the animated banners in a wide range of sizes, including for use on social media and also html 5 versions.