The news seems to be saturated at the moment with arguments about the censorship of ‘adult content’ in music videos. Every time you turn the TV on there seems to be a new focus group jumping on the band wagon targeting artists such as Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears for their sexually explicit music videos and lyrics. Their argument is that children should not be subjected to adult content at such a young age, and that these videos should be broadcast after 9pm.
Personally I’m not sure what all the fuss is all about. I’m not denying that there are certain videos that should be aired after the watershed, however surely it is the parent’s responsibility to monitor what their children are viewing, be it online or TV?
Living in a digital age should come with some precautions, and many applications do have systems in place to prevent underage children being subjected to adult content. Internet browsers have parental controls, you can lock TV channels off and gaming consoles even have timers on to limit time spent on them.
Many of these platforms run a substantial amount of advertising which is funded by these artists and as a result, I can’t see them stopping the broadcast of these videos anytime soon. Perhaps more of the videos may appear after the watershed but even still, children will find a way to watch them.
With the music industry already struggling, can it afford to take another hit?
Whose responsibility is it to monitor content? The artist, the Broadcaster, or the parent?
Recently arriving in New York for it’s third year was the 99% Conference. Run by Scott Belsky, founder of Behance, the conference focuses not on the generation of ideas, but their execution. Whether it’s personal projects hidden away in your sketchbook or the stack of notes following a brainstorm, one of the hardest parts of any project is the process of realising an idea’s potential that you knew it had in the beginning. How many times have you looked back over half-baked ideas and wondered why they fizzled out or never even got started?
Every year at the conference, industry leaders and young entrepreneurs share their knowledge and experience of their own working processes. Past highlights have included marketing guru Seth Godin, Pentagram Partner, Michael Beirut, and Creative Director at Google Creative Labs, Ji Lee. Speakers are varied, coming from all backgrounds of expertise and there are loads of talks available to watch here. I recommend anyone watch them, they’re informative and inspiring, and not just for those in the creative industries!
Brand identity – maybe a bit clichéd but a strong, clear brand is an important element of any event. The brand can either help build trust or else convey a confusing message. The brand can be supported by an event or programme title, which gives a more in depth description of the event.
Content – the theme, content, speaker, subject or entertainment of your event must be sufficiently attractive to your target audience. If you’re expecting customers to spend time and probably money to attend your event then you need to understand their needs and meet these in spades. Research (and attend) similar or competitor events to give you an idea of the level of content that is needed to drive the numbers you need. If your event is new you may have to try doubly hard, and expect to lose money on your first one.
Narrative – write compelling narrative that tells a story about the event. This could be about the background to the organisers, the history behind how the event came to be, how it will benefit the attendees. This will need to be combined with killer sales copy to quickly highlight the content and benefits, date, price, location, etc.
Business model – free or paid for? If an event is to attract new customers to your brand consider holding a free event – this will ensure maximum attendance. If however the event is of sufficient value to your prospects then introduce a charge but research what your competitors or similar events are charging.
Website – you will want a website which enables you to book delegates or customers online. Eventbrite. is an excellent site which is free to use if you don’t charge. It allows you to syndicate widgets, create lists, badges, and email customers. If you charge for your events and they are regular then you may want to consider developing your own eCommerce site as charges are 5% plus and you are restricted to Paypal or Google Checkout, which charge another 4-5%. I would suggest a website like Eventbrite to start and then evaluate the amount you are likely to spend on fees over the next year then decide whether a specific website is more cost efficient.
Here’s the takeaway: Ensure you have enough time to plan, especially promote your event. Write copy that sings. Link with as many relevant partners as you can. Test then evaluate every piece of marketing and get the ball rolling though early bird offers. Have a very clear message and identity and ask yourself this: would I pay for and attend this event before you start spending time and money.
Monday 16th May saw the PR team head down to the Docklands in London to manage a press day for the Monster Energy Extreme Freestylers tour, and what a day it was.
Not used to the manual labour that the Events team endure on a daily basis, Big Cat PR rolled up their sleeves, erected 30ft tepees, helped set up ramps and managed national, regional and broadcast media for this unique and rather extreme press day.
The aim of the day was to raise awareness of Extreme Freestylers, a motocross stunt event which is hitting the UK this July at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. For the press day, we flew over World Champion, Nate Adams and UK Champion Chris Birch (as well as their bikes) to show the press how extreme this sport really is. Journalists took to the track on mini bikes following a masterclass from the experts and then bore witness to a jaw-dropping display from the riders on an articulated lorry which transformed into a ramp.
The day was a great success and fun was had by all. The coverage has already begun with a number of articles in the Independent, Daily Mirror and News of the World already being printed.
We’re all really excited about the UK tour date in July and can’t wait to see what’s in store for the crowd.
The 19th May 2011 is a date that will be remembered by a vast majority of the Birmingham business community for one reason only – BYPY 2011. This highly prestigious awards ceremony recognised the talent that really is on show throughout Birmingham covering such categories as Communications, Financial and Legal, with the overall winner being chosen from each of the six sector winners. BYPY also pays recognition to prevalent individuals who have made a lasting contribution to the city’s business community with the Inspiring Leader award.
This year, the Big Cat events team had a rare night off from the stresses and strains of event management and, as great supporters of Birmingham Forward, were keen to book a table ahead of this impressive night. After hours of grooming and preening (and that was just the men!) Big Cat were ready to hit the ICC in style. With dinner suits and dresses galore, it was clear from the atmosphere around the venue that the 770 guests were definitely in for a night to remember. After a champagne reception, we were shown to our table ready for the show to start. Obviously, the Big Cat events team could not help but discuss event ‘stuff’ but it is safe to say that all comments made were positive as a first-class night was produced from start to finish. A stand-out point for me was the audio and visual used throughout the show. With the ICC having state-of-the-art technology in-house, this was used to its maximum potential through raw and edgy ‘Apprentice-style’ nomination videos, with audio to match creating a contemporary feel to such a historic event. The ICC is impressive just as a blank canvas, but once dressed and ‘teched up’ it stands head and shoulders above the majority of venues within the area, firmly pinpointing Birmingham as a genuine and versatile city to host an array of diverse and unique events.
As the champagne continued to flow, the infamous Olympic duo of Katharine Merry and Derek Redmond expertly compered the awards leading to the pinnacle of the night – overall BYPY winner. After a great reception for the deserved winner, the after-show disco ensued with even more amounts of champagne consumed. I think it is safe to say from this point onwards the night became slightly hazy and there were definitely a few sore heads in the Big Cat office the following morning!
DDB Auckland had an original idea to advertise the brand of shorts Superette in New Zealand. Some relief plates had been placed on the benches, seats of the shopping centres and bus stop in the trendiest areas. Once they sit down, only people who wear short shorts or short skirts become the ambassador of the brand, showing their “printed” legs. This new form of marketing remains very anecdotal for now but is in perfect harmony with the message: “Short shorts on sale in Superette”.
Of course this principle has sparked off many positive and negative reactions. In my opinion I think it is a brilliant idea but it has to be very occasional and for a fairly exclusive brands (who wants a crisp or a washing powder brand tattooed on their legs, even for a little while?).
What I think is interesting as well is the way they can choose indirectly their models. Normally everybody with bare legs can be the “support” of the brand but people who wear short shorts and skirt are at 90 % young, rather slim and fashionable women. And they are modelling for free. Besides, choosing where they place the plates, they can also segment an area since the provisional tattoo lasts less than 30 minutes. In fact, it presents a big advantage more than the fact it is innovative: it is quite cheap.
It is an interesting and funny concept because we don’t get used seeing this kind of advertising and that’s why our attention is drawn to the message. On the long run, I think it would be doomed to failure, even if people -and particularly men- always look at the women’s legs they won’t pay attention to the message… and that is the point, paying attention to the message, right?
2011 is looking incredibly busy for events at The Old Library, with a string of beautiful weddings and swish corporate events ahead of us. We kicked off the spring with a fabulous event for Umberto Giannini’s local west midlands salons. Having previously used the space for their yearly awards ceremony, the event organisers at Umberto were more than happy to use our services once more.
It was an early start for members of The Old Library team, arriving at the venue at 6am to transform the space from a still, blank canvas to a black and white themed VIP heaven. The set consisted of a swish black matt stage with a modest catwalk sneaking into to the seating area. The guests were to be seated at elegantly decorated tables of 10, each one representing a different salon in The West Midlands. Mid-morning saw the arrival of a string of gorgeous models, ready to get some serious hair done. The Study was a hive of hair extensions, straighteners, hairsprays and teasing combs and we were lucky enough to catch a sneaky peek of the catwalk show before the start of the event.
