{"data":{"prismic":{"allSectors":{"edges":[{"node":{"name":[{"type":"heading1","text":"Automotive","spans":[]}],"meta":{"uid":"automotive"}}},{"node":{"name":[{"type":"heading1","text":"Higher Education","spans":[]}],"meta":{"uid":"higher-education"}}},{"node":{"name":[{"type":"heading1","text":"Government and Defence","spans":[]}],"meta":{"uid":"government-and-defence"}}}]},"sector":{"name":[{"type":"heading1","text":"Government and Defence","spans":[]}],"heading":[{"type":"heading1","text":"Digital transformation for the public sector","spans":[]}],"intro":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"We combine deep digital thinking and specialist skills to get the best results for clients looking to overcome their biggest challenges. Our tailored approach helps organisations overcome their most complex challenges, ensuring solutions are both innovative and impactful.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For those seeking exceptional government digital services, we design and implement scalable, user-focused systems that improve efficiency, accessibility, and engagement. Whether streamlining processes or transforming service delivery, we deliver solutions that meet the unique demands of public sector organisations.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"In the defence sector, our expertise in defence marketing helps brands communicate effectively in a highly competitive and regulated environment. From developing compelling strategies to executing targeted campaigns, we ensure your message resonates with key stakeholders and audiences.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Partner with us to unlock the potential of digital transformation in government and defence, driving real-world impact with measurable success.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"}],"heading_1":[{"type":"heading3","text":"We’ve been delivering digital transformation in the public sector for more than a decade, working collaboratively with clients to achieve change at pace.","spans":[]}],"intro_1":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"We help organisations remain focussed on what’s right for the user, developing solutions in line with Government Digital Service (GDS) principles.​","spans":[]}],"seodescription":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"Discover expert government digital services and innovative defence marketing solutions. 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We got one of our babies back.","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Great State developed the MVP for MyNavy back in 2019, in response to hours and hours of interviews across Navy personnel that showed serving staff felt undervalued, unsupported, uncertain about their future in the Navy and frustrated with its analogue ways of working. After that, the project passed to another agency for its next iteration, as these things sometimes do. Then, in the summer of 2021, MyNavy moved under the stewardship of Navy Digital. Lt-Cdr Morgan Long (universally known as Mogsy) took over as project manager and senior product owner and Great State was reappointed as MyNavy’s digital programme partner. ","spans":[{"start":34,"end":40,"type":"hyperlink","data":{"link_type":"Web","url":"https://www.greatstate.co/work/casestudy/my-navy"}}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Obviously it had changed a bit since we’d last seen it. What had been an app that focused on helping people manage their careers in the Navy had taken on a healthcare role, recording people’s Covid status and vaccination details. In doing so it had attracted attention from a number of senior people within the Navy, which meant Mogsy – and therefore Great State – came into the job with three directives from the Second Sea Lord: make MyNavy available to the whole force; make it an internal communications platform for the whole service; and make it an Amazon for uniform.","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Six months or so since starting work together, the MyNavy/Great State team has delivered all of this and more. So it seemed like a good time to take stock of what we’ve learned as a team, an agency, and as people.","spans":[]},{"type":"heading3","text":"1. Working with public sector organisations doesn’t have to be slow. ","spans":[{"start":0,"end":68,"type":"strong"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"This is a myth that needs to be dispelled. It’s commonly thought to be the case owing to the strict governance and a lot of bureaucracy within the public sector, and over time their agency partners come to mirror that. But when we came back to MyNavy, we had to prove our value really quickly, and we found that if you’ve got a client who’s willing to do things a little bit differently, and challenge people, and you’ve also got a team thinking the same way, there’s no reason why you can’t deliver value quickly within