GKN Mission Everest
Skills
Strategic consultancy, information architecture, design, animation, copywriting, website build, content management, video and audio streaming, website maintenance.
Brief
We were commissioned to produce a website that captured the excitement of GKN Mission Everest – an extraordinary adventure story and an amazing fundraising endeavour.
In 2007, GKN – a world-leading automotive, off-highway and aerospace manufacturer – decided to inspire its staff to raise money for charities in Africa. The company sponsored Bear Grylls to attempt the first powered paraglider flight over Mount Everest – and needed a website that reflected the scale and excitement of this record-breaking challenge.
Strategy
A two-phase strategy was developed for the website – showcasing all the action from the mission itself and then how it inspired GKN employees around the world.
The initial website featured all the build-up, preparation and testing, including bespoke video filmed in the Alps – while also communicating GKN’s aims and aspirations. The main purpose of the website, however, was to relay the record-breaking adventure as it happened in the Himalayas – via daily reports, blogs, photos and streamed audio and video.
Following the flight, the website’s focus was shifted to how GKN staff rose to the challenge of raising $1 million for charities in Africa, with accounts on their individual endeavours – and reports on how the money raised was helping some of the world’s most deprived communities.
Success
The website’s clear design and rich and constantly updated content provided users with a truly interactive and informative experience. This was supported by the bespoke tools and applications built to capture the mission as it unfolded in the Himalayas – technical innovations that enabled easy uploading of content, whether it was filmed, photographed or written.
The website also played a crucial part in inspiring GKN staff to raise money for charity, as well as providing a rich platform for showing how that money has helped change thousands of lives in Africa.
Visit the site
www.gknmissioneverest.com
