Design Consultancy
The Team
Julian Grice
020 7089 5801
juliangrice@theteam.co.uk
www.theteam.co.uk
The Challenge
The Work Foundation (TWF) was established in 2005 as a new not- for-profit organisation out of the 80 year old Industrial Society. An unusual hybrid organisation, TWF’s revenue model is based on research grants but it competes against commercial rivals in consultancy work and in offering leadership development courses. The professional services sector remains highly competitive and diverse, with companies able to choose suppliers from everyone from lone gurus to global change management companies. 2005 was a difficult year for TWF, with declining revenue and lack of clarity around its core purpose.
The Brief
In January 2006 The Team was asked to design a brand message that would align all of TWF’s services, across all communication platforms but encapsulated in the design of the corporate brochure. Objectives included retaining and recruiting key people, driving partners and stakeholders to the new website, engaging key audiences in an events programme, stabilising revenues and increasing the number of high value Principal Partners on whose annual fees the organisation relies. There was also a strategic objective to build brand advocacy to engage core customers and to grow new revenue streams, particularly in long-term consortia-based research programmes.
The Design The Team’s solution conveyed the brand message ‘Good Work’ in a language businesses would understand. Through provocative statements placed in recognisable, real life situations, The Team emphasised that Good Work is a blend of high performance and individual fulfilment, combining economic and social factors, or ‘money with meaning’. The juxtaposition of challenging messages and everyday situations was designed to inspire audiences to act: to visit the website or attend an event to hear first hand how Good Work can help their business.
The Results
Launching in June 2006, the £25,000 (Euro 36,700) design project has seen unique visitors to the TWF website increase by 101% and 25% increases in both attendance at TWF events and in the number of high-value Principal Partners. There has been a 70% increase in research revenue and a 15% increase in overall revenue in 2006/7. The proportion of marketing budget now spent on customer engagement (rather than design and print production) has increased by 30%.