government. This is especially the case when the client in question is an empowered, uniformed product owner sitting right at the heart of the organisation; someone just like Mogsy. This collaborative approach means that not only do we have first-hand access to the lived-experience of serving personnel but also means we benefit from an on-the-ground driver for change, equipped with the knowledge and the access to make things happen quickly. ","spans":[]},{"type":"heading3","text":"2. Don’t just deliver things for the sake of it.","spans":[{"start":0,"end":48,"type":"strong"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Everyone talks about being user-centric, but most of the time, they’re not. Their organisational objectives or their hierarchy get in the way. In Mogsy we have a product owner who understands the value of being user-centred, and that if MyNavy works for the end-user, it’ll work for the organisation. Everything we’ve done on MyNavy has involved talking to users, and now we’ve built the Have Your Say feature, we’re constantly getting feedback. People are identifying problems we didn’t know existed, suggesting enhancements to existing services we might not have thought of, and recommending new features and functions that we wouldn’t necessarily have identified. All of which means we’re constantly improving the service MyNavy offers its users.","spans":[{"start":388,"end":401,"type":"em"}]},{"type":"heading3","text":"3. Teams work better when they set their goals together.","spans":[{"start":0,"end":56,"type":"strong"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Working on MyNavy with the Navy, we’re all part of the same team, and that’s really important. We set the foundation for this when we started on the project again; we went back to the reasons MyNavy exists and as a team we co-created a new vision and a new set of values for it. That brought the team much closer together, because everyone’s now working towards the same thing, and it’s created an environment where we can challenge each other. We’ve all bought into the vision, and we all hold each other accountable for not letting that vision be watered down.","spans":[]},{"type":"heading3","text":"4. We’re not just helping improve MyNavy; we’re upskilling the Navy. ","spans":[{"start":0,"end":69,"type":"strong"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The whole point of MyNavy is that the Navy is recognising the value of its people, and that’s true at the level of our team too. The Navy recognises they’re behind where they need be with digital, which means we have to understand we’re not just there to deliver a thing; we’re there to train people. We’re there to mentor them and give them better skills to take back to the Navy. So our success should be judged not just on what we’re delivering for the people who use the app, but also whether we’ve helped someone who’s worked with us for eight weeks improve, have new experiences and learn new skills.","spans":[]},{"type":"heading3","text":"5. If you work on something that makes a difference to people, it makes a difference to you too.","spans":[{"start":0,"end":96,"type":"strong"}]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"As much as I’ve loved all the other work I’ve done in my career, MyNavy is different; it makes you care. We’re talking to personnel all the time; we’ve had feedback from people who were struggling, saying they found the help they needed through MyNavy. When you hear that from someone directly, you get that sense of doing genuinely rewarding work, the sort that most people never have the chance to do.","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"With MyNavy, we’re building a tool that will be essential for people’s lives. What I’ve realised over the past six months is that when the team understand the significance of what they’re doing, and when they really care, the quality of work you can do together, the speed at which you can do it, and the impact you can have will really make a difference.","spans":[]}]}}],"_meta":{"uid":"five-lessons-from-six-months-working-on-mynavy"}}},{"article":{"__typename":"PRISMIC_Blog_article","article_type":"Opinion","title":[{"type":"heading1","text":"Collaborate, Don’t Compete – The Evolving Agency-Client Bond","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"}],"summary_text":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"Here we explore a new landscape; where agencies provide other specialisms, skills and experience to augment and enhance our clients’ teams.","spans":[]}],"seodescription":null,"seotitle":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"Collaborate, Don’t Compete – The Evolving Agency-Client Bond","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"}],"author":{"__typename":"PRISMIC_Person","name":"Jack Ashdown","job_title":"Creative