The guests were greeted with a glass of sparkling wine and directed to their corresponding table. The event was not only due to host various prestigious awards for the outstanding stylists throughout the company, but they had also opened up a mood board competition for all guests to participate in. These were displayed in the bar area where the guests could walk by and judge other’s artistic skills. Before the awards even began, the guests were treated to a delicious hot buffet, followed by a rather large selection of lovely home- made cakes.
The awards went down very well with all guests and the winners, very well deserved. The event ended with some afternoon tipsy-ness and general satisfaction from all parties.
Earlier this month we were tasked with giving a long standing client a brand new advertising campaign to see them through the next 12 months.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) have worked with Big Cat since 2009 and since then have changed their advert designs on a quarterly basis. This time, they wanted a longer running campaign with a view to continuing elements of the style throughout all of their literature in the near future.
So without delay, we invited their guys to get together with our guys for a good old fashioned thought shower. Although RoSPA is a design client, we pulled in our marketing and PR team to help the project get the best result, a truly 360 approach meaning there were all sorts of ideas floating around the room from different viewpoints. It was a great success and Big Cat Design produced three new ad campaign ideas to present to the RoSPA team. They loved all three designs and we were told it was a difficult decision to make. In the end they chose one with the plan to use elements of the other campaign ideas further along the line.
Campaign 1:
Simple and effective, clean imagery, set subjects colours for ease of differentiating, simple consistent and recognisable styling throughout all adverts
Campaign 2:
Testimonial to take centre stage, all about the views of people who have used RoSPA and found it helpful, again using colours to differentiate subjects, simple consistent styling.
Campaign 3:
Based on some posters produced by Tom Eckersley some years ago, we wanted to show how far RoSPA had come, and introduced the strapline ‘The Home of Safety since 1917’.
We look forward to seeing the first adverts in May’s OS&H magazine, SHP, Safety Express and other H&S publications.
Team building is a big business for venues nowadays with sessions coming in all shapes and forms, many of which our events team have covered down at the Old Library. However April saw the tables turned as the Big Cat’s were allowed out of the office and into the big wild world.
The day arrived and we all piled into cars, heading in a convoy to our destination. After an hour’s drive we arrived on a farm in the middle of no-where. It turns out we really were getting messy. Today’s adventure involved the Big Cat’s getting behind the wheel of various 4×4 and off road vehicles. The team building didn’t stop there though. The tasks involved us driving a reverse drive off-roader…whilst blind folded, extreme 4×4 through boggy marshland and tag team off-road buggying.
Despite all the mud and sludge we had a great day out which really helped develop our skills when working in teams, something that’s vital in our line of work.
A BIG thank you to Nick and Anthony who organised and paid for the trip!!
Reed Midem is one of the world’s largest marketing and event organisers, specialising in Television, Interactive Content, Music and International Property. They are heavily involved in projects such as MIPIM and MIPTV. We are lucky enough to be working along side Reed Midem assisting in strategic development, and the growth and exploration of new viable business sectors.
bloc is a chic, boutique hotel which opened in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter in April 2011. We love bloc because it’s a luxury- budget hotel inspired by futuristic Japanese design. Big Cat will be working alongside bloc on its direct marketing and social media campaigns.
Aston Business School are a prestigious and renowned elevated education school, specialising in higher development for post graduates and business professionals.
Big Cat will be working closely with Aston Business School to promote a series of new courses aimed at business professionals within the region.
April has certainly been a busy month for Big Cat Group. Not only have we won marketing contracts for Aston Business School, bloc hotels and Reed-Midem but we’ve also just been appointed to provide PR, marketing, social media and media buying support for Monster Energy’s Extreme Freestylers event which is hitting Cardiff this July.
The event, which features a whole host of death-defying motorbike stunts, music and wholesome family entertainment, will be arriving at Cardiff Millennium Stadium on Saturday 2nd July.
2011 will be the first time Extreme Freestylers has come to the UK and we’re hoping it won’t be the last. Having been a sell-out event in Australia, where it originated for a number of years now we have high hopes for this year’s event and are all really excited about working with some of the world’s champion stuntmen.
If you’re wondering why we’re all so hyped up about the event, check out the video below
It’s been near impossible to avoid the hype and media exposure around Prince William and Kate Middleton’s big day over the past few weeks and it seems that everybody wanted a piece of the action. Described as “a gift to the marketing and PR world” the wedding has seen all manner of companies jumping on the media band wagon and their products suddenly becoming tenuously related to the happy couple.
Of course, it was to be expected that certain industries would pounce on this huge marketing opportunity. The tourism industry, for example, were able to cash in on not just the spectacle but also the four day weekend. The entertainment and leisure industries utilised new media technology creating apps, websites, networks and online games, allowing the wedding audience to connect with brands on both a news and entertainment level.
But it’s not just the obvious industries that are using the Royal Wedding to try and boost their brand. BMW’s recent April fool campaign took full advantage of the run up to the nuptials as they announced a royal edition of the M3. As well as successes there were bound to be some Royal related campaigns that missed the mark within the media bombardment, I’m sure you’ve seen them, the gimmicks, competitions and events which seem to plug the occasion just for the sake of it. The line seems to blur between topical and relevance and it raised the question; can companies maintain their brand values whilst cashing in on the historical British event?
Here are Big Cat’s Top Five Royal Wedding related Marketing Campaigns that have stayed true to their brand:
Maybe slightly predictable, but Ogilvy Group’s tactical ad to advertise 3M’s Super Sticky Post-it notes, reading “Will and Kate, may you stick together forever. Congratulations” coupled with the strapline “holds stronger, longer” gives a simple but effective campaign with a rather sweet sentiment.
Whether you love or hate the recent stream of T-mobile adverts, they never fail to grab attention. Again working with Saatchi & Saatchi, they took inspiration from the growing popularity of wedding dance routines which have been appearing on YouTube over the last few years. The advert featured lookalikes of the Royal family dancing down the aisle as an extension of the “Life’s For Sharing” campaign.
The East Midlands based brewery decided to celebrate the Royal Wedding in the best way it knew how, by brewing a special edition, real ale! Although this marketing campaign started off small, with the brewery only planning on producing a small batch, over the weekend they were stocked in a major national pub chain and well known supermarket, as well as being internationally recognised in the press.
John Smith’s invited customers to “buy a pint and pick up a free royal wedding plate”. Keeping strongly on brand the No Nonsense commemorative paper plate gives a tongue in cheek nod to the Brit’s love of a souvenir plate as well as a “thumbs up” for that extra day off work.
Over the weekend Premiere Inn were on a mission to make you feel like a Prince or Princess. The limited edition duvet covers were printed with images of William and Kate from the neck down so just had to hop into bed and align your head with the printed body and transform yourself into the future King or Queen. The, verging on the ridiculous, bedding shows that the budget hotel chain has kept it’s sense of humour and was available in their London branches on the Friday night.
Whether you had front row seats over the weekend or you were vomiting into your commemorative sick bag (yes they do exist) one thing is certain; for better or for worse, wedding fever managed to take over the world of marketing on a national and international level.
Birmingham-based full service agency, Big Cat Group has recently been appointed as event and marketing consultancy for two of the city’s top membership organisations, Birmingham Forward and Birmingham Future.
Established in 1990, Birmingham Forward is an inclusive, independent, non-aligned corporate membership organisation which provides a platform through lobbying and events for its members to be clearly represented locally, regionally and nationally.
Following the success of Birmingham Forward, it was decided that a sister organisation was required to fulfil the unique needs of younger professionals, assisting them in their careers and developing talent to inspire and sustain business excellence. In 1993 Birmingham Future was established and since then has developed a membership base of over 500 individuals from across 21 sectors.
The award-winning Big Cat Group has been chosen to manage and implement a calendar of networking, lobbying and educational events for both Birmingham Forward and Birmingham Future. These events will range from the prestigious Chairman’s Gala Dinner, the highly attended AGM, debates, meet and mixes, seminars and various speed networking events. A strategic and integrated marketing campaign will support the extensive events calendar.
Anthony Tattum, Managing Director of Big Cat Group said: “We are extremely proud to have been chosen to work with such outstanding organisations as Birmingham Forward and Birmingham Future.
“Big Cat Group has been a contributor to Birmingham Forward and Birmingham Future for a number of years with our CEO, Nick Morgan winning the entrepreneurial category in the nationally renowned Birmingham Young Professional of the Year as well as a number of our team sitting on the Events and Marketing committees.
