True North has worked with the University of Manchester to create a unified voice across the organisation.
As one of the largest universities in the country, it recruited the Manchester agency to come up with a clear narrative and brand framework to bring together its numerous identities, organisational units, partnerships and campaigns.
“For generations, we’ve given the world new ideas, insights and innovations, bringing together brilliant minds to do things that matter. It was important for us to capture this spirit, to demonstrate what makes us distinctive and to be able to share it consistently no matter which part of our organisation it comes from,” explained Andy Simmons, Head of University Marketing at the University of Manchester.
“The scale and diversity of the University often means it’s difficult for the things that are truly distinctive and a core part of the University’s DNA to really stand out. Our new framework enables everyone to use an appropriate version of the University identity, encouraging consistency and improving decision-making.
True North led a university-wide review, involving almost 100 staff, academics, students and partners, to understand how the brand is represented through its marketing, communications and campaign activities.
The agency came up with a new framework, which moved away from a traditional hierarchical structure by creating six different but related identities. Each has a clear role, criteria for use and principles for application.
“The University of Manchester is arguably the largest university in the UK, the scale of complexity could not be underestimated,” said Ady Bibby, Managing Director, True North.
“The framework needed to work for a large number of devolved teams, from those that want to apply the brand with ease and consistency, to those that need more flexibility to speak to distinct, often non-traditional university audiences.”
