Sci-Net The Make Do

Sci-Net is a leading Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) specialist and Microsoft gold partner. While they work across multiple industries, they hold a specific dominance in the furniture and jewellery sectors, providing a tech-heavy offering designed to drastically improve operational efficiency.

However, having a powerful technical solution is one thing – explaining it in simple terms is another. Historically, conveying the tangible value of their complex software had been a challenge for the brand, often getting lost in technical jargon rather than focusing on the impact.

And a particular problem was imagery. How do you convey a tech offering in a digestible format that’s easy for the uninitiated to understand?

When we began working with Sci-Net, we recognised that the most effective way to sell a B2B solution was to highlight a B2C pain point. We shifted the focus away from "operational benefits for the business" and towards the "benefits to the end user."

We identified a universal frustration for furniture buyers – the long wait between ordering an item and actually receiving it, which, in some cases, can be many months.

This led to our creative concept of reducing the 'make do' a thought process, which sought to highlight the questionable alternatives people resort to while waiting for their delivery.

To visualise this, we conducted a creative photoshoot that replaced standard furniture with uncomfortable stop-gaps:

• Wooden pallets acting as a sofa.
• Cardboard boxes serving as a dining table.
• An inflatable mattress used as a ‘permanent’ bed.

Anchored by the tagline “No one likes waiting for furniture,” the imagery immediately connected the efficiency of Sci-Net's software with the happiness of the customer.

The team at Sci-Net embraced the concept entirely, making it the focal point of their marketing strategy. The campaign successfully simplified a complex tech message into a relatable visual narrative.

The creative was rolled out across the full marketing mix with significant impact:

• Print advertising: The campaign featured as the inside cover advertisement in the December edition of Furniture News, a key title for the sector.
• Events: The visual identity was incorporated into Sci-Net’s stand design for the January Furniture Show – a major four-day exhibition at the NEC – helping them stand out in a crowded hall.
• PR & content: The concept of "reducing the make do" became the angle for feature articles in key furniture trade magazines, while the imagery also fuelled engaging photos and reels for social media.

The concept of 'Reducing the Make Do' stands as a prime example of creative thinking, where you take a dry, technical subject that’s tricky to comprehend at first look before turning it into impactful, human-centric content that resonates with your target audience.

The feedback Sci-Net received on the furniture focused assets was so positive, that we then extended this thinking into the jewellery sector too, expanding on the concept to encompass various jewellery-led scenarios.

An in-house studio photography session saw us take jewellery boxes and replace the original items with a mix of onion rings, strawberry laces and can ring-pulls, which were again used across Sci-Net's jewellery sector marketing as a visual interpretation of the benefits of their offering