“By utilising our expertise in marketing and event management, Big Cat Group will be able to provide a first class service, building upon the knowledge and connections that we have developed through our continual involvement in Birmingham Forward and Birmingham Future over the years.”
Bowman cited in McCormick ‘Rio and Beyond’ said “as a series of widely publicised environmental catastrophes signalled globalisation of environment concern, society had entered the last stage of process that took humans from hearing, to understanding, to using, to abusing, and now, to worrying about the physical and biological world around them.”
As consumers have been recognizing the importance of protecting our environment, environmentalism has become a major issue in the marketplace. The sustainable message has been steadily growing in the event industry, to the point where we can now begin to talk of a green element featuring in most events.
But is the ‘sustainable future’ the next phase of revolution? Your answer is probably yes, as environment awareness instils in the public a positive attitude toward eco-friendly and encourages people to engage a ‘green touch’ in their everyday life. According to Laroche, author of ‘Targeting consumers who are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products‘:
“Increasingly aware of the seriousness of environmental problems, customers are becoming more ecologically conscious and are seeking to purchase eco-friendly products and services, preferring firms that favour environmental practices.”
So as individuals with strong environmentally friendly attitudes, we (the people who think being eco-friendly because they do recycling and choose shower rather than bath), look for opportunities to behave in an environmentally friendly way.
Well then considering that your favourite festival has the ambition to become green but for that they will need your financial contribution, what would you do? Are you really willing to pay more for your ticket? And then add the cost of train or bus ticket? Well of course, as perfect and devoted green-event-goers, we all know that car isn’t an eco-friendly transportation.
Yes you are right, being green is expensive so how green and earth loving are we really? Like we say in France, the love for someone and in that case for something (the earth) doesn’t have a price. So why aren’t we ready to pay more?
But don’t worry, we are not the only one to have the ‘cost issue’ in mind. In fact 36% of respondents of a recent survey for Event Magazine of (July/August issue) suggested money was the biggest barrier.
Even if we can’t always act as green as we would like, the fact that we are thinking of it is already a very good move.
Big Cat Group had a rather unexpected surprise thrust upon them today. We have been named one of the top 50 event companies to work for in the prestigious Fab 50 awards, organised by trade publication, Event Magazine.
The campaign, which kicked off a few months ago involved Event Magazine searching for the top event companies in Europe, whether they are agencies, exhibitions, suppliers or a venue. Big Cat faced some stiff competition this year, battling companies that have teams of 300 employees or more. Just goes to prove that quality will always beat quantity.
Everyone at Big Cat is proud to be working for the organisation whatever capacity they’re in. We have a laugh but also get the job done, surpassing client needs whatever the brief. It’s great to see outsiders recognising our admiration and determination to take Big Cat places. So what better way to be recognised than to be named one of the top event companies to work for the country?
The day started at 4.30am on Sunday 13th March 2011 in typical Irish/English weather with cold drizzling rain. The large road closure scheme we had organised with the Birmingham City Council started on the morning of the parade so all the event infrastructure needed to be built in little over 4 hours which included, a market with over 22 stalls, a funfair, a fenced off parade route which stretched over 3 miles and over 12 food concessions this was all to be done before the 109 different parade groups arrived for the start at midday. Luckily the weather broke and the sun beamed through the dark skies for the start of the parade which was opened by Bob Brolly off BBC WM. The VIP bus was supported by many local Irish dignitaries and the Mayor of Birmingham.
The parade was attended by over 85,000 people and my particular favourite parade group was the 40 very loud Harley Davidson motorbikes that roared through the route to finish off a very successful parade. In the afternoon there was an array of children’s entertainment, bands and street entertainment, market stalls and obviously the odd pint of Guinness was enjoyed
The Parade was the largest event set with in a culmination of smaller events held around Birmingham from 11th -17th March.
The problem with writing a blog on South by South West, the interactive conference in Austin Texas (SXSW) is that it covers everything: innovation, technology, marketing, design, journalism, gaming, health, philanthropy and more…
But that’s the great thing about it too. The breadth of ideas is astounding, even mind blowing.
2011 was SXSW’s 25th anniversary but for once wasn’t about the next big thing this year. It was about using what we have, better. Many sessions were about the evolution of the user interface: from mouse and keyboard to touch and gesture technologies such as the iPad and Xbox Kinect.
There was a lot of focus on the convergence of technologies like television, mobile and computers. Mobile, video, apps and tablet PCs were tipped as the most exciting opportunities for innovation and investment.
The much vaunted Apple iPad 2 was launched during this year’s SXSW which is testament to the importance of the conference to the industry. Needless to say queues were around the block for several days until they finally ran out – I have to admit, even I, a self proclaimed PC succumbed to Mr Job’s charms.
The refreshing thing as a non-techie was that there was lots of humour around the conference. Amusing speakers who poked fun at the community, a witty collaborative 30-page pull out from the Guardian and the Austin Chronicle, and obviously, the parties.
The areas which most interested me were the leading edge social media marketing techniques, practitioners and technologies. I am already a big advocate and practitioner but South-by gave the opportunity to listen, learn and discuss. Gary Veynerchuck and Guy Kawasaki were notable in their advocacy of marketing using Social Media, with the big caveat that it is employed correctly.
The opportunities and benefits of good social media practice are many fold. Never before have organisations been able to build relationships with existing and potential customers in such a scalable way. Kawasaki’s angle was about superior customer service in his new book Enchantment. His very engaging talk detailed his 10 point plan to delighting your customers along with a generous smattering of anecdotes from his time working at Apple in the 80s.
Vaynerchuck’s contrasting style concurred with Kawasaki’s affirmation that competitive advantage can be gained by superior service. But his point of difference was about showing gratitude to your customers. His new book “The Thank You Economy” details how he created his $60 million business, The Wine Library.
Gary Veynerchuck pronounced that social media provides opportunities to businesses in the next ten years on the scale that the internet has in the last.
The concept of employing social media is still difficult to comprehend for many businesses because it requires listening to potential customers and building one-to-one relationships with them. It requires transparency, honesty and candour but I believe the differentiation and competitive advantage it will gain for the early adopters far outweighs the risk and investment costs.
With Big Cat France moving from strength to strength, we thought it was time to introduce you to one of its founding members. Originating from Boston in the US, Mike Molloy has played an integral role in the expansion of Big Cat Group and creation of Big Cat Europe. Having worked on some the globes largest and most influential clients as Disney and the NBA we felt now was the perfect opportunity to quiz Mike about what he’s working on and his aspirations for the future.
What is your role at Big Cat Group?
I work on developing the European business of Big Cat, with a special emphasis on shows and exhibitions. On the show side, I lead negotiations with show producers (Scooby Doo Live on Stage for example) to help them place their shows in different countries in Europe, and then find ‘promoters’ in each country who want to play the show. On the exhibition side, my role has been to find investors to finance the creation of our new exhibition and piecing together the international team to put it all together.
How did you get into events?
Like many in the entertainment business, I stumbled in. After finishing graduate school for international diplomacy, I was looking for a job in Barcelona right after the 92 Olympics when I came across an entrepreneur who had just bought the rights for Spain to present Disney On Ice. I knew nothing about events, but he had just lost his only English-speaking employee, so it was a perfect fit. Now I do international diplomacy on a daily basis….but in the entertainment world.
What are you working on at the moment?
We are creating an children’s exhibition called PRINCESS with Spanish and American partners that will open in Dublin in June; marketing and also finding new cities for a freestyle motorcycle event called Extreme Freestylers that takes place in Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in July; and preparing a Tour of a Children’s Stage Show called Little Big Club in Eastern Europe for November.
What is your favourite external event?
Over the year’s I have worked on a broad range of children’s entertainment shows. Seeing the reaction of children’s faces as their TV heroes come to life is a fantastic experience, which instills an overwhelming amount of joy, making all that hard work worthwhile.
What is your favourite thing about Birmingham?
The people. I think the vibe in a city comes from its people, and I have always made great friends when I have been in Birmingham. I first started coming here for business in the mid-90’s and worked a lot with the NEC. I found the team there to be very nice and hospitable, but at the same time very professional. When I came back in 2008 and worked with the Big Cat team on the Bodies Revealed exhibition, I found exactly the same blend of hospitality and professionalism.
Having only been in England for eight weeks now, I’ve already seen quite a lot of differences between England and The Netherlands, even design wise. Reading Creative Review this month a listing of their top 20 favourite logos. So I thought I would show you the differences I’ve noticed in some big brand logos since being here.
One I noticed straight away is ‘Walkers’ (crisps), called ‘Lay’s’ in The Netherlands which was Smiths previously. It seems strange to me, seeing the same logo with a different name.
