Training to be Top
When we were brought in to help with the promotion of IBM training courses they were at a low ebb. Widely viewed as a cost centre, there was a distinct danger that unless the courses started to ‘wash their face’ they would be cut. We proposed treating them much more obviously as a perishable product – if seats weren’t sold by the due date then it was more than a learning opportunity lost. The once a year catalogue was replaced by a year round programme of direct mail – clustered courses being actively promoted within an eight week window before the course date. This allowed sufficient time for internal assessment of the need, candidate selection and budget approval. It also meant that general awareness was much improved.
The look and language was completely overhauled – out went a rather drab maroon folder, in came these beautifully illustrated course flyers. A fabulous bestiary thematically linked to each topic. Talking parrots adorned the cover of a course on ‘Telephone Skills’, cat and mouse illustrated a session on ‘Building Better Relationships’ and a peacock showed off ‘Presentation Skills’. My personal favourite was the dog chasing his tail to illustrate a course on ‘Time Management’.
The effect was startling. Take up improved dramatically and although designed specifically for the UK market, the package was adopted by France and Germany. I’m not sure our idiomatic approach crossed these cultural borders but the unusually colourful designs seemed to overcome any possible shortcomings.
