Category: Brand identity development

Laying the foundations for Sculptors

I’ve recently started working with the Royal British Society of Sculptors – they have been somewhat under the radar but that is all set to change with a new director at the helm. Based in South Kensington, the Society has bold ambitions for the years ahead.

I am very excited to be involved at the early stages, working with the team to identify their brand values, develop a SWOT analysis, get under the skin of their target audiences and wordsmith a narrative which neatly explains their direction of travel…of which more, at a later date!

Investing time and effort in getting the building blocks right is essential. It sets the framework for future communications and basically makes life easier in the long run. I find running brand workshops really rewarding and interesting. Participants always comment on how much they appreciate having some time away from their desk to properly think about their organisation and what it stands for.

Launch of #PlayFarAwayDay

Do you think that everyone should have access to music, no matter where they live? Youth music charity NYMAZ champions the power of music to change lives, with a particular focus on ensuring that children in rural areas don’t miss out. To spread this message, we recently launched #PlayFarAwayDay with Yorkshire Festival.

On 18 June 2016, twenty-five music groups played in remote locations across North Yorkshire to promote the benefits of participatory music in rural areas. We shared the video footage and photos across social media, receiving over 43000 impressions on Twitter in one week plus retweets from mighty musicians such as Ruby Turner and Kate Rusby.

One Historic Garden

One Historic Garden is a collection of seven special parks, woodlands and gardens in South and West Wales. Each partner has received significant funding to undertake capital works to increase their appeal. I was commissioned by Blue Sail to deliver the marketing campaign designed to raise the profile of the gardens and attract more visitors.

My role focused on developing a brand identity; creating a visitor leaflet and managing its distribution; managing the advertising campaign; setting up a new web site; and raising awareness of the gardens amongst the travel trade.

www.onehistoricgarden.co.uk

NYMAZ

NYMAZ is a youth music development charity which champions the transformative potential of music for children and young people. Working with partners, such as Harrogate Festivals, it delivers high-quality music-making activities across North Yorkshire. In parallel, it runs professional networks to enable musicians and practitioners to develop their skills and learn one another.

Made by Marketing was appointed to manage the marketing for the charity, which was going through a period of change brought about by changes to its funding conditions. Having drafted a detailed communications strategy, hand-on activity has included: refreshing the brand to broaden its appeal; setting up a brand new web site and suite of stationery; updating its social media presences and other digital communications; creating new print promotional materials; drafting press releases and setting up journalist briefings.

www.nymaz.org.uk

Eaton Manor Country Estate

Set in 500 acres of glorious Shropshire countryside, Eaton Manor Country Estate offers award-winning luxury 4 and 5-star self-catering holiday cottages.

Over the past ten years the business has grown substantially and the team recognised that it was now time to review its customer communications. Made by Marketing was drafted in to help the business address this challenge. Workshops were used to  better understand their key target audiences and their individual communication needs, as well as to identify their brand values and agree a visual direction for the company.  The project was wrapped up with a series of recommendations to be taken forward in-house.

“Our workshops with Elizabeth were crucial to help us define our brand values and identify our target markets so that we could be confident in tackling the task of re-branding and developing a new web site and printed brochure. We have now finished this project and are reaping the rewards as a result of a clear direction gained by our initial work with Elizabeth.”
Phillipa Hillier | Eaton Manor Country Estate

www.eatonmanor.co.uk

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Churncote Farm Shop & Butchery

Churncote Farm Shop & Butchery is a thriving family business based on the outskirts of Shrewsbury which prides itself on quality home-grown and locally produced food as well as a welcoming shopping environment.  The owners, Sue and David Clarke, were keen to undertake marketing activity to attract new customers. Their previous leaflet was a simple text-only affair and didn’t communicate the real appeal of the shop: the beauty of the building (a converted cowshed), the friendliness of the team and the freshness of the produce. Since opening, Churncote has also grown its butchery counter which is now hugely popular and needed to be part of the business name.

The project focused on creating a new brand, visitor signage and a leaflet.

We now have a stronger profile and have enjoyed a direct increase in shoppers. Elizabeth understood our business and day-to-day challenges and she responded with practical support which has made a real difference.
Sue Clarke | Churncote Farm Shop & Butchery

www.churncote.co.uk

Danson House

Bexley Heritage Trust

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Bexley Heritage Trust manages two historic houses in Kent, Danson House and Hall Place. Following the appointment of a new chief executive, I was brought in to cast a fresh pair of eyes over the marketing and help the Trust overcome specific challenges.

The strategic phase of the project included auditing competitors;  running a staff workshop and developing the brand values; as well as drafting the communications strategy and budget. Next up was the implementation: creating a new brand as well as visitor leaflets,  a travel trade planner, advertising and promotional materials to support temporary exhibitions.

www.bexleyheritagetrust.org.uk

Jubilee Gardens

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Whilst at South Bank Employers’ Group, I ran the community consultation for two regeneration projects: Jubilee Gardens, the park next to the London Eye, and Waterloo City Square.

Activity included:
* Developing consultation strategies
* Conducting baseline research to ascertain local usage and requirements
* Developing identities for both projects and creating supporting materials, including brochures, newsletters and event invites
* Attracting high attendance at community consultation events through impactful and informative communications
* Maintaining ongoing, direct liaison with local stakeholders and voluntary groups
* Managing community public exhibitions and events to provide local residents with a forum to have their say and voice their concerns
* Running the press office for both projects, securing coverage in broadsheets and trade press

www.jubileegardens.org.uk

South Bank London

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Building the profile of destinations to increase footfall, dwell time and spend is one of my passions. I spent seven years running the South Bank Marketing Group, a successful tourism consortium in London which brings together the area’s attractions, cultural venues, museums, hotels and transport providers to promote the South Bank as a destination. In 2010, I set up South Bank Venues, a group dedicated to attracting business from the meetings, events and conferences sector.

Activity included:
* Working closely with members to draft an annual action plan which balanced the requirements of all partners
* Growing and maintaining membership
* Securing match-funding
* Relationship building with neighbouring areas, government agencies and local authorities to enable closer collaboration and jointly funded projects
* Producing high impact marketing campaigns, including the eye-catching ‘Today I am…” creative, as well as Time Out guides to the area, maps, events guides etc
* Establishing the award-winning site www.southbanklondon.com as well as the area’s social marketing presence, including www.twitter.com/southbanklondon
* Developing a strong, recognisable brand for the destination
* Conceiving and launching the ‘InfoBike’ service, an innovative way of providing visitor information along the riverside
* Ensuring South Bank enjoyed a high profile with key media via regular press releases and events
* Raising the awareness of London concierge via a dedicated familiarisation day
* Commissioning visitor research from MORI

www.southbanklondon.com