What does your company do best and how are you different? These are two difficult questions to answer yourself. Yet Craig helps clients to answer them confidently and creatively, but could he do the same for StrawberryFinch? In this article, I share my experience of creating a film and originally had the idea for creating an animated story in April 2021 but realised I didn’t have the technical skills to do it myself. Whilst I can develop storyboards, write copy, I don’t have the graphic design or motion design skills to bring it all to life. But I could use the medium of film instead. How difficult could it be and what could possibly go wrong? The challenge: Create a 2 minute story in film So I set myself the challenge of creating a short 2 minute film on what it is like to work with StrawberryFinch, what we do best and why we’re different - and to do everything myself. The only problem was that I was going to be the star of it too. Like most people, I don’t really like watching myself on screen. This meant that I had to develop a concept for the film, write the script, cut it down, then edit it ruthlessly, until I had something workable. I jotted down a few ideas and then had a coffee with Graham Jerome-Ball, Global Branding Director of Informa plc who gave me some sound advice about making sure the offer is crystal clear by laser-targeting the messaging at ideal clients and what they're trying to achieve and the challenges they're wrestling with. what we do best and why we’re different The concept of the film was based on taking the viewer on a short, engaging journey and explaining what we do best and why we’re different. I wanted there to continual movement, so either the camera is moving or I am. Using the classic 3 Act storytelling technique Every story has a start, a middle and an end - but does not necessarily have to go in that order. So I decided to go with Act 3 first, then Act 1, then Act 2 before finishing the story back at Act 3, but in a different scene. Act 1: Setting up the conflict Act 2: Working towards a solution Act 3: Achieving the big solution Written like a song I wrote the story in verses, like a poem or song, although it was never going to be set to music. Unfortunately, this is another skill I don’t have - the ability to write music or play a musical instrument. This tight structure enabled me to think about the sequence of the story and reorganise the verses for greater impact than if just written it in prose. For instance the opening verse sums up what the film is about, grabs the viewers attention and yet I originally wrote this verse to finish the story. The first verse of the script If you’re a Start-up, a Scale-up Going for Market Share or Growing to Sell, We can Help you Build a Stronger, Fitter And More Engaging company with A Prosperous Future and Greater Value. 350 words & 10 verses in 2 minutes I ended up with 350 words in 10 verses, making around 35 words in each. The shortest was 25 words long and the longest, 52. I memorised and combined two of them for the car scene - 64 words in just under 30 seconds. Which I was pleased with, because normally I struggle to learn lines and so I printed out my scripts on tiny A7 pieces of paper taped to my camera and rehearsed my lines in front of them. Deciding on the best locations for each of scene Once I had the overall script as a structure I started to think about how and where I was going to film each of the scenes. As all locations needed to be within walking or cycling distance of my house in Maidenhead in Berkshire. With my script as inspiration, I needed locations that included a construction site, contemporary offices, a bridge and an outdoor stage area. At the same time I jotted down ideas for how the cuts would work between the individual film sequences and also what cutaway shots I would need, that would add a bit of interest whilst I was talking to camera. Planning saves time but stay flexible I planned each shot in advance, because this helps me to decide which camera and equipment to take and what microphones would work best and which props to take. I was going to be riding my bike, as this was one of my props. I also had to consider background traffic noise and aircraft overhead. This ruled out the A4 bridge over the Thames for one of the scenes as it was far too busy. So I decided to shoot on a Bank Holiday Sunday morning when there were not too many people around, but still a few wanted to stop and ask me what and why I was filming. film scenes in geographical groups not sequence I filmed the scenes in groups with locations geographically close to each other and tried to get them all shot in one day, for consistency of lighting. It did not quite work out as I planned, and I managed to shoot some of he scenes in better ways than I had planned, having rehearsed them a few times at the location. It also meant that I shot scenes out of sequence, which made me have to think about the way I was speaking in each scene and the way that related to the scenes on either side. Taxing stuff. Early start I packed all of my kit the night before and made sure I charged all my batteries, then made an early 6.30 am start as I rode my bike down to Boulters Lock on the river Thames for the first of my scenes. I got most of the shots I wanted on the Sunday morning and two of the scenes a couple of days later. Editing and getting feedback I edited the film together, using the soundtrack from the best takes and using a few of the cutaway shots. Then I shared the film with a client and re-shot a couple of the scenes as a result of his feedback. My favourite scene was the one in the car The car scene was shot on a very quiet road, and I mounted a camera on the inside of my windscreen, pointing at me and let it roll, whilst I acted and drove. I then mounted the same camera pointing forwards and drove the same piece of road to get the footage our of the front window. Back at my studio, I reviewed all the takes and discarded the useless ones before uploading the best to my editing software. Then I edited the sequences together and once I was happy with the edit, I uploaded the resulting file to an automated transcription and subtitles service. More than 90% of my speech was correctly interpreted and the remainder I edited before uploading it to a video hosting service, ready for embedding on my website. NEED HELP? If you would like to explore how to create a film about your company then get in contact with Craig now. things I found most difficult Acting and filming at the same time is incredibly difficult. Thinking about the transitions between scenes and having to come up with cuts that are not too abrupt, and that disrupt the flow of the film. I use jump cuts a lot. I liked the camera in a box for an unusual opening shot and closed the lid at the end of the scene and it jumps to me in the car, in scene two. I really could have done with a person to take the film and to shoot the cutaways and could have concentrated on making my performance better. Finally, it is tricky to keep my hair looking the same across shots - in fact this is almost impossible without the help of a make-up artist. Skills required Story telling and story boarding Script writing and editing Planning a shoot which cameras and sound equipment to use Reconnaissance of locations Filming, lighting and sound recording Learning lines and rehearsing Acting Video editing Listening to feedback List of kit and tools DJI Action 2 camera Panasonic HCX-1500 camcorder Rode GoWireless microphone system Neewer 120cm camera slider Apple MacBook Air MacOS 12.3.1 iMovie video editing software 10.3.2 HappyScribe transcription and sub-titles platform Vimeo hosting and sharing platform Wix website design and build platform

Summary Film Director Nic Cornwall and Creative Director Craig Thatcher discuss the process of creating Day in the Life films for Rapport. The focus is on capturing authenticity and showcasing the diverse personalities of the people at Rapport. The three stages of creating great videoas are highlighted: pre-production, production, and post-production. The importance of detailed planning, finding the right locations, and allowing enough time for each stage is emphasised. The conversation also touches on the role of the client in providing feedback and the need to balance personal preferences with the overall effectiveness of the film. Takeaways Capturing authenticity is crucial in Day in the Life films to showcase the real people and situations. The three stages of creating great videos are pre-production, production, and post-production. Each stage is equally important in the process. Detailed planning, finding the right locations, and allowing enough time for each stage in the process are essential for successful filmmaking. Client feedback should obviously be considered, but it's important to balance personal preferences with the overall effectiveness of the video. “It’s extremely rewarding working with both Rapport and Strawberry Finch. We are given clear briefs but also the creative freedom to bring ideas that we are trusted to bring to fruition. On top of that they are an exceptional bunch of people to work with - truly reflecting their ethos of putting people first.” Nic Cornwall, Award Winning Film Director Sound Bites "There's something about the Rapport people that feels more authentic." "It's absolutely critical to go with what's happening in front of you." "Editing is sometimes remaking the story, to make it more compelling." A compilation of the Day in the Life of six Rapport ambassadors. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:51 Capturing Authenticity in Day in the Life Films 10:13 The Importance of Detailed Planning and Finding the Right Locations 13:18 Balancing Client Feedback and Personal Preferences in Filmmaking 21:51 The Value of Explaining the Journey to Clients 25:03 Conclusion Learn more? Contact Craig  today to learn more about how we can help you or discover how our digital marketing team developed the new website for Rapport . TRANSCRIPT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THE THREE STAGES OF CREATING GREAT FILMS Craig Thatcher  (00:23.069) Okay, let's go. Now you've worked on a lot of projects in the past. We've done lots and lots of films over the years. But what's special about the Day in the Life films that we worked on together for Rapport this time around? Nic Cornwall  (00:50.962) I think for me, especially with a film like Day in the Life, which you're talking about, which was to as much as possible actually represent real people, whether they're actually in real situations or not, what we're trying to do is show authenticity. And with Rapport, I think there's this, honestly, it's just about the people. There's something about the people that feels more authentic. They're relaxed in front of camera. When we're doing interviews, often what we try hardest at is to absolutely try and get authenticity. And we do that in all sorts of ways from how we relax them through the way we ask questions. For example, I really don't like asking standard questions when I'm doing an interview. I like it to be a conversation. It absolutely has to be a conversation down to... If I think that somebody said something that I can't use in the edit just because they may not have included part of the question or whatever, I'll ask them in a different way or I'll ask them again, but I won't say, there's nothing I find more awkward when you have an interviewer who's got a set of questions in front of them. They kind of look down and they say, hmm, thank you. Or they go, they say, okay, can we just do that again? And they ask it again because you never do that in conversations. And the whole purpose of an interview for me is to engage someone in an authentic conversation where they start to forget that there's a camera there and they're just talking to you. And the reason I mention all that is because that's made easy by the people at Rapport. And I think one of the reasons of that is because they're people. They're people who are used to talking to other people. Craig Thatcher  (02:38.173) Yeah, I think you make a very good point. I must say that the whole reason for doing The Day and the Life of Films, and there were six of them that we created, was because we wanted to get across that there are far more roles within Rapport than simply what people think of as the main receptionist role. And I thought there was nothing better than getting real people in the real jobs to talk about themselves. And I thought the work that... Nic Cornwall  (03:03.986) Well, and you make an excellent point. Sorry, I interrupt you. You make an excellent point. And one thing, again, you're absolutely right. Not only have I made a lot of films, I've been asked to make a lot of day in the life films or a lot of films that kind of represent people at work or in their situation or whatever. And so often when we're given candidates for that, they try and get the people that are really outgoing, the people that do the more glamorous jobs. The people that, and actually what you really want. If I'm watching a day in the life film, especially when it's something like this, which was a recruitment film, and I'm watching it, I might be a real open people person. I might be an extrovert, but I also might be the introvert who actually prefers to sit back, let other people do that, and I might be more about data analysis or something. And I always try and encourage clients when we're doing a spectrum of people in the business to really focus on that. But again, that's something that was really done with Rapport. I felt we met lots of very, very different people, even though they all have something in common, which is the beauty of it, when you find that. And I know we worked very hard on talking in advance about, okay, we've got all these diverse characters, and I mean diversity in the sense of, in every sense, but also particularly diversity of personality. And we work very hard thinking about, OK, but what is the common thread? What makes these people work together well? And which is actually the irony of that is, and again, we spoke about this, but that is exactly Rapport in this instance. Craig Thatcher  (04:43.933) Yeah, I know they have they employ some fantastic people and you do very well to draw out their personalities because the trick that I found that you do particularly or do particularly well is is making people feel comfortable in front of the camera. People are used to taking photos a lot of themselves, but actually it's a lot more difficult to feel yourself and be yourself when somebody's got a camera in your face. And I think that that is an art that you've obviously developed over many years. And we we got the best out of those those people. And I think for me, and I know you'll cover this a little bit later on the three stages of creating great films. But the first stage is obviously making sure we ask the right questions. It's the pre -planning stage, working out what it is we want to get across. And making sure that we ask the right question. Nic Cornwall  (05:44.466) Absolutely, and couldn't be truer, but something, and actually this goes from everything I do, whether it's a high -end drama, right through to exactly this scenario we're interviewing people. For me, I'm absolutely passionate about having a plan, having a blueprint. So for example, if it was a drama, I would know every single shot I want, and I've storyboarded it in my head, if not on paper. or with an interview, we've got all our questions. But then it's absolutely critical to go with what's happening. So for example, if I'm doing a drama and I'm rehearsing the actors, I know exactly how I want to shoot it, but I'll say to them, okay, ultimately, when people are watching a drama, what they're gonna react to is the actors and their authenticity and whether they believe their performance. So I'll tell the actors, go where you want, do what you want. And we'll see and I'll watch it with the director of photography and we'll say, okay, oh, actually we wanted to go here, but that act just went over there and that feels so authentic. So we're going to go over here now. And it's exactly the same in the interview process. I've got my questions and you'll have seen me do this. I'll read all my questions in my head and I'll have them literally before it. They can be the same questions for 10 interviews, literally before every single interview. I'll read all the questions. I'll have them in my head. But then when someone answers it, they might say something interesting or different. And if I don't explore that avenue, if I don't go where they're going with it, as you would in a conversation, then it's not authentic and you're not getting the best out of people. All you're doing is getting a prescribed opinion of what you think they should say. And I think that's absolutely critical. Craig Thatcher  (07:27.709) Yeah. Yeah, I must admit there's several things that I've learned from you over the years and the way that we work together has been fantastic. And the most important for me is the detailed planning. I mean, that's that's where I think we really connect because I'm like you. You can't expect to get the result you want unless you've thought about the result you want and plan the result you want. Developing the interview questions. again is absolutely key. That's something that you you do so well. And I've also enjoyed the joint meetings that we have with our client as well, because as much as I can talk about filming, I'm not doing it every day of the week. And it's lovely to have you on board when we're talking, you know, details and specifically about their potential films and the storyboarding aspect. Sorry. Yeah. Nic Cornwall  (08:18.802) But if I could interject, but if I could interject then so, but the point being is, and you're absolutely right, what I was talking about can only happen when you have that really solid foundation about, you know, where it could go or what it's been. It's not a completely random process. And you, you go, you go off with the tangents that they're based in a foundation. It's not a random conversation because of all that research and that time that you've spent. And what you do. when you brief me, if you have such a good and unique understanding of the client and everything around it, that by the time I get to that interview, I genuinely feel embroiled and invested in the client. So it's not that I say I know what they want, but I'm likely, purely by osmosis, I'm going to ask a question that feels relevant to that foundation. And that's absolutely critical as well. Craig Thatcher  (09:17.693) Yeah. Yes, and I think that's that's what's meant. That's enabled us to create some great films over the years. My understanding of the client and my ability to communicate that to you so you get the best out of the and I'm going to call them actors, whether it's Rapport ambassadors or or actors, because we have used them in the in the past, haven't we? Yeah, that's sort of that way of getting the best out of them for me is the critical part. And the stunning cinematography, certainly in these day in the life of films. I was just blown away by what you achieved with Alex on those films. I think it's been fantastic. So earlier we talked about, or I mentioned that actually there are three stages to achieving a brilliant film. There are three of them. And do you want to tell us what they are? Because I don't think clients necessarily understand them. Nic Cornwall  (10:12.85) Yeah, no. And again, yeah, and this is what I think is so crucial. So there's what we call pre -production, production and post -production. Pre -production is basically what we've just been talking about, which is all the planning, everything. If it's a corporate film for questions, if it's a drama from script, right through to storyboarding and basically planning the entire project. Then the production is the actual filming of it. And we've kind of touched on this already. Yes, you have a fantastic foundation, but sometimes you find gold as you're doing it. One of my favourite questions at the end of an interview, I'll always say to someone, what did you think we were gonna talk about? What did you think I was gonna ask you? And I promise you, eight times out of 10, they'll say something that I just didn't expect. And it's usually, it's nearly always ended up in the film because it's just something different and it's unique. Craig Thatcher  (11:07.645) Really? Yeah. Nic Cornwall  (11:08.786) and I didn't guide it. Whilst we've gone through all our tangents, I didn't guide that. So that's really important and I think it's absolutely vital, even with a drama, don't be so prescriptive that you lose those magic spontaneous moments. And then after the shoot, you get back to the edit suite and it doesn't matter how many films you've done, how accomplished you are, there are moments where you think, oh, actually, that works so much better that way. And that can be as simple as two shots one after the other, or it can be as simple as, and honestly, I've done thousands, literally thousands of interviews. And still today, sometimes I'll get to the edit suite and I'll think either that interview was absolutely brilliant. And then you go and think, oh, actually it wasn't as brilliant as I thought, or even better and actually much more common is you think, I know I've got what I want in that interview. but it's gonna be a bit more of a struggle to edit it. And then actually when you're sitting in front of it in your edit suite, you go, no, that's amazing. That's beautiful. It might be slightly different, but that's amazing. They've said something crazy or something brilliant. The same with performances in drama or shots that you use. The shot that you thought was absolutely amazing. It's a common thing in film for editors to say directors need to kill their babies. And it's true, you might have designed this fantastic plot that you've had in your head that you think's wonderful. And then the editor goes to you, yeah, but it's better in the close up. And you look at it and you go, yeah, it is. It just feels more human, it feels better. And so there's such three important stages. And editing is like, it's a cliche to say, but I passionately believe it's fundamentally true, that editing is sometimes remaking the story. You've got all the elements and what you planned upfront, you think actually, no, that just doesn't quite work how I thought it would or that or usually an even nicer is actually that works so much better if I just do it this way around. Craig Thatcher  (13:18.045) Yeah, yeah, I agree with that. So although I've been going on about what I like is the pre planning and the detailed nature that what you're saying also helps is the spontaneity and going off in different directions because that can reveal really magic moments. Nic Cornwall  (13:36.178) But it comes from the background, it comes from the research, it comes from the confidence to understand that then you can go. I often think when people are so prescriptive in either the shooting or the post -production, it's because they're not confident. Because actually they don't really know what it was that they wanted because they don't recognise the magic, they don't recognise the difference, they can't incorporate it. And while we're talking about editing, Craig Thatcher  (14:02.109) Yeah, okay. Nic Cornwall  (14:05.522) Um, and I find this particularly the clients and I don't want this to sound detrimental, but, but something that happens an awful lot with the edit stage, especially is that clients will come back to me sometimes and they'll give me not too many, hopefully, because we usually smashed it, but they'll come back with a list of changes and very often the changes that they're asking for, they're trying what's happened is they've watched the film. And it might be that they thought it was going to be more narrative or they thought it was going to be slightly too emotional, more emotional, or maybe they thought it's a little bit too emotional. So what they then try and do is they try and solve the problem for me by saying, take this shot out, do this, don't have that line. And I was at the Austin Film Festival once and obviously they were talking about drama then. and I was watching some of the Disney executives talk about script writing and they made exactly the same point. They were talking about feedback to writers and what they were saying is so often the problem is upstream. So for example, a classic in a drama film, you might feel at the end that actually you don't really have any empathy for the character who's in trouble. And so when people give feedback, they'll say, no, we need to take that scene out because I didn't feel any empathy for them. That's not the problem. The problem was that when you set it up half an hour ago, you didn't create a sense of familiarity or you didn't make the audience like that character enough. And it's exactly the same even in corporate film. Music is another one, they'll say change the music because we don't like the music. And then you change the music and all of a sudden the film loses all its emotion. or it might be they want to change a particular shot and you think that's honestly, that wasn't your problem. The problem was here. And now you've told me that it's not emotional enough. I know exactly what you mean. And sometimes I might've even done it deliberately. I might've thought, oh, hang on. I'm not trying to make this too emotional. So I didn't do that. And if their feedback was it's not, then I can, okay, well, of course that's what I did. But if they start saying, Craig Thatcher  (16:06.237) Hehehehehe Nic Cornwall  (16:29.746) Can I change this shot? Can we take that out? I don't like that line. That's not as productive. And it doesn't even mean that they're wrong. It just means that we can have that conversation if they identify what their actual problem with it was. Craig Thatcher  (16:44.093) Yeah, that's fascinating to hear that. The filmmaking has similar issues, whether it's making Disney films or corporate films. I've been giving some thought to how to help clients get a better result from their filmmaking. And I've made some notes on some of the things that I think are important. And I'm sure you've got some of your own as well. But for me, there's some key ones. And that is allow plenty of time for planning. And a lot of clients don't appreciate quite what goes into it. But at the bit of time, upfront really does help. Find the right locations for shooting is absolutely key because that sets the backdrop. Allow plenty of time to get people, models, actors, colleagues or whoever it is into the right place. A lot of clients don't allow for their colleagues diaries to make the filming work. And also understand that it takes time to set up shots when on location and break down for each shot. You know, it doesn't happen in a snap. But also for me, and this is a critical one, is attend the shoots because the client's input can be valuable and there's nothing like seeing it actually there. And then finally, the one for me, and it's a legal one, it's about getting model release form sign so there aren't any legal comebacks from the image rights of the people taking part. I mean that's my list. Would you have others to add? Nic Cornwall  (18:25.65) Yeah, I think they're a great list. Yeah. I mean, I probably couldn't add to that in terms of, I think you're right, time upfront, especially. I mean, time across the whole board. We can do it and we often do it very successfully in ridiculously tight deadlines. But there's nothing like a bit of time and even for the client, because that then takes pressure off them. They don't have to immediately feedback. Craig Thatcher  (18:37.149) Okay. Nic Cornwall  (18:55.57) Um, I think as well, and this, this one could, could sound, um, wrong, but I, I find, and this can be every stage of the process. Sometimes I wish clients would understand that just because they have an opinion about something and I'm probably talking about more about post -production here, but sometimes just because they have a personal opinion about something doesn't mean that it has to be changed. And I'm going to qualify that. I've had many, many times, I'm very proud of this, but I've had many, many, many times where we've made a film for a client and they come back and they say, oh my God, that film was absolutely perfect. We absolutely loved it. You completely nailed all the messages and the team were in tears. Can we change this? We want to change the music. We want to take that out and do it. And I always think, okay, maybe you personally didn't like the music. I get that. But you've just told me, I nailed all your messages. Everybody came across brilliantly and the team cried. So why are you trying to change that thing you don't personally like? And I guarantee you that as we sit here, if we started talking about films or music or art or anything created, I guarantee you that we will find... some things, let's take films as an example, we will find a film that you absolutely hate and I love. I guarantee it. There'll be actors that you will absolutely hate and I love. I don't like Tom Hanks. I think he's an awful actor. He's an Oscar winner. He's clearly incredibly successful. Lots of people love him. So neither of us are right. We just have a difference of opinion. And that is something that I do wish clients would understand is to have the... Craig Thatcher  (20:31.165) Hehehehehe Nic Cornwall  (20:54.386) I say the bravery, but yeah, and the confidence to know that if it works for you on an emotional level, on a practical level and delivered everything for you, don't worry about your personal preferences. And the reason, obviously, as I say, that's much more post -production, but that can come into the entire process. Um, what else do I? So, yeah, no, no, no. Craig Thatcher  (21:15.261) I think I'd like to, sorry, sorry, go on. I think I was going to say I'd like to end on one around giving clients giving themselves enough time. And that is to, if you like, to look at the film, get feedback, just give themselves some breathing space because sometimes they put themselves under a lot of pressure because they've got lots of other things on and they rush. And sometimes you just need to think about things a little bit. So for me, that's a critical one. Nic Cornwall  (21:50.994) No, and you know what? I think that's an excellent point because I think as well, time to watch a film. If I'm gonna read a script, I never, a feature film script, for example, a drama script, I always make sure I've got two hours completely free, because I would never watch a feature film and pause it and then come back a couple of days later and then sit on the train and watch a bit more of it. I watch a film, in total Craig Thatcher  (22:18.077) Yeah Nic Cornwall  (22:19.826) And I think, and I completely understand it. I totally get it. Even when you're talking about a two or three minute film, clients are under so much pressure and they've got so much else on that sometimes they watch it and there's loads going on. And I just wish sometimes, I don't know if they don't, but I think it's really important to give yourself the time and space to allow yourself to watch it. Craig Thatcher  (22:37.245) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's a good point. Okay, unless there's anything else you wanted to cover, I think we can draw our conversation to a close. Nic Cornwall  (22:49.266) Yeah, I know there is, there is one thing and, and, and this is a compliment to you. Um, I know something I learned from you and I wish I'd done a lot more, but I think is really valuable in this. I think this dovetails with what you're talking about with clients is that when I'm pitching for a project or when I'm talking to clients about project so often in the past, I'll just go, this is my idea. Here it is. And. you know, 90 % of the time they go, great, that's fantastic. Or maybe not 90%, but sometimes they'll come back and they'll say, oh, and I'm not sure. But I think it's so important for clients to understand and not, not because I want to make an issue of it, but I think it's important for them. And this is what you do is you explain the journey. You've done so much research and as I've talked to you about so much understanding of the client and whatever creative we have or whatever messaging we have. We've arrived at it through a process and a real process and we've ditched lots of stuff and we've thought about the stuff and I always, always when I'm thinking of a creative for something, my first thought is what is it I want to represent and therefore how can I do that? And so often with clients I get, they will say, can you give me an example? And I think, no, because I didn't go on Vimeo, which lots of production companies do by the way. I didn't go on Vimeo and watch a logo stuff and go, oh yeah, that kind of fits. I'll put it in that hole. I just thought how, what, what story am I going to tell? How am I going to represent this? I don't know. I don't, it's probably been done, but I don't know that. I don't know how to find an example of it, but to go back to the journey, just explaining to clients or even other creatives actually is how you arrived at that and why you've arrived at that is just such a wonderful exercise. And it's not only a wonderful exercise for the mind, it's a wonderful exercise for you because then it properly gels in your mind. Sometimes you change it because you're going through that and you know you're doing it, but it also makes you, it develops your understanding of it, as it does in not yours, but mine, for my own creatives. Craig Thatcher  (25:03.741) That's very kind of you to mention that. I will end now in a second on the fact that actually on the Rapport new website, there are 20 films. You and I are responsible for 12 of those, which is pretty amazing. Yeah. So. Nic Cornwall  (25:22.194) And I don't say this often, but I am proud of those films, all of them. I think we've made some really lovely films on that. So, yeah. Craig Thatcher  (25:28.893) I. Yeah, I absolutely agree. OK, right, that's it. I'll say good day. Nic Cornwall  (25:36.466) Lovely. Alright, good day. Thanks, Craig. Bye.

