University of St.Gallen

Having developed a new Executive MBA programme, Switzerland’s University of St.Gallen, working in conjunction with ETH Zürich, recognised that branding would be critical to the success of emba X. There was a need for tactical positioning, and a developed look and feel that could reflect the innovative nature of the programme to connect with potential participants at launch. Ambitious targets had been set for year one enrolments.

We were able to draw on a wealth of market and audience data to create a brand that would enable this next-level programme to shine. Product differentiation was a key goal for this project, and we challenged convention by designing individual factsheets that participants could mix and match to create their own brochure. ‘Swissness’ was defined as a compelling design theme, and this was underpinned by a clear messaging strategy and tone of voice.

Following the launch of embaX, we have become a trusted partner to St.Gallen, creating everything from Google Performance Max digital campaigns to display ads and brochureware. As a resourceful, proactive agency, we pride ourselves on working closely with the marketing team and helping them to shape their creative strategy.

The ‘mix and match’ emba X brochure that we created was little short of a gamechanger, providing an interactive talking point at business school events and recruitment shows. Following an extremely successful launch with a full cohort, emba X has become a central component of St.Gallen’s executive education portfolio and is now recruiting for its fourth year.