Along with the annual council elections, May 3^rd will also see the people of Birmingham voting in a referendum for the prospect of an elected mayor. Birmingham is one of 10 other cities that will be voting to decide on the mayoral position which, if accepted, will see an elected candidate take over the council’s existing powers. The elected mayor would be able to choose a deputy and appoint a cabinet under a new system.

The elected mayor would also share some powers with the council. He or she proposes the council’s budget and its policies on such areas as education, youth justice, crime and disorder reduction, children’s services and local development. Elected mayors act as natural ambassadors for their cities by becoming a more high-profile figure, having an advocate like this attracts investment and promotes a sense of strong leadership. This is certainly the case for Boris Johnson, the elected mayor of London. Without knowing too much about the politics of it all, recent surveys have shown that people are twice more likely to identify their mayor than other council leaders. If this has worked in London, there is no reason why such success cannot be replicated in the second city.

Under a new mayoral system, the general public would have a say on who runs the city council. This would be a major advantage for Birmingham as an elected mayor will be seen to best represent the needs of the City by having a proper understanding of the key concerns. With a shift of responsibilities from Whitehall to an elected mayor, Birmingham can benefit from a strengthened, more empowered, council with a cabinet who are better able to lead in their communities with plans, budgets and vision.

Here at Big Cat we are supporting the Yes campaign and will be voting to bring in a new mayoral system and an elected mayor. If you’d like to find out more information on the ‘Yes to Birmingham Mayor’ campaign, you can visit the dedicated Yes Campaign website.

If you’re unsure about where your closest polling station or would like some information on the council elections, please visit the Birmingham City Council website.

Policy makers all over are starting to see how the design industry can affect the accessibility of new policies. The notion of strategic design is playing a key role in how we are informed of new policies and is especially prevalent within the third sector.

Strategic design is about applying some of the principles of traditional design to challenges like health care, education, and climate change. It changes how problems are tackled and helps to deliver ‘user friendly’ solutions. Put simply, design makes complicated issues easier to understand and brings them to the mass market.

A picture speaks a thousand words and using design to illustrate a policy helps people visualise it, making it much easier to understand than columns of jargonised text. It’s a way to deliver key messages in a simple and clear form without having to ferret through pages of text. This kind of strategic design has been really successful on campaigns revolving around smoking and the smoking ban. High impact designs of second-hand smoke surrounding children and tar-filled cigarettes are highly memorable and push out key messages.

This month saw Big Cat’s CEO Nick Morgan complete the Goldman Sachs ’10,000 Small Businesses’ programme, the first of its kind in the area after a successful round in Yorkshire. The programme is designed to provide high-quality, practical support to the owners and leaders of established small businesses and social enterprises as they seek to grow. The 16 week course is an investment to help small businesses create jobs and economic opportunity by providing greater access to business education, financial capital, and business support services.

Facilitated by Aston Business School, Nick completed a variety of modules ranging from M&A and growth strategies to sustainable entrepreneurship and business finance information. This was the first time this programme has been held in the Birmingham area and Nick fought off fierce competition to secure his place. With the programme being heavily oversubscribed, our CEO was put through a rigorous application process which saw almost 85 applicants for the 25 places.

Nick said, “Personal development is something Big Cat prides itself on, no matter where you are on the career ladder. The 10,000 Small Businesses programme was an enlightening experience which enabled me to explore new methodologies which will greatly benefit Big Cat’s continued growth strategy. I’d highly recommend people apply for next year’s cohort.”

With these new skills in our arsenal, Big Cat keeps ahead of the competition and invests in the future of the business as we continue to look for M&A partners.

The recent news about Tesco’s profit falling within the UK came as a bit of surprise, but it wasn’t totally unexpected.

Tesco have fallen out of touch with their consumers through out of date marketing campaigns that have been overshadowed by their competitors.  Here are just a few ways that Tesco could rejuvenate there image with interactive marketing campaigns.

Greggs

What we love about Gregg’s new campaign is that it reaches over many platforms, and even includes bus-stops pumping out the delightful smell of bacon rolls and coffee.  With a dedicated micro-site, as well as mobile apps for iOS and Android, Greggs is defiantly keeping on trend and in their customer’s minds.  Have a look over here.

Waitrose

Waitrose’s Christmas ad worked perfectly in bringing together the Christmas traditions of old with new exciting ideas.  Working alongside Delia and Heston, Waitrose weren’t selling their customers food, but rather a very merry Christmas experience.  This worked brilliantly as it captured the imagination of the consumer and allowed them to build their Christmas around Waitrose products.

Starbucks

You’ve probably already noticed that Starbucks are now asking customers to ‘introduce’ themselves.  Caffeine lovers were overjoyed when Starbucks offered a free latte to anybody who came and introduced themselves.  This resulted in the hashtag #freestarbucks trending on Twitter, with support from celebrities like Jimmy Carr.  This promotion got thousands of new customers through the door, and made existing customers feel valued.

So Tesco take note.  Customers love to feel valued and are looking to interact and be entertained by their products.  No longer can you win our hearts with a value ready meal for one!

As the Big Cat Corporate Events team likes to keep its finger firmly on the business pulse, it’s evident that there have been some exciting and positive moves within the professional services sector that really strengthen and promote business growth within the city.  With a new partner being appointed at one of the largest insurance practices in Birmingham, Shakespeares, and Steve Allen being appointed new Head of Office at 216-strong Mills & Reeve, all signs point towards continued prosperity and that the dark clouds hanging over the corporate markets may finally be lifting.

There are numerous stories that provide evidence of success and longevity out there, despite what some of the press might be reporting. Brewin Dolphin, one of the UK’s largest independent private client investment managers, is this year celebrating its 250^th year in service. Established in 1762 and one of the founders of the London Stock Exchange, there are many similarities all businesses, regardless of sector, can take from this success story. To be a leader in your field after 250 years shows not only a fantastic structure and formidable client basis but also an expertise in change management and a willingness to be flexible to the changing economic and social environment – lessons that can be translated across the board.

So is the corporate world recuperating? In the first 3 months of 2012, the UK economy has grown by 0.3 per cent, having shrunk by the same amount at the end of 2011. This return to growth has meant Britain has avoided a double-dip recession, but will the economy continue to grow? Many economic bodies believe so however none can agree by how much.

This month we are very excited to announce that we have made two new additions to the Big Cat ranks. Tim Harbon and Guy Dawson join the design and marketing teams respectively following such a successful first quarter with a number of new account wins.

Our new designer Tim has previously worked as in-house for a local brewery and along with his freelance experience will be a vital addition to the Big Cat design team. Tim said, “I’m delighted to join the Big Cat team and to have the opportunity to work with such a range of exciting clients.”

Guy joins the marketing team in the position of Account Executive. He impressed Big Cat with his marketing knowledge and enthusiasm, and was offered the position after just six weeks into his three month internship. Guy said, “I feel privileged to be part of such a fun, dynamic and creative team of people, and I can’t wait to get my teeth stuck in.”

Great to have you on board guys, and we are looking forward to seeing what you can bring to Big Cat!

Last week saw Big Cat’s Nick Morgan feature in The Business Desk, as he discusses the future of Big Cat and in particular how the business is currently looking to expand.

Big Cat Group is now actively on the lookout for mergers and acquisitions, partly to expand the agencies presence in the London market. Sights are currently set on London based firms, ideally who work in similar fields as Big Cat, such as events management, public relations and marketing.

Nick said: “I’ve spent a number of months going around the venture capital houses and the response has been very positive. We now have the finance in place to acquire other businesses.”

“London is very competitive but also a highly receptive market; we’ve had interest from a number of agencies already and are confident to have completed a deal by late Spring. The search is on.”

If you are interested in learning more about Big Cat’s expansion, email Nick on n.morgan@bcguk.com

Champagne all round this month at Big Cat as we are celebrating scooping up not one, but two amazing award wins!

Last week saw Big Cat pick up the Community Engagement Campaign of the Year award at the glitzy Golden Hedgehog Awards, beating off fierce competition from a number of top national agencies. We also came top of the class at the NOEA Awards, taking home the Community Event of the Year award.

