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AMBS: Student Storytelling in Practice
Alignment to PS ambitions:
Background: The project came about after longstanding discussions within the Faculty of Humanities, Alliance Manchester Business School's (AMBS) Student Marketing and Recruitment (SMR) team around how to promote studying business at Manchester specifically. The team explored how to move away from a text-heavy brochure to a condensed lifestyle feature. Following initial meetings with the designer, the team wanted to find a way to position student stories at the forefront in a meaningful way through focused, full-page spreads.
In preparing for the kind of university we want to be in the future, the move from text-heavy brochures to visual condensed lifestyle features supports shifts in how we engage and communicate with the students of the future. The next generation of students have a preference for content-rich, visual and interactive experiences as opposed to static-texts. This project demonstrates how SMR in AMBS are ahead of this shift in how future students engage with information regarding university life.
Objectives
- Improve user experience
- Create an engaging piece of promotional literature
- Encapsulate the student experience
Approach and Challenges
After putting together and agreeing on an initial concept in May 2024, the final proposal was approved and ready for the designer in October of the same year. The team discussed elements they liked from existing promotional materials, alongside examples from other institutions or businesses that they thought worked well as inspiration.
The team also collaborated on creating a visual identity for the brochure which combined the central undergraduate campaign look and feel with elements from AMBS’ brand identity. This approach helped the new brochure resonate with an audience more likely to identify with The University of Manchester, while still ensuring the final product felt connected to the business school.
Outcomes and Key Learnings
This project gave the SMR team an opportunity to explore a new format and approach. As the updated brochures have only been in use since our June open days, feedback is still in the early stages. However, they have already been able to implement some changes after reviewing the finished brochure in print.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations
The team wanted to include a range of student stories, encompassing a variety of backgrounds. This was achieved this by reaching out to international students, commuting students and students who had taken non-traditional paths to their course. One of the stories featured the success of a student ambassador who had joined the university as a young carer and spotlighted how his experience at the university had shaped his identity. This was essential, as there was a shared sense throughout the project that, in creating a piece that put the student experience at the forefront, it was important to reflect the diversity of those experiences.
Feedback
"The redesigned undergraduate brochure, featuring real student stories created a more authentic and impactful narrative. I was particularly pleased that Tim Mickleburgh, a two-time PQ Award finalist shared his journey and reflected on how his experience at AMBS enriched his time at university and supported his success beyond it." (Reimala Sivalingam, Director of Undergraduate Programmes)
Conclusion
Overall, the project successfully repositioned the undergraduate brochure; from relying on lengthy passages that required further explanation to providing clear, concise information to guide prospective students to the right places. In future editions, we hope to include more student stories and refresh them regularly to better reflect the diversity and richness of our student community.
Contact Information
For further information please contact:
- Matthew Ibberson - Student Marketing and Recruitment Coordinator AMBS