For more than a decade, Craig Thatcher has made a significant behind-the-scenes contribution towards helping to launch and then to build Rapport into a market-leading, award-winning, global guest services brand. With locations throughout the UK & Ireland as well as the USA and ASIA. He has achieved this by working with the senior management team, which is now headed by Managing Director, Dirk Talsma. The company is positioned on the belief that “every guest experience should be unique”, and goes to extraordinary lengths to engage, excite and empower its people to personify the brand’s values and do whatever it takes to delight their clients and guests. The secret is making their people or Ambassadors as they’re called - ‘feel special’ and in turn they make their clients and guests feel the same way. THE NAME RApport Craig led the original creative team in 2012 that developed the name ‘Rapport’ and worked closely with Greg Mace, who was Managing Director at the time, on defining the ideal market positioning, the branding and communications. He also drafted the brand values, which remain just as relevant and unchanged to this day. PLANNING PHOTO SHOOTS Craig organised the original photoshoot to create the imagery for the launch website, with a parallax scroll emulating the seamless guest story and commissioned a unique sound track to go with the film that launched the brand. All before going on to support the launch Rapport in the USA in 2014. DESIGN AND BUILD OF THE WEBSITE Craig wrote the copy for and organised the design and build of the second and third generation Rapport websites . The latest one features a small number of Ambassadors and their stories of outstanding service. It drives home the market position, as well as presenting the company to prospective clients and employees. TWO INTERLOCKING BROCHURES Craig also drafted the copy and organised the design and production of two interlocking brochures. One describes what the company does and the other describes how it does it. Both fitting perfectly together inside a new folder. SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS As there is always something new going on, the news section of the website is the place to learn more. Over the years Craig has ghost written many articles and once approved, uploaded them with photos, then created social media campaigns comprising of articles for LinkedIn and tweets to drive traffic. TWO VOLUMES OF INSPIRATIONAL STORIES Craig organised the design, illustration and publishing of two volumes of ‘Our Collection of Inspirational Stories', that celebrated the outstanding service provided by Rapport Ambassadors. SUPPORTING THE ANNUAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS Craig has supported the awards right from the start, and they are an excellent annual event created to recognise and celebrate the outstanding levels of personalised service provided by the talented individuals employed by the company. The lapel pins given to the winners are based on the Rapport speech marque, inspired by the design of cuff links, that he commissioned a jeweller to make to celebrate the launch in 2011. STORYTELLING WITH SHORT FILMS Using film is a powerful way to tell stories or to record key events and Craig has produced several with an award-winning film director. Including one to help with recruitment, one to explain the TUPE process to new employees and another on the role of floor managers in running flexible office spaces for major clients. RAPPORT ACADEMY FOR BRILLIANT CAREER OPPORTUNITIES The Rapport Academy provides brilliant career development opportunities with a large number and variety of tailored training courses open to all. At the annual graduation event their achievements are celebrated with many receive promotions for their hard work and extra effort. WHY MY-RAPPORT? Over the years Craig has proposed many ideas, and one of the most important was MyRapport, which is an internal social media platform for Rapport Ambassadors. Because they all operate on client sites, he knew a form of ‘cultural glue’ was needed to keep them all together ‘virtually’. As it would be so easy to lose touch, not be aware of new ideas and not know what was going on without it. Launching CORPORATE RECEPTIONIST OF THE YEAR As a way of shining a spotlight on the very best front of house receptionists in the corporate world, Greg Mace developed the idea and founded a new competition called Corporate Receptionist of the Year. The only award for front of house receptionists working in the corporate sector. Craig supported the launch in 2019 and remains involved. Read more . SUCCESSFUL relationships TAKE YEARS TO BUILD Craig has a long-term relationship with Rapport who use his brand management tool, ‘Continuous Branding’ - to help lead their market, to inspire their people, to win awards and to grow in the UK and internationally. The early years of the Rapport journey appear in Craig’s book; ‘Continuous Branding’. RESULTS Up until the pandemic, Rapport grew by 20+% per annum and is the market-leader in the corporate front of house services industry and is in Europe, Asia and North America. Over the years, the company has won countless business awards and was Highly Commended for Best Strategic Development of a new Brand in 2012. NEED HELP? Craig has acted as an external Creative Director based on his knowledge of Rapport, its values and market position. If you would like help to build your new service-based company or need to refresh what you are doing, then get in contact now. KEY SERVICES PROVIDED Creative direction Naming, positioning and branding Commissioning a unique sound track to the launch film Brand values drafted Organising photo shoots at Canary Wharf and City of London Design of internal launch presentation Design and copy for three generations of websites Copywriting, design and publishing two corporate brochures Produced recruitment films and floor managers film Design, illustration and publishing of two volumes of Inspirational Stories Supported launch of Rapport in USA Design and copy for Rapport Concierge website Ghost writing news articles for website Social media campaigns

The Managing Director and Head of DE&I for Rapport Guest Services wanted to show how they encourage their colleagues to be themselves at work and asked Craig Thatcher to produce a film that would demonstrate this and to make everyone feel proud of the inclusive culture within their company. just be yourself at work Many organisations talk about how diverse they are but struggle to live up to what they say. Rapport has achieved this by simply encouraging their people to be themselves at work rather than leave their true selves at home. Diversity is a fact. Inclusion is a choice Craig decided to work with award-winning film director, Nic Cornwall on this exciting project and after discussing the concept, felt that a film showing Rapport ambassadors doing what they do every day at work would be the ideal way to communicate this unique and welcoming culture. emotionally engaging Diversity and inclusion film It needed to be authentic and emotionally engaging for viewers, so Craig and Nic commissioned a unique piece of music from Dom Jones for the soundtrack. Nic wrote the lyrics and the Rapport choir sang it. This achieved two things at the same time. Firstly the choir has a wonderful sound and is a perfect demonstration of different people coming together to sing in unison. Secondly, it would mean no royalties to pay for an existing song. film making process However, there were many challenges at each stage of the film making process to be addressed: Concept Establishing the brief, brainstorming ideas and engaging our clients at every single stage of making the film was crucial to the overall success of the project. Storyboard Undertaking site visits and proposing a number of scenes for the storyboard. Casting Asking for volunteers from within Rapport to appear in the film and to sing the song. Composing Developing the music soundtrack that would evoke the right emotions. Lyrics Writing the lyrics. Individuals in the choir had to rehearse on their own, because there wasn’t an opportunity to get together before the recording. Filming A crew of seven filmed over two days in three locations. Post-production Editing the film, colour grading it, mixing the music and adding graphics and captions for the lyrics. why is the film called ‘Be Yourself’? 'Be Yourself' summed up the essence of the Rapport culture, and makes it so distinctive. It is also a simpler and more informal way of saying that the company is diverse and inclusive. film Premier on 21 April 2023 The film premiered at the Rapport Excellence Awards and the response to it was overwhelmingly positive from everyone because it is genuinely authentic and perfectly represents the unique culture of Rapport. "Thank you for creating a truly remarkable film. I have received so many comments from ambassadors and clients, stating how impressed they were and how it perfectly brought to life, the importance of Diversity & Inclusion within Rapport. The fact that it featured so many of our brilliant ambassadors along with a song that was performed by our choir, was the icing on the cake!" Dirk Talsma, Managing Director Rapport Being exclusive is easy. Being inclusive is not interviews behind-the-scenes On camera, Craig interviewed many of the Rapport ambassadors and director, Nic Cornwall, between takes in their busy filming schedule or whilst they were in make-up. He also took shots of the crew filming different scenes. Then he put together a short, four minute video explaining why it was important to make the film and why the company is so inclusive. Whilst revealing what it felt like for those taking part and why Rapport is unlike any other company he has ever worked with. He uncovered a remarkable culture that encourages people to be themselves at work rather than leaving their true selves at home. Despite everyone being different their strength as a company and as a brand is because of the collective way they make everybody feel welcome. "Rapport always makes everything look so effortless and yet a lot of planning went into this film." Craig Thatcher Credits: Film Director and Lyricist: Nic Cornwall, Music Composer: Dom Jones, Film Producer: Craig Thatcher.

Summary of conversation The conversation covered the design and development of the Rapport website, highlighting the creative freedom and use of videos. Frontend Website Designer, Andrew Wicks and Creative Director Craig Thatcher also discuss the benefits of using Elementor Pro and the success of the mega menu structure on the new Rapport website. They mention the importance of detailed planning, listening to feedback, and the collaboration between them both that contributed to the success of the design and build of the website. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the key points and the overall success of the new Rapport website and gives some tips for clients who are thinking of re-designing their website. Takeaways Creative freedom allows for visually striking designs and experimentation with functionalities. Using videos throughout the website provides breathing space and prevents overwhelming text. Elementor Pro offers user-friendly editing for clients and a wide range of functionalities for front-end developers. The mega menu structure successfully organises navigation for different audiences. Detailed planning and listening to feedback are crucial for a successful website project. Collaboration between designers and developers is key to achieving the desired user experience. Balancing design and user experience is essential for an effective website. The use of videos and imagery can enhance the user experience and convey information more effectively. Careful copywriting and organisation of content can improve readability and navigation. The success of a website project can be measured by client satisfaction and achieving the desired goals. “The collaboration of Craig, Tom, Nic and myself means the website is made-up of stimulating text, photos and videos displayed within a visually stunning website that really reflects Rapport’s ethos of being people focused, while enhancing the end-users’ experience.” Andrew Wicks, Frontend Website Designer Sound Bites "Creative freedom meant I could design something visually striking." "Using videos prevents overwhelming pages of text." "Elementor Pro ticks all the boxes and is user-friendly." Chapters within the conversation 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:37 The Benefits of Creative Freedom 03:11 The Success of the Mega Menu 04:23 The Importance of Planning and Feedback 07:34 Enhancing User Experience with Videos and Imagery 09:04 Improving Readability and Navigation 09:36 Measuring Success and Conclusion Learn more? Contact Craig today to learn more about how we can help you or discover how our digital marketing team developed the new website for Rapport. TRANSCRIPT of discussion on balancing website design and user experience Craig Thatcher (00:21.644) Ah, okay, that's great. Let's get underway. You've worked on a lot of client projects in the past. What was special about the design and development of the Rapport website? Andrew Wicks (00:37.646) What was special about this particular project? I'd say the creative freedom. It meant I could design something much more visually striking and was able to experiment more with the functionalities of Elementor Pro. Also using videos throughout the site meant there was more breathing space rather than pages being overwhelmed by text, which was a breath of fresh air. Normally a client just wants to squeeze as much information as they possibly can onto a page, which then impacts on the overall design and the user interface. Craig Thatcher (01:15.052) Yes, I absolutely agree with that. I think what really helped here was that we started with the design experience, didn't we? Or the experience that we wanted users to have and then worked backwards. And then we had a look at competitors and also looked at organising the navigation in a new way because we had those two audiences that we wanted to appeal to, prospective clients and prospective employees. Tell me why you particularly like Elementor because it's a great WordPress theme. Andrew Wicks (01:51.31) Yeah, I mean Elementor Pro is good from two points. It's good from the end user so the client can easily make amendments, updates, create new pages. And also from my point of view, being a front end developer, it offers so many functionalities. You know, embedding videos, different motion graphics, lots of different things like that. So, It just ticks all the boxes. Also, it's based on WordPress, which most people nowadays are familiar with. So it's just user friendly, really. Craig Thatcher (02:32.3) Yes, it certainly did the job for us. What I enjoyed most about working with you on this project was the sort of the detailed planning that we put into the project so that the client got what they wanted. I also liked the way that you responded to my brief because I had some specific things that I'd uncovered from looking at the competitors and obviously Rapport's existing website and what we wanted to change. And of course, above all, I like the contemporary design and the mega menu structure that we talked about and that you suggested. That was particularly good. Can you talk about that a little bit? Andrew Wicks (03:11.47) The mega menu, that was certainly very successful, being able to break down all the navigation into different sections and aiming at the two different audiences. So yeah, that was really good. Craig Thatcher (03:26.252) Well, I remember you saying that actually these two pages are particularly long, aren't they? So the mega menu came into its own because it enabled people to shortcut to sections of those pages. And so it's. Andrew Wicks (03:39.886) Yeah, people can navigate to different sections. Craig Thatcher (03:44.524) And the reason for having them so long was that I wanted to make sure that once we got people to the right page, they stayed there. They found everything that they needed there rather than having to click off. And you're right, the amount of video on this site is pretty impressive. I think I counted up 20 that we embedded in different parts of it. The other thing for me that I enjoyed about this was your patience in listening to feedback. and making changes and not being phased by the feedback as well because I engaged our client very closely throughout and there were a few twists and turns but you seem to ride out those very well so that was great. What's your feeling? Andrew Wicks (04:37.358) No, I mean, I think it went really smoothly. I mean, I've worked on so many projects, clients seem to think they know what they want. But when they actually see it, it does sort of develop further. So I always expect lots of little changes. I mean, in this instance, I don't think it was anywhere near as bad as I've had before. Maybe that's because of the system, it was easy to edit and sort of we did different versions so that the end client could actually see what different options would look like without having to redo everything. Craig Thatcher (05:14.86) I think that worked particularly well because we did a few test pages, didn't we, where we could show them alternatives. We were actually working on a development site, but it was always as they were going to see it. And I think that helped them. I was a bit worried towards the end because it went through so many different hands at the client side, but actually most of the feedback, some of it... was critical, but critical in a positive way. So I felt really encouraged by their involvement throughout. And I guess that's testament to the fact that they're really pleased with the end result, which is good. So for me, the things that I would suggest to clients that are thinking about having a website redesign are start with the desired experience that you want to give your visitors. Obviously look at competitors, especially the new kids on the block. Every market has them. There are the traditional strong competitors, but they're also the new ones coming up. Think about the navigation like we did and then draft the copy. So what I did was interviewed 16 different people, organised the copy into chunks. Craig Thatcher (06:40.364) And the thing that worked really well between you and I was that we had the big main headings that people could skim read across. We had the sub heads usually in boxes with 50 to 75 words in each. So it meant that people could skim read the top level, drop down to the second level, still skim read the headings. And if and when they came across something they really liked, then drop further down. And that for me worked really well because there's about, I think, 4 ,000 words on that website. And it's not a big website in terms of number of pages. So I know you said earlier on in our discussion that most clients like to cram a lot of information in. Well, we've managed to get it in. But the way you've designed it is that it feels it's got plenty of space and you don't feel hemmed in by it. Andrew Wicks (07:34.894) Thanks. Andrew Wicks (07:39.182) Yeah, I mean, I think that's the thanks to the videos and the imagery. It kind of speaks without too many words. And like you say, we only there's any sort of four or five actual pages so people can scroll down. So it's really easy to navigate. The information is right there. And like you say, there is quite a lot of information the way we laid it out. It's easy to navigate. it doesn't look overwhelming, which in a lot of cases, you know, paragraphs and paragraphs of text can just look too much and people just stop reading, which is why the videos are so good. Without sounding old, the younger generation certainly likes to click on a video and just gets the, you know, to what they're after straight away and the videos do that. Craig Thatcher (08:27.692) Yeah, yeah, I'd agree with that. The way I wrote the copy as well was with the headings, but also in chunks so that we could then move them around on the pages as well. That helped. And obviously, writing the copy meant that we developed the key messages and that helped inform the photography brief. You know, it's a lot easier to decide what images you need if you know what you're trying to say. Andrew Wicks (08:30.766) Thank you. Craig Thatcher (08:54.668) and do it the other way around and you'll end up throwing away a lot of photographs. Similarly in terms of the videos the same thing applies. For me the highlight is the what we call the day in the life films, the six Rapport Ambassadors that really get across their personality and but their individuality as well and that was a key thing for us to show that actually there's more than just front of house receptionist roles available and that's why we choose different six different ones and what better way than to actually show real people in those real jobs. I think that's a that's a highlight for me but the overall design works really really well and I'm pleased to say our client is is delighted as well. Is there anything else you wanted to add because I think we've covered the key points really anything else? Andrew Wicks (09:36.782) Thank you. Andrew Wicks (09:53.23) I don't think so. I mean, like you say, most of the websites we build now are based on WordPress and using the Elementor Pro system. And that really pushes the technology that is available now. You know, everything's responsive, embedding of videos, motion graphics, everything can be embedded. So you get that rather than just a really good design, user interface is there. and the end user experience. It's making sure there's a balance between design and user experience. There's no point having a website that looks really nice, but it's really clunky. And again, coming back to the mega menu, being able to navigate was one of the key things on a website where there is a lot of information, but being able to break it down into little chunks so people can go and get straight to what they're after. So I think it was really successful, one of the most successful websites I've certainly worked on. Craig Thatcher (10:57.1) Okay, that's great. Right. I think that's it. Thanks. Thanks very much. Andrew Wicks (11:03.406) Okay.