‘Lynx’ (deodorant) and ‘axe’ are the same brand too. The packaging is identical, just with a different name for The Netherlands market.
The ice cream brand in England called Wall’s is known as Ola in The Netherlands, again otherwise identical.
Galaxy (chocolate) is Dove in The Netherlands, perhaps this one is because you have a soap of that name – although we have the soap too.
‘Fairy liquid’ is ‘Dreft’ in other countries. The packaging looks really similar and the logo has the same typeface too.
I’m looking forward to discovering even more of these examples during my stay and trying to find out the reasons for the differences too.
5 years. My how the time has flown by. Who could have predicted that a social networking platform could have grown so much in such a short space of time?
If you’re not sure what I’m on about, this week saw Twitter celebrate its 5th birthday, a momentous occasion for any form of technology in this day and age.
Most platforms and new technology seem to have a very short shelf life in today’s society, with new innovations being released on a weekly basis. If you last a year, you’re doing well but if you can last 5 years you’re well on your way to success and an untold number of opportunities.
5 years ago this week, twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey tweeted his first tweet “just setting up my twttr”. Since that day more than 30 billion tweets have been sent in 140 characters or less.
Now it hasn’t been a smooth ride for the micro-blogging site. In the beginning it received heavy criticism from the press who said it to be ‘mundane and trivial’. A whole host of viral parodies have come to fruition over the years, each one exploring faults with tweeting your life story. A great list can be found on Mashable.
Despite this, thousands of businesses have realised the potential of doing business through the medium of Twitter, whether it be through pushing their goods and services or using it as a way to manage customer relations. Estimates have placed revenue for 2011 at a staggering $150million as more and more businesses make use of its advertising platform, not to mention the hundreds of apps out there which integrate directly with both the website and other platforms.
At present it doesn’t seem that Twitter can do much wrong, as it grows from strength to strength. But how long can this last? Will the product evolve and ruin its 140 character USP or will it stay firm and not encroach on other social media platforms territories? Will someone like Google perhaps take it over? Who knows.
What are your thoughts though? Will Twitter continue to grow or has it reached its peek?
Touching on a recent note featured on Big Cat’s Posterous page, I wanted to follow up on the subject of QR Codes and the Brits outlook towards the technology. You may not think it, but QR codes are published in the majority of print/ visual content today; however it’s common that we turn a blind eye toward it because nobody really seems to know what it is, or how it is used.
QR Codes are the square, black and white, pixilated barcodes you would usually find on print adverts, business cards and on web sites; however they can be printed on almost anything. They are readable by QR barcode scanners or camera phones. Scanner ‘apps’ are easily downloadable to android and iPhones. Blackberry phones are said to come with software pre- installed to retrieve the barcodes full of information. So why don’t we use them?
The West has taken a slower approach towards QR Coding even though this technology could be very useful for future marketing and communications. In a recent survey of 1000 British teenagers, 72% of 11-18 year olds did not have software to read QR Codes or were not aware their phone could read them (thenextweb.com). It is debatable that 11-18 year olds are the wrong market for QR Codes, although, personally, seeing as 11-18 year olds are the future, they should be first in adopting this technology and spreading it as they naturally tend to do with new technologies and gadgetry.
QR Codes can be used to link online content like videos, links, text, photos and more. Pepsi recently did a campaign involving QR Codes which would lead you to a URL containing videos and competitions. Let’s hope in 2011, the British public will start to become more aware of QR Code technology, and more business will start to integrate the barcodes into a way of communication. You can even make a personal one using websites like ‘youscan.me’. So why shouldn’t you become tech- savvy, create your own and spread the word!
The NHS recently approached us to pitch for the design of their stand at this years Healthcare Innovation EXPO at ExCeL London.
We were successful in winning the pitch with the idea to recreate a recent innovation from their own offices in the form of an “ideas room”. This is a relaxing area where staff can hold meetings, brainstorming sessions or just escape from the office environment. There are comfy sofas, a giant keyboard and colourful decor.
In addition to recreating what they already had, we took the idea further by adding wall graphics and foam statues to bring the space to life. The NHS were overjoyed with the stand and went on to have a very successful event.
Here at Big Cat, we’re one big family, and given we spend a huge chunk of our lives working, we like to make it fun whenever possible. That’s why when it comes to those special occasions like birthdays, we make a real effort for the team – handmaking our cards rather than buying from the shops – a lot more expensive if you consider designer hourly rates etc – but it’s not about that of course. It’s about seeing the look on someones face when they find their head morphed into Lionel Richie – Class! Here are some of our creations over the last 12 months for your amusement (P.S we only get 15 mins per card so excuse some of the crude designs!!)
Last week saw 236 professionals from over 30 of the city’s top businesses descend upon Edgbaston Cricket ground for the Birmingham Forward Gala Dinner. Despite the fact that everybody likes to dress up, network and fill their bellies with delicious food, filling an event of this size and stature isn’t simple. In fact, since Denise Lewis OBE was the guest speaker I think it is fitting to offer a sporting analogy:
Marketing and managing an event is a lot like long distance running. You start off quick out of the blocks but quickly realise you have a long way to run. There are bursts of effort at strategic intervals and it always ends with a mad dash to the finish line. Selling the Birmingham Forward Gala dinner stayed true to this.
Of course our guest speaker; Denise Lewis OBE played her part in keeping the bookings flooding in, as did the main sponsor of the event ,Jaguar, who gifted one lucky guest a brand new Jaguar for a week.
We started the race with an announcement on the Birmingham Forward website, and this was accompanied with the initial announcement email (this is a lot like starting quick out of the blocks).
Following this, we used weekly email transmissions to reach our target audience (strategic bursts of effort). These consisted of images, event updates and plenty of links to click through to the Forward website where bookings could be made. This was then analysed to monitor the tone of voice that best captured our audience. This was extremely difficult as in many cases we were liaising with PA’s rather than the guests themselves.
The process doesn’t stop with these transmissions though. It is essential to monitor which organisations are responding and interacting with the mailer so that we can further target our marketing (a lot like analysing your performance mid-race and making any changes necessary).
With only a week to the event (finish line) we pull another trick out of our locker. Using a call to action like “last chance to book” or “final places being booked” in transmissions are essential to fill the final seats. In addition to this, we also increase hype about the event to revitalise the enthusiasm and energy in the build up to the day.
Now for the sprint to the finish line…
Our events team set up the tables and seating plan and organised sponsorship arrangements. This was followed by the VIP area, sound and visual tech, guest list, names tags, catering/dietary requirements, plants, lighting, waiting service, suit and boot, greet guests and help them find their seats.
Our events wizards transformed Edgbaston Cricket Ground into this:
You’ve probably seen over the past few months the Big Cats tweeting about massages, health checks and various other healthy living initiatives. No, we haven’t been slacking in the office, more the opposite. The management team have introduced “Wellbeing Wednesday”, an initiative that will both reward and de-stress the team, ensuring that we’re all looked after and in turn can continue to work to the highest of standards.
Today was the second of these “Wellbeing Wednesday’s” and it wasn’t all whale music and stress relief like the first. Today’s session was a health check with a qualified physiotherapist. Despite what many people in the office feared, there wasn’t any poking or prodding (well maybe a tiny bit). We all had our blood pressure tested, as well as weight, height, BMI and cholesterol. I’m happy to report though that all the Big Cats are well and only a few people were are out of breath after the 3-minute exercise session (better cut down on all those Saint Cafe lunches).
We’re all wondering what’s in store next month though? All we’ve been told is not to wear ‘posh’ clothes. I have a feeling it could get messy.
With an extensive range of clientele across seas it’s vital that Big Cat has a strong, dedicated and reliable events team which in turn is lead by an experienced, creative and down to earth Events Director. This month’s Q & A is with Events Director Nick Ruffles who sheds light on what it’s like working abroad and what have been his most challenging events.
What is your role at Big Cat Group?
At Big Cat Group my role is Event Director, which is quite a varied role. My main focus is external events such as exhibitions, conferences and festivals. I manage exhibition logistics, the design and builds of stands and sets, as well as the production of international events.
How did you get into events?
In all honesty by mistake. I studied Product Design at University however following graduation I decided it wasn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I took on the role of event manager at Wooden Spoon, a charity for physically disadvantaged children. My passion for events grew from there really and I’ve been in the industry for 10 years now.
What are you working on at the moment?
