Agency
Mission North
WEBSITE CASE STUDY
Who has time to look in the mirror when they’re busy creating social impact and shaping the future? After a period of rapid growth, our longtime client Mission North came to us for a website re-do and brand update that would reflect the company they’d become.
The opportunity
Build more meaning into the brand
Mission North is a strategic communications agency that believes stories have the power to solve the greatest challenges of our time. We have a long history of partnering with them on projects like the two previous versions of their website and total rebrand. So when they were ready for a rebuild, this time from the ground up, they came to us requesting “the full One Net treatment.”
With a few priorities in mind, they wanted the new site to showcase the expertise of the agency and the team. They wanted to place more emphasis on their Dispatch blog and take the opportunity to really deepen the meaning of the new Mission North name and brand.
Our Strategy
The challenge
What’s in a name?
With a name like “Mission North”, we had to walk the client-directed fine line of not leaning too hard into directional imagery in the branding. Yes, there were subtle directional elements in the logo, but we couldn’t go all out. No compass icons. No North Stars.
Stock images, illustration, and iconography were all also off the table by the client. So how could we develop strategies to layer meaning into the brand while feeling completely authentic to who they already are?
Color Usage
The research
Charting the path forward
When considering ways to enhance Mission North’s brand meaning, our audience analysis showed that prospective clients look for measurable results from their comms strategies. Zooming out, we could see how this parallels the impact that clients want to create with their own broader missions.
It was also clear from our research that companies want to see agency expertise in their specific industries. Digging into Mission North’s Search Console, we noticed that a segment of visitors were actually discovering the site after searching for individual team members. Perhaps there was a way to emphasize expertise here as well.
Finally, we examined Mission North’s Dispatch blog and compared the structure and content of the competition to better understand what topics that would resonate most with prospects.
The direction
Lead with purpose
With the understanding that clients are interested in impact, both in terms of metrics and in a big-picture sense, we decided to emphasize the “mission” half of the name Mission North. We did this by presenting case studies in the context of successful missions that support broader global movements. Social impact is part of Mission North’s DNA, so this branding move felt like a natural point of emphasis.
In order to better showcase expertise, we took notes from the big firms and built out landing pages for each of Mission North’s seven verticals of expertise, and we fine-tuned their services to fill in gaps.
We also chose to give each team member their own page to provide contextual information on expertise like background and specialization, linking to any blogs written by the team member.
In order to better showcase expertise, we took notes from the big firms and built out landing pages for each of Mission North’s seven verticals of expertise, and we fine-tuned their services to fill in gaps.
Our Solution
The results
Mission landed
219%
increase in SEO
40%
more time on page
114%
increase in form submits
20%
more time on page
The moral of the story
Make it move
Not only did a meaningful emphasis on missions move people emotionally to contact the Mission North team, but the strategic use of micro animations truly brought the website to life.
Instead of relying on typical navigational elements to bring meaning into the Mission North brand, we subtly wove movement throughout the site. Every page load and section introduction served to reinforce the message that Mission North helped companies move towards their mission and broader impact in the world.
“The entire team at One Net was incredible and we are so appreciative of our partnership. However, you really went above and beyond and our partners, Nicole and I wanted to send this token of our appreciation to you for being the project lead on our recent work together. You kept us focused, remained calm under pressure and stayed committed to delivering an amazing product. We are so very proud of this work and excited for the next chapter it represents.”
- Paula Cavagnaro, Executive Vice President at Mission North