The Big Cat team with with award for Community Engagement Campaign of the Year

Rob Dudley from Big Cat accepting the NOEA Award for Community Event of the Year

Both awards were won for Big Cat’s work on Jamaica Live, a 1-day Caribbean festival created on behalf of Punch Records in July last year. The event saw Big Cat transform Victoria Square in Birmingham into a Caribbean oasis featuring real Jamaican food, arts and crafts, storytelling, spoken word poetry and face painting. The event witnessed over 30,000 people enjoying the tropical climates of Birmingham whilst soaking up the authentic Caribbean atmosphere.

A huge well done to everyone who was involved on the project.

This week saw Big Cat attend the official launch of the Cultural Olympiad’s West Midlands Programme.  For those of you who don’t know what the Olympiad is, it’s the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic movements.

Over the past 4 years more than 16 million people from across the UK have taken part in or attended performances as part of the Olympiad. You may well have attended one of these, one of the largest in Birmingham last year was Jamaica Live, which Big Cat helped organise with Punch Records.

The event this week though was to officially launch the West Midlands programme for the months leading up to and during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Packed to the brim with stunning dance movements, live music concerts, diverse art installations and interactive workshops the West Midlands is certainly in for a treat over the coming months.

Particular highlights include The Voyage, an outdoor dance production of mammoth proportions set in heart of Birmingham’s Victoria Square; Boys Dancing, a series of films exploring the themes of masculinity, strength and sensitivity around boys dancing; and Spill, a dance piece touring playgrounds and parks across the region.

Locations for these events include the iconic Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, Much Wenlock (birthplace of the modern Olympics), Coventry Cathedral and Birmingham Symphony Hall.

One of the largest events in the calendar is the world premier of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s ‘Mittwock aus Licht’ (Wednesday from Light) performed by Birmingham Opera Company. The performance will feature four helicopters, two choirs, solo instrumentalists and live electronic and acoustic music. A pretty big show if you ask me and one not to be missed.

The Olympics is so much more than a sporting event, it is a celebration of multi-culturalism, heritage and unity, all of which will be demonstrated through the Cultural Olympiad’s programme.

If you’ve never known where to start when it comes to dance and the arts, this festival is the perfect way to be eased into it, especially as the majority of the programme is free.

I think a road trip will definitely be in order to go and see some of the performances, so who’s in?

Over the next couple of months Big Cat will be looking into a refresh of its brand and image, as well as launching a shiny new website. Before launching into it, we’d like to get some input from our valued clients and friends!

We’d be really grateful if you could take a few minutes to answer a couple of short questions about Big Cat and our brand. As a thank you, Big Cat will enter everyone who completes the survey into a draw for the chance to win a bottle of champagne!

You can complete our survey here,

Earlier in the year The Big Issue Foundation brought Big Cat on board to help deliver and promote the city’s first Big Brum Night Walk, which has successfully run in London for the past 3 years with over 650 people taking part at each event.

Not content with simply promoting the event, Big Cat are jumping right in and sending two of our own out onto the streets to complete the 23KM Big Brum Walk on 30^th March. Anthony Tattum and Chris Brown will ramble with an estimated 150 other participants through various historic locations right across the city.

In a bid to drum up sign ups from in and around the city, Big Cat will also be securing key influencers from Birmingham to be known as “Brand Ambassadors”.

If you’d like to support Big Cat on the walk and help raise money for The Big Issue Foundation and the homeless, please donate on the Anthony and Chris’s Just Giving pages.

If you fancy joining the cause, and burning off a few calories in the process, you can sign up here,
http://www.bigissue.org.uk/event/big-brum-night-walk

It’s been a very exciting month here at Big Cat with a hat-trick of fantastic account wins.  We’ve certainly been putting in the hours, but the results have been worthwhile!

The first win is a fantastic new campaign with Birmingham Hippodrome providing PR and social media support for its major cultural project, The Voyage. Kick starting the London 2012 Olympic Festival in June, the project will see over 140 performers telling the story of a passenger liner travelling across the continents on a spectacular boat that will be built in Birmingham’s Victoria Square. The Voyage will set sail on June 21^st-24^th, so make sure you pencil it into your diaries.

Big Cat is also working with The Big Issue Foundation, to promote its first ever Big Brum Night Walk. A 23KM walk that will find its participants exploring Birmingham by night with all raised funds going directly to support homeless and vulnerable vendors in the Birmingham area. Two of our own have jumped at the opportunity to take part on the walk. Read on how you can support Chris and Tat on their mammoth task.

Our latest win is Tails, a luxury cocktail brand. Bursting with authentic flavours, the cocktails come pre-made in a bar-esque shaker, with the user only having to add ice. Big Cat will be providing PR, social media, design and event support to some key milestones in the Tails calendar.

So as you can tell we’ve got a busy couple of months ahead, please spare a thought for us with our late night office hours.

Following Channel 4’s Dispatches documentary, ‘The Great British Ticket Sandal’, the legality of secondary ticket sites has once again been brought to the forefront of debate. Secondary ticket websites have always been more expensive, but now the increasingly high mark-ups just appear to be exploiting desperate fans who will pay anything to see their favourite act or star.

These sites promote a facility for fan-to-fan ticket selling; helping people who can no longer attend events sell on their tickets to other fans, with the site taking a transaction fee.

However Channel 4’s Dispatches found that many of these secondary sites have deals in advance with venues for an allocation of tickets, which they sell on for up to quadruple the original price.

The documentary also exposed companies posing as fans and buying tickets purely for inflated resale, using a variety of credit cards and billing addresses.

So here’s the vicious cycle. Fans do not have access to tickets as big events sell out quickly, so they turn to secondary ticket sites and pay above face-value. But if 1000’s of tickets weren’t allocated to secondary sites in the first place, fans would have a better access to tickets.

Here are a few things you can do to not feel ripped-off…

• Always try to buy from primary ticketing sites first – Ticketmaster, WeGotTickets & See Tickets.
• Be aware of tickets being sold on secondary sites within minutes of an event selling out. These sales are probably purely for profit rather than from a fan who is genuinely not longer able to go.
• The first 5 minutes after an event sells out is the most crucial, as this is pure panic buying prime time. Beforehand think about how much above face-value you are prepared to pay, and walk away from prices above it.

With evenings still dark before it hits 5:30pm and winter well and truly settling in, you can be forgiven for deciding to hibernate during those cold nights in the comfort of your home in front of a roaring fire with a cup of tea. But have you ever taken a moment to think about those less fortunate who don’t know where they will be spending the night? The lucky ones are able to sofa surf on friends’ sofas but what about the ones who have to sleep under an office extractor fan or maybe just in a stair well? Not the safest place to be spending the night that’s for sure.

This month marked the launch of National Poverty and Homelessness Action Week, a campaign which aims to raise awareness of those living on the streets and without a permanent residence.

Did you know:

• According to Council figures released in 2011 Birmingham saw a disturbing 140% increase in homelessness between January and June 2010, with between 800 – 1,000 people now being housed in B&B’s across the city.
• There are 243,000 people out of work in the region
• There has been a 9,000 increase in the past 3 months
• 9.2% rate of unemployment
• There are nearly 18,000 households registered as homeless in the city (1.75m nationally; 157000 regionally)
• More than 350,000 people are on Social Housing waiting lists in the West Midlands; 1 in every 14 households
• 18,000 new households are expected to form in the West Midlands each year to 2033, but just 8,250 new homes were built in the region last year

Big Cat has been working closely with Birmingham YMCA over the past few weeks to raise awareness of the scheme and how the general public can get behind the scheme.

I was lucky enough to spend the day with the team from Channel 5’s Live with Gabby the other week who came to Birmingham to film a piece on the city’s homeless crisis.

They were blown away with the work and support the YMCA offer and what they were doing with such limited resources. The piece aired last week and as you can imagine the entire team were found crowded around the TV watching it.

Alan Fraser, CEO of Birmingham YMCA took on a leading role as he depicted the situation the city is facing and what people can do get involved. This was closely followed by interviews with past and present residents about their situation and how facilities like the YMCA’s Orchard can help those in need.

A few days later, Alan was asked to appear on BBC WM’s breakfast show to further elaborate on the situation

Although Action week has finished now, the problem is still very real and organisations like the YMCA are battling hard to help those in need. If you’d like to see how you can show your  support, perhaps with a donation of either time or money then drop the YMCA a line on  0121 477 4644

Well it’s been a busy month for birthday’s as we celebrated not one but two, more senior dates of birth. Last week, both Antony Tattum and Rob Dudley celebrated the big 40, a considerable achievement bearing in mind what the pair are like. We’re surprised they’ve made it this far to be honest.