Craig Thatcher was asked to lead a digital creative team to design and build a new website for Rapport that reflects the diversity of the people employed and the variety of workplace services provided by the company. It needed to clearly communicate what makes Rapport different as the market has changed significantly and the number of competitors has almost doubled since the company was originally launched in 2011. the story for two audiences or personas Craig interviewed sixteen people comprising Rapport employees or ambassadors as they are called, as well as clients and individuals from the senior management team to find out why they all love working with Rapport. He asked them what surprised them most about the company and why it is unlike any other they have experienced. Then he drafted the copy for the website, as if it was spoken by a Rapport ambassador chatting to and welcoming visitors. USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN Significant time was spent at the planning stage, creating engaging content and designing the user experience, long before the design and build of a new website started. The user experience must represent the brand promise as well as conveying the personality of the company and the people working there. So that visitors could build their trust. WEBSITE DESIGN AND BUILD: welcoming visitors When visitors lands on the home page, a Rapport ambassador greets them by saying ‘Good Morning’, Good Afternoon or ‘Good Evening’, depending on the time of day wherever they are in the world. These words gently fade in and are encapsulated by the Rapport speech bubble followed by a short description of what the company does. responsively designed and EASY TO USE Craig worked with Andrew Wicks to design the website to be easy to use on desktops, tablets and mobiles, with a mega-menu in the top navigation and a small number of long pages so visitors do’t have to jump about to find what they want. The website consists of a simple home page, then separate pages for two distinct audiences or personas - one for clients and another for prospective employees - because they both need to understand distinctly different things about the company. balancing design and user experience Discover how Andrew and Craig perfectly balanced the design and user experience whilst developing the new Rapport website and share some great tips at the same time. writing compelling copy The copy was written by Craig in blocks of text of about 50 - 100 words to make it easier to organise them into a coherent story for each persona. He drafted the copy so that visitors could skim read just large section headings, float across the sub-headings and if something caught their attention, quickly dive into a short paragraph of copy. Still images or films were used to support the sub-headings. The latter playing on mute, so they would not be distracting, but easily turned on if necessary. animated ILLUSTRATIONS display key numbers Craig thought it would be interesting and fun to communicate Rapport in numbers and so Andrew created doodle illustrations to help articulate key figures, and the numbers can easily be updated by Rapport in the coming months and years. Engaging FILMS Rapport has asked Craig to produce many films over the years and he has always worked hand-in-hand with award-winning film director, Nic Cornwall. For the new website Craig recommended that some of these existing films should be used alongside newly commissioned ones. filming: A DAY IN THE LIFE Of SIX ambassadors As Rapport is in competition with many other companies for top talent it is important to articulate why people should join and why they should stay. What better way than by meeting some real Rapport ambassadors? Six were filmed for a day in their lives to showcase their exciting roles and personalities, and to encourage people to consider a new career with Rapport. The art in creating compelling short films is to meticulously plan everything in advance. So Craig was most active in the pre-production stage, whilst developing the storyboards with Nic and drafting the questions for the on-screen interviews. THE THREE STAGES OF TO CREATING GREAT FILMS Discover the three stages to creating great films as Nic and Craig discuss the process of making six Day in the Life films for the new Rapport website and share some great tips at the same time. PHOTOGRAPHY: 30+ new Still images created Once the overall structure of the website had been developed, along with the key messages and gaps in visual content identified, it was agreed that new still images were needed to show Rapport ambassadors in impressive contemporary buildings. On reconnaissance Craig went to a few locations with a fantastic photographer, Tom Campbell. Then we reviewed our draft copy for the website before proposing shots of Rapport ambassadors in authentic scenarios. Before planning them out across two locations and art directing the shots with Tom and two assistants to ensure everything ran smoothly. Additional shots were also taken of ambassadors in other scenarios for use in bid and tender documents to win new contracts. more than 85 people contributed Over sixty Rapport ambassadors volunteered to take part in helping to create the content for the Rapport website over 5 days of filming and the 2 days photoshoot. All were enthusiastic and patient waiting to be called in front of the cameras. This is in addition to the original sixteen interviewees and the creative team of ten. SECRETS TO A SUCCESSFUL PHOTOSHOOT Discover how the art of good communication and creating a comfortable environment are just two of the secrets to a successful photoshoot. Tom and Craig share their insights having collaborated on this shoot for the new Rapport website. LIve CHaT integration with real people Craig proposed that a Live Chat function with real people should be added to the website, as this would help to create a unique experience for every visitor, inspired by Rapport's belief that 'Every Experience Should be Unique'. "First and foremost – I think the new website is brilliant! I like the story, the tone, the images, the videos and the feeling it creates. We have made an incredible step forwards, compared to our existing website. So, thank you! It is our ambassadors that make Rapport special and therefore it was only right for them to take ‘centre stage’. The website reflects our dedication to excellence and our never-ending efforts to better serve our clients and ambassadors alike." Dirk Talsma, Managing Director at Rapport and Restaurant Associates Venues “The distinctive personality of the brand bursts beautifully to life from the pages of the new website, with a Rapport ambassador welcoming visitors and talking about the company's inclusive culture. Designed to be easy and intuitive to use for the two primary audiences, with new navigate and clear messaging. The photography and films feature ambassadors in authentic scenarios in contemporary buildings. This was an outstanding project to be involved in and the team collaborated brilliantly to bring it all together.” Craig Thatcher, Creative Director & Founder of StrawberryFinch Be Yourself FILM Craig was instrumental in creating a Diversity and Inclusion film by award-winning film director Nic Cornwall. Called ‘Be Yourself’, Nic wrote the lyrics, whilst the soundtrack was created by music composer and sound designer Dom Jones, and the Rapport choir provided the vocals. You can discover why the film was made. Building the Rapport brand over 10+ years Discover how we have helped to build the Rapport brand over more than ten years. Services provided Craig acted as creative and art director, copywriter, film producer and led a small, experienced team of specialist professionals. Creative & art direction, copywriting, film production & project lead - Craig Thatcher Website design & build - Andrew Wicks Photography - Tom Campbell Filming - Nic Cornwall Need a digital creative team your new website? Contact Craig today to learn more about how we can help you launch a new website that will bring your company or brand to life.

Summary The conversation between fantastic Photographer Tom Campbell and Creative Director Craig Thatcher focuses on their collaboration on a photography project for Rapport. They discuss the special aspects of the project, including the supportive atmosphere, excitement, and adventure. They also highlight the importance of planning, finding the right locations, and working with the right people. Tom emphasises the need for problem-solving skills and being aware of the surroundings during a shoot. Craig adds that good communication and making people feel comfortable on a photoshoot are just two of the secrets for a successful photoshoot. They also mention the importance of time management and having a well-prepared team. Takeaways Collaboration and a can-do attitude create a positive and exciting atmosphere for a photography project. Planning and finding the right locations are key to achieving the desired results. Working with the right people, including assistants and models, is crucial for a successful shoot. Problem-solving skills and being aware of the surroundings are important during a shoot. Good communication and making people feel comfortable contribute to better photographs. Time management and preparation are essential for a smooth and efficient photo shoot. "Champion projects are attained with teamwork and communication, build trust and rapport with your teammates and you will vanquish.” Tom Campbell, Photographer Sound Bites "There was a real can-do attitude." "People wanted to help and support each other." "We aspired to create quality work and to be collaborative." Chapters 00:15 Special Aspects of the Rapport Project 03:03 Interest in New Buildings and Company Culture 04:11 Collaboration and Flexibility in Planning 05:10 Testing Light Sources and Using Wooden Boxes 06:30 The Importance of a Good Team 09:11 The Three Stages of Photography 11:11 Client Focus: Planning, Locations and People 13:06 Legal Considerations: Model Release Forms 15:27 Making People Feel Comfortable 19:02 Experience and Team Dynamics 20:03 Conclusion Learn more? Contact Craig today to learn more about how we can help you or discover how our digital marketing team developed the new website for Rapport. Transcription FROM TALK about the secrets for a successful phoTOshoot Craig Thatcher (00:15.771) You've worked on a lot of client projects in the past in terms of doing photography assignments. What's been special about the one that we worked on together for Rapport, do you think? Tom Campbell (00:29.901) I think what was special about it was... Yeah, we'll serve. collaborative atmosphere from everyone involved through, you know, all the creatives, myself, Nick, yourself, right the way through to the people we were photographing and the sort of clients themselves. There was a real sort of can do attitude. that came across, people wanted to help and to support and it felt there was a general excitement around what we were creating. We were also in new buildings which helped. It helped to create a sense of excitement. What's next? Adventure, new beginnings, the future, you know, aspiration. So. I think everyone involved in the project. Tom Campbell (01:43.561) looked at it with a sense of adventure. Yeah, I mean, I've mentioned excitement three times now, but I think people were generally excited about being part of something and creating something new and creating strong brand company vibe that, you know, would vanquish the opposition or the competitors, you know, it's about, you know, Craig Thatcher (01:55.995) Yes. Tom Campbell (02:14.153) producing work that is quality and we did that and you know everyone involved in the project you know aspired to create quality work and to be collaborative and to be nice and to work hard to get great results which we did. Craig Thatcher (02:32.987) Yeah, I agree with that. Tom Campbell (02:34.696) It was a big team, there was lots of people involved and yeah, it was just a very positive sense. The sunshine helped, I remember a couple of days it was really sunny. Generally when it's sunny people are in a good mood and it just went well. The new buildings were good. I've personally photographed a lot of my client base is construction companies and people who work in real estate. property developers, architects, retail companies and you know throughout my 20 -year career I've taken an interest in the built environment so when I'm presented with a new building I'm generally interested, I'm intrigued, I'm curious. So yeah, and you know, I go to a lot of businesses and you can pick up on company culture. You can pick up on how smooth a company operates by their sort of operation on the, you know, right from security guards on the outside dealing with, you know, concierge in the loading bay right the way through. Tom Campbell (04:02.001) So yeah, it was exciting and adventurous to feel like you were part of something new. Craig Thatcher (04:11.227) I agree with you in terms of looking at the buildings. They set the backdrop, don't they? The environment, but actually it's the people that make the operation work so well. And Rapport are really very good at what they do. So that came across in terms of the way the days were organized. But what I wanted to cover off with you was actually what I enjoyed about working with you most really on this project, because... The photography came out of writing the copy for the website and that provided the brief for you and I. So we had several detailed planning meetings, didn't we? And we did a reconnaissance which helped select the best sites. And then on the day of each of the film shoots, sorry, not the film shoots, the photographic shoots, we had a walk around each of the sites as well. because we had to remain quite flexible, didn't we? Some of the order of the shots that we took, we had to change because things were going on. And what I enjoyed was the flexibility that you showed and the communication with your assistants. I mean, there were two assistants, plus yourself, plus me on the shoot. And what I really enjoyed was testing the different light sources to achieve the best results. It was all very fast. and having the tethered Mac there so that the client who was also there for some of the time could see the shots actually taking place was really, really, really useful. And the last thing, those wooden boxes that you've got, they're like, what do you call them? Wooden egg crates or something, apple boxes, you know, just to make it quick and easy to change the relative heights of. Tom Campbell (05:55.215) . Tom Campbell (06:00.463) boxes. Craig Thatcher (06:08.475) people when they're standing together or get better angles. And I thought they were really useful because actually moving around a site, taking still shots, we had to cram a lot in. And the setup and the breakdown has to be very fast, doesn't it, on a photo shoot? Otherwise you don't just get the shots you need. Tom Campbell (06:09.935) Thank you. Tom Campbell (06:30.83) Yeah, what I will say about my team is that, you know, several years ago when we came out of lockdown and work started to pick up for me, I interviewed several assistants over Zoom and Mike, who was first assistant on both the Rapport days, I interviewed him and we've, you know, I use Mike a lot because he's a great assistant and, you know, he generally takes interest, he's calm, he's consistent and, you know, That's a big part of a winning team is working with teammates, people you're comfortable working with, people that you know. It's a team. Teams build trust, communication, patience, and that's what it's about. The other second assistant, I've known one of them, Tom Buller, he's actually the son of a photographer I used to assist in. Mike has actually been assisting Paul Buller now. So, you know, it's a... it's a small industry and you know... Paul who I learned a hell of a lot from back in 2006 when I assisted him, he phoned me up a couple of weeks ago and said do I know any good assistants? I recommended Mike. So, you know, it's a lot of successful teams and successful work comes from quality people and you know. Tom Campbell (08:12.556) It's, you know, people make businesses and that's precisely, you know, you can apply that to a report because it's a people business. It's, you know, how you greet someone, how you deal with people. So, so yeah, it's, you know, and award -winning teams are, you know, they're about people as well. You know, we got to know each other slowly, Craig, and, you know, then we worked on this together and it was great. It was a fantastic project. So. Craig Thatcher (08:43.035) Now, I have enjoyed working with you on it. That team spirit, that good communication actually on those days was actually vital. But I mean, just like filming photography is made up of three parts, you know, pre -production, the planning, detailed planning, and then the production days where you're actually doing the shoes, and then the post -production, the editing and the Photoshop or Photoshopping of the images afterwards. You know, there's those three stages that make up. a good end result really. And I have to say that I was really pleased with the photography. You know, it was tough getting some of those shots, but actually we did it and they look fantastic on the website, which is the most important thing. Because for me, a lot of clients don't understand quite what goes into getting shots. You know, there's lots of people now who've done photography degrees. who are competent photographers, but actually when it comes to getting the right shots, you need to know what you need to get, how to get it in the time frame that you've got in which to get it. And that takes a team effort. That's not something you can just sort of... Tom Campbell (09:56.425) for questions. Tom Campbell (10:00.489) It's yeah, 20 years experience working in the industry. But you know, it's like AI now. People just click a button and make the sky blue. You can, but you need to know what's the prompt the software with. And that comes from experience. You know, there's no real. Craig Thatcher (10:04.475) Yeah. Craig Thatcher (10:15.323) Yeah. So... Tom Campbell (10:20.168) quick fix to any award winning projects. You know, things might appear, you know, they take minimum amount of time, but you still got to get to the job, prep it, assess it, work with the people, direct people, especially if you're working with real people, you need to know how to speak to people and know how to direct. Craig Thatcher (10:42.599) Well, I've made a list of some of the things that I think are important that clients need to focus on to get the best out of their photography really. So I was just going to sort of go through those, I'm sure, given that your experience, you've got some others as well. But for me, the most important is allow plenty of time for planning the photo shoot, because if you don't plan, you can't always get the shots that you want. you want. I mean, there's a certain amount of flexibility that you have to build into the plan. But if you don't have a plan to start with, it's hopeless. I think finding the right locations is key. We were so pleased with the rapport locations because they gave the right feeling for what we want to get across. The new website had to look less formal in terms of people, but also a very contemporary design. So you can have a contemporary design for the website, but if what you're shooting, the shots themselves don't look contemporary, there's a bit of a clash there. So I was really pleased with the locations we got. I think for me, and this is something that clients underestimate, is actually getting the right people to the shoots on time. And what I mean by that is allowing for their diaries. A lot of clients will use colleagues. You know, some of them are on holiday, some of them on shifts. Some clients use actors, so that's a little bit easier because you can just sort of pay for their time. But I think clients often underestimate how difficult it is to get the right people there at the right time. I think also they underestimate just how much time it takes to set up and break down for different shots. So on the face of it, they always want to get more shots out of a day. And for me, they should always attend a photo shoot because there's sometimes there are detail that you and I just are not quite aware of which they can spot and that's why having You know the the Mac tethered to your your camera was fantastic to see those shots and then finally and this is a legal point, but this is about getting models of Rapport ambassadors to sign model release forms. So there's no legal comeback regard their images and that's something that Tom Campbell (13:02.596) Mm -hmm. Craig Thatcher (13:06.875) That I know you take for granted, but actually you'll be surprised how many clients don't do that and it can lead to problems So that's my list Have you got any others that you would add? Tom Campbell (13:21.634) and Tom Campbell (13:26.691) I think the ability to problem solve is quite important. You know, anything from... I know there was... When we went upstairs... at the Victoria shoot, we didn't have a pass to get into the glass atrium room, so it was all about communicating with people on the ground to get everything up. Just a can -do spirit that, you know... Tom Campbell (14:03.809) It would be, you know, I'm sure photographers early on in their career would freak out, you know, because they couldn't get access to a space. But you've just got to stay calm and communicate. Communication is key and be polite. And, you know, that's why I'm a sort of big advocate for exercise is because, you know, exercise helps me keep a balanced temperament. You know, if you if you're on the clock and. two models have got to go at three o 'clock and you know you can't get into the room and it's quarter three you just stay calm and you've got to be a people person read the room know when to press people you know on stuff but do it in a polite way it's I think the awareness is key there's a good saying on awareness I'll have to look it up. and send it to you, I might add it to my quote, but you've got to be aware, you've just got to be aware of what's going on, whether it's taping cables down so people don't trip up, or making sure everyone's got a security pass signed in. Just be on the ball, match fit, and show up. Craig Thatcher (15:27.963) I think there's one more I wanted to add to that really. And this is not something that a lot of clients think about. And that is as a photographer and as a credit director, we need to have the social skills to, if you like, make people feel relaxed in front of a camera. You know, when you point a stills camera at some people or a film camera at them, it can make them feel uncomfortable, make them tense, and it doesn't get the best out of them. And what I noticed when working with you is, Tom Campbell (15:51.969) Yeah, it comes in. Yeah. Craig Thatcher (15:57.595) how good you are at making people feel comfortable because if they do feel comfortable then they'll perform better, they'll look better on the shot, they'll look more relaxed, they'll look more authentic. So that's a skill that you don't necessarily acquire overnight. It's something that you have to develop. Tom Campbell (16:08.961) spots. Tom Campbell (16:17.153) Yeah, and through after doing photography for 20 years, mainly photographing real people, you learn to prepare, prepare, prepare. And, you know, that's why you suggest to people that they bring a few different outfits. So they know what to expect. Basically, it says what it says to them is this guy, his team knows what they're doing. We trust him. And that's what it is, trust, you know, and then you're able to direct people. Craig Thatcher (16:40.123) Yep. Yep. Tom Campbell (16:46.561) say you know maybe we should try a different outfit to stay there and just got to be quick. You know people don't have, people aren't that, you know people have a, unless you're a professional model, real people have about an hour's energy with a photo shoot and then they drift off, which is understandable you know they're not doing it every day but you've got to maximise on that time you know and to maximise you prepare. Craig Thatcher (17:12.859) Yep. That's. Tom Campbell (17:14.433) So yeah, it's little things as well. Like if you know you've got a full day shooting and you want fresh batteries in all your kit, because you don't want to be messing about changing batteries halfway through the winning shot. You want to make sure that everything's fresh and ready to go. Craig Thatcher (17:33.947) that you make a very good point. A lot of people see sort of models and photo shoots as very glamorous, but I mean, most of the time people are sitting around waiting, aren't they? And then they've got to concentrate. And if you're not used to doing it every day, yeah, you have a 45 minutes, an hour's window of concentration, then your mind starts wandering and then they don't do what they're asked to do in quite the right way. So yeah, that's a very good point. Tom Campbell (17:48.129) Yeah. Tom Campbell (18:04.033) Yeah, and you've got to communicate with people. You've got to say, look, right, we need 20 minutes to set the shot up. Just bear with, as soon as we're ready, we'll pull you in. And, you know, just talk to them. I tend to talk to a lot of my subjects, get them relaxed, and just for photography, just, you know, all the technical stuff, sort of like 5 % of what I do, you know. So yeah, but you know, you've just got to, you know, surround yourself with a good team. But yeah. Craig Thatcher (18:26.235) Yeah. Right. Tom Campbell (18:33.761) you know, it's experience as well, you know, like little things like knowing that we should bring a selection of apple boxes and that will allow us some flexibility with composing the shots. It's just, you know, little things make a big difference. You know, you don't want to be sort of scrabbling around on the day to get someone an extra two inches in height because, you know, what are you going to find? And they're going to be uncomfortable if you just, you need stuff on hand and on set and to be ready. Craig Thatcher (19:02.875) Yep, they work really very well. Simple things, but actually you're right. They give you that flexibility. Well, unless you can think of anything else, I think we've covered everything that I wanted to. Yes, that's it.

