What Entrepreneurs' Forum asked for
‘If we can, you can’ is an ambitious cross-channel campaign aimed at increasing the level of entrepreneurial activity in the North East, which statistics show is lower than the national average. TH_NK was appointed as the digital partner in a multi-agency panel working with the Entrepreneurs’ Forum to deliver the campaign, after a competitive pitch process.
The client was looking for a collaborative added-value approach in shaping the website, particularly as it would form the focal point of the campaign, and would need to be tightly integrated with offline media schedules and a rigorous PR campaign. The client also had a hard deadline of March 10th to set the website live in order to coincide with National Ideas Week.
The site would be completely based upon user-generated content, using profiles and stories of regional entrepreneurs to provide a unique and personal insight into the experiences and challenges faced by people establishing their own ventures.
What we did
We carried out an in-depth discovery phase with the client, where we played a major role in defining the shape of the whole campaign. Detailed personas were developed on the back of market research data and workshops involving entrepreneurs to define the key user groups of the site.
Time was spent mapping out the content and establishing how certain areas of the site would interact with each other. A huge focus was placed on the user experience and how we could connect the different types of entrepreneur with the content that was most relevant to their needs.
The initial version of the site was completely designed and delivered within a four-week period after the completion of the insight process, meeting the desired timeframe.
The site features a database-driven bank of content from entrepreneurs, including video interviews, stories, pearls of wisdom, mistakes to avoid, and more. Additionally, there is an area of the site devoted to the ‘if we can, you can challenge’ – a competition to find the best up-and-coming entrepreneurial talent in the region.
The results
The site received over 1,000 visits in its first week of launch as a result of intense media coverage and has been featured heavily throughout the regional press. It receives support from a huge number of high-profile entrepreneurs in the North East region and it continues to grow as more and more people sign up to the campaign.
The competition has been an immense success, exceeding expected entry levels and ensuring the future success of the campaign through continued interest and media coverage. The next iteration of the site, planned for later in 2008, will allow users to create their own entrepreneurial profiles and interact with other users on the site, as well as many more features.