The pair are of course trying to keep it on the down-low, something we don’t do at Big Cat so we thought a mention in the Big Round up was more than adequate.

Many Happy Returns to both Rob and Antony. Here’s to many more years of your escapades.

With the 2^nd term of university in full flow, Big Cat were called into action by current clients Glide Utilities to deliver a number of fairs based at campuses around the UK for over 10,000 students.

After creating a bespoke events calendar tailored to best suit Glide’s needs, the Big Cat events team were tasked with the planning, logistics and execution of fairs and Student Lifestyle Festivals in London, Glasgow and Portsmouth to name just a few. In order to draw students to engage with Glide, Big Cat used the one item that all students crave whilst at university… food; and in particular, freshly made popcorn.

With just the right levels of oil, sugar and corn the key element to the ideal ‘pop’, over the past month the events team have perfected the fine art of popcorn-making, whilst obviously testing each batch to ensure 100% quality!

Being well-travelled and clocking up over 1,500 miles and 30kg of sugar, it was clear that all the fairs were a great success and it is safe to say the Big Cat events team will be steering clear of popcorn for the foreseeable future!

How well do you know your city and the people that live in it? Ever wondered how city life changes when the sun sets? Well this year Big Cat have teamed up with one of the UK’s leading social enterprises, The Big Issue to offer you a unique look at Birmingham at the dead of night through The Night Walk, a rather different type of fundraising event.

The Night Walk is exactly what it says on the tin, a walk in the dead of night. Having been successfully run in London for the past 3 years, The Big Issue felt it was about time they took it out of the Big Smoke to give more people the opportunity to show their support for such a fantastic cause.

Taking place in April, The Night Walk is a 25KM sponsored walk where urban ramblers will be able to experience the city in a new light whilst in the safety of an organised group. The route will let walkers take in the astounding architecture of some of the city’s most distinctive buildings. There may even be a surprise or two along the way with a sneak peek into the buildings.

This is the first time The Night Walk has taken place outside of London and Big Cat is proud to be able to provide event management support to such a fantastic cause.

All money raised on the expedition will go straight towards supporting The Big Issue foundation and the work that it does to help the homeless.

Keep your eyes peeled on The Big Issue website to see how you can get involved in The Night Walk

Unless you’ve been sitting in a very dark room for the past 12 months you’ll have undoubtedly seen the arguments for and against the High Speed Rail link between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.

Well today Phase 1 of the controversial project has been given the green light by the government. Whilst many people are shouting from the roof tops about how fantastic this is, what exactly does it mean for Joe Bloggs and the region? Does it just mean that that weekend away to London can start 30 mins earlier? Far from it, infact the benefits to the West Midlands are rather significant.

• Will boost the West Midland’ economy by £2.5 billion
• Up to 10,000 new construction jobs
• Up to 2,000 operational and maintenance jobs
• £35.3 billion in economic benefit to the West Midlands region
• Up to 60 – 70,000 local jobs by 2040 as a result of relocation of jobs from other areas in the UK
• Reduced carbon of up to a million tonnes a year by 2055

*Source http://www.go-hs2.com/News/NewsListings.aspx

As with any argument though there are said to be some downsides to the development.

• The new HS2 trains will use x3 more power than traditional trains
• Will increase carbon emissions
• Benefits will mainly go to London; more people travelling to London than to other regions
• Will prove detrimental to small towns and villages along rail route

*Source http://stophs2.org/facts

What are your thoughts though? Will HS2 help uplift the economy or will it destroy our countryside?

Video views are the currency of YouTube and in some cases I mean this quite literally. For those of you who are only just realising the potential of this platform, here are my five tips to gain more views:

1- Give your video Title/Description/Tags a lot of thought

YouTube gives you a lot of power to control how your video is found. As YouTube can’t index your video based on the video content itself, you need to tell it where it belongs (and tell the truth too!)

2- Give yourself a head-start.

YouTube uses ‘view-count’ as a method of ranking – meaning popular content gains further popularity. A good way to start strong is to push your videos out across all of your social platforms and allow your current networks to help you hit the ground running. Get your most loyal customers to watch your videos too and certainly make sure you email it around the office.

3- Encourage inbound & outbound links to your videos/channel

YouTube finds links such as ‘video responses’ or ‘shares’ to be a very useful indication that the content is good. Start posting your videos on ‘friends’ channels and encourage them to do the same on yours.

4- Work on stimulating ‘likes’, ‘shares’, ‘subscribes’, ‘ratings’ & ‘comments’

Treat this element in a similar way to a facebook campaign. It is a good idea to ask questions & interact and, since good video ratings and engagement effect your YouTube rankings you might want to use ‘annotations’ throughout your video to encourage the viewer to rate etc.

5- Seek External links to your videos

External links work in the same way that they do for your website SEO strategy. Ensure your video is on your website as well as any social/blog pages you might have. Another strong method is to approach forums & discussion pages with your content as this will provide you with a large number of very relevant links. Remember to join in the discussion though; you might get your post removed if they are just plugging yourself.

Views can also be purchased, or you can purchase/ design a bot to formulate views for you, however this is not guaranteed to work and you could be penalised for taking these approaches. Another method that is very tempting to some is to open hundreds of windows yourself to boost views, but this method can also leave you in YouTube’s naughty books. In this case YouTube will (at the very least) pause your view-count if it recognises your IP address.

It’s divided opinion among web and print designers since it’s beta launch a few months ago. With some in the web community heavily critical of Adobe’s Muse software, which aims to make web design more accessible to print designers and non-programmers. The main criticisms being that Muse creates extremely untidy code that isn’t SEO friendly, has limited layout possibilities and the output doesn’t translate well over different devices.

Being from primarily a print background myself, I found the software easy to get the hang of as it’s very similar to InDesign. Within an hour it was possible to create a simple site, and although not reinventing the wheel in terms of web possibilities, the outcome worked surprisingly well. There were however issues embedding a blog, although apparently this is being looked into by Adobe.

I don’t think the release of Muse spells the beginning of the end for Dreamweaver and the careers of programmers, Muse just makes it far easier for designers not familiar with code to create engaging, usable websites. Although the criticism it’s faced is probably a little harsh, it’s definitely worth a try, especially as it’s free until they release it next year!

Companies are looking for more meaningful and creative ways to push their brands out to target audiences. The simple text based press release no longer cuts it especially as newspapers up and down the country are now going digital. With fewer newspapers around, securing coverage in the local paper is becoming more and more difficult as community stories take precedent over the launch of a new product.

PR agencies are now looking to go direct to the consumer, and so PR 2.0 was born. Although it may sound like some bizarre acronym, PR 2.0 is just the combination of traditional PR methods with social media and digital tools. The aim is still the same, to communicate with influencers and the consumer audience, it’s just the means that have changed.

The idea of PR 2.0 has been around for some years now, but following the recent boom in digital and social media technology, the PR industry has had to learn to evolve in order to stay ahead of the game, and inturn ensure clients are one step ahead of their competitors. More and more companies are using platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to interact with their markets, jumping traditional print formats completely. When articles are issued to papers now, all company names are hyperlinked and sometimes the releases contain video content. All of these tools enhance the user’s experience.

We’ve been utilising PR 2.0 at Big Cat Group for a number of years now. All of our press releases are supported by digital technology; it just depends on the nature of the client and their needs. We understand the importance of creativity. Just because something is text based doesn’t mean it can’t be engaging and be supported by additional content such as videos.

PR 2.0 isn’t a subject that is stationary. Every day a new website or social media platform is released and we make it our job to ensure our clients utilise them to their advantage. We do our research and we understand what works. Just because your competitor is on Myspace and Bebo doesn’t mean you have to be too. To stand out of the crowd you need to be different and that’s what we do best.

Last week saw the launch of Birmingham’s digital week, which celebrates the city’s achievements in digital innovation and brings people from various sectors together to discuss the impact and value of technologies for professional, creative and cultural industries.

On Tuesday 15^th November my colleagues from Big Cat and I had the chance to participate in a featured event called ‘Business Collaboration Through Digital Innovation’, which was a part of the digital week.