At present I’m working on the logistics for Birmingham’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Big Cat has been involved in the parade for a number of years now and we’ve built up a lot of contacts along the way. The parade is a great day out for all the family and really emphasises community spirit within Birmingham. I’m also working on Birmingham Forward and Birmingham Future which consists of a series of monthly and sometimes weekly events for Birmingham’s professional industry. Big Cat manages the logistics of these events as well as the marketing.
What is your favourite external event?
It would have to be Star Trek: The Exploration. This was a massive event which took place in Valencia, Spain. I was tasked with heading up the production and development of the exhibition, a job which was not easy I can assure you. Weeks of early hours and late nights finally lead to the completion of the project. Although one of the hardest events I’ve had to build, it was also one of the most rewarding.
What is your favourite thing about Birmingham?
I’d have to say the nightlife. I’m more of a bar and pub man than clubbing and Birmingham has a very broad range of them to chose from. There are lots of hidden gems within the City, you just have to take the time to find them.
Big Cat Group has recently been appointed as event and marketing consultancy for two of the city’s top membership organisations, Birmingham Forward and Birmingham Future.
Established in 1990, Birmingham Forward is an inclusive, independent, non-aligned corporate membership organisation which provides a platform through lobbying and events for its members to be clearly represented locally, regionally and nationally.
Following the success of Birmingham Forward, it was decided that a sister organisation was required to fulfil the unique needs of younger professionals, assisting them in their careers and developing talent to inspire and sustain business excellence. In 1993 Birmingham Future was established and since then has developed a membership base of over 500 individuals from across 21 sectors.
The award-winning Big Cat Group has been chosen to manage and implement a calendar of networking, lobbying and educational events for both Birmingham Forward and Birmingham Future. These events will range from the prestigious Chairman’s Gala Dinner, the highly attended AGM, debates, meet and mixes, seminars and various speed networking events. A strategic and integrated marketing campaign will support the extensive events calendar.
Anthony Tattum, Managing Director of Big Cat Group said: “We are extremely proud to have been chosen to work with such outstanding organisations as Birmingham Forward and Birmingham Future.
“Big Cat Group has been a contributor to Birmingham Forward and Birmingham Future for a number of years with our CEO, Nick Morgan winning the entrepreneurial category in the nationally renowned Birmingham Young Professional of the Year as well as a number of our team sitting on the Events and Marketing committees.
“By utilising our expertise in marketing and event management, Big Cat Group will be able to provide a first class service, building upon the knowledge and connections that we have developed through our continual involvement in Birmingham Forward and Birmingham Future over the years.”
The news has been packed to the brim recently with arguments for and against the governments ‘Big Society’ policy, but what exactly is it? Every story on BBC News seems to be linked to this policy and as a result the country is going down the pot hole because of it (or so they say). What does it mean though and more importantly what does it mean to me?
Well, the aim of the policy is “to create a climate that empowers local people and communities, building a big society that will ‘take power away from politicians and give it to people’”. Surely this is a good thing though? Apparently not. The reason why the Big Society is in the news so much is because of all the cuts that are taking place across the country. These cuts are proving detrimental to community projects, schemes and institutes throughout the UK. There are so many organisations which are being affected by this, however I’m going to pick on two which I feel particularly strong about; local libraries and KIC.FM, a community radio station in Wolverhampton.
So, libraries first. In all fairness I haven’t visited a library since my university days where many an hour was spent with my head down in a dusty text book about the complexities of contract law. I buy all my own books from Waterstones, and the majority of those are fantasy novels not found in your local library. My eyes were opened this week though when I saw that libraries perform a much greater role than just lending books; many centres provide a hub for community activities such as workshops, social groups and even day care facilities. The argument of “Everything is going digital” isn’t particularly true though, at least not in my opinion. Yes, books are now digital but not everyone can afford a Kindle or even a computer at home. I’m not afraid to stay my ground and stand up for the future of digital, but sometimes digital just doesn’t fit the need and the conversion often causes more problems than it solves
Next on my list is KIC.FM. For those of you who know me, you’ll be aware I spent five years at this community station and it is actually the key reason why I got into PR. Since moving to Birmingham I’ve had very little contact with them until last week when I discovered that they have had their funding cut and will therefore seize to exist as of the 31st March.
KIC.FM helped me in so many ways such as presentation skills, problem solving and forward planning. It’s one of the sections that really stands out on my CV and helps differ me from all the other applicants, something which is becoming increasingly difficult in today’s job market. Since launching back in 2001, the station has helped over 500 young people through the V Inspired Scheme, many of whom have gone onto fantastic jobs. Is pulling funding from projects such as KIC.FM really going to help sort out the economy or will it infact reduce the skills young people develop outside of school and college? Will this then inturn affect how they perform in the working world?
At the start of the blog, many of you would have wondered how the Big Society will affect you. Well those are my two ways in which it has affected me, what are yours?
Last week I had the opportunity to art direct my first photo shoot with Graham Lucas Commons, a photographer we have used for numerous campaigns. Our job, although it might sound menial was to take a photograph of the front doors of RoPSA’s head office for their latest ad campaign.
After taking a few shots, RoSPA decided on their favourite one but with a few alterations in mind.
This is where Photoshop came in. RoSPA had requested that the front pillars and windows were to be removed from the shot. At first this might sound like an easy job but as the image was a flat photo it was bit more complicated than originally thought. If we were to remove the pillars it would leave a large blank space in the image.
This job took a lot of time, care and attention to get right so thought it would be great to show off the results.
Following a busy December in preparation for our CMS audit which we passed with flying colours, January saw Big Cat achieve another gold accolade, this time in the format of Investors in People.
Having held the standard for a number of years now, it was time for our renewal in January. As the company has expanded dramatically over the past few years, it’s imperative to ensure all staff are aware of the aims and goals of the company and the fundamentals of what makes Big Cat tick.
After a day of interviews with every member of staff, we were informed by the auditors that we had passed with flying colours. Well done Big Cats.
Last week we were told by the papers that it was one of the most depressing weeks of the year; a month since the Christmas holidays, plummeting temperatures and lack of money. Hardly an incentive to get stuck into work now is it?
Well last week, mobile network Orange took it upon themselves to spread some unseasonal cheer with their ‘Winter Warmers’ campaign. The idea is simple, people tweet using the #winterwarmers hashtag recommending friends who are having a rather rubbish day. If their cause is worthy enough the Orange team jump in their van and hand deliver a woolly scarf and a cup of hot chocolate to the deserving party. Over the course of the week, Orange’s Street Team hit Birmingham, Manchester, Brighton and London, spending a whole day in one city spreading peace on earth and hot chocolate.
Now I’m a big fan of these ‘good will’ campaigns but am finding it very difficult to work out what the commercial gain is for this particular one. Although it’s a fantastic idea, what do Orange get from it? I suppose I’m answering my own question by writing this blog, but it doesn’t make me want to suddenly change phone networks or internet provider. Nevertheless it certainly generated a considerable amount of buzz on twitter with people recommending their friends throughout the city. Perhaps that was precisely it though and the gorilla tactic was purely for brand awareness purposes.
From looking at the recipients of the gestures though, I’m wondering if some deeper research had gone into it. The majority of people who received winter warmers were from the creative industries, many of whom are big players (or are seen by many as). Maybe I’m looking far too deep into this harmless good will campaign, or perhaps Orange deserve more credit than they’re given?
As Big Cat grows from strength to strength and all departments across the company see an increase in repeat business, this month’s Q & A comes from Julie Edge, Big Cat’s Studio Manager who has built up strong relationships with clients to help foster and grow these opportunities.
What is your role at Big Cat Group?
My role at Big Cat Group is Head of Studio. I manage an exciting team of designers, who all have very different skills and specialties. It involves briefing, scheduling, and making sure things get done. They’re a great bunch though so I have it easy most days. I also manage the day-to-day work for the design team’s largest client RoSPA, who Big Cat have worked with since I started in January 2009. It’s a lot of juggling and chasing around after suppliers but very exciting and everyday is different, I really enjoy having the two main elements to my role, it shakes it up a bit. I like the fact that I can take the brief in person and see it through to final stage.
How did you get into Design?
Actually, I am quite old school in that respect, I did an apprenticeship! I never thought about Graphic Design as a career to start, I always wanted to teach Secondary school but I never thought I’d be confident enough to stand up in front of a bunch of 15yr olds (remembering naughty and cheeky how I was at that age). Plus I hated the authority aspect of school through adolescence so probably would have sympathised with them rather than ‘told them off’ when they were cheeky. So I went to college and managed to persuade them to let me do my A-levels hoping that something would spark an interest along the way.
