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Advertorials

Published by the Financial Times, this advertorial promotes Copenhagen Business School’s Executive MBA programme by detailing how it empowered the career of a recent graduate.

Editorials

Written for a target audience of senior business school marketers, this ghostwritten article featured in Global Focus Magazine, which is published by EFMD, a global accreditation body for business schools.

The content draws on relevant research to persuade readers that for business school branding to maintain its appeal, it must move beyond current conventions and adapt to major shifts in audience behaviour.

Brand campaigns

Commissioned by the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) to boost awareness and admissions for its Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration, this brand campaign is aimed at the programme’s primary target audience of South African Generation Z graduates. Key audience characteristics include an ambition to bring about positive social change and a desire to learn skills that stand out in a competitive job market.

The lead campaign line — We make changemakers — has since been adopted as the official GIBS strapline and brand proposition.

Content writing

The guide below was written to explain legislation that governs the shared ownership affordable housing scheme to property industry sales professionals. Its creation was an exercise in translating complex, technical information into digestible, actionable content.

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The Exchange: audit hacker
Part one
Capital Funding Guide: eligibility explained
The Government’s Capital Funding Guide (CFG) is effectively the Shared Ownership (SO) rulebook. It explains how the system works, the processes involved, your responsibilities as a Provider, and most of the finer details.
But, if you have read any of the CFG, you will know there is a lot to take in. And that understanding some of the legalities, exemptions and priorities can be tricky. Especially when it comes to eligibility.
Read on for a step-by-step guide that explains the eligibility rules in plain English.
Strictly speaking, the rules we are going to explain only apply to schemes that are grant-funded by the Homes England programme. But they are also often used as general best practice guidelines for non-grant-funded schemes. They are there to help make the process of buying a Shared Ownership property fair.

London rule variations
The rules in the CFG apply everywhere in the UK. But in London, some have slight variations. When considering eligibility, the main rule variation in London to be aware of is the one that applies to the ‘household income rule’. We explain this rule and its London variation in detail further down (see ‘the household income rule’ [link to section] section).
All the rules that confirm if someone is eligible to buy a Shared Ownership home in London – standard and variations – are listed in London’s version of the CFG, the Greater London Authority Capital Funding Guide (GLACFG).
If you are unsure whether an SO home is inside or outside of London, you can find out by checking which organisation provided the funding used to build the home.

• Homes England funds the building of SO homes outside London

• The Greater London Authority funds the building of SO homes inside London

Eligibility
The rules that confirm if someone can buy a Shared Ownership property
There is a clearly defined set of rules that confirm whether someone is allowed to buy a Shared Ownership property. They are called the eligibility rules.
They are there to make sure that Shared Ownership properties are only available to the people who need them most. These people all have three things in common:

1. Their yearly household income is less than £80,000 (£90,000 in London – see the London variation section)

2. They are unable to afford a suitable non-SO property

3. They do not already own property

These circumstances are called the general eligibility criteria for Shared Ownership. Only people who can prove that all three apply to them are likely to be eligible to buy an SO property. There are some rare exceptions. We will cover those too.

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The ‘household income rule’
For someone to be eligible to buy a Shared Ownership property, their gross yearly household income must be less than £80,000 (£90,000 in London – see the London variation section.)
‘Yearly household income’ means the amount a person who is applying to buy a Shared Ownership property earns each year added together with whatever anyone else they live with earns each year.
‘Gross’ means before income tax, student loan repayments or any other compulsory deductions are taken away; the amount someone earns each year in total, which is more than the amount that is paid into their bank account.

In real life that means…
Someone who earns £40,000 per year and lives with their partner who earns £45,000 per year would have a gross yearly household income of £85,000. Because that is higher than £80,000, they would not be eligible to buy a Shared Ownership property outside of Greater London.
On the other hand, someone who earns £40,000 per year and lives with their partner who earns £35,000 per year would have a gross yearly household income of £75,000. That would mean they meet the household income eligibility criteria to buy a Shared Ownership property. Someone who lives alone and earns a gross salary of £75,000 per year would also meet the household income eligibility criteria.

The London variation
In London, this rule varies in just one way: gross yearly household income must be less than £90,000. This variation accounts for the fact that average earnings and property prices are higher in London compared with the rest of the UK.