Before the conference started, we had the opportunity to introduce ourselves and network whilst enjoying a bite or two of the refreshments offered. After a warm welcome from Chris Brown, our PR manager and chair of events at Birmingham Future, it was time for the first speaker to take the stage.

Keith Evans, Managing Director at Cida Co delivered an inspiring presentation on why and how the businesses should adapt to the current changes taking place. He stated that the Power of 3 (People, Ideas and Innovation) is more important than it ever was and that companies should not only encourage creativity but integrate it within corporate management and processes. However, Keith emphasised that despite the need to quickly adapt to the changing business environment a company must retain its values.

Whilst Keith Evans talked about digital innovation from a strategic point of view, Andy Lovatt from the White Room brought in a more tactical approach and introduced Enterprise 2.0 (or, as known in the West, a Social Business concept). He argued that companies should embed social platforms within the company rather than use them only for external marketing purposes. To strengthen his point, Andy provided case studies on how companies benefited from utilising social platforms internally. In response to common fears about network security, Andy said that ‘one must find a balance between risk and trust’. Trust in colleagues must be embedded within a company in order to secure continuous business growth.

After the two presentations, a panel comprised of Keith Evans, Andy Lovatt, Chris Brown and Rupert Bent from Pinsent Masons enthusiastically replied to questions (there were quite a few) from the audience with a great attention and detail.

In conclusion, the event offered plenty of information and ideas for both digitally-savvy companies and those only starting to embrace digital technologies.

Over the past 110 days or so Google+ has officially been open to the public and last week it’s doors wide open to business use.

Uptake to Google+ is estimated at 1 million members per week but so far there are not any solid stats on how many businesses are using it but from a first glance may companies have signed up for a site.

Some of the very early adopters to Google+ business have been; Burberry, Angry Birds, Cadbury and BBC News amongst others.

There are limitations with having a business account at the moment; such as not being able to offer money off vouchers or competitions, which might be a stumbling block for Google+ as Facebook do allow businesses to offer far more to potential page viewers. Whether or not this was a mistake made by Google in the rush to open Google+ for business due to high demand, we’ll never know but I could speculate that it’s something that they are thinking about doing.

Personally I now have a businesses circle with a few big brands in there and lots of news sites, but am already beginning to wonder what the true level of engagement with these brands will be. If vouchers can’t be offered are Cadbury going to start a hangout with chocolate lovers so that they can help them to create a new chocolate bar or stick to a static page?

One thing’s for certain, the landscape is changing and Google+ is the network to watch.

More and more companies are diving into the world of Augmented Reality (AR) in order to provide memorable customer experiences and to bring a sense of fun to their brand. Last week Nivea launched a new AR campaign which enables its target market to see Rihanna perform in front of their computer screens.  All customers  have to do is buy the tin of the crème and hold the cap against their webcam.  However, the campaign is not solely aimed at existing buyers,  since the AR content can also  be accessed for free via the company’s website.

This isn’t the first time that companies have used AR to make their brands ‘live’.  Nivea’s campaign has revealed the potential of AR technology to the FMCG market and it is sure to be widely adopted as a marketing tool. This is definitely a bright moment for companies and customers alike,  however with AR technology  becoming more widely accessible  it makes it more difficult for luxury brands  to differentiate  themselves through advertising. In  a recent article on mashable.com it was suggested that digital innovation can make deluxe brands exclusive again, however here at Big Cat we feel that exclusivity is not something technology alone can achieve.  Companies must accept that in the end, all that matters is how  technological innovation is used to deliver lasting and meaningful campaigns.

In the meantime, we should just sit back and enjoy the free experiences we are offered.

Cask Marque, a pub accreditation scheme, are using smartphones to “gamify” pub going. The Cask Finder app (on Android and iOS) allows drinkers to locate pubs, check in to them, and accrue points that mean – of course – prizes. This is just one example of a growing trend to use mobile phones within hospitality marketing.

Pubs and mobile phones are  a good marketing fit because they are at the centre of consumers’ social life. Your phone is always with you and it extends a night out to the spaces between pubs and meet ups.

Just think about how you might use your phone yourself on a night out:

• You post a Facebook status: “TFI it’s Friday!”
• You play music from your phone while it charges in the dock by your bed
• You go to your VoucherCloud app to download a money off code for pizzas
• Your friend sends you a text: “change of plan, meet me at the Red Lion at 8pm”
• You check how to get there on Google Maps
• Your taxi sends you an automated text: “Silver Ford Mondeo now arriving”
• You Instagram your new shoes, updating Twitter and Facebook automatically
• You check in at the Red Lion and see that there are three other people you know in the pub
• Another of your friends, in the Queen’s Arms sees your check in and heads over to buy you a drink
• She’s got a promotional voucher for a free round of Guinness that was just emailed to her

People do people things, and phones help them do those things better – but there’s a clear opportunity here for brands, venues, and services who make themselves available in these spaces.

A week has passed and after numerous foot massages, hot baths and the odd pint or two, the Big Cat bosses, Nick Morgan and Anthony Tattum have finally recovered after competing in last week’s BUPA Half Marathon in Birmingham.

After months of grueling training in rain storms and heat waves and even signing up to a military fitness camp, the pair completed the course smashing their previous records.

The race wasn’t just about male ego though and seeing who could run the fastest. The pair pledged to raise money for The Prostate Cancer Charity, something which is close to both of their hearts.

Altogether they raised a total of £490.

A huge congratulations to Nick and Anthony for all their hard work. It must have paid off as we’ve seen them wearing suits which clearly haven’t been out of the wardrobe in sometime.

If you haven’t sponsored either of them yet, there’s still time. Just click the link below and enter your chosen amount

http://www.justgiving.com/anthonytattum

http://www.justgiving.com/nickbigcatmorgan

October is always a busy time for the Big Cat’s. Not only is it Nick Morgan’s Birthday but it’s the companies birthday as well and this year we’re celebrating 11 years of continued growth and success.

The whole country across all sectors has felt the pinch of the credit crunch. Many businesses have fallen at the wayside but others have come out fighting. After 11 years, Big Cat Group has seen one of its most successful years in 2011. Whereas many companies have had to unfortunately make staffing cuts, Big Cat has continued to grow, hiring new members of staff in its events, marketing and digital departments.

With more staff comes the possibility of a greater capacity for clients. All departments within Big Cat have seen a broad range of new clients come on board from a variety of sectors including hospitality, professional services, charity, government bodies and entertainment to name but a few. The clients themselves have again ranged vastly from the launch of Bournville College’s £66million campus, a Jamaican music festival, a Birmingham based auctioneer and a digital festival.

To coin the famous telecommunications tag line, the futures bright, the futures orange and here’s to another 11 truly fantastic years.

Happy Birthday Big Cat!!!!

With business booming at Big Cat we felt it was about time we expanded our Marketing and Communications team so we can continue to deliver award winning campaigns which wow the nation. So, logically this months Q & A is with the latest addition of the Big Cat family, Hannah Wood. A self-confessed creative perhaps a tad OCD, we asked Hannah what she loves about our glorious city and the campaigns she’s working on at the moment.

What is your role at Big Cat Group?

Marketing and Communications Exec; basically I do a bit of marketing, a bit of PR and a bit of project management depending on the client and their needs.

How did you get into marketing and PR?

I sort of fell into it; I studied Visual Communication at Uni and in an attempt to get my foot in the door of a design agency, I put myself forward as a digital marketing and PR intern at Fluid, got it and loved it! After a crash course in comm’s and having worked on some high profile accounts, I gained experience in events marketing and planning, working on both BASS and Flatpack festivals. I’ve always loved brands, communication and events and my strengths are strategy development and organisation so when I applied for an internship at Big Cat everything just sort of clicked into place.

What are you working on at the moment?

There’s too much to list but so far today I have worked on booking the national campaign for the international restaurant group San Carlo, the brand development and marketing strategy for a highly acclaimed auction house, a national PR campaign for a range of Lulu Guinness compact mirrors, research for two new business pitches, the internal marketing strategy and brand propositions for Big Cat and I’ve just been brought on board for Hello Culture; Birmingham’s biggest festival.

What is your favourite marketing campaign at the moment?