Then I met people who worked in the Creative industry. The way they talked about it made it sound really exciting – not your normal 9-5, I had held an interest in art from a very young age so I went to a Careers Centre and there was a job advertised for a junior designer apprentice. I went for it and I got it. It was great because I was learning from experienced designers and creatives whilst most people were at UNI, so I was able to get my second design job at 19yrs old and I stayed at that one for 8years and was promoted to a more senior level quite quickly after I was able to demonstrate my flair for anything process! I decided Studio management was the path I wanted, I preferred the pressure of managing resources, work and deadlines to the pressure of getting the creative right. I was taken on at Big Cat in Jan 2009 and it was a massive change from my previous role, which was mainly managing design for the Financial Services, but I quickly settled back into the swing of things and really enjoy my work and the people here.
What are you working on at the moment?
We are in the final stages of a project for arts centre, The Drum in Aston. We were employed as consultants to take them from being just a community based arts centre to stand out to Business and corporate organisations, and sell their spaces more effectively.
It’s been really interesting and challenging (two of my favourite words), part of the project was to give the place a face-lift, we worked with a creative and a designer to create the moodboards and concept behind the visuals. The client loved them and it’s now complete. To see the before and after photos is a great moral boost for the team and something we will be shouting about a lot to clients – new and existing. Look out for the blog on our site if you want to see what it all looks like.
What is your favourite ad campaign at the moment?
HMMMMMM! This is a difficult one as I don’t watch TV much. I do however love the Boots campaign. They have an ad out about colds and it’s basically highlighting the fact that women just get on with it but men don’t – I have to say – in my experience, that is so true!! I love it when people point out the obvious in a funny way – that way even though they are stereotyping, they can put it down to simple humour! I can just imagine the conversations between couples when that one comes on… probably a few lighthearted and heated discussions going on – but at least they are talking about it. That to me makes a great ad.
What is your favourite thing about Birmingham?
I could say something really arty – like the art and the sculptures but I’m sorry – it’s the shopping facilities. Simple! I actually do love the architecture of the bullring and Selfridges though, at night if you look down towards St Martins, the textures of the new glass and ‘disc’ covered buildings all seem to ‘just work’ with the old cathedral, it’s nice to look at and wonder how they did that. Also we had our Big Cat 10th Birthday party in the penthouse of the Rotunda, and it’s actually quite amazing to look at Birmingham at night. I am certain that there are many more breathtaking sites around the world, but it makes it special when it’s your home town I think! You go to NYC Empire State Building and Paris Eiffel Tower expecting to be blown away, and when you arrive you may have built it up so much that it’s not as good as you imagined (which happened to me in Egypt) but when something takes you off-guard, it’s even better and I found Birmingham at night from the height of the Rotunda really did that to me. Very unexpected.
The Drum, a national centre for black British arts and culture, recently hired the services of Big Cat to provide them with marketing and event strategies, and give their building a bit of a renovation. The aim was to attract more businesses to use the conference facilities and compete more effectively with other centres like The Public and The MAC.
In terms of the refurbishment, we focussed on the Seminar Room, Frontiers Café, the entrance and reception, establishing key areas in need of reviving. We found a lot of what The Drum already had was of an excellent standard. Besides new carpet and hi-tech seminar facilities, it just needed a little colour, better use of the brand, and more attention paid to the presentation of the art.
We relocated the paintings and sculptures to more prominent areas, and researched African, Caribbean and Asian art, with particular focus on the use of patterns and colour. This helped us finalise a new colour set which worked with their existing brand colours, but which could also be used to identify each of the key areas. Patterns were created and used throughout the building in keeping with the theme, along with huge quotes from iconic members of the black community, for example, Chris Gardner and Claudia Jones.
The refurbishment has already been well received by The Drum, and we’re now awaiting the feedback from the public. Take a look at the photos and let us know what you think!
As the Christmas season has drawn to a close and the New Year has been well and truly welcomed in, there is definitely not a lack of activity in the events team a Big Cat. One aspect of Big Cat Events that is seeing a steady influx is that of ‘Birmingham Forward’.
Birmingham Forward is an independent, inclusive, not-for-profit, membership organisation that was established in 1990. WithMembers joining from 21 different sectors of business and professional services and representing a broad cross-section of the Birmingham business community, its role is to promote the strength, range and depth of services that our members offer to the widest possible audience. At the same time it wants to promote Birmingham, and the region, as an ideal place to do business. Forward members have access to a wide range of events that both educate and inform audiences whilst at the same time providing excellent networking opportunities. On behalf of its members, Forward lobbies on key issues that are important to its members and the city – often the two are closely linked, so what better company to use for fresh, unique and professional events than Big Cat Group!
Having kicked off the festive season in style, Big Cat organised the Birmingham Future (part of Forward) Christmas Party at All Bar One for over 100 guests. With complimentary drinks and canapés served, the night was a great successful for all involved, if not a little stressful!
The ‘future’ is definitely looking bright for Birmingham Future as we approach the Launch of the Birmingham Young Professional of the Year 2011 Awards at Malmaison on 20th January, seeing a huge request for the launch resulting in tickets selling out within three weeks of being released. This proves to be a much-publicised and ‘hot-blooded’ event, as nominees are announced all vying for the coveted trophy in their category.
Following this, we see a sporting legend appear in the Birmingham Forward calendar. Denise Lewis OBE, shares her experiences and memories of her prestigious career and how this can be translated into the corporate world at the Birmingham Forward Chairman’s Gala Dinner. The venue for this special black-tie occasion is the impressive Warwickshire County Cricket Club that is in the spotlight at the moment as England’s triumphant Ashes win was aided by Warwickshire bowler Chris Woakes. With champagne on arrival and a three-course dinner to follow, this proves to be a celebratory night for all involved and a perfect chance to network with local-minded businesses.
The events above are definitely a couple of the larger-scale ones in the immediate future for Birmingham Forward, however there are numerous smaller (yet just as fun and diverse) events scattered throughout the year. This year proves to be anything but ‘slow’ in regards to events, with Big Cat working extra hard to create the uniquely creative and professional events with which we are eminently known for!
People regularly talk to me about their new business ideas. They’re mostly employed in a job they are a bit bored of or downright dislike. Sometimes they’re already running their own businesses and want to increase revenues.
Many ideas haven’t been thought out properly or paint a rose-tinted-spectacle view of what being your own boss would be like: you can work the hours you want and most importantly you’re your own boss.
Countless numbers of people don’t start new businesses or innovate their existing ones because they’re not confident in the outcome. There are unknown factors, high perceived risks, skills gaps, finance issues, threats, weaknesses, boogie men…
I have news for all would be entrepreneurs and innovators: making mistakes and failing is a good thing. But there is one caveat – you have to start doing it.
Don’t over analyse, constantly plan, forever rejig figures, wring your hands about the risks. You have to get started. Start small, take risks, don’t worry about things not working, just constantly learn and fine tune as you go.
I’ve always gained from failures. Not instantly, but without exception, looking back over my 16 odd years running businesses; every disaster, every mistake, every failure has lead to something good.
Success from failure can come in many forms. New contacts, raised profile, improved reputation, new skills, clients and partners.
The raw ingredients to a successful business or innovation are passion, enthusiasm, commitment and the courage to just do it!
Free to use, this site allows you to create your own font/typeface. The only problem is that it can be restrictive in terms of leading and kerning, but is still a great tool to use for projects.
Add your own personal portfolio for all to see. The beauty of behance is that it’s not your usual portfolio site. You can network through it and search each portfolio by section i.e. typography.
We weren’t even 2 weeks into the New Year before the latest of a long list of new social media apps seemed to take the world by storm. Quora, the simple question and answer platform was the latest app to rise from the ashes and have everyone tweeting about it. This blog isn’t about Quora though, more so about the multitude of new applications which seem to appear out of thin air every week, each one claiming to be new, innovative and exciting.
Is there too much technology out in the world nowadays though? Have we lost the art of conversation and meeting people in real life? Gone are the days when you would walk into a restaurant and see couples gazing into each other’s eyes with a sense of yearning. Now, these same couples seem to staring into the depths of their iPhones or Blackberry’s. Admittedly I too am one of these tech zombies, however I’m trying to change, I promise.
When you live, work and breathe digital media, where do you go to distance yourself from it? Can you distance yourself at all?
Surely this technological saturation can’t be good for brands though can it? If we’re continually subjected to the same offers, apps, websites and digital content do we in fact switch off to them all, making campaigns less effective? Perhaps the platforms which have made business-consumer interaction so easy have now crammed so much information into the market that key messages are no longer picked up?