Photo by Samuel Foster on Unsplash The Managing Director of indicater.com, a specialist hospitality management platform, asked Craig Thatcher to help her and the Head of Sales and Marketing, to develop a new marketing strategy for the company. Founded in 2000, indicater.com operates independently with the support of the Volaris Group, a buy-and-hold acquirer of software businesses, who focus on the long term success of their companies. simplifying operations and control costs This cloud-based platforms helps hospitality operators to improve their business performance by simplifying their operations, controlling their costs and providing clear financial visibility, powerful insights, real-time reporting and to comply with food service regulations. Photo by Pablo Merchán Montes on Unsplash Strategic communications review A valuable piece of strategic background work had already been undertaken and provided some useful building blocks. Using this, Craig undertook a review of the way that the company communicated via its website, and analysed the strengths, weaknesses and relative market positions of its competitors. TECHNICAL AND KEYWORDS ANALYSIS He also commissioned a technical and keyword analysis of the company’s website and added the findings to his recommendations. Which included building a clearer business ecosystem for clients based on the indicater.com platform. This was in addition to the platform’s existing integrations and the powerful API (Applications Programming Interface) and EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) modules already in place. He also proposed deeper relationships should be developed with third party organisations that also serve their market with complementary, non-competitive services. Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash PurposE, brand promise & STRAP LiNE Craig helped hone the company’s purpose, which had not been compelling enough and developed a new brand promise. Which was summed up by the phrase ‘The Hospitality Management Platform to power your performance’. Developing a compelling Employee Value Proposition Craig also clearly defined the brand values, which succinctly articulated the way that everyone employed by the company behaved towards each other and to clients. He achieved this by asking a number of existing employees the following questions: What are your motivations and goals? What are the benefits of working at indicater.com? What is different about indicater.com to other places you have worked? He was impressed by how engaged everyone was. The many reasons why they loved working for company were illuminating so he used these to draft the employee value proposition which could be used when recruiting new employees in the future. fulfilling careers The company offers employees a supportive environment, where they can build their careers and influence the world around them in a friendly and agile team. Developing helpful content foR the client journey Craig created useful and helpful ‘evergreen’ content for prospective clients to help them to select the best hospitality management platform for their business’. So he drafted the five killer questions that they should ask potential partners along with helpful answers. Neatly designed as a downloadable pdf with UTM codes added on all of the click-throughs to help analyse where traffic had been generated. He interviewed various individuals and then drafted articles and LinkedIn posts, which were designed to improve organic search ranking on key landing pages for different vertical markets. Craig also updated the Head of Sales and Marketing's LinkedIn profile so it was more closely aligned with the company’s new and clearer position. IMPROVING the WEBSITE This project will lead to the development of a clearer website with improved messaging in the future. Creating a presence at an important exhibition Craig worked with a designer to create some graphic panels for a simple shell scheme stand at the Hotel, Restaurant and Catering Exhibition. He also drafted a news release to announce the launch of a new reporting and analytics module at the exhibition. The results of this project have been well received by clients and parent company Volaris Group. Services provided Strategic branding and digital marketing advice Technical and SEO website review Copywriting Design management Ghost writing LinkedIn posts & updating website Re-drafting a LinkedIn profile need to a new marketing strategy? For professional, objective and effective support or to answer your specific questions, contact Craig today.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is grabbing all the headlines at the moment and we were skeptical about how it might improve our creative workflow. But having spent months testing different tools, we’re really pleased with the overall speed and quality of results. Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash. As well as test driving the ChatGPT bot, we’ve noticed that many creative tools we use have started to employ Generative AI plugins run on GPT, the large language model by OpenAI. What is Generative AI? It strives to create entirely new data that resembles human-created content rather than just perform specific tasks based on predefine rules and patterns. interviews create great content We’ve had the best results by filming conversations between clients or experts, transcribing them afterwards, then automatically generating clear, concise copy for helpful summaries, articles and social media posts. All in a fraction of the time it used to take, which we now spend on more creative or productive tasks. using Generative AI in creative workflows Summarising long content from interviews into articles Writing posts to a maximum word count Helping to develop key messaging Brainstorming alternative headlines Suggesting hashtags and keyword phrases Writing meta titles and descriptions Drafting emails THE first question we ask ourselves What’s the story we’re trying to tell? The most critical part of our process is to define what the story is that we’re telling and to work out what the key points should be. Generative AI can be used to create draft scripts, based on very little information, which can be useful, if a bit workmanlike to start with. THIS IS OUR PROCESS FOR FILMING INTERVIEWS Copywriting articles for social media We us an AI tool to create a summary of the transcribed file of the interviews, and outputting in paragraphs or bullet points. If we specify a word count the AI tool will create an article for a blog, for LinkedIn and for X (formerly known as Twitter), along with relevant hashtags, keyword suggestions and emojis (if you really feel the need to express yourself this way). It will even write you an email that can be sent to your contacts to let them know about the interview. Writing landing page copy We often use ChatGPT to kick start our copywriting by explaining what type of company and product or service we’re writing the page for, the target market and the individuals we’re aiming at. We always ask ChatGPT to list the benefits that are important to the target market and you would be amazed at the number and variety of suggestions it will come up with. These can then be tailored specifically to our client’s business. Create your own app with API integration with Open AI models The great thing is that you can use the OpenAI API and models to build your own unique HelpBot, to help give you a distinct advantage in your market. Discover how you can build an application or a ChatGPT plugin. GPT-3.5 is OpenAI’s base model and is free to use. GPT-4 is OpenAI’s most advanced system, producing safer and more useful responses. DALL·E is an AI system that can create realistic images and art from a description in natural language. Whisper is a versatile speech recognition model that can transcribe, identify, and translate multiple languages. Some questions we’ve asked ChatGPT Create an outline for a documentary based on a company. ChatGPT came up with 8 chapters, a conclusion and credits. Tell us a joke. ChatGPT came up with ‘Why don’t scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! Ask us a question. ChatGPT came up with ‘If you could have any superpower, what would it be, and why would you choose that particular power? What are the reasons why people would support a conservation charity? ChatGPT came up with 14 including a short summary. Some of the creative tools we use Riverside.fm An online podcast & video studio. Record in studio quality without the studio. Transcribe, clip, and edit within seconds. Happyscribe A transcription and subtitles all-in-one platform. State of the art AI, working side by side with the best language professionals. Vimeo All-in-one video hosting, creating, live streaming, marketing, and communications tools platform for business. Vimeo Uses Generative AI, based on OpenAi to create scripts using a brief description and key inputs such as tone and length. The tex based video editor can automatically identify and delete pauses or filler words like ‘aahs’ and ‘umms’ from recordings. Footage can be shot with the built in teleprompter tool offering a script display that can be customised with different font sizes and pacing, For $20 per month, billed annually. ChatGPT-3.5 ChatGPT is an AI-powered language model developed by OpenAI, capable of generating human-like text based on context and past conversations. ChatGPT is the chatbot and GPT is the large language model it was originally trained on. OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company with a mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. As of October 2023, free users of ChatGPT based GPT-3.5 have the knowledge cut-off of September2021. ChatGPT Plus, which is based on GPT-4 can now access information up to January 2022. ChatGPT’s output is controlled by the prompts alone, the input command. The better the prompt, the better the output. The more context the language model gets, the better. The limit for GPT-3.5 text prompts is approximately 2,000 CHARACTERS and for GPT-4 is 25,000 WORDS. AIRPM A prompt management tool and community-driven prompt library for undertaking marketing, sales, operation, productivity, and customer support tasks in minutes that used to take hours with ready-to-use prompts for ChatGPT, Bard, Midjourney, and DALL-E 2. What you should do NOW AI tools will save you time, so you can reduce the repetitive, time-consuming tasks that form part of your creative workflow, allowing you more time to add value for your organisation or clients. Dive in and do your own testing. Most tools have free plans so you can establish which ones work best for you. AI will not take your job, if you learn how to manage these tools. Always double check all output created by AI for accuracy before publishing or sharing it. Any questions about using Generative AI in creative workflows? Contact Craig Thatcher.

REAL Success was founded over a decade ago by Paul Harris, who is very well known and highly respected in the agricultural industry. An international speaker, he is also the architect of VITA Profiling, a simple psychometric diagnostic tool for profiling people for specific roles. IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF COMMUNICATION The company’s existing brand identity and communications did not reflect the high quality of advice and support provided to farmers and the glowing reviews received from highly satisfied clients. AGRICULTURAL Industry must change As a result of Brexit, changes to government policy and subsidies, farmers are struggling more than ever to attract people to work in the sector, because of the long, lonely anti-social hours, and the hard and often dangerous work. This has led to labour shortages within the industry which farmers are struggling to overcome. RE-POSITIONING THE COMPANY Our brief was to identify a new market position and to create a new and exciting brand for the company that would resonate with and engage farmers, whilst conveying the full range of valuable people management services. REACHING IDEAL CLIENTS WITH THE RIGHT MINDSETS We wanted Paul to move away from positioning his company to farmers as a 'distress purchase' when they wanted to recruit a new person and transform it into one that offered them a strategic way to manage their future success -through their people. It is always important to define who the ideal clients are for a business and it was obvious that the best prospects would be forward-looking farmers who realise that investing in their people would be the key to their success. In this industry 'progressive farmers' embrace change and this term is an ideal way for them to self-identify. This is because they don’t see themselves as just farmers, but owners or managers of modern agribusinesses. The definition of an agribusiness is to maximises profit whilst sustainably satisfying the needs of consumers. VALUE PROPOSITION DESIGN Paul completed simple worksheets designed by Craig, who then drafted a new value proposition. This provided the building blocks for the new market position and key messages as well as clearly articulate the strengths of the company, the points of difference and the tangible and intangible benefits for clients. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS AND MARKET POSITIONING Craig reviewed how competitors communicated their offers and what they were saying about themselves. In this sector they ranged in size, yet most were corporate sounding, with bland personalities and not very people focused. Smaller competitors seemed to talk about themselves a lot and very little about the benefits of what they do for clients. As a result of this review Craig identified a new market position for REAL Success and conveyed this by mapping it against competitors on an XY grid. At the same time he proposed a few different positioning statements and the one below was adopted. Building harmonious high performance teams for progressive farmers seeking sustainable futures As part of his initial presentation, Craig developed some key headline messages and combined them with images to bring the new positioning to life, having searched for and the created a board of approximately seventy potential stock images that could be used. AN AGILE AND EXPERIENCED TEAM Craig slotted into a team of three, put together by Paul. Alex managed the overall project and provided Search Engine Optimisation and Hubspot CRM integration skills and Phil designed the new brand identity and built the website in Wordpress. NEW BRAND IDENTITY Once the value proposition and the new market position had been agreed the new brand identity was designed and refined by Phil, before developing the look and feel for the new website from some of the visual clues that Craig had shared in his presentation. New STRAP LINE Craig proposed that the new strap line should be ‘Recruit, Engage, Align, Lead’ as a replacement for the existing cliched one; ’Your People Are Our Business’. This new one does two things at once. It helps to explain the name of the company; REAL as well as the four step process that leads to success. WEBSITE NAVIGATION, COPY AND DESIGN Having reviewed the existing website, Craig re-wrote the copy for the new website so that it conveyed the key tangible and intangible benefits, and re-focused it around the visitor’s point of view and not on the company’s. The look and feel of the new website had to be very people-focused, contemporary and to resonate strongly with the target audience of progressive farmers. This included the use of authentic imagery, friendly copy, written in every day language without jargon. The tone of voice perfectly matching the new market position and reflecting Paul’s own personality. Craig proposed changes to improve the navigation with the addition of some new pages that provided more opportunities to drive visitors through organic search once optimised for the key word phrases that Phil had researched. The menu tabs 'VITA Profiling' and 'Farming Jobs' were given higher visibility than previously with buttons at the top of every web page. THE HARRIS TWEED LOOK There are so many ways to convey a brand’s personality and one of them is what people representing the company wear. Because of his surname and the target market, Craig proposed that Paul include a casual Harris tweed jacket as a key item in his wardrobe. LAUnch with A WHITE PAPER in the TRADE PRESS We recommended that a media pack including the new logo, colours, fonts and images should be put together and accessed via the new website to support the launch. As all the editors and freelance writers that cover the industry would only have reference to all the old digital assets. Craig helped to develop the launch communications plan for the new brand and website by talking to Alex about Paul writing a white paper in response to a report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee called 'Labour shortages in the food and farming sector'. Paul's white paper was a report researched and written to help farmers overcome the fifteen mindset myths with practical 'on-farm solutions'. It was covered extensively by Farmers Weekly - the leading trade magazine website and was put on the REAL Success website for people to download once they had provide a few basic contact details. RESULTS The results were impressive, with the number and quality of leads generated from the trade press coverage, social media and visitors to the new website up considerably and in a very short space of time. This is testament to the REAL Success offer and the real (excuse the pun) need in the market driven by seismic changes in the industry. PAUL Harris, Founder and Chief Executive of REAL Success said I just wanted to thank you for your excellent work on this project and between the three of you, it’s clear you have completely re-positioned the brand. Craig – your ability to reframe the copy into client focused language is clear and impressive, together with the site structure – thank you. PAUL Harris was interviewed by Craig Thatcher, and you can watch interview or read transcript here. Paul has some excellent tips for others thinking of rebranding their companies. KEY SERVICES PROVIDED Value proposition design (Craig) New market position (Craig) Brand strategy (Craig, Alex & Phil) Brand identity (Phil) Search Engine Optimisation (Alex) Website structure and navigation (Craig & Alex) Website design and build (Phil) Copywriting and tone of voice (Craig) Launch communications (Alex) need repositioning? Here are Craig's Top 10 Tips to ensure your branding project is a success. Not sure where to start? Try here first. Does your company need a new market position or to change the way that clients think about your organisation, then contact Craig today.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is grabbing all the headlines at the moment but we’ve all had disappointing experiences with ‘intelligent’ bots. Photo by нυвιѕ тανєяη on Unsplash. Imagine your own knowledge base powered by AI So we’ve been thinking how AI can help you to provide a better experience for your employees and your clients by accessing your own knowledge base and for you to carve out a distinct place in your market. People don’t have time to waste Wouldn’t it be so much easier, faster and more efficient if people could simply type their question or query into a search bar or prompt like ChatGPT and sit back and wait for a few seconds for the relevant answer from the company knowledge base. Rather than try and find the information manually or file by file? The idea born because of character limit for prompts This all started when we discovered that our best results with Generative AI came from providing it with content that we created specifically from long form interviews. However, we also wanted to provide access to the 32,000 words of wisdom in our book for service-based organisations ambitious to grow called ‘Continuous Branding’ plus all the pages, blog posts and success stories on this website. We thought this would be a brilliant way we could provide our clients with a unique experience by accessing all of our knowledge and experience quickly and easily, wherever they are. But we quickly hit the character limit for ChatGPT. feed YOUR BOt everything about your organisation We’ve been working with a specialist developer on a system that will enable you to import and ingest different file types from pdfs to emails into your own knowledge base and embed a chatbot on your intranet or website to enable your colleagues, prospects or clients to ask it questions, either using their keyboard their voice and have answers back as text or voice in a matter of seconds. No more wasting time. Most of our clients provide complex services or products and store large numbers of different types of files across their organisations in silos that their employees find difficult to access. Even if they have a well structured filing system. This one application could make a significant difference, enhance user experience and reduce operational costs. A knowledge base powered by AI offers efficiency, scalability, personalisation and continuous improvement. Morgan Stanley wealth management deploys GPT-4 to organise its vast knowledge base Read this excellent example of how a company can make its vast knowledge base more accessible to its employees and improve the way they serve their clients. AI POWERED knowledge base offers many advantages Any questions about transforming your market position with an AI powered konwledge base? Contact Craig Thatcher.

Photo by Łukasz Maźnica on Unsplash. With great stories about your culture told by your colleagues. Most companies have great cultures but they’re just not very good at talking about them to prospective or existing employees. Your culture is what makes people start and stay. Benefits of clearly communicating your culture Attract and retain the best employees Gain a competitive advantage Provide your clients with a better experience Photo by William Recinos on Unsplash. Lack of suitable people and rising employment costs are challenging You want to keep your best employees because its expensive and time consuming to recruit new people. You also want to know how to attract the best employees to start and stay at your company. Yet the cost of retaining existing employees is rising rapidly and some companies are giving loyalty bonuses or rewarding them with self-development or well-being programmes. The cost of living and interest rates are up, which is also putting pressure on salaries. Unless you enjoy sky high margins, you are never going to be able to pay your people the most in your market because you operate in a competitive landscape. Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash. The UK workforce is changing shape rapidly Some people have not retuned to work after the pandemic whilst others are leaving or just doing less because they want a better work life balance. Many are disillusioned and de-motivated. Whilst BREXIT and rule changes around VISAs are also helping to re-shape the UK workforce. How to attract the best employees Some industries like hospitality and agriculture are finding it particularly difficult to attract and to retain people, either because the working conditions are poor and the pay low or both. Unless you are market leader like Apple or Google you will probably be finding it tougher to recruit and retain the best talent. Consider those with unusual back stories, non-traditional skills or disabilities because they could become loyal employees. Photo by Alicia Steels on Unsplash. What do the best people want? Individuals want to feel valued, to feel special. They want to be respected and listened to and to spring out of bed in the morning. They look to develop their skills and to feel part of a successful team because they share the same purpose as everyone around them. To be part of a diverse and inclusive workplace where people are allowed to be themselves, and to be recognised and rewarded on merit. Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash. How do you make them feel special? Ask yourself how you can improve their experience? Small thoughtful things can make a big difference to individuals. So it doesn’t mean throwing loads of money at them. But if you don’t respect them then don’t expect them to respect your clients or customers. How do you tell the story of a company with a great culture? I asked Graham Jerome-Ball Global Branding Director of Informa plc how he has been tackling this issue. He says, by asking ourselves, “how do we express our culture? What does it look like so it feels exciting? What traits do we have that are unique and how can we express them through stories?” Photo by Kate Bezzubets on Unsplash. How to make it happen First your need to develop a compelling employee value proposition, which is the same as defining what your culture is all about. We can help you do this and then turn it into something that is story-based, exciting and engaging to read, to make you proud. If you don’t know or are not sure why your company is so great and what your point of difference is, we’ll work it out together. Then clearly explain why employees should start and why they should stay by interviewing key colleagues about their jobs, why they love doing them and why they love working for your company. Explaining the importance of culture and the way it relates directly to success and to your brand is crucial. Because culture is all about people, what’s in it for them and the benefit of working for your company. What makes your culture different from others? Get real employees to talk about their specific, exciting or unusual roles. Explaining their background and the qualities they believe have helped them to succeed. Giving an idea of the pathway they’ve followed that resonates with your viewer or reader. Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash. All great stories have six key elements 'Every story has a beginning, a middle and an end. Not necessarily in that order.’ Tim Burton Storytelling enables you to talk about your company’s purpose and culture in an engaging and compelling way. Through a magical mix of words, photos, graphics, film or animation. In our experience the most compelling stories often don't start at the begining. Do you want to talk about your great culture in a more engaging and compelling way then contact Craig Thatcher now to find out how. Services Brand strategy and market positioning Creative management Planning and filming interviews Storytelling Employee value proposition design Drafting company purpose and values Copywriting articles and posts Graphics and animation Digital marketing Coaching