I actually really like what Skittles are doing at the moment. After having a couple of not-so-successful campaigns leading up to 2009, they now seem to have developed a solid, integrated brand strategy. By keeping the same themes and tone of voice throughout all their marketing and PR activity, regardless of campaign or media, the key messages and their tagline “taste the rainbow” are reinforced. The overall brand campaign is flexible and individual product launches fit seamlessly together underneath the skittles brand.

With audience engagement being at the top of their agenda, their slightly weird approach to content has enabled them to really think outside the box when it comes to interactivity and utilise a wide range of platforms including TV, facebook, twitter, YouTube and POS. The continued high quality activity ensures they maintain brand loyalty, leaving their audience wondering what weird and wonderful ideas they will come up with next.

What is your favourite thing about Birmingham?

I’m very much a country girl at heart but for some reason I never tire of Birmingham. There’s something to suit everyone and always something going on. It’s the little hidden gems that I love; we have some amazing architecture, festivals, events, typography, music and history. It’s often reported that Birmingham has a bad reputation but I like it, and I’ve always had a tendency to favour the underdog.

Planning a social media campaign that works can be a tricky task. 90% of all campaigns are said to fall flat within the first month, the key reason being audience figures not meeting critical mass, therefore the campaign never really going viral. September saw Big Cat team up with energy and communications company Glide and the University of Birmingham to show students on their MSc Marketing and Communications course how hard it actually is to run a successful campaign.

60 students were given the brief to develop a social media campaign which interacts with either tenants or landlords. The aim of the campaign was to raise brand awareness and in turn drive direct sales to Glide. The budget was £10,000 and it was to be used over a three month period.

The students were split into groups of 9 or 10 and then dismissed into various rooms throughout the University. The day was a fantastic experience for Big Cat who have been working with Glide for some time now. It was fascinating seeing outsiders who don’t know a company work to develop a campaign. As you can imagine there were a few arguments a long the way with stronger students trying to take hold of the groups, however some great ideas were generated.

Click image to see full photo gallery

After the 2 hour period, the students were then asked to come back to the main lecture theatre to present their campaign to a live audience. The judges, built up of University staff, Glide and Big Cat ranked each group on a number of categories; originality, sticking to budget, ROI and a wild card too.

In the end though there could only be one winner and that was Group 3 who utilised existing Smartphone geo-location technology to offer their chosen target audience of students competition prizes, giveaways and digital badges. One thing that this group did really well was plan for the future. Although they were making use of the tools around them, they also stated that once the campaign worked in the region of Birmingham, they’d roll it out nationally and develop their own app.

Well done Group 3!!! We hope you enjoy your winnings.

If you fancy checking out what the students put in the presentations click here.

So, what’s your favourite colour? Perhaps you’re a traditional primary colour type of person, who likes a passionate red or maybe a cool blue? Perhaps you’re a little more sophisticated and like a nice teal? Ever thought about owning your favourite colour? Well now you can thanks Dulex.

Working alongside humanitarian charity, UNICEF, Dulex are offering people the chance to purchase a colour and donate money to charity. The average Smartphone can display 16.7 million colours, so if all of these colours were purchased for just £1, think of the difference this would make to the lives of those less fortunate.

Big Cat took up the challenge and purchased their highly symbolic shade of orange. When this blog was written, over £58,000 had already been donated since the launch of the campaign one week a go. What an amazing achievement this is for Dulex, not only for the lives they are helping to save, but also the running of a successful social media campaign.

There are so many companies launching campaigns at the moment which haven’t been thought through fully. The ‘Own a colour’ campaign is a perfect example how social media can not only raise brand awareness but also help the less fortunate.

Dulex is a household name in the UK. How many other paint suppliers can you think of off the top of your head? So surely this wasn’t just about raising brand awareness, there had to be a deeper meaning. By utilising their USP of the paint colour palette, Dulex have created a fantastic campaign which was spread like wildfire across Facebook and Twitter, every Digital Director’s dream. People can donate as little as a pound with every single penny helping.

Well done Dulex for this fantastic campaign.

This festival season has seen the lines between music festival and traditional food festivals blur beyond recognition.  Over recent years attendees at a music festival could expect to be served greasy burgers, greasy burgers or greasy burgers.

Some of this year’s crop of festivals (not even the food specific ones) have seen the quality of their catering offering improve considerably.  At Lovebox and Wilderness this year Jamie Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts ensured that guests were very well fed.  And Wagamama and Pizza Express have also both introduced their range to festival goers.

And let’s not forget that this year has seen the launch of Jamie Oliver’s own Big Festival which brought together a host of top restaurants such as Locanda Locatelli, Wahaca and GBK alongside musical heavyweights The Charlatans, Soul II Soul and Athlete.

Jamie’s not the only celeb chef getting in on the festival act.  This year’s Harvest Festival saw Alex James (himself a food-music cross over, being the bassist from Blur and now a Cotswolds based cheese producer) hosting the Oxfordshire site with top chefs Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and Richard Corrigan appearing with The Kooks and KT Tunstall.

These festivals treat chefs as headline acts and market themselves accordingly.  In recent years the rise of the TV chef has been phenomenal (how many shows and books do Jamie and Hugh have between them?) and festival organisers recognise their broad appeal.  Add in some Radio 2 friendly bands, some improv theatre groups and boutique babysitting and hey presto – you’ve potentially got yourself a Guardian reader’s dream event!

All of these festivals recorded good attendances and the signs point towards this family friendly, music and food hybrid festival gaining in popularity.

This week sees the launch of the gaming industry’s first live TV advert.

The real time adverts for Xbox’s ‘Gears of War 3’ will publicise the number of people playing the game online at the time of broadcast.

The interesting thing about this campaign is that it relies on the product already being used by the customer. The creators, of this highly anticipated game, have chosen to rely on brand loyalty and user generated hype rather than using television advertising during the run up to the release date; instead using real time engagement and aiming for immediate responses online to maintain excitement once the product is on sale.

Created by McCann Erickson, with media planning by UM London and digital campaign support from AKQA, the television campaign launches on 23^rd September. Although the technology is already being utilised by some online gambling companies to advertise their popularity, the large scale nature of the Gears of War 3 campaign, which includes targeted social and online media, will set the standard in using live data in television advertising as more truly integrated campaigns are developed.

This year is a big deal for The Big Issue. 2011 marks the 20^th Anniversary of the first Big Issue hitting the streets and to coincide with the launch, the team behind the publication are working on a number of fantastic events being held up and down the country.

Birmingham will be playing a key role in the celebrations as it hosts ‘Hard Times’, an award winning photography exhibition by Paul Wenham-Clarke. Launching on the 8^th September at St Martin’s in the Bullring, the project features Big Issue vendors photographed in their homes. The images are incredibly hard hitting and make you realise the conditions that some people live in, such as shop doorways, park benches, squats and hostels. The aim of the project is to raise awareness of the challenges that the homeless face and to demonstrate that it can happen to anyone, at anytime you’re not just born into it.

In conjunction with the anniversary, Birmingham will also see a number of well-known personalities take to the streets with Big Issue vendors to see how well they get on selling the publication. The vendors will show them the ropes and then leave them to their own devices, allowing them to experience a day in the life of a vendor, how they are treated and how much money they actually make.

Make sure you keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks as you walk through Birmingham City Centre as you never know who might be asking you to purchase a copy of The Big Issue.

Six months ago we posted a blog about the lack of good street art around Birmingham City Centre, with the majority only being specially commissioned pieces. I visited Nottingham recently and saw a huge mural spanning the entire ground floor of an abandoned building. Not only was this in a busy part of the city centre, on closer inspection it had been commissioned by Nottingham Council. I was a little disappointed that Birmingham City Council doesn’t seem to have a similar attitude to art projects. I’ve seen an incredible amount of “blank canvas” around Birmingham so it seems daft that a city with so much regeneration – and therefore so much construction hoarding and unused buildings – has so little public art.

Last week I was pleasantly surprised on my bus journey home as we passed the current regeneration of New Street Station. Art! And good art at that! It turns out Network Rail, Regenerated and UnLtd have teamed up to commission local artists and young people to create work to adorn the walls of a potentially grey and dull corner of the city. It’s called Hill Street Art Project and consists of six 24′ x 8′ panels, based on ideas of regeneration, reflection and movement. In addition to artists Zoot, Remi/Rough, Sola, Juice 126 and Julian Kimmings, young people from King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy were chosen to work on the project, which will be up for two years.

