Manchester 2035: a strategy launch that people wanted to share

The University of Manchester

Overview

Manchester 2035 – From Manchester for the world– is the University’s ten‑year strategy. It needed a launch that felt bold, accessible and genuinely shareable. I led the communications and engagement strategy for the public launch, shaping a film‑led campaign, integrated digital experience, keynote speech, live event and sustained post‑launch rhythm.​

Within the first week, the strategy website received nearly 10,000 visits, social engagement significantly exceeded previous benchmarks, and the work received external recognition, including the Future Index Architects Award.​

Case study

By phase 3 of the strategy process:

• Thousands of staff, students, alumni and partners had already contributed to Manchester 2035.​

• The final document was being refined and the focus had shifted from consultation to momentum.​

• The University now needed to:

  • Close the loop and demonstrate how contributions had influenced the outcome

  • Introduce the core ideas and five strategic “Leaps” clearly

  • Balance ambition with what was realistic and avoid confusion about implementation timelines

  • Launch at scale across internal and external audiences

  • Sustain engagement beyond a single launch event​

This required close coordination across brand, web, leadership communications, stakeholder briefings and live experience.​

Challenge

Higher education strategies are often text‑heavy documents that see a spike of interest at launch, with engagement concentrating among senior leaders, while many staff and students remain unclear what the strategy means for them.​

Our ambition was different: to launch Manchester 2035 as a visible, distinctive and shareable strategy narrative that felt rooted in Manchester’s civic identity and embedded in leadership communication from day one. The timeline was tight, and most of the work needed to be delivered in‑house.​

Approach

1. Lead with film and narrative

Instead of leading with a document, we led with story and film. The hero film reflected Manchester’s character – fast‑paced, civic, grounded in place and people – using protest imagery, city scenes and music from an emerging Manchester band to align tone with the institution’s identity. Alongside it, an explainer film used a hand‑off structure across more than 20 campus locations and 17 community voices, reinforcing shared ownership of the strategy.​

Both films were produced in‑house by Joe Bardsley and Rob Smailes, enabling close collaboration with leadership and ensuring the tone reflected lived reality rather than generic campaign language.​

2. Build a cohesive creative and digital system

Working with external suppliers Blush and Clearleft, as well as internal teams, we shaped a digital‑first identity anchored in the “Starburst” motif, representing the strategy’s organising idea and five leaps. This visual and narrative system extended consistently across:​

• A dedicated strategy microsite

• Social media templates

• Window vinyls and physical installations

• Event staging and presentation assets​

The microsite acted as the single point of truth: audiences could watch short films, explore themed journeys and dive into detailed content in plain language. Accessibility was built in from the start, with captioned video and clear summaries to widen reach.​

3. Orchestrate launch and sustain momentum

The launch event welcomed more than 500 attendees and placed the hero film at its centre, with the earlier pop‑up exhibition reskinned to create continuity between consultation and launch. Expectation‑setting was deliberate: messaging was clear that the strategy set direction, with detailed delivery plans to follow.​

Post‑launch, we designed a rhythm to keep Manchester 2035 present, including:

• “Leap in a Minute” videos

• Fortnightly blogs unpacking what each Leap meant in practice

• Townhalls and Ask Me Anything sessions

• A touring pop‑up installation

• In‑person and digital feedback loops​

The objective was shared ownership which we achieved by giving leaders and teams the tools to speak confidently about the strategy in their own settings.​

Impact

Within the first week:

• 10,000+ strategy website visits

• 250+ LinkedIn reshares

• Thousands of video views across platforms​

On campus, the creative identity generated visible interest, with feedback describing the launch as bold, fresh and distinctly Manchester. The work received sector recognition, including the Future Index Architects Award. More importantly, the strategy felt shared: narrative, design and leadership communication aligned to encourage engagement well beyond the launch event.​

Why this matters

Strategy launches shape how seriously people take what follows. This project demonstrates how higher education strategy communications can use narrative, film, design and executive advisory as one coherent system to create clarity, energy and shared direction across a large institution.​