The right fit
Africa’s highest-ranked business school, Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) is a respected institution in a rapidly-growing market. However, its Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (PDBA) programme was consistently failing to secure admissions. Our challenge was to reinvigorate the brand style for the PDBA, to boost awareness and connect with its audience.
We really enjoyed working with SIM7. They repositioned and reinvigorated one of our programs with fantastic creative treatment that’s aligned to our strategy.
Clea Dias, Head of Marketing and Brand
Creative strategy
We carried out an extensive strategic exercise to gain a detailed understanding of the ambitions and motivations of the Gen Z audience in South Africa. Our findings showed that three-quarters of prospective business school students in the country prioritise ethical leadership, responsible management, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We reframed this sentiment into the brand campaign proposition: We make changemakers. Visually, it was important that the imagery recognised the sensitivities of South Africa’s diverse audiences, and reflected local cultural trends.
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Clear proposition
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Enduring campaign pillars
Delivering impact
‘We make changemakers’ was such an effective campaign line that it now underpins all GIBS brand activity. The scope of the campaign has also been extended, and we have facilitated this by creating two strategic messaging pillars and an alternative design treatment. This will provide GIBS with an enduring campaign that can flex to suit many different channels and be deployed over more than one academic year.