Summary
The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) is the world’s largest professional body of management accountants. Exemplary in its field, CIMA is the most relevant accountancy qualification for business, as graduates gain a head for business as well as an eye for figures.
It contacted Proctor & Stevenson for help developing an international campaign to promote its offering to employers — who typically pay for courses — and potential students around the world.
CIMA was keen to use case studies to explain its offering, using alumni success as an inspiring example of the ROI the qualification provides for both employers and students. However, there were issues of international content generation and production to contend with, alongside cultural sensitivities to consider. With careful planning, considered guidelines, innovative post-production and a firm focus on business benefits, we have unified CIMA’s communications while reinvigorating its identity, delighting head of brand, Victoria Penman at CIMA, said, “This was a difficult brief to fulfill and the design needed to work hard. We wanted a dynamic, inspiring creative that demonstrated in hard facts the value CIMA-qualified people can add. We’re delighted with the results. It translates visually extremely well and we’ve had excellent feedback from our international colleagues. Creating something that works globally is always a challenge.”
Campaign outline
CIMA markets to both students as individuals, and the businesses that typically support study. As it faces intense competition for students, it appointed Proctor to deliver a stand-out online and offline advertising campaign.
Objectives of the campaign
Raising global brand awareness in our target markets and strengthen CIMA’s position as the most relevant accountancy qualification for business. Excitingly, CIMA wanted to run the campaign globally through multiple communications channels, across a number of divisions and targets high profile decisions makers, business leaders and prospective students already working within the business environment.
Challengingly, campaign materials needed to be a flexible concept able to work across a variety of communication channels. Furthermore, the chosen route would be replicated — and in some cases recreated — by international divisions in China, Ireland, India, South Africa, Malaysia and Pakistan.
The Proctor & Stevenson response CIMA has always used case studies in its marketing, and was keen to feature high-profile CIMA members who are working within global organisations — ‘CIMA heroes’.
However, it understood the need to inject more energy and life into this year’s material to create a more engaging and compelling campaign. Timing tied perfectly with a new brand footprint, which we drew from to create strong, business focused messaging.
Proctor & Stevenson proposed demonstrating the value chartered management accountants bring to the workplace. Working closely with the CIMA stakeholders from student, employer and brand marketing teams, we explored a range of visual approaches and copy directions, workshopping approaches from safe to challenging to ensure buy-in. Consensus reached, we introduced a new photographic style, ‘lightplay’, and a business-focused approach to copy, under the line ‘CIMA — where business and finance meet’. Case studies have moved away from personal journey to highlight the bottom-line benefit a CIMA qualification or employee brings to business.
Strategy – broader business issues the company is facing
One of the most challenging elements of this campaign lay in pulling together content generated all over the globe. Yet achieving a cohesive, high quality finish. This was achieved by provided detailed guidance to local photographers, who shot on location in China, South Africa and the UK. In the future, shoots are planned in a number of new international locations.
Media, channels or techniques used
Interviews are undertaken locally, before case studies are focused and created by the Proctor & Stevenson team. From this point, advertising is created. All advertising is English-language as the CIMA qualification demands proficiency in written and spoken English. Proctor & Stevenson worked closely with CIMA’s local partners to deliver the campaign. Creative has been critiqued and sense checked in regional hubs and local specialists ensured the right pitch for different cultures from the outset.
Meanwhile, CIMA’s media partners, MEC have carefully considered media, optimising CIMA’s budget to deliver the greatest possible impact given the habits of local consumers. Proctor & Stevenson has also tracked results on a regional basis, and will be consulting with both CIMA’s international network and the Proctor & Stevenson media team to analyse the results. Working together, it is hoped more is learnt about regional responses to build an even more bespoke campaign next year.
‘CIMA heroes’ is a fully integrated campaign that covers both on and offline activity that fully utilises CIMAs resources and delivers maximum brand awareness within their target market. All digital activity to date has been tracked and monitored via agreed measures — click through rates, date capture, downloads — and we’ve even recorded regional activity.
Campaign timescales
The campaign began in late spring of 2010, with the cycle of global advertising running through until February 2011 — at which point planning for the coming year commenced.
Results
The campaign was rolled out over a matter of months, achieving response rates in some countries of well over 15 per cent and a qualified lead to response rate of more than 50 per cent across Europe.
Client testimonial
Victoria Penman, head of brand at CIMA, said, “Proctor’s has been extremely flexible, innovative and patient on what is a complex campaign working and coordinating activities across our international offices. It’s been a pleasure working with them. What I am most pleased about was how they’ve taken our existing brand identity and breathed new life into it. No rebrand necessary, just a fresh approach.”