Animations are a great way to tell a complex story, an approach or process in a simple and engaging way. As creators, we decide what to include and what to leave out, and what is left out means what is left in has greater clarity and impact. In this post we talk about why we decided to use animation on a project for Caice, a building products manufacturer. We describe the process we went through to create the animation, explain our thinking along the way and how and where the animation is being used. Tell an interesting and engaging story in 3 minutes We were asked to come up with a way of telling an interesting story about the linear process from the moment that a client gives Caice a brief for designing Acoustic Louvres for one of their buildings to the final installation on-site. We thought it would be good to use animation. Every story has a start, middle and end But the story doesn't need to be told in that order. So Craig decided to start with the end, which in this case was a ‘professional installation on time’, then go to the start, which was the client briefing and the design stages, then to the middle, which was the manufacture and delivery of the products, and then back to the end - with a professional installation on time. What are Acoustic Louvres? They are physical barriers designed to reduce the sound of noisy plant and machinery reaching neighbours in adjacent buildings. The term ‘Continuous Line’ applies to acoustic louvres with horizontal and no vertical, visually disruptive joints. Aesthetically pleasing to the eye and audibly pleasing on the ear. Why did we create this animation? Competitors catch up faster than ever before in terms of product development. So the only way to stay ahead nowadays is to provide an outstanding client experience as well as market-leading products. An experience is far harder to replicate than a physical product and companies with pioneering attitudes are better able to do this than companies playing ‘catch-up’. By using animation we could convey the points of difference that we know that competitors currently can’t match. Where are we going to use this animation? It is being used on the Caice website, on social media, in CPD courses and by the sales team in their presentations. UNDerstanding key stages in the process We interviewed our client to establish precisely what the key stages of the journey were and what needed to be emphasised, then Craig drafted the copy for each of the stages and obtained approval. The animation style As a style guide, we had some basic illustrations created in 2017 for the Caice website and these provided a base in terms of colours, line weights and of course included the Roboto font. Sequential not simultaneous It is very difficult to convey in an animation that things happen simultaneously, rather than sequentially, but this is also an advantage as it allows each thing to have its own space in the time line. If seven things happen together in the animation then the viewer could well miss several of them. Soundtrack but no voice over We decided not to have a voiceover because the target audience tends to view this type of content on desktop PCs, in offices, surrounded by others with the sound turned off their computers. However, if they do have ‘sound on’ then the soundtrack has an uplifting tempo, one that rises and falls as it changes pace. Animation development stages 1. Concept We developed the initial idea based on what every client wants - a professional installation on time, as anything else can be stressful and costly if things go wrong. 2. Storyboard Divided into chapters, our story was broken down into a series of slides, with accompanying script for each and some very rough sketches or photos transposed onto A6 cards to help decide what order would work best. The script was re-edited several times to reduce the number of words with annotated notes to signify where graphics needed to added to emphasise key points. 3. motion design brief In a Zoom call with motion designer Nic Flatt, Craig went through the storyboard, the copy, the annotated notes and digital assets. Static illustrations were developed for each of the cards, which were then approved before the motion design was started 4. Animation Nic combined the illustrations, copy and soundtrack onto an interactive proofing platform that enabled us to view them all together, and once approved, the animation could be started. After about three stages of development the animation was approved, the file was output as a high res and a compressed file. 5. Web page build and email signature deisgn Craig wrote the copy, designed, built and optimised the web page that would be home for the animation and created banners from other key pages to link to it. He also designed a promotional banner for Caice email signatures, to encourage click through to the animation. 6. Launch communications The project was successful because our client was closely involved at every stage of the process and used a very small group of his colleagues for critical feedback, before releasing internally, in advance of a public debut via social media. Digital spin-off assets We used many elements from the animation for four spin-off ideas as follows: A. Demonstrating how Acoustic Louvres work Craig edited the 3D rendered CAD segment at the start and end of the film together and added the sound file of an air conditioning unit that increased or decreased in volume, depending on the addition or removal of the acoustic louvres. We decided to use this 11 second file as a humorous, tongue-in-cheek way to engage our audience on LinkedIn, as it would be obvious to them that the sound effect, was in effect 'an effect’ because there was no plant or machinery behind the acoustic louvres to generate the sound of noisy plant and equipment. However, it certainly got the idea across. B. Animated GIF TO grab attention Craig converted 6 seconds of the file to a GIF, which was used on the Caice website home page as part of a banner and Call To Action to encourage visitors to click thorough to the animation. C. Animated Caice logo We edited the animated Caice logo and saved this out as a separate files for our client to use as intros and outros for their video tutorials. D. Static illustrations The illustrations will be used for projects elsewhere, especially for use on internal communications. The results Our client is very pleased with the animation and in particular the level of engagement that it has achieved. The story, the soundtrack, the overall graphical style and movement in the animation all work well together. This looks absolutely brilliant! It tells a really strong story about our business which is easy for people to understand who don’t know the ‘ins and outs’ of Caice. The visuals and artwork are lovely and the animated Caice logo is a really nice touch. Thank you for putting it together for us. Neil Timmins, IT Director Caice (left hand side below) Timings The project took four to five weeks for the design concept and story board stage, about five weeks for the animation stage and two weeks for web page build and launch communications to be developed. complicated story to tell? Do you have a complicated story and are struggling with the best way to tell it then contact Craig today.

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash. Companies like yours often face unique challenges in your marketing due to the nature of your target audience and the complexity of your services. You need digital marketing advice specifically for service businesses. Here are some of the common areas where you may need help to develop targeted strategies to communicate the value of your services. Improving brand awareness Establishing and maintaining brand awareness within your market can be difficult, as the focus is often on building strong personal relationships. So you may need help in crafting and promoting consistent brand messaging. Companies often struggle to communicate why they’re different because they’re too busy communicating what they do, which is generally what everyone else is saying too. Strategy first Creating useful content is essential because it will position your organisation as helpful and approachable, which are excellent qualities. But decide on your strategy first before you decide on how you are going to communicate. Developing an effective content strategy Creating valuable and relevant content that addresses the specific pain points, challenges and needs of your target audience can be challenging. The most important issue is to understand what your clients need most help with - by asking them the right questions. Then deciding which is the best format from which you can extract this information before developing a comprehensive content strategy using channels they are comfortable with. Personalisation and segmentation If you target specific industries, roles and pain points then you can segment your audience and tailor your marketing messages to resonate strongly with each segment, which will lead to greater engagement. Thought leadership and content authority Establishing thought leadership and authority within your industry or market sector helps your company to stand out. Crafting thought-provoking content, participating in industry discussions, and presenting at relevant conferences can all contribute to this goal. Social media strategy You may struggle with finding the right social media platforms to reach your target audiences. Developing a social media strategy that aligns with your industry and engages potential clients is essential but don’t assume that every one of your prospects is active on social media. Other more traditional forms of communication can be effective for them. Lead generation Generating high-quality leads is a top priority and relevant content makes lead generation far easier. So you may need help in designing lead generation campaigns, optimising landing pages, and creating compelling calls-to-action to capture the interest of potential clients. Account-based marketing (ABM) Do you often target specific key accounts? Implementing ABM strategies requires identifying decision-makers, personalising content, and orchestrating coordinated marketing efforts across various channels. Marketing automation If your products or services are high-ticket items then you will experience longer sales cycles and multiple touch points. Implementing marketing automation tools to nurture leads, segment audiences, and send timely, relevant content can greatly enhance your efficiency and effectiveness especially if you have a high volume of prospects and limited head count. Search engine optimisation (SEO) Improving visibility in search engine results for relevant keywords is crucial. Optimising your website and content to rank higher and attract organic traffic is an effective way to make the most of all of the valuable content you have created and help to generate leads. Trade shows and events Participating in industry trade shows and events is a common marketing tactic. But many companies don’t think why prospective clients attend trade shows and how they can make the most of their time there by communicating before, during and after the event to maximise their ROI. Sales and marketing alignment Effective collaboration between sales and marketing teams is crucial to ensure a seamless transition from marketing-generated leads to sales engagement. I’m amazed that we still need to talk about this as is has been on the table ever since I started my career in marketing in the early 1980s. Measuring ROI You may struggle with measuring the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and attributing ROI to specific campaigns. So you may need help in setting up proper tracking mechanisms and analysing data to understand which strategies are delivering results. The key is select the minimum number of Key Performance Indicators to monitor. digital marketing advice for service business So whatever stage you are at, we can help you to clearly position your company in your market and help you develop and implement effective digital and marketing communications campaigns. Contact Craig Thatcher now.

The challenge Caice has an enthusiastic sales team led by the highly experienced Sales Director, David Clough, but does not have a dedicated design or digital marketing resource in-house. This manufacturer of specialist building products needed to improve their on-line presence and their brochures to support their growth plan and to gain market share. Design & digital marketing has HELPED TO increase market share We have helped to change the way that Caice think about positioning their company, using branding better as well as improved their digital marketing. Helping them to gain significant market share in the Fan Coil Units (air conditioning units) market. They are now the third largest, up from sixth when their new range was launched in 2018 and they're closing the gap fast on the other two. Re-design and build of the website Craig led the team that re-designed, then built and launched a new website in 2017, writing the copy in a helpful, personal and yet professional tone of voice. Our design team created the illustrations for the different market sectors, designed icons for the different types of products and used higher quality photography. Clearly communicating the benefits of their products and services as well as their pioneering spirit. Better quality and more engaging photography Caice work on some very prestigious building projects and Craig recommended that Caice use fewer, high quality shots of completed projects and this has helped to improve the overall perception of quality. Craig took these shots and film of the Caice 'Continuous Line' Acoustic Louvres at the Infinity Here East Data Centre, which was originally built as the Press Centre for the 2012 London Olympics. improved client experience is one way to stand out In the construction industry there is often little difference between the performance of one competitor’s products over another. A major area of competitive advantage is to provide a superior client experience; from initial enquiry through to the final installation of the products. Caice chatbot controlled by humans We encouraged Caice to improve the experience for prospective clients visiting their website, and improve their brand and marketing communications consistency. Craig proposed that a chatbot should be installed on their website, controlled by humans not robots - for visitors who prefer this channel of communication over email or phone. It has proved very successful with younger engineers and technicians. organic Search Engine Optimisation We arranged for a review of the website by Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) specialist, Emily Wood and she made recommendations for how it could be improved from an on-page, technical point of view. Writing interesting content for the website Craig writes regular success stories and creates new pages for the website, based on information provided by the sales team who provide all of the relevant background data and materials in a template. Once written and approved, an article is condensed down for use on social media platforms like LinkedIn and in periodical e-newsletters. With email addresses obtained from those who have downloaded free Caice software or who have engaged in a chatbot conversation or submitted an enquiry via the website contact form. Launching a new range OF FAN COIL UNITS Caice were well know for manufacturing Attenuators but not for Fan Coil Units or Air Conditioning Units as they are known outside the industry, so they designed a whole new range in 2018. Craig put a launch and marketing plan together and wrote the copy for and arranged the design of a new product brochure for these new, very quiet, energy efficient and low maintenance products. He also organised for a new section of the website to be built using copy drafted for the product brochure. Copywriting and design of product brochure Craig drafted the copy for the non-technical parts of the brochures including new and better ways of communicating the key benefits of the modular systems, using stand-out graphics and illustrations, as well as higher quality photography. Other product brochures in the range follow the same style. finalists in the RAC Cooling Awards We recommended that Caice enter the Fan Coil Units in the RAC Cooling Awards in 2018, created the PowerPoint presentation deck for the submission, and were delighted to hear that the product range was a finalist that year. Craig wrote the press release for the two main trade websites and developed a social media campaign based on the key messages. Creating an energy savings calculatoR Since the range of Caice Fan Coil Units was more energy efficient than competitors, we discussed ways of promoting this benefit. Caice created an energy savings calculator and our designer created a simple user interface for it. This was the first time that Caice had communicated the end user benefit of lower running costs for their products, as architects and engineers specify these products - and they don't have to work or live in the spaces they design and build. We agreed that this is essential nowadays, given that reduced energy consumption is good for the environment and saves money on electricity over the lifetime of the products. Helpful, time saving tools and educational content We have also helped Caice to communicate their range of free, downloadable and time-saving software and free Continual Professional Development (CPD) courses to educate their clients. A4 SALES presentation template & INSTRUCTIONs Craig organised the design of the Caice corporate presentation in PowerPoint to save individuals in the sales team valuable time, as each of them used to put their own together. It was designed in PowerPoint and A4 in size, so that they could be tailored for each client, be saved as a pdf, then emailed or printed out if necessary. Craig also organised for the re-design of the installation, operation and maintenance instructions in PowerPoint so that they could be easily updated by Caice. LAUNCHING A NeW website FOR LCP ACOUSTICS LCP Acoustics is a division of Caice and provides a range of acoustic consultancy services to professionals in the building services industry in the UK. Read more. Internal communications is vital for future success Craig is helping the new Managing Director to improve engagement with all Caice colleagues in his plan for the future of the company. This includes Craig sharing his specialist advice, experience and best practice in this important, but often over-looked area of communications. professional installation on time Caice is a pioneer within the construction industry, are very efficient, as this keeps costs down and saves unnecessary waste. The company invests a lot of resources in the in-house development of software that integrates the product design, manufacture and installation on-site. To help Caice to communicate the benefits of their very sophisticated system to clients in a simple and engaging way, Craig created a storyboard concept, drafted the copy for an animation and then worked with Nic Flatt, a motion designer and an illustrator to bring it to life. Craig is easy to work with, he understands our business and helps us to engage our clients in new ways. His digital marketing and copywriting skills enable us to talk about our products, our pioneering position and our culture in a completely different way to all the other companies in our market. David Clough (right hand side below), Sales Associate at Caice Acoustic Air Movement Key services provided Brand strategy and management Website design and build User experience design Illustration and icon design Copywriting for website and brochures Design of brochures, presentations and product instructions Search Engine Optimisation Photography Internal communications Motion design NEED HELP? If you operate in a competitive market and need help with your branding and digital marketing then get in contact now.

This article is ideal for you if you are an owner or director of a company that sells services, rather than makes or sells products and have a plan to grow and are looking for a brand management tool to make it easier. At a cross roads? You may be at a cross roads right now as a result of making some significant strategic decisions about the future of your company. For instance, you may have decided to grow your company to sell it in the next three to five years, in which case you need to build the value as much as possible to realise the best possible price. Reasons you'll find our branding tool useful Alternatively, you may just have acquired the business or taken over the management of it as a result of a merger, acquisition or diversification from a parent company and need to grow it for one or more of the following reasons; You aspire to have or regain market leadership because you know that being a follower limits the size and quality of clients you need to appeal to. You need to develop a new value proposition or brand promise to delight clients that are a perfect match for your company. Not too big for you to handle and not too small that they’re uneconomic to service. You’re developing new and innovative services because you recognise that there are new revenue opportunities out there. Or you’re creating new customer service experiences and plan to use them as a great way of differentiating your company in the market. To be more agile, you are driving internal culture change and transforming the speed and way that your employees think and behave going forward. You plan to change transactional relationships with your clients into strategic ones based on long term, collaborative partnerships and seek out those that look for and value the same thing. Because margins are under pressure, you need to appeal to clients that are an ideal fit for your business model, rather than waste valuable time and resources on those that are not. Overcome significant challenges You may be making significant strategic decisions despite or because everything is changing fast. Your markets are changing, so are your competitors, as they’re multiplying and more determined to get their share. So you need to adapt, by achieving far more productively with possibly fewer employees. They in turn, must all work smarter together because your clients’ are more demanding than ever before. On the upside, new technologies are giving you new, different and faster ways to engage with and sell to your customers. All this change is opening up new opportunities and closing down old, traditional ones. So as a company owner or manager you’re looking at ways to grow revenues, margins and manage your organisations better. Branding adds great value if used strategically Branding is a strategic activity that will add enormous value to your organisations if you put it at the heart of absolutely everything you do. It is not a tactical activity to be employed every few years when growth slows down. embark on your own journey To harness the enormous power of it, you need to understand the process of branding and then how to manage it. You’ll be embarking on a journey. One that is totally unique to your company and your brand. With no straight lines to the end. Because there is no end. Only twists and turns along the way to greater success and continued growth. Branding is a bit of a mystery to most people. Yet it is simple and you can benefit from it’s performance-boosting capability because our founder Craig Thatcher has developed a brand management tool called ‘Continuous Branding’ to help you. Achieve greater success with our branding tool You’ll achieve greater success by growing your brand if you put the five principles of continuous branding at the heart of everything you do. As it continuously links your business strategy to your people, because this is not a ‘stop start’ activity carried out every few years. Neither is it solely for the marketing department to do. It is a much deeper and far more fundamental activity than that. Proven with consistent results Rapport Guest Services grew by 20% per annum for nearly a decade, into a market leading and award winning company, using Continuous Branding. Read the story in chapter eight of the book. Why did Craig create this tool? Because it concerns him to see brand owners and managers struggling with the same issues, wasting their time, resources and making the same mistakes, when we could help them to grow faster, more easily and more consistently. As a branding specialist, he is ideally placed to provide the advice, guidance and support based on more than 30 years of experience. Summed up in a short book, written in plain English, with no jargon or marketing gobbledegook. Your next steps Discover how to build the value of your company over the next three to five years and you'll find it easier with our brand tool. Are you going for market or brand leadership? Perhaps thinking of repositioning your company? Do you need to clearly communicate your new value proposition? Discover what’s the best rebranding strategy is for your company. Need any help rebranding your company? Are you changing your relationship with clients to strategic ones rather than tactical? Service branding will make your intangible services tangible. Connect, contact or call Connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter, contact me with a question, or call Craig Thatcher on the studio number below.

We'll help you to keep your kite flying high. If you’re an owner or director of a company that sells services, rather than makes or sells products and need help rebranding a company, then you’ll find our 'Continuous Branding' tool very helpful. communicate change to clients and colleagues You’re probably making some significant strategic decisions about the future of your company. As a result you need to communicate these changes to your clients and colleagues. This can be exciting and daunting when so much is happening all at the same time. The problem is that rebranding a company that sells services rather than makes or sells products is difficult because the key to success is about making your intangible services tangible and persuading your colleagues to think and behave in new and different ways. Rebranding a company is just the first step Because the process of branding is a strategic activity that’ll add enormous value to your organisations if you put it at the heart of absolutely everything you do from now on. It’ll help you to clearly communicate your strategy to your colleagues and clients on a continuous basis. It is not a tactical activity, employed every few years when growth slows down. harness the power Branding a bit of a mystery to most people. Yet it is simple and you can benefit from it’s performance-boosting capability because we have developed a tool to help you. proven with consistent results Rapport Guest Services grew by 20% per annum for nearly a decade, into a market leading and award winning company, using Continuous Branding. Read the story in chapter eight of the book. Rebranding a company that provides intangible services like Rapport is covered in chapter eight and the stages for your own branding journey are outlined in chapter nine. Your next steps Discover how to build the value of your company over the next three to five years and you'll find it easier with our brand tool. Are you going for market or brand leadership? Perhaps thinking of repositioning your company? Do you need to clearly communicate your new value proposition? Discover what’s the best rebranding strategy is for your company. Are you changing your relationship with clients to strategic ones rather than tactical? Service branding will make your intangible services tangible with our tool for service-based organisations. Connect, contact or call Connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter, contact me with a question, or call Craig Thatcher on the studio number below.

