VHS Case Study Presentation
Welcome back to our ongoing case study series here at RED Marketing!
We’re excited to delve into the next story. Join us as we walk you through our brand-building adventures step by step.
Read more about VHS here
The Client:
The Virtual High School is a fully digital school of mastery built specifically for South African students to support educational outcomes, learning accessibility and personalisation through technology.
The Virtual High School is South Africa’s first wholly asynchronous Virtual School made to ensure all students, from all backgrounds, can access affordable and self-directed flexible education.
Challenge – A Successful Corporate Public Relations Campaign:
VHS launched in January 2023 in order to offer a new solution to how online high schools teach the curriculum.
The challenges were to:
- Create brand awareness around the launch of the new virtual high school.
- To start conversations about how to improve the schooling curriculum in South Africa with a specific focus on virtual schooling.
- To introduce the concept of asynchronous schools to the South African public.
Implementation:
- RED Marketing set out to understand the objective and formulated and PR strategy that involved curating press releases that would spark the media’s interest.
- RED Marketing would scan the educational environment, identify the trending topics and pitch the VHS and its founder to comment on the educational landscape and how to improve on it.
- We set out to interact with media in the field and utilised our 20 years of experience in the PR industry to tell the VHS story.
Results:
One month of PR resulted in features in the following publications:
PRINT:
Sunday Times (92 021) R250 000
Saturday Star (8 263) R31 311
Weekend Argus (12 245) R90 600
Sunday Tribune (18 632) R88 400
Independent on Saturday (12 591) R28 128
DIGITAL:
Times Live (100 000) R60
TOTAL REACH: 293 752 PEOPLE
TOTAL AVE: R572 439.00
If you are looking to run a successful corporate PR Campaign, read more about our Public Relations services here
The challenge
Arrow Electricals had relied on its website for years, but it no longer gave customers the smooth experience they expected. The design felt outdated, navigation could be clunky and crowded pages made it harder to find the right information quickly. For some visitors, accessibility was also a challenge, creating unnecessary frustration. All of this meant fewer confident clicks, fewer conversions and a digital presence that didn’t match the brand’s innovative spirit.
Time for change
It was the right moment to reimagine the site:
01. Competition was heating up : Rivals were setting new standards for usability and design
02. Customers were raising concerns: Navigation and checkout needed to feel easier and more reliable.
03. The brand was evolving: Arrow Electricals was updating its identity and the site had to match this momentum.
04. The business was growing: With new product lines the old structure simply couldn’t showcase the range effectively
A simple facelift wasn’t enough. By investing in expert UI and UX design services, the aim was to create a site that felt fresh, accessible and effortless to use – a platform built to delight customers and support long-term growth.
Client:
Prayel Studio
Date :
Industry
Corporate
Services :
UX & UI
The goals
The redesign aimed to create a website that put customers first while showcasing the energy of the Arrow Electricals brand. Through our UI and UX design services, the focus was on delivering a platform that felt modern, easy to use and ready to support growth.
What we set out to achieve
Seamless mobile experience
With most visitors browsing on their phones, the new site needed to be fast, intuitive and consistent on every device
Higher conversions
a smoother journey with clear calls-to-action encouraged visitors to move from browsing to buying with confidence
Elevated brand presence
a refined design gave Arrow Electricals a premium, aspirational feel while staying warm and approachable
Simplified navigation
a clearer structure made it easy to find the right information, explore more content and enjoy a longer visit
The process
Our approach was designed to deliver maximum impact without unnecessary complexity. Every step was centred on what would make the biggest difference for customers while supporting Arrow Electricals’ business goals. By combining UX best practice with an iterative design approach, we ensured the client stayed closely involved and every decision added real value.
UX analysis
We started by taking a deep dive into both desktop and mobile journeys. This uncovered hidden frustrations, such as unclear pathways and moments of friction that slowed customers down. By mapping these experiences, we showed how even small changes could transform confidence and ease of use. Our insights drew on trusted Nielsen Norman Group research as well as proven e-commerce best practice, bringing together industry expertise with the brand’s unique needs.
Competitor research
Next, we turned outward. Analysing leading e-commerce and lighting websites revealed what was resonating with customers right now – from clean layouts to streamlined checkouts and modern visual cues. This gave us a clear picture of where Arrow Electricals could outshine competitors. The goal was a sweet spot: a premium look and feel balanced with the kind of everyday usability that keeps people coming back.
High-fidelity design
With the insights in hand, we moved into design exploration. Multiple homepage variations gave the client space to see, compare and refine different directions. These prototypes weren’t just visuals – they were working ideas that sparked discussion and helped clarify the vision. Once the direction was chosen, we rolled it out across key pages, holding regular review sessions to stay aligned with both customer expectations and the client’s ambitions. The result was a cohesive design system shaped by collaboration and powered by our UI and UX design services.
Before & AFter UX and UI Implementation
