Bright Horizons, Supporting a Sitecore Enterprise

The Relationship

Since 2018, Imarc has worked closely with Bright Horizons as its Agency of Record to enhance its online presence. Imarc supports Bright Horizons as a valuable extension of the team by providing strategy, user experience, creative design, and web development expertise. Imarc continues to manage the massive Bright Horizons Sitecore infrastructure plus a number of additional projects guided by Imarc’s Key Accounts team.

At Bright Horizons, my team and I are responsible for a complex network of 1,300 websites that serve our corporation, our clients, and their 6 million+ employees. In 2018, we began a relationship with Imarc and have been impressed with their expertise and professionalism. They are now our agency of record supporting all of our web research, design, and development as our strategic partner. We love working with the Imarc team and consider them an extension of Bright Horizons. In my role, I’m frequently asked for agency recommendations and the first (and in most cases only) name I share is Imarc. Catherine Van Evans, Vice President, Digital & Marketing Services at Bright Horizons

The Projects

Supporting continuous improvement

Over the years, Imarc has launched a number of sites across the Bright Horizons digital ecosystem through the Sitecore platform. This includes over 800 sites for its premier clients including College Coach and Brookfield Academy.

The first project Imarc and Bright Horizons worked on was the launch of Bright Horizons’ domestic client sites. After this success, Imarc did the same for the Bright Horizons UK client sites. The next project was to upgrade all sites to the Sitecore platform. To do this, the Imarc team audited and cleaned preexisting technical debt that would contribute to a seamless future upgrade. Following a year of work, Imarc successfully upgraded Bright Horizons to Sitecore 9.2, and we are looking ahead towards an upgrade to 10.

Imarc also updated Bright Horizons’ Virtual Learning Center (VLC). The VLC is an online, password-protected destination that provides clients access to valuable resources that pertain specifically to their company. Imarc greatly improved the user experience, modernized the visual design, and streamlined the navigation. Imarc continues to work with Bright Horizons to enhance the VLC.

Other successful projects include updating the Bright Horizons ecosystem to be WCAG compliant, improving conversions through lead forms, optimizing their Center locator, improving search using Solr, and progressing towards a true Helix architecture. Most recently, Imarc established a module library to allow for efficient updates and consistency across online properties.

Strategy and Planning

Relevancy for all audiences

Imarc’s first project with Bright Horizons was the strategy and design of its US client sites. Each site needed to be relevant to a wide variety of audiences, from HR departments to employees looking to access their benefits. Imarc uses a dedicated, experienced team on all Bright Horizons projects, which allows us to quickly and efficiently edit and maintain the sites.

Imarc brought all new projects up to WCAG 2.1 standards, starting with the Single Page Lead Form. Ensuring sites are accessible has made its way across all new projects including the Virtual Learning Center.

User Experience

An expert search and navigation experience

Imarc created a custom menu for Bright Horizons clients and their employees to find exactly what they needed, from finding childcare, pet care, and tutors, to accessing their benefits. Imarc also designed a custom homepage that makes it easy for users to navigate and find exactly what they are looking for.

Creative

Designing a consistent brand

Imarc’s creative team brought the Bright Horizons vision to life. The creative work guided consistency across the brand and tied together both the domestic and international sites. The team also optimized the brand for mobile.

Development

Supporting a Sitecore enterprise

Imarc’s in-house team of Sitecore Certified engineers maintain the Bright Horizons Sitecore platform to ensure it is always performing at its best. This includes all the childcare centers across the nation, each with its own site. Imarc looks forward to continuing to work with Bright Horizons and supporting the valuable services it provides for families.

Our Shared Vision

Imarc and Bright Horizons have formed a strong relationship that will continue to thrive. Together, we can continue to create a seamless, user-friendly experience for all Bright Horizons users.