About English In Action

English In Action (EIA) specialise in delivering short, intensive English language courses in schools across Europe and Asia. The company take a focused 1 or 2 week English Language event to classrooms, each tailored to the abilities and needs of the student group.

Three years after a management buyout from the Cambridge Education Group, EIA's management team had successfully grown the business through a focus on direct sales in a small number of key markets.

However competition was intensifying as large companies and start ups began to replicate EIA’s proven formula. EIA needed to respond, but in adopting a more competitive posture they faced three key marketing challenges.

Firstly, their brand image lacked a sense of cohesion; the company’s logo
was subject to misuse by team members, while inferior quality images were routinely selected for use in marketing materials. Secondly, EIA’s promotional literature failed to communicate the company’s market leadership position and the high level of professionalism of its staff. And finally, their website was out-of-date and needed a complete overhaul.

GSP Consulting were commissioned to provide support to EIA's
management team during their annual marketing planning process,
when they were considering options for:

We began by conducting a rapid review of EIA's current situation, evaluating the company's portfolio of services and promotional efforts, while also assessing competitor propositions and market research reports in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) sector.

Our first recommendation was the creation of a new visual identity to help EIA’s management team regain control over the company’s image, particularly the application of their logo by staff and agents. We also persuaded EIA to purchase professional photographs from commercial image libraries to improve the quality and consistency of their communication materials.

With a new visual identity in place, we turned our attention to EIA’s Course Finder brochure. This was redesigned in a larger, glossier format to signify
EIA’s authority and professionalism, while the navigation system was improved to make it easier for teachers to find a suitable course for their students.

The Course Finder was also split into two documents to recognize the difference between EIA’s two distinct target audiences - Primary school

English in Action's response to changes in the competitive landscape has been an overwhelming success, both in securing the loyalty of existing customers and impeding the progress of imitators.

Their brand image is now cohesive and professional yet still retains the personal, friendly values that lie at the heart of the business. And their web presence has been completely transformed, matching the standards set by market-leaders and seamlessly integrating course details with promotional and collaborative elements to further reinforce their professional credentials.

These changes have had an immediate impact on sales. Between September 2009 and April 2010, turnover has risen by 14% on a like-for-like basis, as schools chose to repeat EIA courses rather than change to a new supplier, and the company secured incremental business worth over £120,000 to deliver an ROI of 1620%.

The company has derived additional benefits from the launch of their new website. EIA’s management, for example, now have a far greater degree of accountability in their marketing programmes. Detailed web analytics show that more than 5,800 people in 117 countries have visited the new website since launch, staying for over 5 minutes each time they visit and viewing on average 5 pages.

And EIA’s marketing team have tested the effectiveness of pay-per-click campaigns in selected geographies, directing visitors to the site with highly targeted promotional messages and stimulating hand-raising activity among prospective customers in advance of a visit to the country by a member of the sales team.