Published by Sue Johns-Chapman
Published Date 10.04.2025 
When we proposed the masterplan of a Liam Gallagher look-alike as the face of our Graphene 20 campaign… some might say we were taking a big gamble. This was a wacky idea by any marketing standards, half the world away from conventional Higher Education communications. But we didn’t want this opportunity to slide away – we had the chance to make a research campaign that would live forever in people’s minds. We had to give it all or nothing.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s start at the beginning…
We’re the Digital Marketing team in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at The University of Manchester. Bit of a mouthful, right? Long story short, we’re a devolved communications department at the University! The institution is massive, so each Faculty has a dedicated marketing team. We promote scientific research, share technological advancements, spotlight amazing academics and create communities for everyone in STEM with our various outreach initiatives.
For this campaign, our in-house team was small but mighty… It included resident Digital Content Editors, Alice and Kory, who are well-versed in content producing and strategising. Meanwhile, everything was overseen by Becs, the Digital Marketing, Content and Web Manager. With a wealth of agency and higher-ed expertise, she makes the important decisions while being the team’s biggest cheerleader.
Late last year, we were approached by our colleague Jo, Research Communications and Marketing Manager in the wider team, who wanted a big splash to celebrate 20 years since graphene was first isolated. She wanted thousands talking about this wonder-material, and was stead-fast in using unique marketing concepts to make graphene part of public conversation.
However, the first barrier was foundational, and would become the driving purpose behind our entire campaign: awareness.
On the whole, many people outside of academia didn’t know what graphene was – let alone why the anniversary mattered. This is a revolutionary 2D material that has been transforming industries since it’s discovery in 2004. From detecting cancerous brain tissue to driving sustainability efforts with vertical farming, its problem-solving scope is extensive.
So, this campaign wasn’t just about celebrating graphene’s past – it was about making it part of Manchester’s present. We needed messaging that resonated with Manchester while ringing familiar with current trends. After seeing Liam Gallagher’s reunion with brother Noel dominating headlines, conversations and – importantly – search engine optimisation (SEO), we spotted a gap in the market.
We cross-referenced traits of Liam and graphene and found a perfect fit: both are Strong, Iconic, and Northern. It was decided: we were going to use one Manchester icon to spotlight another, engaging people with graphene by making its story accessible, relatable and relevant to the masses.
As a result, this project, produced for £1500 with no paid promotion, yielded coverage from two major news outlets, 80,000 organic views, and recognition in an acclaimed social media report. We created an opportunity, trusted our instincts, and delivered.
Despite working remotely when the shortlist was announced, upon seeing our names on that screen there was a wave of incredibly excited screaming and jumping that shook the very foundations of Manchester. Exclamation marks and messages of disbelief flooded our group chat, soon followed by exchanges of encouragement and gratitude for everyone’s hard work on the campaign. Though we wholeheartedly believe in our abilities and strength as a team, it is so validating to receive this recognition from an external source.
It takes real gumption to pitch and produce parody marketing for any brand – let alone as a University, or Faculty team within that! We think like an agency, despite working on modest budgets with a tiny taskforce. Our deep understanding of trends, platforms and audiences allows us to navigate approval obstacles while maintaining creative integrity.
By ditching jargon and prioritising storytelling, we made complex research accessible worldwide, sparking conversations and achieving true memorability in an age where attention is fleeting. No other outcome is worth that much.
You can find the full campaign video here: https://uom.link/EWfX6xD
