IESE Business School

One of the highest-ranking business schools on the planet, IESE is an international brand of distinction. The Spanish school enjoys an enviable, premium reputation both at home and abroad, but the marketing team were understandably cautious about being perceived as elitist. Meanwhile, the world of MBA and executive education is changing fast, with a more nuanced audience profile and expectations. A global brand campaign was required.

Through extensive market and competitor research, and interviews with potential participants and alumni, we updated the positioning of IESE Business School. We also pushed the boundaries of the brand guidelines and created a completely new messaging strategy. The Real Leadership campaign features an honest, authentic and human approach that playfully mocks the outdated ‘hustle’ culture. We created assets including OOH adverts, a major podcast, landing pages, brochures, Google Max ads, campaign videos and more.

Real Leadership has been designed to be rolled-out over several years, thanks to a flexible design and messaging platform. In addition, the campaign has now extended into IESE’s programme-specific marketing and we have redesigned the school’s suite of brochureware. Our close working relationship with IESE has continued to deepen, and we’ve rolled out strategic branding projects across many departments including lifelong learning, alumni relations and more.

Real Leadership is a revolutionary creative and copywriting direction for IESE Business School and remains a pioneering approach within the sector. Launched in April 2023, it has won a Búho international award (that recognises the best global creative campaigns in the education sector) and season one of the podcast – featuring a series of interviews with global business leaders – consistently ranks in the top 30 of the Spotify/Apple leadership and management charts.