It’s good to see businesses – and especially the work of Regenerated – investing in local artists and young people to get involved in commissions, giving them great opportunities for the future. Not only that, it makes the city look a much more vibrant place!

Images courtesy of the Hill Street Art Project.

The UK’s entertainment industry has seen a new partnership formed this week which is set to enhance the West Midlands offering of world class events.

Birmingham based marketing experience agency, Big Cat Group has this month been awarded a six month contract to assist the NEC in sourcing and delivering blockbuster events best suited for its exhibition halls, ensuring the city remains at the top for entertainment destinations.

Having brought events such as the controversial Bodies Revealed and TV smash hit CSI: The Experience to the UK, Big Cat Group will utilise its extensive range of contacts in Europe and the US to build upon the City’s entertainment calendar.

Nick Morgan, CEO of Big Cat Group said: “This is a great opportunity to further improve Birmingham’s significance as an international entertainment destination. In recent years we have seen millions of tourists flood to the city to witness shows such as X-Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, Batman Live, Cirque de Soleil and many more.

“Our role in this new venture will be to source global content and bring it to Birmingham. With the advancements in digital technology, theatre production and visual arts the possibilities for the city are endless.”

Chris Hartley, Business Development Director at the NEC said: “We’re delighted to be teaming up with Big Cat. We know the entertainment events market place is an area of real opportunity for us and now with Big Cat’s experience and knowledge in this sector, we can actively target it.

Scary concept for any PR however there’s been a lot of talk over the past 2 years about the death of the press release and how the digital landscape is re-shaping how traditional publications source their news.

Would social media and digital content really put the nail in the coffin of the good old press release though? Personally, I don’t think so. Agreed, press releases have had to become more advanced in delivering key messages by utilising hyperlinks and alt-tagged images; however from the conversations I’ve had with journalists they still prefer receiving and initial press release (as long as it’s relevant of course – but that’s a whole other blog).

This week I read in the CorpComms publication about how Japanese car manufacturer, Nissan utilise a rather extensive ‘Newsroom’ on their site which incorporates images, video, text, sound and social media sharing. If they have a story to tell, no matter what the format, it goes up on the Newsroom. The idea of this is to tell the story behind the brand rather than a monotonous release. If an article is considered ‘boring’ though, surely that’s down to the author and the topic?

Does the digital Newsroom remove the need for the old fashioned sell-in? Again, I don’t think so. Back in my freelance days, if a company wanted their good-news story telling I’d prefer that they send it me rather than me having to trawl through a site. Many of my journalist friends don’t have the time anymore to do indepth research unless it’s a ground-breaking story which is a real shame as this is where the real gems come out, but with how the industry is at the moment, time is incredibly precious.

Nissan’s editor-in-chief, Dan Sloan commented: “Nissan is not putting an end to traditional ways of promotion and advertising; it’s more a recognition that innovative messaging and delivery is the main objective, and on occasion cheaper than traditional methods.”

The Newsroom method does seem to work for international brands such as Nissan though, especially when a head office may be in the UK however the audience is in Japan for example.

The future of the press release still seems to be uncertain at the moment; however one thing is for sure, audiences are demanding more from their news via a variety of mediums and it’s our job to ensure they get what they want.

The notion of an interesting and inspiring office space is a totally alien thought for most office workers today who would generally associate their work space with words such as mundane, boring, dreary, and dull. Could spaces that are thought of by workers with negative descriptions cause a lack of motivation and dissatisfaction at work?

Physical space matters and wherever you go it is far more positive in my opinion to surround yourself in a creative environment that provides colour, art, space and inspiration. This not only applies to the office but applies to all spaces that one would use such as home, recreation and leisure and sets the scene for the attitude that you will apply to the day ahead.

With the revolution of communication some can drop a permanent work space and opt to isolate themselves in the middle of nowhere or move around different spaces for new daily inspiration. In the events industry, a specialist area of Big Cat we understand that it is important to find an inspiring venue to create an event to remember, alternatively when using a blank canvas it can be transformed into an inspiring space with the correct combination of lighting, furniture and colour.

Many conferences of today are repeatedly booked into hotels with poor light, bad carpets and dull décor that result in the need for well over 10 coffees an hour to keep delegates awake. Surely if a space makes it hard to stay awake during the day it is having a negative effect on the brain and is completely uninspiring. What you need out of a space is comfort, satisfaction, motivation, clarity and happiness. Can an inspiring space encourage these and influence our connection with the world?

Please find below some of the office spaces that I think would inspire anyone!



This month Big Cat are celebrating becoming certified in ISO9001.

ISO allows a company to follow set processes and procedures, minimizing the risk of error and we feel it’s been beneficial for our company in many ways. We’re giving our clients the consistent approach across the board and we’re making sure they receive quality service.

ISO helps us achieve:

- a customer focused organisation
- leadership
- the involvement of people
- ensuring a process approach
- a systematic approach to management
- a factual approach to decision making
- mutually beneficial supplier relations
- continuous improvement

Why it is beneficial:

- Higher customer satisfaction  through delivery of products that consistently meet customer requirements
- Improved stakeholder relationships – including staff, customers and suppliers
- Legal compliance – by understanding how statutory and regulatory requirements impact on the organisation and its your customers
- Improved risk management through greater consistency and traceability of products and services
- Proven business credentials through independent verification against recognized standards

Well done to the Big Cat team on gaining such a highly regarded accreditation.

Whilst doing some research for a prospective new client last week we came across this nice little marketing stunt by DHL.

The high impact visuals utilise the space on and around an escalator in one of Hong Kong’s busiest subway stations and despite being rolled out nearly 5 years ago, the viral nature of mobile videos has ensured the longevity of the advert as well as presenting it to an international audience.

The reason why this advert works so well is because it can be interpreted on many levels and, thanks to YouTube, be viewed by a mass audience. For example, we can all appreciate the playful message of the mini DHL vans rushing past the lines of queuing traffic as they travel alongside you on the handrail.

On a cultural level, Hong Kong was the perfect location for this campaign. It is widely reported that DHL couriers often use the subway system for their deliveries to ensure the quickest possible delivery time. Hong Kong’s subway system has the reputation of being the most efficient and affordable in the world, reflecting DHL’s express delivery service aims; speed, efficiency and affordability.

Positioning is key and with ambient media still growing in popularity the use of advertising on an escalator effectively makes your audience a sitting duck for communication. Advertising around escalators is nothing new but this stunt really communicates and interacts with the audience in a way that a static poster wouldn’t.

The red and yellow DHL branding is instantly recognisable and is used in and around the advert. For example, the vans are branded with the colours and logo, the images of the call centre and the yellow wall with the red stripe which runs the whole length of the escalator reinforces the brand message and focuses the audience’s attention.

Let us know if you have you seen any inspirational marketing stunts recently.

Over the past few years Big Cat Group has developed and managed a range of world class events including Bodies Revealed, CSI: The Experience, Tutankhamun – His Tomb and His Treasures and most recently The World of Princess. To give you an insight into how these events are secured and delivered we thought we’d put Senior Events & Exhibitions Manager, Rob Dudley through his paces and find out what it takes to play host to these events.

What is your role at Big Cat Group?

I’m the senior events and exhibitions manager at Big Cat which means I’m involved in a very diverse range of projects.  As such the specifics and responsibilities of my job vary, depending on what the particular project is.  For example in the last 6 months I’ve spent nights at various drum and bass events overseeing health and safety; I’ve organised the bar operation at a jazz festival; I’ve acted as deputy manager at the world renowned exhibition Tutankhamun – His Tomb and His Treasures, I’ve met with suppliers and manufacturers in Barcelona, I’ve unloaded and built the exhibition Princess – The World if Princesses in Dublin and I’ve also forged relationships with manufacturers in China to supply exhibition merchandise.  No two days are the same!

How did you get into events?

I’ve been involved with bars, restaurants and nightclubs for the last 15 years.  Events is a natural progression for me.  The bar and club industries share a lot similarities with the events industry.  Running a bar or club is like putting on an event every day.

What are you working on at the moment?

