Breakthrough T1D
Managing a multi-platform digital rebrand
A global rebrand with tight deadlines meant that Breakthrough T1D were faced with a complex set of challenges. They asked us to work with them to deliver a programme of change with lots dependencies and very tight resource.

The challenge
Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF UK) is the leading type 1 diabetes research, advocacy and support charity in the UK and internationally. In 2023 the charity chose to rebrand to better reflect its mission to drive life changing breakthroughs for people living with type 1 diabetes.
The rebrand process required the charity to update its entire digital platform to reflect its new identity. As a global organisation, the dates for the rebrand were set at a group level and meant that any approach would need to cope with having a large number of dependencies. In addition, the charity’s tightly resourced digital team had to deliver an ongoing calendar of work whilst delivering this major change.
Rebrands are complex pieces of work, with multiple challenges around ensuring a clear user experience, mitigating any loss of search engine equity and unifying the experience across the wide range of sites and third-party services that make up a digital presence.
Breakthrough T1D asked us to work with them to scope the work involved, structure the delivery programme and identify and mitigate risk.
Our approach
To manage the scale of this digital transformation, we worked closely with Breakthrough T1D’s team to create a structured programme plan. Our approach centered on prioritisation, resource management and risk mitigation to ensure that, no matter what, the business critical platforms would be delivered on time and without risk to the charity’s traffic.
Platform identification and prioritisation
We worked with the digital team to audit all platforms, systems and tools that needed updates. These were categorised into priority workstreams based on their importance to the brand’s launch, with immediate attention given to high-traffic areas such as the main website and donation platform.
Task and resource planning
We mapped out the team’s business-as-usual (BAU) processes, identifying non-essential tasks that could be deprioritised. This allowed internal resources to focus on the rebrand without sacrificing high impact ongoing activities.
Each workstream was broken down into specific tasks, with resource estimates calculated for each phase of the project. This information was used to finalise a detailed timeline and resource plan and to prioritise the launch sequence and agree what could be achieved with senior stakeholders.
Risk management
A risk register was developed to track potential challenges, such as loss of traffic or unexpected technical issues. This allowed Breakthrough T1D to address issues proactively before they affected the timeline.
Ongoing programme support
We held weekly meetings with Breakthrough T1D’s Head of digital to collaboratively ensure that issues and risks were managed and delivery stayed on track.
The results
The rebrand was successfully delivered on schedule, with Breakthrough T1D’s key digital platforms fully aligned with the new identity.
As one part of a global rebrand, this programme was subject to some significant challenges but close working with Breakthrough T1D’s skilled digital team and senior stakeholders, meant that clear agreements were in place on how we could manage a range of challenges.
With a refreshed digital presence, Breakthrough T1D is now better positioned to engage with its community and drive forward its mission to support those living with type 1 diabetes.
What the client said
“We were delighted by the high calibre consultancy service that We Are MC² provided. Organisational rebrands are complicated programmes of change with multiple interdependencies. We valued the structured clarity that MC² provided, supporting us to deliver the rebrand across our digital ecosystem, which we achieved to schedule and within existing resource and maintaining business as usual.
“We found Alison and Liz to be superb partners, bringing technical expertise, a focus on risk mitigation, pragmatic problem solving and a culture of collaboration that was fundamentally important to all involved.”
Hilary Nathan, Director of Policy and Communications, Breakthrough T1D