I know it’s a horrendous cliché but for in this instance it’s true, maybe companies do need to start thinking outside the box? There are plenty of digital campaigns out there but maybe brands need to mix it up a bit and really WOW us with something new. Who knows, 2011 could be the year where everything changes….again!
Certain brands over the years have become so recognisable that they now only need elements of their logo to be recognised. This has recently been shown with the Starbucks brand which saw a re-brand and the removal of its name from take-away cups.
Last year Starbucks launched its first UK coffee shop to feature a new, boutique design in London. The aim of this significant move was to make the branch different to all its other branches, inturn moving away from the ‘chain look’ coffee shops which litter our high streets.
Does Starbucks need a name on its products?
There are many brands like Starbucks that can now demonstrate immediate brand recognition. I’ve added some examples below which I think you’ll find interesting.
Mars
The Mars typeface connected with its iconic colours of Red Gold and Black can now be used with other words not just the name brand. This was shown throughout the 2010 football world cup. The ‘Believe’ campaign was used across all it’s branding from TV adverts down to chocolate bars. Mars even bought out a limited edition kit in which consumers could make their own names up.
Mars Brand
Believe campaign
Make your own Mars bar
I’ve added two more interesting pieces to look at, both of which are some of the biggest brands around today. Can you figure out what they are?
Iconic 3 stripes
Can you spot the surfer?
In today’s society do you need text within branding or is just an image sufficient?
Carlsberg’s “probably the best…” campaign is probably one of the best advertising campaigns that we’ve seen for years. Its latest campaign certanly goes the distance to support this claim:
The anchor for each advert is the arrogant (yet humorous) method in which Carlsberg claim to be the best beer in a round-about way that doesn’t flout false advertising law. Each edition is built around this core foundation and is adapted to a theme.
The choice of theme is important as it enables Carlsberg to associate itself with that genre/theme. For instance, “ …Probably the best football team in the world”, or “…probably the best hotel in the world” or even “…probably the best holiday in the world”. Carlsberg therefore begins to establish itself as a front-runner within those markets.
This latest advert works very well as it crosses channels between online (viral) and print. Not only this, it illustrates how print can be used in an interactive and unique fashion, which combats the decline in print advertising effectiveness, a topic which was covered in a previous post.
Just before everyone broke up for the Christmas break, Big Cat Group had some rather well deserved news. Despite winter 2010 being an incredibly busy time in the office, we decided to put ourselves forward for the PRCA’s Consultancy Management Standard (CMS), the gold standard of service for the PR industry.
An independent auditor visited the office and studied how the consultancy is managed as well as how clients are serviced. After a nail biting three hours we were told we passed with a fantastic 96.5%.
Francis Ingham, Chief Executive PRCA says: “Well run businesses consistently deliver the results clients are looking for. The Consultancy Management Standard was developed specifically to ensure that PRCA members have the systems and structures in place to meet and exceed clients’ expectations. The Standard has been so successful that is has now been adopted in 11 countries around the world.”
Well done to everyone at Big Cat for all their hard work!
Sigh! It’s all over. What a fantastic December we have had at The Old Library; and although we welcome 2011 and it’s many exciting events with open arms, The Old Library is certainly going to miss the festive fun seen in 2010.
It all began with a thirteen foot real Christmas tree lovingly lugged into the venue by Emily and Emily (with help of surrounding gentlemen) and a quick trip to Ikea to get some brand new sparkly things to decorate the beast. Once finished, the festivities could begin!
This year’s Christmas packages included mulled wine on arrival, which as we have concluded has a marmite-like feeling with guests; you either love it or hate it. For only £35 per head, the guests also enjoyed a private cloakroom, DJ, beautiful table decorations, warm lighting, a three course Christmas dinner and impeccable service.
The Old Library certainly enjoyed housing its merry guests from various places of work such as the Radiography department of Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Lombard Vehicle Management, but we were also fortunate enough to see some famous faces at Christmas time! Aggie MacKenzie (of How Clean is Your House fame) and Jon Bentley were testing out cleaning gadgets for an episode of The Gadget Show, scheduled to air early this year. Aggie certainly seemed impressed with the tidiness of The Old Library and perhaps even more impressed with our fabulous tree!
But the decoration and theming didn’t stop at Christmas. The tree came down at the end of December to make way for a fabulously decorated vintage themed wedding in which the couple, Abigail and Chris Carter, invited their guests to leave them a message using old fashioned type writers laid out on our oak table in the foyer.
So as we move into 2011, the vintage trend is still rife within the fashion world and is going to be seen quite a lot in events throughout this year. More vintage weddings are coming up, as well as film nights and private parties all feeling very nostalgic.
It seems that 2010 really was the year of the cat (or at least year of the tiger according to the Chinese calendar). Big Cat Group experienced an exceptionally busy and indeed fruitful year in 2010. We celebrated our 10th birthday; launched Big Cat Europe; opened offices in France and Spain, CEO Nick Morgan won International Entrepreneur of the year; numerous new business wins including Hello Business, Bournville College, O’Neils and CSI: The Experience; won a number of awards for our design work and venue The Old Library and not to mention passed CMS with one of the highest scores in the region.
Nick Morgan, CEO Big Cat Group; Mike Molloy, MD Big Cat Europe; Anthony Tattum, MD Big Cat Group
CSI: The Experience
Despite all of our successes, we’re not getting complacent in the office. We’re already working on a number of new and exciting exhibitions both in the UK and Europe. This is on top of a few surprises that we have up our sleeves.
2010 was a tough year for businesses across all sectors and 2011 doesn’t seem to be looking much better. We’re not being put down by this though. There are plenty of new opportunities out there, you just have to look that tiny bit harder.
Winter 2010 saw a surge in new talent joining the ranks of Big Cat Group. Today we take a few minutes to speak to Emily Britton, Events Co-ordinator for The Old Library. With a background in theatre and event design it’s Emily’s job to ensure your event, no matter what the spec, is enjoyed by all.
What is your role at Big Cat Group?
Events Co-ordinator for The Old Library Venue
How did you get into events?
I studied Theatre, Performance and Event Design at University. After my first year I realised that Theatre wasn’t really my bag and found that designing events really interested me. My course was amazing and allowed me to work on a huge range of projects, designing and making for events such as The Flatpack Film Festival, Download 2009 and 2000 Trees Festival in Cheltenham. I revelled in the fast pace ethos of ‘get it done’. I feel like it benefitted me as a person and I went from being a lazy student to working 12 hour days (and strangely loving it!). Very soon after graduating I contacted Big Cat Events who offered me a three month internship. I was taken on as Events Co-ordinator in October.
What are you working on at the moment?
The best thing about this job is the variety of events we see. I have a few wedding clients that I am working closely with at the moment to ensure that their big day looks and feels just the way they want it too. I also have several conferences I am organising which are taking place over the next few months as well as working on quotes and hotel availability for a large event for LG Electronics.
What is your favourite external event?
Ahhh so hard to choose! To be honest, I love any event that involves fancy dress. I love dressing up and creating alter egos. I went to Latitude festival in July which was amazing. It’s SO beautiful and such a chilled out experience. It is quite small for what is now a big name festival, but there is so much to see and do such as cabaret, comedy, bands, workshops, arts and crafts, amazing food, awesome new music. On the last day of the 2010 festival, I dressed up as an old lady and sang karaoke with a live band! Doesn’t get better than that.
What is your favourite thing about Birmingham?
The multiculturalism. I come from somewhere that doesn’t have a great variety in culture or an amazing amount of acceptance for other cultures, so It’s great to live somewhere that has such diversity, not just in the people themselves but what’s actually in the city in terms of music, art, shopping, food and especially events. There is ALWAYS something going on in Birmingham and so many places where you can find out what and where.
I find decent street art in the Midlands to be quite scarce compared to cities like Bristol and Brighton. We seem to lack the abundance and variety offered by others. That’s not to say we’re completely without. There’s some decent stuff around if you look for it and Birmingham is one of the original locations for the now global Secret Wars, where artists try to out-draw one another with nothing but a black marker, a white wall and a bit of imagination. Various spots around Digbeth are regularly updated, but if I’m honest we still have some way to go.
I imagine the Midland’s lack of street art is more of a tolerance issue rather than a lack of talent, especially judging by the Birmingham-based artists currently on display at The Herbert Gallery in Coventry. The gallery is the current home for a touring exhibition entitled “Street Art: Contemporary prints from the V&A” running until Jan 16, so you’ll have to be quick. Although the posters shout the names of Banksy, Shepard Fairey and Jamie Hewlett, these artists only have a handful of work on show between them. And although respect where it’s due, the world of street art does not revolve around these three. Most eye-catching was the work of Vhils, Ben Slow, and Birmingham based Mohammed Ali, Newso and Lucy McLauchlan. The latter being my particular favourite of the exhibition, and she’s also decorated the outside of Birmingham Central Library. I really recommend visiting, especially as it’s FREE! If the Midland’s city walls don’t tolerate street art, strangely at least our galleries do.