Director","profile_picture":{"dimensions":{"width":500,"height":500},"alt":null,"copyright":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/greatstate/e892eedf77897453a4b11c17e4a308805b3c7e9c_gs-avatar-jacka-new-1.jpg?auto=compress,format"}},"published":"2021-12-17","image":{"dimensions":{"width":904,"height":508},"alt":null,"copyright":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/greatstate/b57954ec-7b44-4930-96fa-7a2e15c2c210_MicrosoftTeams-image+%2847%29.png?auto=compress,format"},"programming_language":null,"singleAspectRatioImage":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"aspectRatio":1.779527559055118,"src":"/static/1ad18200d8a24eee037b594588b56478/ea5de/b57954ec-7b44-4930-96fa-7a2e15c2c210_MicrosoftTeams-image%2B%252847%2529.png","srcSet":"/static/1ad18200d8a24eee037b594588b56478/6b0e5/b57954ec-7b44-4930-96fa-7a2e15c2c210_MicrosoftTeams-image%2B%252847%2529.png 200w,\n/static/1ad18200d8a24eee037b594588b56478/a489e/b57954ec-7b44-4930-96fa-7a2e15c2c210_MicrosoftTeams-image%2B%252847%2529.png 400w,\n/static/1ad18200d8a24eee037b594588b56478/ea5de/b57954ec-7b44-4930-96fa-7a2e15c2c210_MicrosoftTeams-image%2B%252847%2529.png 800w,\n/static/1ad18200d8a24eee037b594588b56478/9ac91/b57954ec-7b44-4930-96fa-7a2e15c2c210_MicrosoftTeams-image%2B%252847%2529.png 904w","srcWebp":"/static/1ad18200d8a24eee037b594588b56478/0c129/b57954ec-7b44-4930-96fa-7a2e15c2c210_MicrosoftTeams-image%2B%252847%2529.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/1ad18200d8a24eee037b594588b56478/0e93d/b57954ec-7b44-4930-96fa-7a2e15c2c210_MicrosoftTeams-image%2B%252847%2529.webp 200w,\n/static/1ad18200d8a24eee037b594588b56478/2259f/b57954ec-7b44-4930-96fa-7a2e15c2c210_MicrosoftTeams-image%2B%252847%2529.webp 400w,\n/static/1ad18200d8a24eee037b594588b56478/0c129/b57954ec-7b44-4930-96fa-7a2e15c2c210_MicrosoftTeams-image%2B%252847%2529.webp 800w,\n/static/1ad18200d8a24eee037b594588b56478/d8e00/b57954ec-7b44-4930-96fa-7a2e15c2c210_MicrosoftTeams-image%2B%252847%2529.webp 904w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px","presentationWidth":800}}},"link":{"uid":"collaborate-dont-compete--the-changing-relationship-between-agency-and-client"},"related_blogs":[{"blog":{"__typename":"PRISMIC_Blog_article","title":[{"type":"heading1","text":"Engineering digital products faster - by doing less.","spans":[{"start":38,"end":52,"type":"strong"}]}],"summary_text":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"We look at 3 key technology trends that are enabling faster delivery of digital products - by doing less.","spans":[]}],"author":{"__typename":"PRISMIC_Person","name":"Gary Trimnell","job_title":"Technical Director"},"thumbnail":{"dimensions":{"width":844,"height":475},"alt":null,"copyright":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/greatstate/66dea69a-fdc7-4457-a1aa-0b95653d20ee_blog-image.jpg?auto=compress,format"},"article_type":"Tech","published":"2021-02-03","link":{"uid":"engineering-digital-products-faster"},"image":{"dimensions":{"width":844,"height":475},"alt":null,"copyright":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/greatstate/66dea69a-fdc7-4457-a1aa-0b95653d20ee_blog-image.jpg?auto=compress,format"},"_meta":{"uid":"engineering-digital-products-faster"}}},{"blog":{"__typename":"PRISMIC_Blog_article","title":[{"type":"heading1","text":"BIMA Digital Day 2021","spans":[{"start":0,"end":21,"type":"strong"}]}],"summary_text":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"The future of digital innovation is in safe hands, as Saskia and Jack spend a day with some talented 11–16-year-olds, sharing their passion and knowledge.","spans":[]}],"author":{"__typename":"PRISMIC_Person","name":"Saskia Jury","job_title":"Account Director"},"thumbnail":{"dimensions":{"width":904,"height":508},"alt":null,"copyright":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/greatstate/9ff16c6f-8fd4-437e-99e7-0bf09691538e_PXL_20211115_124828878.jpg?auto=compress,format&rect=0,1,4032,2266&w=904&h=508"},"article_type":"News","published":"2021-11-18","link":{"uid":"bima-digital-day-2021"},"image":{"dimensions":{"width":904,"height":508},"alt":null,"copyright":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/greatstate/9ff16c6f-8fd4-437e-99e7-0bf09691538e_PXL_20211115_124828878.jpg?auto=compress,format&rect=0,1,4032,2266&w=904&h=508"},"_meta":{"uid":"bima-digital-day-2021"}}},{"blog":{"__typename":"PRISMIC_Blog_article","title":[{"type":"heading1","text":"Why face-to-face university life needs a digital mirror","spans":[{"start":0,"end":55,"type":"strong"}]}],"summary_text":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"H.E institutions are looking at how their digital services can support in-person learning environments. But isn't it time we look at the whole student experience? ","spans":[]}],"author":{"__typename":"PRISMIC_Person","name":"Doug Nestor","job_title":"Head of Business