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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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

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.

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?

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,

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

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.

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.

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