Exceptions
There are exceptions to this rule that help to make sure it is fair.
Regular payments that are not earned through working but are essential for supporting day-to-day living needs are not considered part of household income. These include child maintenance, care costs and Personal Independence Payments.
Total household income only takes into account the earnings of people who live in the same home and are expected to live there long-term. For example, if the people living in a home include a teenager with a part-time job, the teenager’s earnings are not considered part of that home’s total household income.
Total household income also only includes the incomes of the people who live in a home who plan to move into the same Shared Ownership property. For example, the household income of someone who lives in a shared flat does not include the incomes of their flatmates unless one or more of their flatmates plan to move into the same Shared Ownership property as them.
But if one or more of their flatmates do plan to move into the same Shared Ownership property as them, the incomes of all the flatmates who plan to move into that same SO property are considered parts of one total household income.

For more info about the ‘household income rule’
The official rules about how household income affects eligibility for SO properties outside of London are found in section 3.1.2 of the Capital Funding Guide [link].
The official London variation of the ‘household income rule’ is found in the Greater London Authority Capital Funding Guide.
If you have any questions, get in touch with the Shared Ownership team at Homes England.
[CTA button: ‘Get in touch with Homes England’]

Eligibility and affordability are different
We cover affordability in detail in Part Two [link] but have included this note here on the difference between eligibility and affordability because it can be confusing.

• Eligibility is based on household income

• Affordability is based on the income of the named person or people who want to buy a Shared Ownership property (AKA: the named applicant or applicants)

When it is important to remember the difference
If people living in a home decide they want to buy a Shared Ownership property, they have to apply together. But in a few exceptional circumstances, they do not have to.
For example, in very rare cases married couples who want to move into the same SO property do not both have to be named applicants. That situation will not come about because the couple has decided that is what they want; it will be because their circumstances mean they do not have an alternative. That could be the result of one of them having adverse credit, which is an example of a situation where remembering the difference between eligibility and affordability is very important.
In an exceptional case where just one member of a married couple becomes the sole named applicant, the eligibility rules only apply to that person, but with one exception: if the couple lives together, the named applicant’s total household earnings (which affects their eligibility) still include the earnings of their partner and anyone else living in the property long-term. The couple’s affordability, on the other hand, is based entirely on the income of just the sole named applicant.
It is also important to remember that a Shared Ownership property bought by a sole named applicant legally belongs to the named applicant only.

When to ask for evidence
Be careful when dealing with one of these exceptional circumstances. If a couple says that the ‘household income rule’ does not apply to them because they do not live in the same home, it is a good idea to ask them to provide proof of their living arrangement.
Electoral rolls and recent council tax statements clearly confirm all the people who are registered as living in a home. When asking people to provide these documents, remember to be polite. A good way to phrase the question is, ‘Do you mind showing us your council tax or where you both are in the electoral roll?’.
Another example of an exceptional reason that might mean only one member of a married couple is a named applicant, is that their spouse belongs to a religion that forbids them from taking out a standard mortgage.
It is difficult to prove if someone belongs to a religion, and denying a member of a married couple the right to leave their name off an application because they cannot prove they belong to one could be considered discriminatory. For those reasons, it is best not to ask for proof of religion.

Details you should avoid asking about
As well as religion, it is illegal to discriminate against anyone because of:

• Age

• Being married or in a civil partnership

• Being pregnant or on maternity leave

• Disability

• Gender reassignment

• Race, ethnicity or nationality

• Sex

• Sexual orientation

These are called protected characteristics.
You can find out more about protected characteristics in the discrimination [link] section on gov.uk.

For more information about named applicant rules
The official rules about named applicants and eligibility are found in section 3.3 of the Capital Funding Guide [link].
If you have any questions, get in touch with the Shared Ownership team at Homes England.
[CTA button: ‘Get in touch with Homes England’]

Trust funds can support but not own
Shared Ownership properties can only be owned by people. So while Trust funds can support owners, they cannot own or part-own SO properties. For that reason, trust funds cannot be named on an SO property lease.

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The ‘homeownership rule’
People who already own another property are not eligible to buy an SO property.

Exceptions
An applicant who already owns a property might be considered eligible in very rare cases if they meet the other general eligibility criteria and own a:

• Commercial property

• Residential property but are planning to sell it before or during the process of buying a Shared Ownership property

• Residential property that they are unable to access or sell because the property is abroad, and they cannot return to the country where it is located

• Residential property that they are unable to access or sell because it is part of very rare legal separation or divorce arrangements

But these circumstances do not guarantee that an exception will be granted. The ‘homeownership rule’ almost always applies. Exceptions are only granted on very rare occasions and with the permission of Homes England.
If you want to request permission for an exception to the ‘homeownership rule’, you must send an email to sharedownership@homesengland.gov.uk that explains your reasons. The points your email must cover are listed in section 3.5.5 of the Capital Funding Guide [link].