REAL Success was founded over a decade ago by Paul Harris who is very well known and highly respected in the agricultural industry. An international speaker, he is also the architect of Vita Profiling. A simple psychometric diagnostic tool. He helps build harmonious high performance teams for progressive farmers seeking sustainable futures. I'm Craig Thatcher and today I'm talking to him about the rebranding of his company by asking these questions. What prompted you to embark on re-branding your business and what has the impact been? What did you think of the process and what were your greatest discoveries during it? What were the biggest challenges that you’ve overcome? What tips would you give to other business owners who are about to re-brand their companies? paul's tips and ah-ha! moments Discover what Paul's tips has for you and his ah-ha! moments from re-branding his company. Thinking of Re-branding? Read the REAL Success story and case study. Here are Craig's Top 10 Tips to ensure your branding project is a success. Not sure where to start? Try here first. If you are wondering whether B2B re-branding is worth it or have some specific questions, then contact Craig today. Transcript of this interview [00:00:26.930] - Craig Thatcher What prompted you to embark on the rebranding of your business? [00:00:31.440] - Paul Harris Okay, great place to start Craig. I suppose the rebrand of my business was really about needing to expand the business and generate new leads. I've been in business for 13 years and it was about growing the business beyond me. So the original branding was done when I first started the business. It hadn't changed at all in 13 years, but actually my business had changed quite a lot and particularly the clients who we were dealing with had changed a fair bit, a lot actually since I first begun. So it was about reflecting the brand, reflecting the clients that I was now dealing with and the business looking more than just Paul Harris, I guess, yeah. [00:01:14.970] - Craig Thatcher Excellent. Okay. What would have been the greatest moments of realisation or discovery, would you say, during this process? [00:01:23.390] - Paul Harris Well, it definitely was one significant A-ha! Moments. There were lots of smaller A-ha! moments. But one really significant one was that really my website in particular and my branding and the messaging that we give is not about me or not about us, it was all about the client. The marketing isn't just telling clients what we do, it's connecting with them where they are now that maybe just saying it glibly. It doesn't sound like a particularly massive A-ha! moment but I think for many of us in smaller businesses, when we start our businesses, we tell everybody what we do because we want them to know what we do when they come onto our websites. The problem is not many people come onto our websites so we've got to have a website where actually when they arrive at our website they see themselves rather than seeing us. And that was the massive sort of realisation and discovery that I came across. Really? [00:02:22.310] - Craig Thatcher Okay. I do remember when I was reviewing your competitors, I got excited about the potential of repositioning your business because the others were by and large just talking about themselves all the time and they weren't talking about what impact they could have on their clients. So I'm glad you picked up on that. [00:02:40.330] - Craig Thatcher And what would you say with the lowest points? Because there are always low points in any project. It's not all high high, what would you say? [00:02:50.070] - Paul Harris Yeah, I wouldn't call them low points particularly. I think the hardest point is a better question really was about letting go, and the need to be in control when you've run your business yourself for quite a long time and you've written everything and you've done all your own copy suddenly to have to let go and let somebody else write about your business was certainly one of the challenges. And then this sort of thinking that others won't be able to describe what I do because only I can describe what we do. And then realising, of course, it wasn't about describing what we do. It's about reaching into the client's psyche and being able to articulate that, I guess. And the other one really was having to let go of this desire to tell people what we do. I remember having a fascinating conversation with my brother, actually, and he said, with Andy, and he said, People aren't sitting at home thinking 'what I need is Vita Profiling' because I wanted to put more information about Vita Profiling all over our website. He said, no, they're not sitting there asking that question. They're thinking, how do I get some help with my people? [00:03:59.260] - Paul Harris Where do I find someone who can help me with recruitment? And it was letting go of that need in a need, almost. But I need to tell you everything that we do. That was probably the hardest transition, really. And the second one being and that somebody else could actually be able to articulate what we do, or at least articulate what the client needs better than I could. [00:04:20.390] - Craig Thatcher Well, there's two points there. One is VITA profiling, which is your very simple sort of psychometric testing tool, which you develop yourself. And I do understand what Andy is talking about, because, one, they don't know what it is, and two, they don't know what it can do for them, but they know they have a problem. And secondly, the point you're referring to about talking about what you can do or somebody else doing it better is actually, it is often easier to write about somebody else and what they do than it is to write about yourself and what you do. So that's what I do all of the time, really. One of the things I enjoy most, actually, is working together as a small team with you and with Alex and Phil and with Andy. And I think you've blended the skill set of SEO, CRM design and my specialist skills in branding and copywriting and, of course, Andy supporting on the financial side. And I think that's been really good and I think you've got the best out of all of us. What did you think about the rebranding process as we went through it? [00:05:31.090] - Craig Thatcher Because it's not something that people go through very often, but it's something I'm very keen to help people understand because the concept of Continuous Branding is something that all businesses should have in their minds. I'd be interested to know what you felt as you went through. And now, actually, looking back, how you feel about the process. [00:05:56.320] - Paul Harris Do I feel about it? I mean, I think the first thing was once I let go of what we talked about before, the need to control everything. It was then to trust the process that when you engage somebody who's a specialist, or phrase I don't really like expert, but if you use an expert or a specialist to trust them, that they know what they're doing and what they're talking about. So I think I had to let go quite quickly and trust in Phil and in you and in Alex and Andy that we were all good. You knew what I wanted, you'd understood my business. And then it was trusting that process that the specialists that were there to help could help. And then what I also liked about the process was that when I was getting in my own way or getting in the way of the process, the people were prepared to tell me, we're brave enough to speak up and say, yes, Paul, but that's not what we're doing here. That's not going to achieve the desired result. When I was getting uppety about colours or various minutiae, really, I just have this lovely knowing look on the zoom, meeting with the experts going, yeah, okay, Paul, but that's really not vital at this stage. [00:07:02.610] - Paul Harris Don't get hung up on that. So I think what I liked about it, was that it was a staged process. You came and asked me for some information, you asked me about what the market was and who my clients were, and then you went away and worked with Phil to produce that in visual and copy form. And then when the first iteration of the branding came back, it was, oh my goodness, how have you got all that? Just from the odd conversation with me. And I guess it was a really interesting process and seeing the brand develop in front of my eyes. What I would say to anybody else is that it's really easy to get hung up on things like logos. And I remember having a few conversations at the beginning about logo and actually you saying quite clearly that logo is part of it, but let's not get hung up on the logo. It's the messaging that's far more important. And I think that was a really educational process for me that we did end up with a logo that was really pleased with. But it's very easy sometimes to get obsessed with things like colours and logos when really what you need to trust in the rebranding is what is the messaging you're trying to get out to your target client. [00:08:22.130] - Paul Harris So I think that process of digging in deep into what the client is really looking for was perhaps the best part of the rebrand, rather than what it looks like. I'm really delighted with the colours and how it looks. What I'm more delighted with is how we now express what the business does. And that was for me, the rebrand for me wasn't really just about colours and logos, it was about expression and description of how we talk about what we do. [00:08:52.710] - Craig Thatcher Yeah, I'd agree with that. I know you played down my questioning, but I know what questions to ask. And actually your answers were very thorough and very deep and actually, that's great to work with. So that's how we got to where we got to really and actually, the rebranding the most fundamental part was actually working out your new value proposition. What was it that made you so unique from any of your competitors and so compelling for those farmers, the progressive farmers, the ones that are looking to the future, the ones that are open to new ideas, the ones that are clamouring for help, to help support their businesses? What was it about what you do that really helps them? And it was simply a matter of uncovering what that was and making that clearer and repositioning you in your market. [00:09:57.700] - Paul Harris I just wanted to add something to what you just said. What you said is actually really important. Is that I think. Again. When you're trying to grow the business. Which is what this rebranding exercise was really about is you also have to move as a smaller business owner away from the our market is everybody. Even in this case. Although I work in a niche market. Which is agriculture. And within that niche market. I niche it down even further to primarily dairy farmers and arable farmers. Within those sectors, you can even niche again. And we've talked a lot about niching in marketing terms, people often get frightened of it, but it's not necessarily excluding people, but it's clearly identifying who our target, absolute target market, our client avatar, if you like, was. And you really helped with that, Craig, in terms of narrowing down who we really want to speak to. So that the copy that you then prepared was very much speaking to that niche of a niche of a niche rather than a generally set copy, which is what you tend to do when you're writing your own copy, because you want to appeal to everybody. And you clearly helped in terms of the branding, re-proposition, clearly identifying who is it that is your target client. [00:11:17.670] - Craig Thatcher Yeah, that's spot on and I'm pleased that that's come through. And clearly it's resonating with your targets. So what's been the biggest challenges that you've overcome with this project, then? [00:11:34.950] - Paul Harris We're still working on it. One of the challenges is it's not finished. Often you think, okay, the website's done, the business cards are ready, the logos all sorted. [00:11:44.830] - Craig Thatcher Right? [00:11:45.370] - Paul Harris Job done. Clap your hands and say it's finished. It isn't. It's actually just the beginning. That's what I realised, is that having a new brand, a new website, and a new look and a new set of messaging is just the beginning of the process. So what we've then done is we've been integrating a CRM system called HubSpot into everything that we're doing, so that we're driving traffic now back to our website. And for me, that was a technological challenge, using new bits of software. That was where the help of people like Alex Morrisoe was so helpful. And he's still being helpful in terms of integrating SEO, email marketing. So they all drive traffic back to the website. Having spent money on the rebrand, that's where we want people to land. And often there's a feeling of, well, I can just post anything on social media. Well, no, it's this integration of bringing everything back to the people land on the website. And I think that's a fantastic challenge that we're now seeing the fruits of. I was looking today in terms of the increased leads that we've had, the increased downloads off our website, the traffic we've got, the profile that we're now getting, all because we're driving all of our comms back towards the website. [00:13:01.390] - Paul Harris So that, to me, has been the biggest challenge that we've overcome. We're still working on it, still want more work to do. But having had a website there for 13 years that had very little traffic coming to it, the biggest challenge was to get traffic to the website. And we're now achieving that, which is fantastic. [00:13:19.210] - Craig Thatcher Well, that's brilliant. That message about, okay, the end of the rebranding is only the start of the next phase, is not something that clients like to hear when they're in that process of change and all the rest of it. But you're absolutely right, it is the start, not the finish. So I'm glad that you've recognised that and I'm also glad that the impact that the rebranding is having. So that brings me onto the relaunch itself. And I know we're only sort of weeks away from it, so I'm talking like it was in the past tense of years ago. But the relaunch was especially successful because of the white paper that you drafted in response to the government one about labour shortages in food and farming sector. So I just wanted you to explain how the idea of that white paper came about. [00:14:13.930] - Paul Harris It's interesting. I was thinking about this and actually wondering whether I could remember where it came from, but I think I'd seen green papers and white papers and people that issued white papers. So I had this idea of writing a white paper to the industry about the factors that I believed, a bit like the Emperor's New Clothes. The industry wasn't talking about they all knew there was a problem, but they weren't talking about the real on farm problem. So one of the biggest issues that agriculture has in the UK in 2022 was post Brexit not having access to Eastern European labour. The challenge is that's not the root cause of the long term problem that the industries have in attracting labour. It's actually much more to do with the ability of the farmer to attract and then retain staff on their farms, from the basics of working conditions and hours to how they manage people themselves, how they communicate. And the Government white paper, wasn't talking about that, but it was you, I think, that says you need to respond to a government document. And I think you'd seen a couple of documents in the press and you say, why don't you respond? [00:15:20.650] - Paul Harris You get your white paper to respond to the Government white paper, which of course, gives it a lot more credibility. It's not just me spouting into the ether as to what needs to be done, it's actually saying, look, the Government have said this and they were saying, essentially, we need to improve the visa scheme and make it slightly easier for us to get access to overseas labour. Very helpful to the horticultural end of the agricultural market. Wasn't going to actually deal with the on farm issues that the farmers could deal with. So we basically then tied in my white paper as a response to the Government white paper. And I was looking today, we've had over 300 views of that white paper on our website that's traffic because we've had a lot of press coverage as well. So we were able also to go out to the press, to the agricultural press, and say, look, we're writing this white paper in response to the Government. And as we all know, magazines are always desperate for content. And they picked it up, the number of the publications were some of the leading publications in agriculture picked it up and did a precis of the report. [00:16:24.900] - Paul Harris And all of that is great exposure. And as long as they just mentioned my company name and people Google my company name, it will once again drive it back to the website. And we've seen, as I say, 300 people have actually looked at downloading the white paper. And I also looked this morning, 40% of those people who've looked at the white paper are not existing clients. They're not even in our database. So in terms of generating leads, 40%. And we've got to follow all those up now using our HubSpot system that we've now got, and we're looking at autoresponders and things like that, but as a method for generating interest in what we do. It's been a fantastic tool and it was just an idea, which you then helped me shape into how we could actually tie into something that was already out there in the marketplace and people were talking about it. [00:17:25.250] - Craig Thatcher Well, I'm glad you said that, because it struck me that whilst we're excited about launching your new website, all those busy farmers are not sitting at home just desperate for the launch of your new website, but something like a white paper addresses the issues that they're facing, so they're far more likely to show interest in that. So well done on that. And finally, the last question I wanted to ask you is what advice would you give other business owners or managers of companies who are perhaps facing similar challenges to yours. What would you say to them about embarking on rebranding? [00:18:05.990] - Paul Harris I think a number of things, a number of answers to that question really is be sure you've got a reason to do it. So in my instance, it was strategic. I just want a pretty new brand or a pretty new website. There was an intention behind which was to significantly increase the size of my business and there was a strategic reason for wanting to do that. So the rebrand wasn't something that was a nice to do, it was an essential to do if we wanted to deliver the strategy of growing the business significantly. So have a really compelling reason to do it. It's the first thing I would say. The second one is get out of your own way. Use people, use experts. I mean, some of the areas where you added most value, Craig, were just the brevity of copy. I think you have a real tendency, when you're talking about your own business, to want to wax lyrical about what it is that you do. And using somebody externally who's more objective has a much more brief and to the point of view, and particularly if you're a bit verbose like, I can be. [00:19:12.230] - Paul Harris The value that you brought was also mapping out the website. Again, having that one step removed. Having somebody who's one step removed means they can look at what you do and map it out differently. So you come up with a whole map of what the website would look like as well. And then worked with Phil. Couple more things. I would say this is a phrase I wrote down, actually. Forget about who you are and what you do and focus on who your client is and their challenges. Now, what I mean by that is you don't completely forget to talk about what you do, but the starting point is the client and their challenges, rather than who you are and what you do. Again, if I can express it no more strongly than that was my biggest a-ha! moment, and then drop the defensiveness, the classic, yes, but that won't work for me and that isn't how my market works. And all those yes, but you tend to come up with and what was lovely about the team that I had, including yourself, Craig, is you gently would just push back on that and say, yeah, everybody says that, Paul, but this is why we're going to do it. [00:20:14.500] - Paul Harris So be prepared to listen to the expertise that you're paying for. There's no point in asking people who are good at this stuff to then come back at you and then say, yeah, but I know better than you. I know what I do really well, I know my business really well, what I don't necessarily have the expertise is how to express that to the outside world. So use experts, get out your own way, don't be defensive and forget about who you are for a while and focus on what the client and what their challenges are. [00:20:49.170] - Craig Thatcher I think that's a very good summary, actually. I'm glad you finished on that. So thank you very much.

Founder of REAL Success, Paul Harris re-branded his business for the first time 13 years after he first started out. Interviewed by creative director and copywriter, Craig Thatcher, he offers advice to all those about to do the same. Why did Paul Harris re-brand REAL Success? Paul ’s reason for undertaking the re-branding of his company was because he wanted to significantly grow it over the next few years. So with the help of Andy his brother, he assembled a small, highly experienced team including Alex Morrisoe, Phil Neave and Craig Thatcher. Paul’s tips Have a strategic reason to re-brand otherwise you will not deliver on your objectives. Have trust in a well staged process. And then get out of the way of the process. Try to let go - which is especially difficult if you are the founder. Use experts, listen to their advice and drop your defensiveness. Re-branding is the start not the end. Use an interesting angle to drive people to your new website - as nobody visits a new website, just because it is new. Implement a CRM system, to help turn visitors into leads. Paul’s ah-ha! moments There were several moments throughout the rebranding process that provided Paul with what he describes as his ah-ha! moments. These are the main ones: Narrow down and define your niche market. Then narrow it down again. Focus on your clients’ challenges and not yours. Website visitors should see themselves reflected in the pages not you. It is about messaging not just your logo. Read the REAL Success story and case study. WATCH short interview (12 mins) WATCH ORIGINAL INTERVIEW (20 MINS) THINKING OF B2B REBrANDING? Here are Craig's Top 10 Tips to ensure your branding project is a success. Not sure where to start? Try here first. If you are wondering whether B2B rebranding is worth it or have some specific questions, then contact Craig today.

The partners of Berkshire-based Chartered Accountants, PAW Consulting asked us to re-brand their practice, as it has changed out of all recognition since it was founded in 1998 by Paul Worthington. Developing a new market position, we then created a new name - ‘WoodWhite’, designed a new brand identity and re-launched the company at the end of 2021. As part of the process, we also helped to launch NEXTGEN, a new competition for budding entrepreneurs in early 2022, which was set up by WoodWhite Accountants. Business and branding go hand-in-hand Business is about growing and sustaining relationships and branding is about developing and expressing personality in ways that helps companies to positively engage people inside and outside of their organisation. How do other accouNTANTS position themselves? We started by reviewing the way that competitors in the Thames Valley position their accountancy practices in the market. We interviewed a selection of PAW Consulting clients and colleagues and asked them what the organisation and the name meant to them. There were positive feelings towards the company based on the great client experience, but neutral feelings towards the name as it was sometimes mis-pronounced as ‘poor’ rather than P.A.W, Paul Worthington’s initials. Most competitor websites talked about providing a first class service so there did not seem much to separate them all. With one exception, they all focused on themselves and what they could do and not show visitors that they understood them or clearly articulate the intangible and emotional benefits of their practice over others. Competitors talked generically about services, not about client experience or the impact on their clients’ businesses. In Reading and the surrounding Berkshire area there are approximately 15-20 accountancy practices, which is a lot to choose from and so it is vital to look and sound different from all of them. Recommending a new market position From our findings, we outlined four key building blocks for the proposed new positioning, which were to be expressed through the website and all communications. This was achieved by demonstrating an understanding of the challenges that clients face, using strong headlines, unusual images and copy that talks about benefits and impact. The positioning was also designed to inspire everyone who works for the company and to make them feel proud about what they do. Three positioning concepts and themes tested Then we outlined three possible positioning concepts and debated the merits of each before settling on ‘transform’. Testing three different themes before agreeing that the strongest was; ‘transform your business potential’. Because it is based on the outcomes and benefits to clients’ businesses rather than the process or the journey of transformation itself. To help decide which was the best route, we drafted a few paragraphs of positioning copy to convey what it would sound like. People are not interested in why a company is changing name, unless there is something in it for them. So emphasising that ‘business people deserve better business support’, would be far more engaging. This also underpins why the WoodWhite client experience has always been outstanding, since Paul Worthington started out, he has been continually surprised by the low standard of service and lack of understanding of technology that many accountants have in the industry. This will not be a surprise to the many business owners and entrepreneurs who have suffered because they could not find an accountant who understands them or their business. Business owners and entrepreneurs need help driving their businesses forward, but many are frustrated by their accountants. “If they had better support, they could achieve so much more”, says Paul Worthington. A new name was needed As a result of our research, we discussed the need to change the company name. This decision was not taken lightly by the partners as we discussed the pros and cons. Because it can be very risky, especially for a company with such a long and strong heritage. How did we develop the new name? Once satisfied with the new market position and proposition, we started the naming process. This helped us to create a name that would resonate with modern entrepreneurs and business people. As it had to be outward looking, dynamic and focus on business growth because the company helps clients to be more successful. Developing a new name for a company is like creating the title for a new book. It is easier to write the manuscript first and then create the title afterwards, than do it the other way around. WOODWHITE WAS CHOSEN We looked at 15 different ‘types of names’ including abbreviations, made up names and even ones without vowels in, before generating more than 90 possibles ones, shortlisting four and our client chose one - WoodWhite. For due diligence, we checked the name for usage as a trade mark, company name, domain name and social media handle before a final decision was made. Why the name WoodWhite? Wood White is a species of butterfly found in the South of England and crucial to the survival of plants. As business pollinators, WoodWhite Accountants is critical to their clients’ success, through every stage of their business lifecycles, helping them to transform their companies. No others in their space are using this type of analogy and language, which makes them sound distinctive and engaging. We’ll let Founder, Paul Worthington explain why the name was chosen. A strap line explains a lot in few words We also developed a number of alternative strap lines to work with the new name and the chosen strap line was; ’Accountants for Forward Thinking Businesses’, as it describes what the company does and who it works best with. Developing a new brand identity Communicating a distinct personality and new brand identity is more than just designing a new logo; it includes the new name, colours, fonts and images as well as a distinct tone of voice for copy. The design of the ‘WW’ logo is in the shape of a simplified butterfly. New icons New, simple icons were created to help communicate key information on the home page. new contemporary Colour palette and font A new colour palette and corporate font were introduced. Filming an interview with the founder We filmed an interview with Paul Worthington, during which we discussed the launch of WoodWhite Accountants and the NEXTGEN competition. Then we edited it down to twelve separate short clips, added simple graphics and subtitles to be used on the new website as well as in social media posts. What is NEXTGEN? Communications materiaLS AND merchandise We designed business stationery, email signature, e-newsletter template and PowerPoint slide deck and drafted the copy for a proposal document. Our client selected a small range of promotional items to be used as giveaways at the launch party and in a direct mail programme. Signage and office We designed simple signage and the new brand colours were used on key walls in the reception and meeting rooms in the new offices. Website design and key messages We proposed a new design for the website based on a theme from Total Solutions, who are a specialist provider of websites and content for accountants. We re-drafted the copy for key pages and linked these to a new suite of images we searched for, combining these with strong headings to communicate the key messages. News release, media pack & social media schedule We drafted a news release and media pack to announce the change of name, as well as the new identity and positioning and then adapted it to be used as posts on LinkedIn. The news release was also sent to a hand selected list of publications, websites and editors whose audiences would be interested in reading about WoodWhite Accountants. Internal launCH, followed by party with clients We provided an initial draft for an internal presentation that the partners adapted and shared with colleagues. We also drafted an email invitation for the launch party for existing clients and contacts to introduce the new name and brand identity and to announce the launch of NEXTGEN. The results Initial feedback from colleagues and clients has been amazing and everyone feels excited about what the company is setting out to achieve in the future. Need to transform your company? If you have a company that operates in a competitive marketplace, have ambitious plans for growth and need to transform the way you are perceived, then contact Craig Thatcher now.

