Case Study

D&AD – Digital Audit

D&AD is a non-profit advertising and design association established in 1962 by a group of designers and art directors including David Bailey and Terence Donovan.

 

D&AD exists today to stimulate, enable and award creative excellence in design and advertising with its membership representing creative, design and advertising communities worldwide. As a 60-year-old organization, they needed comprehensive digital ecosystem review to inform future marketing activity and platform management.

Digital Strategy Ecosystems Audit WordPress Development
A hexagonal logo featuring the letters "D&AD" in white on a black background, set against a bright yellow backdrop.

Introduction

Full Digital Ecosystem Review & Strategic Audit

D&AD needed a comprehensive digital ecosystem review to address legacy technology challenges and inform future strategic decisions for their 60-year-old non-profit organisation.

 

Filter conducted a full audit, interviewing team members, reviewing digital performance, and analysing systems across their entire digital infrastructure.

 

The result was a strategic roadmap with short, medium and long-term recommendations to transform their online offering and improve user experiences.

Relationship Length

Project delivered in 2020

Focus

Reviewing 60-year-old non-profit’s digital ecosystem to inform future strategy

Problem Problem

  • Legacy tech and poor front-end experience
  • Difficult admin for annual awards entries
  • Needed an objective digital strategy review

Solution Solution

  • Full audit with cross-team interviews
  • Reviewed marketing, code, systems, and reporting
  • Analysed CRM, traffic, sales, and content planning

Result Result

  • Set short-, medium-, and long-term priorities
  • Recommended ecosystem and CRM changes
  • Improved UX, reporting, and integrations

Two smartphone screens display an application interface. The left screen features text promoting the benefits of joining, while the right screen shows a login form. The design emphasizes accessibility and user engagement.

The Challenge

D&AD were encountering challenges around legacy technology, providing optimal front-end experiences and administration of entries, specifically related to their annual online awards.

As a respected organisation representing global creative communities, they needed an objective view of their current digital ecosystem to best inform future decisions about their ongoing approach to digital strategy and platform management across their diverse membership base.

Our Approach

The team at Filter utilised vast experience and expertise to assess the tech infrastructure and processes in place.

We interviewed team members across various disciplines to understand current restrictions, challenges and opportunities, while reviewing digital marketing performance, code quality, systems and reporting mechanisms.

The comprehensive audit included visual representation of the digital ecosystem, CRM engine review, traffic pattern analysis, sales and membership statistics, outbound marketing assessment, content planning review, CMS platform evaluation and tracking setup analysis.

A laptop screen displays a grid of DAAD Awards winners categorized by creative fields, including animation, graphic design, and cinematography. Each category features vibrant images representing various award-winning works.
A laptop and smartphone display the EAVD Awards 2023 website, showcasing an awards theme with entry details and a call-to-action button for registrations. The design emphasizes a sleek, modern aesthetic suitable for engaging potential participants.

Results

Upon completing and presenting the findings to management and the wider marketing team, Filter defined short, medium and long-term tasks to propel D&AD’s online offering.

The audit delivered recommended changes to the digital ecosystem, CRM engine modifications to improve user journeys, short-term UX fixes and improvements, enhanced reporting structures, and identification of third-party integration areas requiring attention.

This comprehensive assessment provided D&AD with the objective insights needed to make informed strategic decisions about their digital future.

Why This Story Matters

This project demonstrates how comprehensive digital ecosystem audits can provide the strategic foundation for transformation in established organisations.

For D&AD, that meant objective insights into legacy technology challenges and a clear roadmap for digital evolution.

If your organisation has complex digital infrastructure that needs strategic assessment, legacy technology challenges, or requires objective analysis to inform future digital decisions, we can help.

A collage of web pages showcasing the D&AD Awards, featuring various categories, submissions, and award details with vibrant graphics and a modern layout.

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