Development"},"thumbnail":{"dimensions":{"width":904,"height":508},"alt":null,"copyright":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/greatstate/1d5630d3-0814-4eed-806b-41e231a61ada_MicrosoftTeams-image+%2825%29+2.png?auto=compress,format"},"article_type":"Opinion","published":"2021-07-23","link":{"uid":"a-university-of-experiences"},"image":{"dimensions":{"width":904,"height":508},"alt":null,"copyright":null,"url":"https://images.prismic.io/greatstate/1d5630d3-0814-4eed-806b-41e231a61ada_MicrosoftTeams-image+%2825%29+2.png?auto=compress,format"},"_meta":{"uid":"a-university-of-experiences"}}}],"body":[{"__typename":"PRISMIC_Blog_articleBodyText","type":"text","primary":{"text":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"As many of our clients continue to build their internal capabilities, the role of agencies is shifting. Many of the specialisms people once relied on us agencies for, can now be done in-house. It’s impractical, inefficient, and frankly, daft to go head-to-head against our own clients’ internal teams for work. Yet, we’re finding where we fit in this new landscape; providing other specialisms, skills and experience to augment and enhance our clients’ teams.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"heading2","text":"A seven year partnership with the Royal Navy’s Photographers","spans":[{"start":0,"end":60,"type":"strong"}],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"It’s been over seven years since we first started working with the Royal Navy. What started as a good old-fashioned supplier and client relationship has bloomed into an interconnected partnership. Long past the ‘seven-year itch’ we’ve reached a sweet spot; we know how each other tick and most importantly we know how to get the best out of one another – by working together.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Nothing epitomises the value in great agency/client collaboration than our relationship with the Royal Navy’s photographic branch (aka ‘The Phots’). ","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A lot of the award-winning content and campaigns featured on the Royal Navy’s websites and social channels can be accredited to the successful partnership between our creative and strategy teams working closely with the Navy’s photographers and videographers stationed around the world.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Like any successful relationship it’s one built on trust and respect, and it’s a model we try to replicate with all our clients. Instead of sticking to the “we’re the agency, we know best” party line, we’ve embraced the talent, knowledge, and experience of those who are ‘client-side’ to create more effective teams, utilising the best of both sides.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"In the case of the Royal Navy – Phots’ are usually serving personnel that have moved from sailor to photographer through a programme of professional-level training. They understand the intricacies of organisation, the acronym (believe us, there are a lot of Naval acronyms) and more importantly understand Naval life. As an agency – this is gold. We can focus on the strategic and creative direction; briefing and directing their teams to get the content we need whenever we need it. In short, they’re supplier, clients and audience – all in one.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"In return, our partnership helps to upskill their teams. We provide regular training on digital best practices, storytelling, and industry trends. We help judge the Peregrine Trophy (the well respected Navy photography and video award), and the individuals gain experience working with us; external subject specialists, world-class contractors, and experienced creatives – all helping to diversify their influences and outputs and give them industry exposure beyond their organisation.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"We’ve been on battleships, submarines and remote Pacific islands together – getting to know one other on professional and personal level. They’re no longer clients, not even colleagues, I’m proud to say, we’re friends. Surely the model of any great relationship, working or otherwise.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"To see some of the amazing winners of this year’s Peregrine Trophy that we have helped judge for the past 5 years.","spans":[],"direction":"ltr"}]}}],"_meta":{"uid":"collaborate-dont-compete--the-changing-relationship-between-agency-and-client"}}},{"article":{"__typename":"PRISMIC_Blog_article","article_type":"News","title":[{"type":"heading1","text":"Helen Evans, BIMA 100 and some Great Strategy ","spans":[{"start":0,"end":46,"type":"strong"}]}],"summary_text":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"Lead Strategist, Helen Evans, has only gone and won a BIMA 100! She gives the low down on what it's like to be a strategist at Great State. 