Right now we’re working on a project which falls under the LOCOG Open Weekend.  The event is called Jamaica LIVE! and is a one day family friendly festival.  It features live musical performances (including Dawn Penn!), stand up comedy and spoken word, dance, arts and crafts, Jamaican food stalls and drumming workshops.  Further down the line we’re organising the launch of Bourneville College’s impressive new building, an event which is going to feature some pretty cool AV tech.

What is your favourite external event?

That I’ve been involved with?  Hmm… The Mostly Jazz Festival this year was good fun.  But Star Trek: The Exploration really stands out.  This was an exhibition of Star Trek sets, props, costumes and models from all of the TV shows and Films.  Big Cat was tasked with shipping the content from LA to Spain and then constructing the show in Valencia’s stunning Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences).  It was one of the hardest projects (17 days straight, minimum 12 hour days) but really enjoyable.  The venue is amazing and the city of Valencia is beautiful.  Weather was slightly better than Birmingham too.

What is your favourite thing about Birmingham?

Cafe Soya!

This past week, the Big Cat Office has looked like a jumble sale with every nook and cranny filled with either a bean bag, BBQ equipment, bunting or some form of party paraphernalia.

No, we haven’t been preparing for the annual Big Cat Summer BBQ but instead counting down the days to Jamaica Live, a 1-day festival extravaganza taking place at the heart of Birmingham in Victoria Square.

Organised by Punch Records, with Big Cat providing event and PR support, Jamaica Live was a celebration of Caribbean heritage and culture as part of the London Olympics 2012 Open Weekend. You may be wondering what exactly this had to do with the Olympics…well it’s a little known fact that the Jamaican Olympic team will be training in Birmingham over the coming year, so like any celebratory occasion we thought we’d throw a big party to celebrate.

On Saturday 23rd July, Birmingham’s Victoria Square was a hive of activity with the authentic sights, sounds and smells of Jamaican culture, with a range of activities taking place including traditional Caribbean cooking, drumming workshops, arts & crafts, storytelling, spoken word and dominoes. The Square also saw a large stage erected where the audience was treated to performances from Monique, the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra and Levi Roots who rustled up a storm on stage with his cooking demonstration.

Across the course of the day, over 32,000 people were said to have passed through Victoria Square, the majority of who stayed for the entire event. The Big Cat team had a fantastic day working the event and at the end of it all were proud to have been able to make the festival a reality. With so many budgets being cut at the moment, and funding incredibly scarce for projects such as this, it was fantastic to see so many people coming together, putting their differences aside and enjoying themselves. Some even learnt about a whole new culture, a rarety these days.

Biddle & Webb has been an auctioneer in Birmingham and the West Midlands for over 50 years. This year  it decided to re-evaluate its brand including a new logo and print collateral.

Big Cat have taken a great pleasure in getting involved in this project and have worked hard alongside other partners to deliver strong results for Biddle & Webb.

Our initial job was to create a headline brand/logo that could be separated between the 2 main segments of the company; auctioneers & valuers and general sale.

Each brand has been given unique colours to help them stand out from each other.

Whilst the design team were busy re-branding Biddle & Webb, Big Cat’s Marketing and Communications department concentrated on developing the strategy of the company, improving customer experience and raising the level of service it provides when compared to its competitors.

Keep your eyes peeled to find out more about our work with Biddle and Webb in future blogs.

Old brand

Auctioneers and Values brand

General Sale brand

6. Partners – events massively benefit from partners who can influence their networks. Event marketing messages that are syndicated via their website, blog, social network or database gain much more gravitas than unsolicited ones from a new event. Partners can provide third-party or word-of-mouth endorsements for your event that are much more powerful than an Ad or status update. Research your industry: who are the main influencers, who has the biggest network, what associations are your prospects likely to be a part of, do any of your speakers or entertainment have social networks or databases?

7. Channels – which are the most cost effective and efficient marketing channels to employ when promoting an event? This really is the million dollar question. I would suggest a blend of direct, sales promotion tactics such as email, telesales, social network updates, ads; reputational, brand and awareness building tactics such as PR, blogs, syndication through partner channels, and response based-social web marketing; passive marketing through websites and search engines; and “sticky marketing” tactics which employ a more problem-solving, relationship building activities that allow consumption on consumer’s terms such as tip sheets, blogs, presentations, guides, and white papers. The key thing to channel selection is constant evaluation and adaptation of tactics.

8. Incentives – discounts and offers are a great way of devaluing your brand and ensuring that no one will want to pay full price next time. I personally believe that if used correctly incentives can deliver word-of-mouth, red hot data, and early critical mass. Use only as an “early bird” incentive or in a very direct and time-limited way, never as a last ditch attempt to get numbers via general release through Ads, with no time limit.

9. Time – one of the most important elements of an event is giving you sufficient time to plan and promote your event. I would suggest a minimum of 3-4 months for even the smallest event such as a workshop and up to a year for a more complex event such as a conference or concert. For a large event I would suggest 4-5 months minimum of marketing time and for small event 8-10 weeks.

10. Context – in today’s world of abundance and connectedness customers have too much choice. There aren’t many needs that are not being serviced. With this in mind I would suggest being as niche and targeted as possible and ensure that all of your communications add value in some way. Context is as much about understanding when and how your target audience are buying as much as who they are.

Networking is a vital concept that all businesses need to embrace in order to gain contacts and maintain them. Business revolves around using the resources and knowledge of your environment to succeed. Without taking these concepts into account a business will not reach true potential. Having for the last five weeks been working with Birmingham Forward and Birmingham Future, it has made me think about what a business wants to know and wants to achieve when out of the office for the evening. Businessmen and women are busy so for an event to be successful there has to be something which stands out in order to draw our Business community in.

Birmingham Forward is made up of over 200 companies that hold corporate membership; these are the key businesses in Birmingham; those that make Birmingham tick. Birmingham Future is for the younger generation in Birmingham, those who are finding their feet in Birmingham business circles. Birmingham Future provides a step for people to take in order to meet, network and socialise with people in equivalent positions across the Birmingham business community.

Since I began working at Big Cat five weeks ago, I have seen a number of events take place. Birmingham Forward events have varied from presentations by knowledgeable business men in Birmingham to tours around new buildings such as The Cube. Birmingham Future events have consisted of a wide variety of functions, from dinners with speakers to talks by big names in the political circle.

The recent Birmingham Future event consisting of a visit from The Right Honourable Philip Hammond MP attracted well over a hundred people to the event that took place in One Snowhill at the beginning of June.  This is a good example of how Birmingham Future events are attracting significant interest, not only throughout Birmingham but among people from outside the immediate Birmingham community.  The attendees not only came to listen to what had to be said about the HS2 plan, but also had the opportunity to question the Secretary of State for Transport. With press from Birmingham, Midlands Today, ITV Midlands and radio stations from not only the West Midlands but also sister counties attending, it was an event that appealed to all. It gave the people of Birmingham and others in the region a chance to hear about the changes that may happen, a chance to think about what opportunities such plans could bring to Birmingham, and a chance to develop business and prospects around the West Midlands. Attendees were able to network over lunch, so the event not only provided knowledge but gave an opportunity to leave with a handful of business cards.

Big Cat is constantly researching, trying to find out what people want to see and hear about. Researching the issues facing Birmingham and the Business sector, we strive to get speakers and produce events that will aid and give the chance to the local business community to promote themselves. With a lot of big names coming up in the last quarter of the year, such as John Hemming MP and Malcolm Harbour MP, Birmingham Forward and Birmingham Future events are bound to continue to provide knowledge and opportunities to aid the Business Community.

Top 5 innovative event technologies to make your event really reach the stars.

We are forever hearing how fast technology is evolving and that the latest must-have gadget is being shelved just weeks into its release with its predecessor already in production. It’s hard to imagine how certain technology-based products can progress to an even greater level. The iPhone 4 is a classic example of such technology. With rumours of the iPhone 5 (and even iPhone 6) being rife, will Apple ever say enough is enough? I highly doubt it.

If we relate this to events, technology is an area that can really make-or-break the success of an event, with some events being solely technology-based. With this in my events-fuelled mind, here is  5 of the most creative and mind-boggling interactive event tech below to feast your eyes on.

