For the second instalment in our ‘HE Copy We Love’ series, showcasing the very best of higher education marketing, we’re looking at the website for the London Interdisciplinary School (LIS).
Here’s why we give it top marks:
1. It squeezes fresh life into a (slightly tired) buzzword and concept
Nowadays, the word ‘interdisciplinary’ litters university prospectuses like confetti after a wedding.
So it’s something of a relief to see it used so sparingly here (especially as it’s part of the name of the organisation). Instead, the copy stays laser-focused on the underpinning concepts, explaining why interdisciplinarity is so important:
“Solutions to the world’s most complex and interconnected problems won’t come from a single specialism or subject.”
2. LIS shows you how they deliver interdisciplinary education
Thanks to a well-constructed website and a carefully plotted user flow, prospective students are only two clicks away from a curriculum breakdown of the methodology used by LIS to combine everything from Python to public speaking.
The ‘Course Content’ page makes it immediately obvious that the LIS curriculum isn’t just a hastily selected academic pic’n’mix. There’s clearly a lot of time dedicated to teaching students how to mix methods and combine approaches.
The ‘Meet the Team’ page seals the deal, with a formidable and varied blend of academic and professional expertise.
3. They nail the basics
Nine times out of 10, great copy doesn’t rely on fancy tricks.
LIS’s copy is lean and succinct. There’s no section longer than 40 words on the home page, with generous amounts of video content to do the heavy lifting and personalise the site.
They also avoid overly self-conscious Gen Z-pandering – but they’re not afraid of straight talk where it suits:
“Who said you can only study one thing?”
Reading through the website, you get a strong sense that LIS know their audience well. They’re quick to celebrate the achievements of their first cohort, with a home page carousel that spotlights the initial career wins of their freshly-graduated alumni.
They’re also astute enough to pinpoint one of the biggest challenges facing modern students:
“The workplace of tomorrow will look totally different and demand more of you than ever before. You’ll need to be balanced, entrepreneurial, and resilient to be at the forefront of this movement.”
As always, we like to give credit where it’s due – so hats off to LIS’s small but mighty marketing team, CMO Gillian Wilson and content marketing manager Gráinne Sharkey, for this perfectly pitched website.
When we reached out to Gráinne, she was happy to offer a creator’s perspective:
“When it comes to copy, we don’t want to intimidate. We aim to be clear, concise, and avoid overcomplicating our offerings.
“Regarding the website, we’ve taken a ‘show, don’t tell’ approach over the last year, with the addition of our student projects repository page and our alumni page.
“There’s still some work to be done on our site, but we’re glad to have a really engaging, content-led approach that shows what our programmes can do, as well as widening the belief that having an interdisciplinary mindset is vital for the future of work.”
Do you agree that LIS have got it spot-on? Are there any other brilliant HE marketing campaigns you’d like to see highlighted? Get in touch, either on LinkedIn or at jo@allthingswords.co.uk.