Mando July Newsletter

Read our new look newsletter, to find out what Mando have been doing over the past few months.

The launch of Mercia World…
Mando Group have been working extensively over the past 18 months with learning providers Mercia Partnerships to develop a new, innovative on-line learning tool, aimed to deliver numeracy and literacy courses.

One of the UK’s leading training providers Mercia Partnership, who are based in Merseyside, came to Mando Group to commission development of an innovative on-line learning application ‘Mercia World’. With engaging illustrations, state-of-the art technology, and incorporating tutor support and testing, Mercia World guides learners through literacy lessons, such as use of apostrophes set against a background of carnival in Rio de Janeiro. A number of major PLC’s have shown early commitment in using the software to help improve numeracy and literacy rates throughout their organisation.

The project has also gone on to include a cd-rom version of the application, and a suite of marketing materials for Merica Partnership that have been also been developed with an engaging illustrative style.

Andrew Taylor, Managing Director of Mercia Partnership commented,
“We have been delighted with our partnership with Mando Group. As an organisation we choose our commercial partners carefully and are impressed continually by the quality of Mando Group’s creativity, technology as well as their superb project management. We are pleased to have had our product nominated for awards and to be already showing a significant return on investment”.


Mando update…
Mando Group has been through some changes over the last few months. In April we moved into new offices in the Liverpool Science Park. Providing us with space for further growth, and better access to clients in the city centre, the spacious modern offices are a bit hit with everyone.

Matt Johnson & Ian Finch created Mando Group 10 years ago. The firm now employs 35 full time members of staff. Matt Johnson: “We’ve been looking to locate back the city centre for a number of years and we see the Science Park as an excellent facility both in terms of quality of accommodation and support offered to businesses. The flexibility of space available means we are able to plan for future growth as a company.” Servicing a wide range of clients such as Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Liverpool Culture Company, ACC Liverpool and Hill Dickinson, alongside other clients outside of the region, Mando Group is well situated in their new city centre HQ.

Michael Brown, Vice Chancellor, Liverpool John Moores University commented,
“We are delighted to have welcomed Mando Group in to the Science Park. They have been a key catalyst to promoting the creative industries and ICT sector here on Merseyside. The organisation has had a long association as both founding Directors were undergraduates at Liverpool John Moores University and we are proud to be continuing this association.”


Podcast…
We are a launching a series of podcasts around topics regarding internet design and technology. Our first podcast discusses the world of blogging and bloggers and how this way of publishing views is impacting corporate communications.

You can download the podcast by
clicking here.


Liverpool Phil win website award
Mando Group client Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
has been awarded an award from The Mersey Partnership for their site www.liverpoolphil.com in
the Best Tourism Website category.

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic required an updated website to help users find out what is and book tickets online more easily. The website also offers interactive features that mean users are able to watch
video footage and listen or download excerpts from particular concerts. The site also sells CD's and memberships online as can accept online donations. Mando Group worked with the Philharmonic to develop a new website solution that would meet all these requirements. The Judges commented that it’s “a user friendly website that presented all the relevant information in a persuasive and visually attractive manner."

Millicent Jones Executive Director, Marketing Communications at Royal Liverpool Philharmonic said
"We are delighted with improved Royal Liverpool Philharmonic website. We have seen an incredible increase of traffic, 42% up from this time last year and an impressive 32% increase in online ticket sales. Mando Group's thorough approach and commitment to usability has delivered a highly functional, user-friendly website".

The annual TMP Awards are business awards recognising excellence within the Visitor Economy/ Tourism Leisure and Hospitality Industry in the region.

More information on The Mersey Partnership and the Tourism Awards can be found at www.merseyside.org.uk


Pssst! site wins a IPA Best of Health award
A drink awareness campaign website created for Citysafe, Liverpool’s Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership has won a much sought after bronze award at this year’s prestigious IPA Best of Health awards.

Mando Group created a website to support a campaign designed to raise alcohol awareness called ‘Pssst! Be Alcohol Aware.’

The website www.pssst.org.uk is striking, interactive, thought provoking, and fully supported the off-line creative campaign. The website also has the ability to measure public awareness of alcohol consumption through an online questionnaire.

The website had to appeal to a wide audience of anyone that may consume alcohol either at home or going out drinking. The design of the website was to convey information in a tone that was honest and interesting, it was essential to the success of the campaign that the information conveyed to the consumer was not perceived as lecturing or dictatorial.

Instead of the usual website structure, we wanted people discover the website in a more intuitive and interesting way. The website was constructed to allow the web user to explore the site on their own, using complementary graphics to make each area unique using elements from real life bar scenes to hint at the information hidden behind each link instead of a traditional navigation system.