Background RISC Vision is a risk intelligence platform, using cognitive automation to help companies to protect themselves from emerging risks in their supply chains in up to 160 countries. In January 2022, RISC Vision was acquired by Arivu. THE brief from the founder Our brief was to develop a new brand identity as well as design, build and launch a new, responsive website for this start-up. Creating an engaging value proposition After interviewing Matthew Nelson, the founder, Craig Thatcher created a value proposition that summarised the problems the platform solves, the benefits it offers and who it is for. simple sitemap & compelling copy Once the value proposition was approved, Craig created a simple sitemap and drafted the copy for the new website. He collaborated with AngusAlexander on the design of the new brand identity as well as the website, which is all about encouraging visitors to start a free trial so they can experience the benefits before committing to a subscription. Overcoming the key challenge The website is designed to make it easy to understand the business benefits and the peace of mind the platform offers. Not overwhelm them with how sophisticated the technology is. However, it is impressive - every day it scans over 365 million business records and 75 million news and media sources in 160 countries are screened for 13,000 key words or early warning indicators of emerging risks. selecting the most suitable fonts We proposed using two fonts, Geometos Soft for headings and Brandon Grotesque for sub-headings and body copy. The Geometos Soft font Brandon Grotesque is a sans-serif typeface, designed in 2010 in six weights. It has a contemporary look and is highly legible because it uses space more efficiently between the individuals characters in each a word and between each line of text. Which makes it easy to read even at smaller point sizes and is ideal for use within the RISC Vision platform itself. 17% more efficient use of space Brandon Grotesque actually uses 17% less space at the same point size, than other similar looking fonts that include PT Sans, Poppins and Europa Regular and a whopping 45% less space than Roboto. We shortlisted these five fonts before our client made the final decision based on our recommendations. No, this is not an optical illusion, we used the same point size for each. distinctive and contemporary brand identity The RISC Vision logo developed by AngusAlexander, subtly animates when the home page is opened and he also designed a range of unique modal icons to aid navigation. Moving particles simulating the flow of data was introduced and javascript used to keep page load time as low as possible. Only adding a feather weight 40K, so Google should rank the page well and visitors will enjoy a great experience. Easy website navigation Visitors can skim across the top level navigation, gain a good understanding from the main headings or drill down further if they need more information. ‘Free trial’ buttons provide clear ‘Call To Actions’ throughout the website. THE Reaction Our client is delighted with the new brand identity and website and is looking forward to building the business by helping customers to protect their companies form emerging risks. MAKE CONTACT NOW Contact Craig for a virtual coffee and chat and he'll explain the advantages of working with us to help you to successfully launch your new service, product or brand.

Jane Samuels and Professor Peter Jones had key roles on the original project team. On 23 June 2022, the Edge Hotel School celebrated its 10th anniversary with a black-tie dinner at Wivenhoe House for more than 100 supporters, friends and students. We enjoyed a wonderful meal, with sustainably sourced ingredients, with low food miles and speeches by Sir Garry Hawkes, CBE and Anthony Forster, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Essex. With live entertainment between courses from a pair of talented singers masquerading as undergraduates. I was invited to the event because of my involvement right from the start, with the development of the brand identity and website for the Edge Hotel School and Wivenhoe House. I’m delighted to say that my involvement has continued throughout the years since. The first hotel school of its kind in the UK, it opened in 2012, with a mission to create the future leaders of the hospitality industry. All of the 262 graduates since, have highly sought-after, vocational degrees and practical experience from working at Wivenhoe House, a 4 star country-house hotel in a delightful parkland setting within the University of Essex campus. Top marks for student satisfaction It is setting standards for a new type of educational model. With an overall student satisfaction score of 96.7% in 2020, down a fraction from a perfect 100% in 2019. An original CAD rendered drawing by the Architects, Bond Bryan. Launched at the Ritz In the late summer of 2010, more than two years before opening, I was asked to lead the creative team to develop the brand identity for the Edge Hotel School and Wivenhoe House, then to create a website and brochure for the hotel and to launch the concept to the hospitality industry at The Ritz. All whilst the main house was renovated and a new, contemporary garden wing built after demolishing the 1970s extension. The brand identity still feels fresh A decade on, the brand identity, imagery and colour palette still feels fresh, which is a testament to the strength of original design concept and attention to detail. You can see in the WH logo that we captured the unique fusion and decorative style of the existing house with the linear form of the new garden wing. Why intriguingly different? We proposed that the hotel should be positioned as ‘intriguingly different’ because it was going to be run by professionals and cohorts of undergraduate managers, guaranteeing a guest experience like no other. This inspired the initial photoshoot in the grounds of the hotel, as it was being renovated. One hotel not two I proposed that the hotel should be called Wivenhoe House when it re-opened, not Wivenhoe House Hotel as it was previously known, as it was going to be home to the Edge Hotel School at the same time and it would be confusing to have two hotels in one. This is despite that each have their own audiences; students for the Edge Hotel School and guests for Wivenhoe House. WHY A Chandelier and portable Generator? Once the design concept for the brand identity had been approved, I made a trip Wivenhoe House with a photographer, models and a small crew to take the shots we needed to represent the personality and market position for the new hotel's website and brochures. When we turned up with our portable generator, chandelier and other props, the building contractors had fenced off the site, lowered big blue containers into position and the grounds were already overgrown. So we had to setup and take the shots in the best way we could (shown left hand side below) and then heavily re-touch the images back at the studio (shown right hand side below). Hotels are all about people making history For me, hotels are about people; whether they're guests or members of staff. So I wanted the interesting stories about those who now learn and work there to become part of the folklore of this wonderful building with over 260 years of rich history. recognise me, looking younger? This shot was taken as part of the initial suite of images to help to convey that teams of young managers from the Edge Hotel School work in harmony with experienced professionals in every part of the hotel. Image of Craig Thatcher and Anika Sood. A great solution FOR our UK labour shortage As we leave Brexit and the pandemic behind, the UK hospitality industry and the wider economy need organisations like the Edge Hotel School even more because we need to show our home-grown talent that the hospitality industry makes for wonderful careers. Because we can no longer rely on willing and able European workers. So I do hope it continues to flourish under the wing of the University of Essex. This educational model should be adopted ELSEWHERE Vocational qualifications are highly prized by employers who want individuals to start making a contribution to their organisations quickly. So this form of education should be more widely adopted in the hospitality industry, as well as other sectors like agriculture, retail and facilities management. NEED HELP WITH BRANDING? If you need to re-0brand your company and are not sure where to start then contact Craig now.

LCP Acoustics provides a range of acoustic consultancy services to professionals in the building services industry in the UK. A division of Caice, it was previously a separate company called Lee Cunningham Partnership, whose name had been abbreviated over the years to LCP. Mark Balsom, Consultancy Associate Director, asked us to re-build the LCP Acoustics website as the previous one was not working very well and was not adequately communicating the breadth and depth of their services. Making noisy buildings quieter for everyone So we talked to Mark about his ambition for the business and discovered what he and his team does, how they do it and most importantly, why they do it. This conversation revealed his mission to make noisy buildings quieter for everyone. Because people feel better or perform better in quieter buildings as noisy ones are not as good for their enjoyment, health or productivity. We also quickly realised that the existing website was not communicating this desired market position clearly enough and so we proposed that the home page copy should be significantly re-written and that LCP be referred to as LCP Acoustics going forward. improving organic search engine optimisation We asked Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) specialist, Emily Wood to undertake some strategic keyword research, which identified several exciting opportunities to drive more visitors to the website through organic search. She also provided us with helpful insights and keyword suggestions. Elegant copy communicates desired market position Craig then drafted the copy for the new website and utilised content from the existing website for case studies and key markets, then sourced information from an existing LCP Acoustics pdf brochure for technical details about services. He combined all of this with the key word phrases highlighted from the SEO research to create web pages that visitors would find useful. He also made it easier for them to find their own markets, then quickly and easily get to the relevant services by improving the main navigation and introducing clear, in-body copy links between pages. Improving website visitor experience Craig worked closely with Andrew Wicks, the web developer who re-built the website using a new WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Wordpress theme, that is easy for Mark and his team to use going forward. To make the website visitor experience smoother and more intuitive, Andrew used the existing website for visual reference but improved the design, navigation, movement and responsiveness of the web page as well as created new icons for key groups of services and market sectors. Craig then populated the pages with the new copy and illustrations, optimising each of them before logically organising them in the main navigation menu. Key services provided Market positioning Search Engine Optimisation Copywriting Website design and build Icon design Digital marketing & communications More ACOUSTIC consultancy resources to meet demand Our client, Mark Balsom, Consultancy Director, LCP Acoustics is very pleased with the new website and is looking forward to more visitors finding and buying their services. They are recruiting additional resources and acoustic consultancy support to meet demand. “We are really pleased with the work Craig and StrawberryFinch have carried out for us. Since the re-launch of the website the level of enquiries has increased and we now have a website we can be proud of.” Mark Balsom, Consultancy Associate Director, LCP Acoustics Need Help? If you need to improve your existing website then make contact Craig now.

As a way of shining a spotlight on the very best front of house receptionists in the corporate world, Greg Mace developed the idea and founded a new competition called Corporate Receptionist of the Year. The only award for front of house receptionists working in the corporate sector. Craig supported the launch in 2019 by leading the team that designed the brand identity, built the website whilst he provided digital marketing support and social media communications. Craig organised the design and production of the CROTY award as well as the application form, certificates and the PowerPoint template for the award ceremony. StrawberryFinch is creative partner Craig updates the website and helps to manage the key announcements to the trade press that in turn, provide coverage of the award. On the judging panel Craig is also on the judging panel and undertakes the face-to-face role play scenario that the ten finalists have to complete. The other parts of the assessment day include a face-to-face and phone role play scenario and a group task that tests their ability to work as part of a team. THE AWARD EVENT The winner is announced at the award event which coincides with International Receptionist Day and the main prize is a trip to New York. key sERVICES provided Creative direction Design, build and on-going management of website Design of the CROTY Award Design of application form Design of the Award PowerPoint presentation template Social media campaign management Judge on the panel RESULTS Since the launch, the award has gone from strength to strength and every year we try and make it better than before. NEED HELP? If you need help launching a new award, or breathing fresh life into an existing one, then get in contact with Craig now.

Caption: Left to right: Ashley Foxcroft, Freedom Technologies (Finalist), James Eaton, IONETIC (Winner), Simone Panella, Dyamotech (Finalist) and Dexter Hutchings, The Apprentice Voice (Finalist). NEXTGEN is a new competition FOR entrepreneurs Launched by WoodWhite Accountants, the winner receives up to £25,000 worth of valuable business, financial and marketing support over 12 months - to help achieve their ambitious plan for their startup. Paul Worthington, CEO and founder of WoodWhite Accountants announcing the winner. craig thatcher on the judging panel This also includes £5,000 worth of marketing and branding advice for the winner, James Eaton of IONETIC from Craig Thatcher, who was one of fives judges. Like the partners at WoodWhite Accountants, he recognises that entrepreneurs power our economy and need all the support they can get. Discover how he is supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs. NEXTGEN process, WEB PAGES AND APPLICATION FORM We drafted the copy for the NEXTGEN pages on the WoodWhite website, the finalists' certificates, the application form and proposed a way of automating and storing the on-line applications and nominations, ready for judging. designing the TROPHY We designed the trophy and arranged for a craftsman to create it out of maple wood, which is a soft wood, easy to work with and unlikely to split when drilled for the acrylic tube that gives the impression that the WW is suspended above the base. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2022 EVENt at the roseate hotel, reading We filmed key parts of the day and then edited seven films, transcribed the content, created subtitles and uploaded to a new showcase. The transcribed copy was used to create two articles. One was a news release and circulated to the media and the second was an update to the key page on the WoodWhite Accountants website where people can keep track of the progress of the competition. The results Initial feedback from the finalists of the inaugural event have been amazing and we will be following the winner, James Eaton of IONETIC over 12 months. Need to transform your company? If you would like help with the launch of a new competition or event then contact Craig Thatcher now.

What is NEXTGEN & HOW it helps entrepreneurs The idea for NEXTGEN came from Paul Worthington, Founder and Chief Executive Officer for WoodWhite Accountants. It is a new competition for 2022 that rewards the winning entrepreneur with up to £25,000 worth of valuable business, accounting, tax and marketing expertise for 12 months. Free to apply or nominate an entrepreneur It is free for anyone to apply or to nominate an entrepreneur, and the nominator receives a voucher for £250 if their nominee wins. winner GETS 12 months FREE marketing support Craig Thatcher is contributing £5,000 worth of marketing, branding and communications support to the winner, over 12 months. He is also on the judging panel, will interview the shortlisted candidates and help to select the winner. “I believe that entrepreneurs and business owners need all the business support they can get. Because they power our economy and play a vital role in creating jobs, wealth and tax revenues for our society." Craig Thatcher, StrawberryFinch He is keen to share more than thirty years of his experience to save them time, effort and stress - so they can be even more successful. Problems or bureaucracy often slow entrepreneurs down. But to keep moving forward they’ll need to punch today and every day in the face. So to help, they’ll be able to ask him specific questions about marketing and communications issues bothering them. Then with his guidance, view their problems from different angles, before turning them into opportunities.” He goes on to say, "this is why ‘I’m a proud supporter of ‘NEXTGEN.” Learn more or apply for NEXTGEN 2022 now FAQs and short video clips to answer your questions. Applications close on Friday 18 February 2022. Nominate an entrepreneur for NEXTGEN 2022 now It is easy to nominate an entrepreneur and only takes 30 seconds. Nominations close on Friday 18 February 2022. It is free to nominate an entrepreneur, and the nominator receives a voucher for £250 if their nominee wins. WoodWhite AccountaNTS IS A client We worked with the accountancy practice throughout 2021 to re-name, re-brand and re-launch the company in December.

This is the only award that recognises and celebrates the exceptional front of house receptionists working in the corporate sector and is aimed at professionals providing reception services to visiting clients and guests. Do you know a brilliant corporate receptionist? Nominate a brilliant receptionist in the corporate sector. All they need to do is go to the CROTY website, download, complete and submit an application by 28th February 2022. Applications from more diverse organisations Craig Thatcher, creative partner for the Corporate Receptionist of the Year Award and Founder of StrawberryFinch, says “This year, we want to encourage more applications from individuals from different corporate organisations and facilities management companies, to reflect an increasingly diverse marketplace.” New Chair of judges Bianca Talbot will be overseeing the judges this year. She has exceptional credentials and is Chief Executive of The WOW! Awards, a unique programme that brings authentic, timely recognition to circa 50,000 employees worldwide. Having reviewed and evaluated hundreds of finalist presentations on service delivery over the last decade, Bianca has a deep-rooted understanding of what an exceptional guest experience should look and feel like. New key partner for 2022 is Proinsight Proinsight joins five other key partners and is the UK’s leading Mystery Shopping agency. They work with clients that don’t just say that customers are important but show it! Managing Director, David Hopkins says “We are delighted to be a partner, because this award is an important way to highlight the critical role that corporate receptionists have in creating an outstanding experience for clients, their guests and visitors.” Craig on judging panel for 2022 As in previous years, Craig is in the judging panel and undertakes role play scenarios with the finalists, which is a critical part of selecting the overall winner. Role playing tests each individuals in an identical situation and reveals interesting results that would not be uncovered using a traditional interview panel. It demands on-the-spot thinking as it can not be prepared for in advance. He can testify to the very high standard of the finalists and maintains that it gets harder each year to separate out the very best. Craig says that, “Corporate Receptionists have the power and control over every aspect of the guest experience. They deserve an award like this, one that recognises the critical role they have in creating a memorable experience.” This award is important because it helps companies with the best corporate receptionists to assert a competitive advantage. Read more. If you would like to discover how to apply some of the experience gained from in your company for your competitive advantage or are thinking of developing a new award, then contact Craig now.

This inspirational guide is for anyone who wants to learn how to grow a B2B service company and build its value by engaging their clients and their people. Available from Amazon in kindle, ebook, audiobook and paperback from £7.99. Free sample chapter to download and read or listen to first. A simple brand management tool “‘Continuous Branding’ is a simple and practical brand management tool developed and brought to life in my book. All company owners and directors with ambitions to grow will find it useful. for service-based companies who struggle with branding intangible services With more than thirty years experience, I understand the challenges faced by companies that sell services as opposed to products. Because of the intangibility of their services, it makes it difficult to differentiate themselves in their markets. Whilst at the same time they struggle to motivate their employees to deliver their proposition. The result is they can often feel like they’re sailing into a head wind. I help owners and directors understand and then to harness the power of branding, I developed this tool with five simple principles, for them to adopt and to adapt - to help them to grow more easily.” Adding, “because if you build a strong brand, you don't have to sell so hard”. It’s like having his own tail wind.” Does Continuous Branding actually work? Rapport Guest Services used ‘Continuous Branding’ to grow by more than 20% per annum for nearly a decade, and created a market leading, award winning business in the highly competitive world of corporate front of house services. “Craig has managed to distil a compelling blend of experience and insight into a short and very manageable read. Shining through on every page are his passion for the importance of branding and his drive to help people get a lot better at it. As a fellow writer I enjoyed the personal, lively and challenging style. No marketing gobbledegook.” Roger Tidball - Ginger Communications Who is this book for and why did I write it? “I’ve always been fascinated by the challenges that company owners and directors that sell services as opposed to products face, when trying to grow. Especially in terms of standing out in crowded markets, building their businesses and engaging their people to build their brands. I don’t want them to waste time and resources on inappropriate design and communications programmes that don’t generate the best results. Many of them are ambitious for growth, yet aren’t achieving it. As first world economies develop in uncertain times, service-based companies create an increasing proportion of the wealth compared to traditional manufacturers, so I want to help them perform even better.” What's different about this book? “There are plenty of books for manufacturers and sellers of products. There are also lots on personal branding and a fair number for professional services firms like accountants, as well as academic text books for marketing practitioners or students. Service-based companies are under-served and yet do need to understand how to harness and use the power of branding. If they did, they could grow their businesses and build their brands more consistently and sustainably. So I’ve written it in an easy-to-read style with no jargon”. SHOULD companies that make or sell products read it? “Yes, is the short answer. Because an increasing number of manufacturers are developing services to add new revenue streams. Or to exploit an existing market better by improving their service offering. Or even to enter new, emerging ones by re-packaging and presenting what they do. But they often struggle with the concept of applying branding to these services and fail to differentiate them adequately in their markets. Making it difficult for their clients to chose them over a competitor. This book helps them to understand and then to apply the power of branding.” Five principles of Continuous Branding “It is a simple tool that I’ve developed and is made up of five principles. When put at the heart of your company, it'll help you to achieve a greater performance, more easily, consistently and sustainably. The principles are for you to adopt and adapt to your own circumstances: Think like a Brand Owner Lead from a Powerful Market Position Have a Point of View Personalise your Brand Experience Invest Continuously to Grow Consistently It also provides the framework for managing innovation and service excellence as well as a way of driving your business forward, on a continuous basis. Helping you achieve market leadership, if you have the ambition.” How did I come up with this tool? “I challenged myself to create an easy way of explaining why some businesses grow more consistently and perform better than other similar ones. That’s when I identified a common pattern with my best performing clients and other successful companies. I had to look deep because the differences between the best performing companies and the rest are small. As in sports where margins between winners and losers are slim. With this tool, you can neatly communicate or link you business strategy directly to colleagues in your company and to your clients, customers or partners. All on a continuous basis and in a simple and straightforward way, so everyone understands and supports it. It is especially important that your senior managers ‘get it and use it’ because they set the whole tone and culture for your company. So this is why the tool is simple and practical with no ‘marketing gobbledegook.” Why did I call it Continuous Branding? “Because I wanted to find a description for the tool. So I selected the word ‘Continuous’ because it has to be used company-wide, all of the time. Not some of the time, in fits-and-starts or isolated in one or two parts of the organisation. The word ‘Branding’ was included because this helps businesses perform better by positively influencing how people associate with them. When used properly, the tool also strengthens employees’ understanding of the business’ strategy as well as informing the design of all communications, making everything simpler and clearer.” Why isn’t everyone usinG Continuous Branding? “Unfortunately many people still don’t recognise the power of branding and so fail to use it properly. This is despite seeing it work for other businesses or in their personal lives. A shame, because it can be a real motor for growth and innovation for any size of company. Others like the sound of it, lack enough ambition and happy to be followers in their markets - so carry on doing what they’ve always done.” Inspiring the next generation “I’d like this book and tool to inspire the next generation of leaders to grow their businesses and build their brands. Because flourishing companies provides more opportunities for everyone; for customers, employees, for suppliers and for shareholders. To help as many people as possible, I’m also sharing my experience through speaking engagements, workshops and one-to-ones." uniquely qualified to create this tool "I have more than thirty years’ experience of helping ambitious owners and directors of companies to use branding better. Clients include entrepreneurs, owner-managed businesses, AIM listed and FTSE 250 companies.” short, easy-to-read book helps you thrive By overcoming the three biggest challenges to growth that all companies selling services as opposed to those that make or sell products, have to address. Read all 10 chapters in about four hours or dip in and out of each. key things you'll learn To benefit from the performance-boosting power of branding, I’ll guide you through what it is and inspire you to use it better. To achieve your commercial or strategic objectives, I’ll introduce you to the brand management tool I’ve developed for people like you. If you’re an owner or director of a service company with an ambition to grow then you’ll find this book very useful. Key things you'll learn from Continuous Branding: Change the way you think about your company and uncover its true potential. Add enormous value to your business by harnessing the power of branding. Design your customers’ experience in advance, making it distinctive and memorable. Grow your company by motivating your people to deliver your proposition. Embark confidently on your way to greater success. By reading this book and using this tool, you’ll be able to clearly communicate your business strategy or purpose to your people, your customers and partners with the support of practical and effective ways to build your business and your brand. Available from Amazon in kindle, ebook, audiobook and paperback from £7.99. Free sample chapter to download and read or listen to first. Your next steps Discover how to build the value of your company over the next three to five years and you'll find it easier with our brand tool. Are you going for market or brand leadership? Perhaps thinking of repositioning your company? Do you need to clearly communicate your new value proposition? Pivoting out of the pandemic? Discover what’s the best rebranding strategy is for your company. Need any help rebranding your company? Are you changing your relationship with clients to strategic ones rather than tactical? Service branding will make your intangible services tangible with our tool for service-based organisations. Connect, contact or call Connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter, contact me with a question, or call Craig Thatcher on the studio number below.

