Supporting storytelling in the Armed Forces community

Manifesto partnered with The Royal British Legion (RBL) to overhaul the digital presence of the UK’s largest Armed Forces charity. By adopting an audience-centred approach, and building a bold new website to act as the bedrock for an ecosystem of engagement, Manifesto has helped empower RBL to create compelling digital experiences which inspire audiences new and old.

Focusing digital experiences on the audience, not the organisation

Despite its outward-facing nature, the Royal British Legion’s previous website reflected their internal structure more than the needs of their audiences. Providing users with cohesive journeys was therefore impossible, while the organisation’s ability to tell engaging stories, linking the actions of supporters and fundraisers with the impact on the lives of those the charity supports, was severely hampered.

Enabling storytelling through atomic design principles

Through a design-sprint process, Manifesto helped RBL develop a new set of audience personas, bringing in the people they support alongside fundraising audiences for the first time. This allowed for the creation of a new information architecture, content strategy and key user journeys for the new site. The use of Sitefinity CMS in conjunction with atomic design principles and a full pattern library allows site editors the use of modular components to craft compelling stories which weave through the entire site, unbound by restrictive page templates.

Dramatically expanding digital reach and engagement

The new site launched in April 2019, presenting an enhanced digital experience based on powerful storytelling content. Editors can now weave stories of remembrance, human interest and impact throughout user journeys to move audiences through successive stages of engagement. In the month following the launch of the new site, online fundraising donations increased by 57%, online membership sign ups by 30% and overall traffic to the website was up by 22%. Manifesto continues to work with RBL, deepening their understanding of their audiences and helping their teams come together to realise their digital goals.