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Her standout and impactful work captured the attention of the judges, who see hundreds of applications made to the BIMA 100 list every year. ","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"We posed a few questions to Helen, in a bid to understand more about what makes a good strategist, and let's be honest, we wanted to show off a little bit too.","spans":[]},{"type":"heading3","text":"In your view, what attributes make someone a good strategist? ","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"No one strategist is alike and I think a strategy team benefits when it has a diverse group of people with different experiences and perspectives to draw upon. But there are also certain traits that strategists tend to have. Firstly, curiosity – we often work across such a broad range of topics and clients and so you need to be someone who is happy to delve into any topic and ask lots of questions and really listen to the answers. Secondly, the ability to tell a good story – you need to be able to take potentially complex situations and boil them down into a digestible output that people can get behind and that doesn’t overwhelm them in the process  – saying more with less is an underrated skill. And finally, a love of problem solving, someone who thrives on finding new and creative ways to overcoming challenges, is there anything more satisfying?","spans":[]},{"type":"heading3","text":"What’s the biggest strategic challenge you’ve overcome at Great State?","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"I think the biggest challenge for me is getting organisations to think differently and encourage them to really question their ways of working. We quite often encounter clients who are struggling to truly innovate because either policy, process or the mindset of their senior teams is holding them back. It’s my job to help develop people’s confidence that things can be done differently through building trust, good relationships and up-skilling. When you can get organisations on board who are willing to take perceived risks, then you can make real change. ","spans":[]},{"type":"heading3","text":"What advice would you have for someone wanting to become a strategist?","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Don’t be put off by thinking you’re not smart enough or haven’t had the right career path or education. Before I became a strategist I was hugely intimidated by the role. The career path is often unclear, the training and qualifications aren’t defined and even the job title sounds a little pretentious! Strategists should come from all walks of life and as long as you enjoy solving problems, love immersing yourself in new topics and are a good communicator, then don’t let the other things put you off. Reach out to other strategists, ask questions and ignore the voice in your head saying you can’t do it.","spans":[]},{"type":"heading3","text":"If you could think big, and pick one dream piece of work, what would it be and why? ","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The NHS has always been a dream client for me. It’s such an invaluable service, crying out for digital transformation. There is huge potential for improving the customer experience, joining up data for more intelligent and efficient services and taking the administrative weight off the shoulders of people who should be focussing on providing medical support. The possibilities are huge.","spans":[]},{"type":"heading3","text":"If you weren’t a strategist – what would you be?!","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"A bit left field but I’d probably say a landscape gardener! I absolutely love being in my garden these days, away from my desk and rolling my sleeves up.","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Click here to learn more about strategy at Great State. ","spans":[{"start":6,"end":10,"type":"hyperlink","data":{"link_type":"Web","url":"https://www.greatstate.co/services/service/digital-strategy"}}]}]}}],"_meta":{"uid":"helen-evans-bima-100"}}}],"content_listing":[{"heading":[{"type":"heading3","text":"Research and insight","spans":[]}],"content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"We use quantitative and qualitative techniques to gain a clear understanding of user and organisational needs. 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Our iterative development cycles mean we can respond to new insights in weeks, not months.","spans":[]}]},{"heading":[{"type":"heading3","text":"Technology and security","spans":[]}],"content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"Our experienced, Security Check cleared engineering team maximises the security of your digital products, platforms and services to achieve full system compliance in line with UK Cabinet Office policy.","spans":[]}]},{"heading":[{"type":"heading3","text":"Creative campaigns","spans":[]}],"content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"We create award-winning digital content to engage audiences and deliver results. 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