African Cities Research Consortium is an NGO working to research and address development challenges in African cities. ACRC is led by The University of Manchester, in partnership with other research institutions, policy think tanks, civil society organisations and community-based researchers.

ACRC came to us at a pivotal point in their journey. They had completed their foundational phase after researching across 12 cities focused on urban systems, social systems and politics. Now their attention was on implementing their learning through pilots and proof of concepts.

The team felt their messaging was a little generic and academic. They wanted to show up consistently as an innovative, action-led organisation across internal and external communication. Empowering representatives across 12+ countries to talk confidently about ACRC's identity and approach in their own voice.

We started by digging into everyone ACRC needed to reach, from local community members through to international development agencies. From desk research to in-depth interviews, we identified 11 audience profiles. We mapped out their psychographics and built a clear picture of their motivations, challenges and how ACRC helps them.

The complexity of their messaging needs demanded a simple and elegant solution. In line with their approach, we developed an unforgettable message: that better cities are built together. A defiant idea to unite all stakeholders, in stark contrast to the current top-down approach taken to urban development. We also refined their tone of voice, developed a brand narrative and messaging pillars for the comms team.

But our favourite part, was building a narrative framework to empower individuals to connect with their audiences.

ACRC speaks to anyone from mum’s wanting fresh water to politicians seeking votes. They need to build trust fast no matter who they’re speaking to. So we developed an adapted version of Marshall Ganz’s Public Narrative framework to enable team members to tell their own story, grounded in personal experience, while connecting to ACRC’s purpose and core message.

We delivered a powerful messaging playbook to ACRC that has gained “buy in from colleagues across the research programme”. Hannah, Digital Communications Manager, said they now have “clearer messaging and a stronger sense of identity, and frameworks we can adapt for different audiences.” But crucially, that they have “collective confidence in telling our story going forward.”