Residential property ownership
A customer who meets the other eligibility criteria and is going to sell a residential property they already own must have completed their sale before the sale of the SO property they have applied to buy can be considered complete. Interest and upcoming viewings are not enough. The customer must provide proof of sale and details of their sales agent.
It is also important to remember that when dealing with a customer who is going to sell a residential property they already own, you cannot consider the sale of SO property they have applied to buy in isolation. You must consider it part of a chain sale.
Residential property types that are not exceptions
If an applicant owns one or more:

• Second homes

• Holiday homes

• Homes abroad

• Homes in negative equity

…the applicant will need to sell them before they can be considered eligible for Shared Ownership.
Commercial property ownership
A customer who meets the other eligibility criteria and owns a commercial property might be eligible for Shared Ownership without having to sell it. To be considered eligible, the customer and their commercial property must meet all the rules found in section 3.5.6 of the Capital Funding Guide and their eligibility must be approved by Homes England.

For more information about homeownership
The official rules about homeownership and eligibility are found in section 3.5 of the Capital Funding Guide [link].
If you have any questions, get in touch with the Shared Ownership team at Homes England.
[CTA button: ‘Get in touch with Homes England’]

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Extra rules in special places
Rural Exception Sites are affordable home developments built in places where property construction would not usually be allowed. Often, they are given the go-ahead because the local community they are built in, next to, or nearby, really needs more reasonably priced homes. For that reason, most Rural Exception Sites have additional eligibility rules to confirm who can buy SO properties located on them.
Those additional rules tend to restrict eligibility to people who already live in a Rural Exception Site’s local community or are connected to that community through their family or job. Additional eligibility rules for a Rural Exception Site are decided between the site’s local planning authority, developer and provider in what is called a 106 agreement.

For more information about Rural Exception Sites
The official rules about Rural Exception Sites and eligibility are found in section 3.2.2 of the Capital Funding Guide [link].
If you have any questions, get in touch with the Shared Ownership team at Homes England.
[CTA button: ‘Get in touch with Homes England’]

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Immigration status rules
There is a common misunderstanding that people who are subject to immigration controls – i.e. people who are not British citizens and therefore need a visa to remain in the UK – are automatically ineligible to buy a Shared Ownership property.
That is not the case. There is no legal reason why someone who is not a British citizen would be automatically ineligible to buy a Shared Ownership property. Non-British citizens are likely to be eligible if they:

• Can prove they can afford the costs of buying and owning a Shared Ownership property (mortgage repayments, for example) in the long term

• Meet the general eligibility criteria for Shared Ownership (have a household income of less than £80k [£90k in London], are unable to afford a non-SO property that is suitable for their needs on the open market, and do not already own a property)

Applications from people who are not British citizens are usually complicated, so most are decided case by case. It is worth remembering that rejecting an application submitted by someone who is not a British citizen but can prove they meet the general eligibility criteria is likely to be considered discriminatory.

People who do not have the right to stay in the UK
People who do not have the right to stay in the UK for as long as they want are unlikely to be able to prove they can afford the costs of buying and owning a Shared Ownership property in the long term. Refugees are not an exception.
But if someone without the right to stay in the UK indefinitely meets the general eligibility criteria and can afford to buy a share of a Shared Ownership property upfront (i.e. without a mortgage), the Provider that owns the remaining share can choose if they want to accept an application from that person.

Refugees
There are no special rules for refugees. If a refugee meets the general eligibility criteria and is able to prove they can afford the costs of buying and owning a Shared Ownership property in the long term, they are likely to be eligible. But unless they have a visa that allows them to stay in the UK for as long as they want, they will have difficulty proving they can afford the costs long-term.

Real-world examples
If a Syrian doctor refugee applied to buy a Shared Ownership property, their immigration status would be unlikely to affect their eligibility. That is because they would likely have enough income and employability to prove they would be able to afford the long-term costs of buying an SO property. They would also be likely to qualify for the right to apply for a visa that would allow them to stay in the UK for as long as they want.
On the other hand, an asylum seeker without a visa or a job would be very unlikely to be able to prove they could afford the long-term costs of buying a Shared Ownership property. For that reason, they would almost certainly be considered ineligible.

For more information about immigration status rules
The official rules about how immigration status affects eligibility are found in section 3.6 of the Capital Funding Guide [link].
The official variations of the rules about how immigration status affects eligibility for SO properties in London are found in the Greater London Authority Capital Funding Guide [link].
If you have any questions, get in touch with the Shared Ownership team at Homes England.
[CTA button: ‘Get in touch with Homes England’]
Homes England cannot offer legal advice. If someone with immigration status asks you for legal advice about buying a Shared Ownership property, please recommend contacting a solicitor.