Shepard Fairey - Duality Of Humanity 2 Mural Canvas
PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals the world’s largest animal rights organisation really know how to capture the attention of the public and the media, with it’s shocking, no punches campaigns.
Ingrid Newskwirk , PETA’s founder has spear headed the organisations now notorious campaign posters featuring naked celebrities. In the 90s they asked supermodels like Naomi Campbell to appear nude on billboards with the slogan “We’d rather go naked than wear fur”. Through celebrity endorsement PETA successfully made animal protection sexy, current, and fashionable, for the first time.
Today, Newskwirk along with a team of top strategists meet weekly to discuss new actions and publicity strategies, where no suggestion is considered too outrageous. PETA is not afraid to cause controversy and use it to PETA’s advantage, embodying the idea, that all publicity be it negative or positive, is a strength to the PETA brand. The group also targets celebrities who chose to wear or endorse fur, throwing flour , red paint and following them around with placards listing their ‘crimes’ against animals. These actions have kept PETA firmly in the public eye and generated millions of pounds worth of publicity for the organisation.
PETA knows the power of a campaign that splits audiences and captures the imagination of the general public. It’s recent campaign features Pamela Anderson posing like a 1950s pin up with her body, sliced and sectioned, like an animal is after slaughter. The campaign stir’s the imagination immediately, by comparing the human body to animal meat, a thought that is deeply unsettling for most.
Anderson, a lifelong vegetarian has been involved with PETA for a number of years, her name along with other celebrities including Justin Bieber, Drew Barrymore, Alec Baldwin and Stella McCartney, has helped to keep PETA support strong, even after serious mis-haps, such as running a series of promotional material targeted at children with the slogan “Your Mummy kills animals”.
The face of a celebrity immediately makes any product, in this case, the lifestyle choice of animal activism; sexy, apparitional and glamorous. Similar to L’Oreal’s ‘Your worth it.’ campaign, PETA has used celebrity endorsement with the same success and longevity.
Big Cat Design was recently asked to create re-prints of several original pieces of artwork for accident prevention client, RoSPA.
The client wanted the prints to be ‘re-touched’ and formatted to a larger size so that they could be framed and placed throughout their new head office.
Simplistic is a word that would be best used to describe the posters as well as visually pleasing and informative. As they were designed back in the early 1900’s they emanate a sense of vintage originality, which over recent months has seen a strong comeback in modern culture across a number of mediums.
What we’ve noticed here at Big Cat is that slowly but surely the advertising world is again beginning to appreciate the art of a hand-drawn poster, whether it be Art Nuvo, Surrealist, or Pop Art, the list goes on.
Stella Artois is an international brand that happily promotes the use of ‘old style’ design. It gives its advertising a unique feel when compared to every other alcoholic beverage company, priding itself on quality and image rather than appealing to a mass market. It is almost as if the beer comes second after the design, which is refreshing to see.
Is vintage here to stay then, and how exactly do you define it? Will our current campaigns perhaps be seen as vintage in 20 or 30 years time?
As the party season begins and the mulled wine starts to flow, there’s no sign of slowing down for one of Birmingham’s top marketing experience consultancies as it sees a bout of unseasonable growth following three new account wins.
Big Cat Group, specialists in Marketing, PR, Events and Design have this month won the PR and event management contract for the launch of Bournville College’s new £66million campus, in addition to the marketing, event management and design for The Drum, a national centre for Black British arts and culture.
The new contracts were won following a number of competitive pitches which tested the agency’s creative skills in the development of new ideas and planned implementation of strategies.
Nick Morgan, CEO of Big Cat Group said: “2010 has proved to be an incredibly fruitful year for Big Cat across all departments. Our launch into Europe, 10th Birthday and numerous client wins have all aided in the growth and development of the agency and its staff.
“We have even more big plans for 2011 and aim to continue to provide the ideas, knowledge and results which both we and our clients pride us on.”
Creative consultancy Big Cat Group has this month announced three new appointments within its Marketing, Events and Administrative teams, bucking the trend of graduate unemployability.
Joshua Turbill a Law graduate from Birmingham City University joined the agency in Summer 2010 as a Marketing intern having been named a finalist in the Marketing category of the B-Hive scheme. Joshua provided invaluable support across the department which has seen a number of new business wins over recent months.
Emily Britton a 2010 graduate from Birmingham City University has been appointed to the role of Events Co-ordinator following a three month internship which included working on events for global names such as Google and Mars.
Charlotte Kimbley, a literature graduate from the University of East Anglia entered the consultancy as PR intern in Autumn 2010. After demonstrating strong organisational, time management and people skills, Charlotte was hired as Office Manager earlier this month.
CEO of Big Cat Group, Nick Morgan said: “We’re incredibly pleased to be welcoming Joshua, Emily and Charlotte to Big Cat Group. They have all shown dedication, determination and passion for their fields and felt it a perfect opportunity to expand our team.
“The UK job market is still relatively unstable at the moment, meaning graduates are finding it even more difficult to claim their place on the job ladder. We have always believed in investing in young talent at Big Cat. Not only does it add a breath of fresh air to the company but also enhances our skills and abilities as a service provider, ensuring we are kept up-to-date with the latest tools and techniques.”
As the Big Cat team continues to grow we bring you an exclusive insight into the life of newly qualified graduate and member of Big Cat Group, Josh Turbill. Having studied Law at Birmingham City University, Josh explains how he entered the world of Marketing and why he loves the city so much.
What is your role at Big Cat Group?
Currently – I am Big Cat’s Marketing and Advertising Executive.
How did you get into marketing?
I entered Marketing through the medium of B-hive. B-hive is a Dragons-Den-style competition (organised by Pitch Consultants) where students present their ideas and strategies in a bid to gain work placements at top Birmingham agencies. As a result of my efforts in the competition, I was awarded placements at both London Midland and Brindleyplace. From here, and as a direct result of being a B-hive winner, I was invited for an Interview at Big Cat Group.
What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment I am working on a variety of exciting accounts. I have planned entire advertising campaigns for the international restaurant group San Carlo as well as being involved in the planning for the successful Hello Business conference which took place in October. In addition to this, and as well as servicing other clients, I am involved in pitching for new business, for which I was required to develop digital strategies that exploit a variety of online and offline platforms.
What is your favourite external marketing campaign?
I have recently blogged about Cadbury’s Challenge bar campaign. Many digital campaigns, particularly those that involve social media, ignore the important fact that it isn’t a standalone channel of communication and that it works best when it is cleverly intertwined with offline activity. By no means was the Cadbury campaign (which clearly had a huge budget) perfect, but it is one of the only big campaigns locally that have effectively integrated both online and offline activity to drive traffic and raise awareness.
What is your favourite thing about Birmingham?
I love Birmingham! Samuel Johnson once believed that; “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford” and I believe this is becoming the case for Birmingham. There is ALWAYS something going on in the city, from gigs and bars, to the German Market. Not only this, much of the city centre is being improved, making the future bright for both business and pleasure.
My only criticism of Birmingham is that there are many people who are not aware of what’s on offer. How can we even begin to tell the world how great our city is if we don’t know ourselves?
As the camera lights flashed, Kate Middleton and Prince William all doe eyed and smiles, announced their engagement to the world, causing a media, business and PR hustle across the globe. PR companies throughout the world began to type releases that linked their clients to the newly engaged couple in whatever way possible.
The Telegraph Newspaper recently published an article disclosing the hundreds of “Hot” and “Exclusive” releases sent to their journalist’s inbox within hours of the Royal Announcement. http://bit.ly/aJig0p
Some of my highlights from the article include an Irish Ferries plug “Kate and William: Dublin’s on your doorstep,” A tea room in Marylebone, London was pleased to announce that they would be “offering all engaged couples called William and Kate a complimentary afternoon tea.”
However, my personal favourite is from a car hire company entitled simply as “Kenyan Car Hire – Not sure if you’re planning any Kenya ventures following William and Kate’s engagement but if you are, please find below car rental fact box lead rates.” Hmmmm exciting! Really gets you in the mood for a good wedding eh?!
In a desperate attempt to monopolise on a global event, PR companies have forgotten one of the golden laws of good PR practise. What makes good news?
PR should never be just shameless, desperate advertising. If you haven’t got a story, don’t pretend you have one.