 1)      Building Projection. Although not technically ‘new’, the projection possibilities today have been brought to a level never seen before in the Events Industry. Ideal for brand launches and with projections now being in HD, it is crystal clear that if you have the budget & space, building projection is a strong option to really drive home brand awareness and recognition.

       http://goo.gl/f1m5Z

 2)      PufferSphere. – Great visual focal point. This is breath-taking technology that forms a contemporary feel with traditional and subtle information portrayed. The beauty about this technology is that it can be manipulated to suit any event. With inwards projection, this stand-alone piece is highly versatile with minimal spacing needed.

 http://vimeo.com/1914697

 3)      iBar. This bar really takes event networking to a new level! Being easily assembled and loaded with a variety of different images/videos/interactive pieces, the bar top becomes an

interactive display that ‘links’ whatever objects are placed on it. As the video shows, the technology can be manipulated to form an Xbox Kinetic style wall feature – just going to prove that the events industry really does lead the way in interactive technology! With the main focus of this tech being the bar itself, this is perfect for networking based events as the bar is the one area that every guest will frequent, therefore maximising exposure!

 http://goo.gl/B81gP

 4)    Interactive ‘Aurora’ Table. As seen on the X Factor 2010, this funky table takes having a coffee to a new level.  With files, videos & images being able to uploaded, the interactivity of this technology has no boundary. Perfect for corporate events or exhibitions, this table can project certain processes or products through their life-cycle from start to finish. The Aurora is ideal for small to medium sized events, however not as the main focus due to its size and individual nature. Although expensive, this table would complement a main tech attraction perfectly.

 http://goo.gl/669Ta

 5)    Fog Screen Projection. Although not relatively new, I still think this technology is a great way of taking the traditional idea of projection and bringing into the modern era. Perfect for making a dramatic at any social event, this screen creates an air of mysticism and intrigue. Just make sure there are no drafts or wind traps nearby as you may end up creating a hazy cloud instead of a sharp projection!

http://goo.gl/SCN7F

 I think it’s clear to see that event technology is definitely progressing at an superb rate, with many influences being pulled from consumer products. In today’s competitive market, if you really want to make the right impression at your event, creative & innovative technology is definitely a route to pursue in order to create that sought-after ‘WOW’ factor! 

OK, so you’ve taken the plunge to commit to social media. You understand that the more you engage your customers the more likely you are to keep them. And you know that the way to do that is to engage with them without resorting to interruption tactics and sales messages.

Once you have a strategy, it’s time to choose a network. It’s got to be Facebook, right? Not so fast. You might be about to make an almighty mistake. Just because Facebook is the biggest (some say notorious) social network of them all, that’s not to say your customers are interested in connecting with you there.

In fact, despite the meteoric rise in the number of business pages on Facebook, most of them are failing because either a) their owners are not producing compelling content b) their owners are not committed to engaging with their customers c) the platform wasn’t the right one in the first place. Ask yourself the following questions before you start.

Where is your audience?

It’s not enough to say: “everyone has a Facebook account”. This may well be true. But are people interested in liking your page? Probably not. They might like you out of kindness if you ask them. But what’s the point in that? If they’re not engaging with you. You need to take some time to listen. Where are your audience having conversations about your product/service/industry? Where do they hang out? Use Google Alerts/Social mention or the Twitter hashtag to find out. Then spend some time listening before you jump right in.

Is the functionality right?

Now you’ve identified where the conversations are happening, figure out whether the platform supports the content you want to share. If you’re a photography business, you’ll want to share a lot of pictures. So do your homework: where are your customers and think about how they’ll want to engage with your content.

Can you commit?

There’s an expectation with some networks that you regularly produce content. Twitter, for example, offers the opportunity to be almost limitless in the content – this requires somebody managing the conversations with some regularity, ideally a working day. If you can’t commit to social media, don’t do it.

How will you measure your activity/goals?

This is important. Especially when you’re justifying the investment to your seniors. You will have set out your goals way before you’ve chosen your platform, so make sure the platform supports your goal reporting. If your goal is to drive more traffic to the website, make sure you’ve setup your analytics to measure that. If you’re looking to engage customers consider how the customer rates the quality of the post (IE YouTube ratings, Facebook likes, Twitter retweets or LinkedIn comments).

Are you prepared for the haters?

Finally don’t forget that you will get problem customers taking pot shots at you on social networks. That’s fine. Really it is. If a customer has an issue with late delivery of a product or the level of service you’ve provided have a plan to deal with them. And make sure you deal with it publically where appropriate – this will do great things for your reputation in the long run.

Think inside the box

Often the question we get from our customers is “what do I say?” Don’t forget the solution may not be all about Twitter and Facebook – they might be just the broadcast platform for your content. The real conversations might well be happening on your blog. This is where you can share interesting and useful information about your business that feeds both the search engines but confirms you’re an expert in your field.

Pic by WebTreats

Last week I attended a conference titled Social Media in a Corporate Context  (SMCC), organised by Communicate Magazine, as a Live-event Blogger. It’s difficult to find a really useful conference that is informative, interactive and filled with interesting case studies, but this event fitted the bill.

Attending the event was a great opportunity for me to listen to and engage with current issues and case studies surrounding social media within business, along with gaining the experience of live blogging and tweeting at an event as it unfolded. During the day individual blogs received up to 70 views, which was impressive as drive towards the site was driven by tweets generated at the conference using #smcc.

One of the first presentations was by David Noble from the TKGB titled: Things to make and do (on a mobile platform). Noble, firstly spoke on mobile applications; their growth, development and uptake on smart phones and the iPad along with how the industry is developing as a whole. Interactivity and communication was his key goal within his presentation and so he initiated group discussions through brainstorming sessions in order to create content for an app, which would be produced during the day.

Producing an app in a day (or ½ a day as it needs to be approved for sale before 2pm by iTunes), is something that I had not considered to be really possible as I imagined that there were a great many processes and stages involved, but it was produced and was available from the end of the conference for free download in the iTunes store (app name smcc).

This type of app building using the thoughts, opinions and discussion outcomes from a group at a conference such as this one, made for an exciting and usable output and something which I believe could be replicated for and at other events.

The app itself enabled the producers in this case to have a permanent record of ideas communicated and shared throughout the day (on social media), along with just being a super cool product to share with others who did not attend the conference.

Now that I know that’s its possible to build an app in a day I keep wondering; If I could build my own app, what would it be……. and if Big Cat was an app what would it look like?

The British brand of premium desserts Gü, founded in 2003, is running a brand relaunch campaign with a colossal budget of £2M -which is one of the company’s biggest marketing investment so far. With this significant amount, Joseph Liu, Senior Brand Manager at Gü Puds hopes to reach consumers who haven’t tried the brand yet and retain the loyal ones. They are repositioning the product, offering new packaging making it more visible to consumers and supporting the relaunch with a huge advertising campaign.

The brand refresh is also the occasion of launching a new range of products: Singles. They are chocolate or fruit flavoured mousses packaged in individual pots which include a convenient plastic spoon, allowing it to be savoured anytime and anywhere. The objective is to popularise the indulgent dessert and make the consumer realise that a special occasion is not necessary to enjoy it. However, it keeps its premium positioning since the flavours proposed are inventive and the price quite high £1.19 for a pot.

Gü consider interactivity with the consumer as a key factor of success. For the alimentary sector, the in-store sampling is a traditional weapon to invite the customer to taste the product and then to convince him to purchase it (it is always more than welcome to have a free sample of chocolate when you are in your supermarket, isn’t it?). But Gü wanted to go beyond in the interactive experience and make a big impression to people. In collaboration with JCDecaux, YouTube and Virgin Experience Days, DDB UK (in charge of Gü UK campaign) had the idea to install a drum on a 48 sheet poster in Tottenham Court Road, London. They invited passers-by to take delight in playing this big drum and organised a competition between the volunteers, filming the performances and uploading the videos on YouTube. The performer with the highest number of views has was awarded by a £200 Virgin Experience voucher.

The new bright slogan “Give in to Gü” encourages people to indulge themselves with little pleasures of life. On the new TV advert, that will run from May to July, we can observe scenarios of little temptations like inflated bubble wrap that is just waiting to be popped, a long line of dominoes that would just need a little nudge to start racing down, or an annoying label sticking out your friend’s cardigan. The message of Gü is quite simple: yield to these small everyday-life urges. As far I am concerned, I guess I will probably give in to the chocolate & raspberry pot after putting the final dot to this blog post. Yummy!

Give In To Gü advert