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Who confirms if someone is eligible?
Confirming if someone is eligible to buy a Shared Ownership property is the responsibility of Providers. But Providers are allowed to outsource some of the work that goes into making eligibility decisions to other companies, and most do.

Companies that can help
Mortgage brokers and independent financial advisors carry out what are called ‘full document checks’ on all their customers who are applying to buy a Shared Ownership property. When making the checks, these companies can see if council tax or mortgage payments are going out of an applicant’s bank account. That gives them a clear indication of whether an applicant owns another property.
These companies also see the financial information that shows whether an applicant’s household income is above or below the £80,000 limit (£90,000 in London) and if they can afford to buy a property on the open market. For these reasons, they can give Providers information that is essential for confirming eligibility.
Another type of company that checks background details of Shared Ownership applicants is solicitors, so lots of Providers also outsource eligibility checking work to the solicitors that deal with their applicants.

Outsourcing is often necessary
Outsourcing is a great way for Providers to speed up confirming eligibility. Often it is also the only way they can get the information necessary to make sure a check is thorough enough. For example, only financial advice companies are able to accurately check if an applicant can afford to buy a non-Shared Ownership house on the open market.

Providers are still responsible
When Providers outsource eligibility checks, they are still legally responsible for making sure those checks are accurate. So, although outsourcing helps improve the accuracy of checks, it does not guarantee they meet the required legal standards.
That being said, Providers only need to take ‘reasonable measures’ to check eligibility. Confirmation that a company has not come across evidence to suggest ineligibility while checking an applicant’s relevant details and carrying out all necessary checks is usually enough. That is because it is difficult to carry out more detailed checks without going to unreasonable lengths such as hiring a private detective.

Get an agreement in writing
When a Provider asks another company to help them check eligibility, it is important that both companies first sign a service level agreement (SLA) that clearly outlines what needs to be checked, when checks need to be made and what responsibilities either company has.

For more information about confirming eligibility
If you want to ask someone about confirming eligibility and outsourcing eligibility checks, get in touch with the Shared Ownership team at Homes England.
[CTA button: ‘Get in touch with Homes England’]

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For more information
The official eligibility rules are found in section 3.1.2 of the Capital Funding Guide [link].
The official London eligibility rules variations can be found in the Greater London Authority Capital Funding Guide [link].
If you have any questions, get in touch with the Shared Ownership team at Homes England.
[CTA button: ‘Get in touch with Homes England’]

Reminder – London rule variations
The rules in the CFG apply everywhere in the UK. But in London, some have slight variations.
All the rules that confirm if someone is eligible to buy a Shared Ownership home in London – standard and variations – are listed in London’s version of the CFG, the Greater London Authority Capital Funding Guide (GLACFG).

Messaging strategy

Tasked with refreshing Alba Graduate Business School’s brand messaging, the hero messages below were crafted to resonate with newly emerging outlooks and motivations within the school’s primary target audiences.

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Welcome to your guide to our brand campaign, Widen Your World.
First we’ll explain the strategy that powers it, then we’ll give you the tools you need to implement it.

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What are Hero Messages?
Our Hero Messages are a collection of short, powerful passages of text that communicate who we are and what sets our business school apart.
We use them for two important reasons.
To build recognition. Repeating the same carefully-crafted messages helps make our audiences remember us in ways that we want them to.
To sharpen definition. For strong engagement, it’s essential to communicate what makes us unique. An effective way to do that is by stating our points of difference clearly and memorably.
Hero Messages are one of the key components of messaging strategy and used by the world’s most successful brands. We need to ensure ours remain consistent across all our brand assets.

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Our manifesto – for external audiences
Suggested use: Brochure; homepage.
The business world is changing at pace; there are major new challenges to navigate and fresh opportunities to discover. To become a changemaking leader of tomorrow, knowledge is not enough.
Develop a broader mindset based on global dialogue, insight and experiences. Meet inspiring people, explore fresh approaches and immerse yourself in the latest strategies from those at the leading edge of research. Widen your world.
At Alba Graduate Business School, we truly understand the needs of leaders. It’s why we were founded, and it’s shaped how we’ve grown.
Study on an international campus filled with students and faculty from different industries and backgrounds. Nurture valuable, career-enhancing relationships with like-minded peers. And access quality, relevant business education backed by first class research.
Go beyond borders. Find your people. Embrace agility. Challenge your thinking.
Widen your world.

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Manifesto edit
Suggested use: LinkedIn profile.
At Alba Graduate Business School, we truly understand the needs of leaders. It’s why we were founded, and it’s shaped how we’ve grown. We know that to become a changemaking leader of tomorrow, knowledge is not enough.
It’s time to widen your world.
Our international campus is a place where we nurture career-spanning relationships. Promote an agile, futureproof mindset. And deliver relevant education driven by world-leading research. Because to lead tomorrow, knowledge is not enough.
Go beyond borders. Find your people. Embrace agility. Challenge your thinking.
Widen your world.

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Campaign copy
Suggested use: landing page.
To lead tomorrow, knowledge is not enough. That’s why at Alba Graduate Business School, quality education driven by world-leading research is only part of what we deliver.
We also enable collaboration. Nurture valuable, career-spanning relationships. And Mould the agile mindset you need to become a futureproof leader.
Study here to go beyond borders. Find your people. Embrace agility. And challenge your thinking.
Widen your world.

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Short Hero Messages
Suggested use: social lines and as required across all comms.

Pillar: Find your people
Unique perspectives, shared experiences.
Diverse backgrounds, similar outlooks.
Forge career-enhancing relationships.
Connect, challenge, transform.
Break barriers, make connections.

Pillar: Embrace agility
Futureproof your thinking.
Adapt, react, overcome.
It’s a matter of mindset.
Leadership without limits.
Smart strategies for agile leaders.

Pillar: Go beyond borders
Global solutions to global challenges.
Develop an international mindset.
Grow global.
The business world awaits.
Share outlooks, swap insights.

Pillar: Sharpen your understanding
Next-level knowledge powered by world-leading research.
Come to learn, leave a leader.
Actionable insight for adaptable leadership.
Change-up your thinking.
Enhance your outlook.

Campaign: Widen your world
Knowledge is not enough.
New challenges to navigate and fresh opportunities to discover.
It’s time to widen your world.
Become a futureproof leader.

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Hero passages
Suggested use: OOH and print advertisements.

Pillar: Find your people
Find your people.
Spark and nurture enduring relationships with leaders who connect with your way of thinking.
Navigate your career with a business network that’s got your back.
Widen your world.

Pillar: Embrace agility
Embrace agility.
In business, change happens fast. To keep pace, knowledge is not enough.
Nurture an agile mindset and navigate the future. Whatever comes your way.
Widen your world.

Pillar: Sharpen your understanding
Sharpen your understanding.
We channel our leading-edge research straight into the classroom. So you can put it straight into action in the boardroom.
Widen your world.

Pillar: Go beyond borders
Go beyond borders.
Global challenges require global solutions. Immerse yourself in a truly international business school and discover fresh opportunities and novel strategies.

Widen your world.

Newsletters

TMP Market Update

This monthly B2B newsletter combines copy spun from client interviews, key industry stats, and a carefully curated selection of audience-relevant news.

Framing the Shared Ownership scheme in a positive light and indicating that the client has a finger on the pulse of the wider sector without inflating their authority are front-of-mind considerations when creating the content. Naturally, every edition is written in line with the brand’s distinctive tone of voice.

SKIM7

This regular B2B round-up of best-in-class marketing, advertising and branding from across the UK and beyond achieves an average open rate of over 50%.

Tone of voice guidelines

The flexible suite of tone of voice guidelines I created for one of the most prestigious business schools in the German-speaking world, WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, is made up of five connected, but independent guides.

Four speak to different segments of WHU’s international, multi-generational audience; the other defines the overarching brand voice. All align with the school’s brand values and are tied together by a unifying tonal value that conveys its brand narrative, ‘incisive’.

After completion, the client used the word ‘love’ to describe how they felt about their new assets.

Video scripts

The script for the brand campaign video below was written to communicate key brand information, with concision, at natural speaking pace, within 90 seconds.

Website copy

Below are links to websites written to align with their organisations’ brand voices and help them achieve their marketing and commercial objectives.

The Exchange
The copy for The Exchange website was written to inform visitors what the organisation does, how it benefits members, and to drive membership sign-ups.

TMP The Mortgage People
TMP’s web copy speaks in the company’s ‘chirpy’ tone of voice and echos its ‘amazingly helpful’ brand value.

WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management
After receiving new tone of voice guidelines (see ToV section above), WHU decided to roll them out across its website.

White papers

Many business school brochures are still made using outmoded language and design principles. The below white paper exposes the issue, explains why it restricts admissions, and teases remedies.