This is the main question I was asked by Antony Holeksa owner of Ballroom and Latin American dance school, Learn to Dance in Buckinghamshire in a recent Zoom conversation. Established for nearly fifteen years and like countless businesses, it been suffering the effects of the pandemic despite having all the correct procedures in place to keep students safe. Antony wanted to know how to engage more people to attend classes, especially existing students. He wanted to know which ideas would be best to implement and which ones would continue to work after the pandemic. The main issue has been how to get more students into classes and to reassure them that the dance school is complying with government guidelines, restrictions and social distancing regulations. Can you provide a new and better experience? Many popular museums now offer a less crowded experience than before, because of the restrictions on the number of people within given spaces. So we discussed different ideas for the dance school, by looking at some of the advantages that the pandemic is throwing up in terms of providing a new, different and possibly a better experience than before. Then these ideas would need to be communicating via a video walk round the studio or filmed live once a week for new starters. Emotional branding We also touched on some of the emotional barriers that new students have to overcome, especially men. I suggested a way of documenting them and then communicating these issues in a helpful and thoughtful way, either by creating a new web page, a short Q&A or a reassuring video clip that addresses each of them. GREAT for physical, mental & social wellbeing Dancing is wonderful for everyone’s physical, mental and social wellbeing, especially at this time, when we all have less contact with each other. So we discussed some ideas for using dance lessons to help companies with team building, by creating experiences to be shared by employees in the safety of their own homes, but still feel emotionally closer to colleagues. Finally, people still want to celebrate important events or significant life milestones and are genuinely looking for new and different experiences that they can share digitally or in a safe, socially distanced way. So between us, we developed a number of ideas that would work. The advantage of thinking differently I’ll encourage you to think differently and positively about your company, brand or offer. Whilst saving you a significant amount of time by focussing on ideas that will make the biggest impact. have a tricky challenge you'd like to share? Contact Craig for a virtual coffee and chat via Zoom and he’ll explain how we’ll make your company or brand stronger and fitter in the future.

Background and the brief Anthony Toby Homes Trust in Wokingham, Berkshire gives people with learning disabilities the ability to live together in a group home, enabling them to enjoy normal and fulfilled lives as part of the local community, experiencing the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. We were asked by the trustees of the charity to design, build and launch a new website as their previous one needed to be refreshed. the strategy and challenges In just under ten minutes in this film, Craig Thatcher and Rachel Allman talk about the strategy, the biggest challenges and give some useful advice to charities thinking about re-designing their websites. “Residents are at the heart of everything” What we did Rachel Allman and Craig Thatcher worked together on the overall strategy having first reviewed the structure and content of the previous website. The idea was to improve the user experience, to make it easier to find information and to communicate the wonderful care provided. We also wanted to show that the residents are at the heart of everything, have a clear voice, are listened to and lead fulfilling lives. Which is beautifully summed up by the strap line - a home for living life. “A home for living life at Anthony Toby Homes Trust” So following our review of the previous website and similar organisations, we re-organised the navigation and menus. Then Rachel drafted new copy, which also provided a detailed brief for the photographer, Pennie Withers to take some great shots of the residents, the staff and the homes. We developed a fresh contemporary design for the Anthony Toby Homes Trust website including a new logo, fonts and colours. Knowing that our client needed to be able to update the website going forwards, Andrew Wicks built it using a theme within the popular WordPress Content Management System as well as designing a simple suite of business stationery which included business cards, digital letterheads and compliments slips. Reaction FROM THE TRUSTEES All are delighted with the new website. “Very many thanks, the website looks great, so much better and more professional” "Great job done for a great organisation. Many thanks to all involved for their dedication and professionalism.” Gary Fisher, Trustee Why we love being involved We’ve really enjoyed this project because it is vital that everybody should enjoy normal and fulfilled lives and to experience the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. There are few better ways to judge our society than how we treat the vulnerable. This charity is a shining example of how to do it well and all the people who work there including the trustees deserve recognition. need to improve your website? Make contact with Craig and he'll talk you through our approach and explain the advantages.

A short 10 mins filmed conversation, sound file and transcript of a talk between Craig Thatcher and Rachel Allman on the re-design of the website for Berkshire based charity, Anthony Toby Homes Trust. It covers the biggest challenges we faced and gives some advice to any charities thinking of re-designing their websites. WATCH Short film LISTEN TO Sound file What was our brief? Rachel: It was quite straightforward, really. The website was really, really quite dated and essentially needed to be refreshed and also to create something for the team to more easily update, because the one that they had wasn't easy for them to use and it was a very functional site. So I think part of the brief was to make it functional, but in a more engaging, authentic way. Craig: I do remember and we looked at some similar websites because we developed a strategy first before we actually went into the design, didn't we? And that simplicity of look and feel was important. And I am just looking at the website now on the home page, and there was a couple of key things which came out of the conversation with the trust manager, weren't there? About what need to be communicated? Rachel: I mean, I think the first thing the key part of our strategy was really to create something in terms of the visual experience and the words that we wrote, create something that really brought to life the feeling of being in the home either when you visit it or if you live there. It's such a wonderful place. And we needed the website to just show that straight away, which it wasn't doing. And then that was a first part of the strategy. And then the second part was really to communicate the key messages, so what we uncovered through talking to the manager and some of the trustees was that actually, as well as offering a home and it really is a home because the residents are there for. You know, they move in and they don't really leave. It's not anything that sort of transitional. It's a solid place to live. So it's a home, but they really get to live their lives. So part of the ethos and approach of Anthony Toby Homes is that they want their residents to be empowered to live as normally as possible, so make their own decisions, be as active as possible. So is the strap line that we created was about a 'home for living life’. And I think that that was key to the strategy was to create a site that showed that and communicated that. Craig: I think you're right, because I remember when we met the first time, what came across was how non-institutionalised the the home was and how homely it was, which was a surprise. Rachel: It was a real surprise and it was just uncovering something that was a really wonderful service. And so I think we both felt very strongly that that's what the site needed to do. And you needed to feel like you were walking around the house when you were on the site and get some of that really lovely feeling. Craig: And also the other thing which I hadn’t appreciated till we met them was the of how central the residents are to the running of the home, as well. And they have regular meetings. Yeah, they really listen to them. And and their voices are heard and decisions and actions are made based on the feedback that they get from the residents. So you're right. I mean that's more than a hygiene factor. That's something that's really special and that's something that that wasn’t coming through on the existing website. So I think that's something we’ve achieved with the new one. What was the biggest challenge? Rachel: The copy, once we worked out what the the strap line was going to be and kind of what the heart of the experience of the house and what made it wonderful was and the key message. Writing the copy was a normal challenge, It was fine, but I think the key challenge in honesty was actually in times of COVID, we’d identified that the photography was going to be really important because it shows the facilities, it shows the interaction with the community that the residents have, and it shows that the sort of lightness and warmth to the house. Actually the challenge was getting that photography because of COVID. We could have obviously not shot anything, but we managed to work around it. So that was the challenge. And for a time, I thought we wouldn't be able to get anything because we weren't allowed in the house because safety and security and health, are really, really vital at the moment. So that was probably the key challenge. Craig: Yes, and making the copy do justice to the key messages in the house. I think you achieved that, but also provided the brief to the photographer as well. So she was able to understand what it was we were trying to communicate so that when she went round and took shots of the the residents and the managers, She was able to capture some of those lovely moments. Rachel: That's a good point. She knew what the key elements to the strategy were and she was able to then bring that to life through the photography. So it worked really well together. And then, you mentioned the COVID-19 issue, which caused a problem. But the other thing, of course in designing the website, it needed to be a very simple Content Management System because the people who are going to keep it up to date aren't experienced doing this type of thing and having done that in the past. And just choosing a very, very straightforward template so they can change photos if they want. Obviously, staff come and go occasionally so that that needs to be kept up to date and phone numbers change. So finding something that looks professional but is also easy to maintain was a challenge. Craig: And actually, I do remember thinking about this very early on and designing the website so it fitted the theme that we were ultimately to go with. So that all helped smooth the design. Rachel: So choosing the theme and then designing to the theme and getting the developer to check that we were designing to the theme was all part the collaboration. Not really challenges. That just shows what happens when you're working well together. The developer that we worked with was excellent. What was the reaction to the new website from the trustees? Rachel: They were wonderful really wonderful. They're also proud of of and so pleased to work for Anthony Toby Homes Trust and they say proud of what they've created. And I think just having something that showed that to family members, to the residents themselves. I mean, some of them are in the photography and having an opportunity to showcase how great it is there, they're really pleased. Craig: I must admit that especially this year, given the COVID-19 and how important care workers are, the thing I've enjoyed about this particular project is highlighting just what a wonderful thing these people do to help the most vulnerable in our society. And I probably hadn't appreciated that quite so much had it not been for the pandemic. What advice would you give to charities who are considering redesigning their website? Rachel: Probably two things. Firstly, I'd say it does need to be daunting, so don't be afraid of it. There can be a preconception that this type of project can be technical or just daunting and overwhelming. But it doesn't need to be at all. As we've shown, what we can actually do is make something that is much more straightforward than we've had before and that communicates things a lot more clearly. So that's the first thing. Don't be daunted. Secondly, I'd say the key thing from our perspective is to really focus on the planning. So working out, what are the key things about your service or your home or whatever it is that you offer, what are the key things that aren't really highlighted well enough? They're not really well communicated. You don't need to work out how to communicate them because that's our job. But if you can help identify what they are, we can then find a really strong, powerful ways to bring them to life visually or through words or both, probably. Because they're the things that we won’t know and you can help us uncover them and then we can shine a light on. Do you need help re-designing your website? Contact Craig and he'll explain the process and answer all of your questions.

We get asked this question a lot. In this post we'll be answering it to help focus your effort and resources. By the way, the result will be unique to you and your organisation, and only you can answer it fully. But we can help you get to it. For instance, if you jump straight in and launch your own podcast just because everyone started one during the 2020 lockdown then you might be wasting your time and money. As first you need to establish what your customers or clients need and then you can decide what is the best way of reaching them. So, we'll get started and go through the following points; What is digital marketing? Why bother with digital marketing? What channels are best? DIY, DIFY OR DIT? How much should you spend? What should you do? What is digital marketing? A good place to start. Differing from traditional marketing it demands new ways of approaching clients or customers and new ways of understanding how they behave compared to traditional marketing. It uses the internet, mobile devices, social media, video games or smart phone apps, as well as search engines and other channels to reach, engage and interact with people. Although digital marketing communications are two way, the power balance is in favour of the receiver, client or customer. Not the sender, you or your company. Why bother with digital marketing? Thew short answer is reach. For companies that sell to other companies rather than consumers, search engines have improved your reach enormously compared to traditional advertising and marketing. They have levelled the playing field when it comes to sourcing new products and services. Because anybody can create a website and this provides so much extra choice for buyers. Plus the professional procurement process means it is more difficult to rely on the strength of personal relationships, alone so reaching all the different members of the decision making team is very useful. There can’t be many businesses or business people that are not online nowadays. Even the humanist celebrant who conducted my father’s non-religious funeral ceremony is on LinkedIn. Be where your clients spend their time We all live in a multimedia world and we use our computers, tablets or smart phones to engage with companies and brands. A poll of 2,000 British adults by the Independent found that in a typical week, they will spend 59 hours - just under 2.5 full days using the internet or just over 22 years over their lifetime. I spend about 42 hours on screen time per week, which includes using the internet. How about you? Goliaths like Amazon, Microsoft and Apple dominate so how can the rest of us running businesses, survive and thrive? “There are two kinds of companies, those that work to try to charge more and those that work to charge less. We will be the second” - Jeff Bezos. I was relieved when I first read this. As everyone knows that only one company can be the cheapest in any given market. That leaves room for the rest of us to make a living! But I don’t actually believe it. Because Amazon is going all out to reduce delivery times as people want everything yesterday. As any corner store owner manager knows you can charge a premium for convenience and people are prepared to pay extra for easy ordering and fast delivery. What channels are best? With so many to chose from, which ones are the best? The ones where your ideal clients spend their time. So do your research and ask them. Here is a list in alphabetical order; Content Marketing Email Marketing Influencer Marketing Pay Per Click Advertising Podcasts SMS Messaging Social Media Marketing Video Marketing Webchat Websites Learn more bout which channels are best. Discover some great examples of digital marketing assets. Do you have the right digital assets & tools? Every company and brand needs to have a suite of digital assets or tools that can be used to communicate in a more engaging way and reflects the unique personality of their organisation. These include the following in alphabetical order; Animated Icons & Logos Audible Branding Animated Videos Digital, ebooks & Audiobooks Documentaries, Short Films & Stings Infographics Kinetic Typography Podcasts Soundtracks & Sound Effects Voiceover Artist Webinars Do you have access to the right digital skills? The dynamic way you tell your story digitally will add so much more power, interest and engagement than if it is static or monotone. However, you need to work with creative directors, digital marketing managers and motion designers who understand the art and craft of storytelling and clear communication. As motion design can makes good content magnificent. DIY, DIFY or DIT? If you have the skills and the time, then you can certainly undertake ‘Do It Yourself’ digital marketing. This is especially important if budget is tight and you want to learn new skills. Alternatively, outsourcing to specialists who claim to ‘Do It For You’ rarely produces the best outcome, as they'll never be able to understand your clients and organisation to the same depth as you. So we we’d always recommend ‘Doing it Together’ which blends our digital marketing skills with yours, for the best of both worlds. Don’t forgeT Building relationships, socialising and entertaining clients (when it is safe to do so), as well as internal communications and using traditional hard copy printed items are all still vital components of a strong strategy. Not everything is better off digital! How much should you spend? 5-10% of turnover if you are providing B2B Consulting Services. However, the exact amount depends on which industry you are in, whether you are a start-up or a market leader. Why are B2B decision maker groups so complex? We all know that selling products and services to companies takes time and can involve many people in the decision making group. Especially where more than one department or the whole company will be impacted by the purchase. This group has developed for a number of reasons. The first is that senior decision makers do not answer or return cold calls, which means that companies are often 50% through the buying process before you know they're looking. The procurement process is far more rigorous than ever before. The people in the buying group could be fulfilling some or all of the following functions; Information Gathering stage Researchers Champions or Sponsors Shortlisting Vendor stage Gatekeepers like Technicians or Executive Assistants Financial Influencers External Consultants Buying stage Procurement Legal IT Engineering Deployment stage Users Human Resources Operations Installation Maximise the results of your digital marketing Before deciding what digital marketing activities you should undertake, clarify your value proposition for your ideal clients (or target market) by using the worksheet (A: Developing your value proposition). Map out the current stages that clients go through in their business relationship with you by using the second worksheet (B: Anticipating the content your clients need). Make it specific to your company as every one of our organisations are different. Use this worksheet to note down what questions they ask themselves at each stage and then decide which channels or forms of digital communications are best at helping you to answer them. Key stages of your clients' journey Discovery of your organisation and making an initial enquiry Compiling a long list of possible solutions or providers like you Whittling the long list down to a very short one Making the purchase Re-purchase Become advocates when they really believe that you are the best for them what now? If you have a question, would like further information or support then contact Craig now and he'll be happy to help you get going, without obligation.

In this post we'll briefly outline which specific digital marketing channels are best used for, along with a list of digital assets and tools you may find useful. We provide some great examples throughout this article although we have not included software subscription services in this post. What digital marketing channels are best? With so many to chose from, which ones are the best? The ones where your ideal clients spend their time. So do your research and ask them. Here is a list in alphabetical order and a brief description of what is best used for; Content Marketing Email Marketing Influencer Marketing Pay Per Click Advertising Podcasts SMS Messaging Social Media Marketing Video Marketing Webchat Websites What is Content Marketing best for? Content marketing answers your prospects’ or clients’ questions so you can connect, build trust, generate leads and sell to them. What is Email Marketing best for? Email marketing helps you to build relationships with prospects, past and present clients or influencers by talking directly to them at a time that suits them. What is Influencer Marketing best for? Influencer marketing helps you to capitalise on the reach, authenticity and personality of people who have built an audience in a specific niche, that is complimentary to yours. What is Pay Per Click Advertising best for? PPC is a highly targeted, cost effective and controllable form of advertising to generate enquiries from visitors to your website. Spend as much or as little as you like. What are Podcasts best for? Podcasts help you to communicate information in a very personal and time-efficient way for your listeners, with new episodes automatically downloaded and easy to consume. What is SMS Messaging best for? SMS messaging provides greater immediacy and attention, generating higher engagement and ROI because people keep their phones on them at all times. What is Social Media Marketing best for? Social media marketing is ideal for growing brand awareness, makes it easy to spread the word about your company, products or services and is great for increasing traffic to your landing pages with helpful content. What is Video Marketing best for? Video marketing is perfect for explaining what a product or services does and how it can help clients. It also gives them more confidence to buy. What is Webchat best for? Webchat is easy and convenient for people to ask questions without making a commitment to a phone call or face-to-face meeting. What is a Website best for? Websites provide a credible, online presence 24/7 with e-commerce to sell direct and save costs. As well as offering helpful support and Frequently Asked Questions. Do you have the right digital assets & tools? Every company and brand needs to have a suite of digital assets or tools that can be used to communicate in a more engaging way and reflects the unique personality of their organisation. These include the following in alphabetical order with a brief description of why you should consider using each of them; Animated Icons & Logos Audible Branding Animated Videos Digital, ebooks & Audiobooks Documentaries, Short Films & Stings Infographics Kinetic Typography Podcasts Soundtracks & Sound Effects Voiceover Artist Webinars Why use Animated Icons or Logos? As more people find your online first, animated icons or logos create stand out and engagement in a digital world full of movement. So why be static and boring? Your logo is your most important digital asset and this is your chance to show off your charismatic personality. This is a simple example of an animated logo for one of our clients, Rapport Guest Services for use as an outro at the end of corporate presentations, videos and films. This is a great example of an animated logo that communicates the core sections that this website covers - photography, design, pop-culture, video, technology and graphics. Why use Audible Branding? Audible branding or music is a powerful way to stimulate emotion and engagement as we recognise sounds five times faster than images. Your unique sound is the equivalent of saying out loud the user name of your company or brand. Building trust quickly, whilst representing your positioning and feelings. Why use Animated or Explainer Videos? Animated videos are a dynamic and versatile medium for great storytelling, even for complex subjects or abstract ideas that would be difficult or impossible to film conventionally. Cutting through the digital noise, they’re very appealing and far easier to consume than text and more convincing - leaving a positive, long-lasting impression. This is a great explainer video for Slack. For those that know the company, you will know why this explainer video is so good on so many levels. The script, the voiceover artist, the animated motion graphics are all in perfect slack style. The Strava Fitness App uses motion design to communicate a user’s key stat Why use Digital, e-books and Audiobooks? E-books and audiobooks are a great way to reach new audiences globally as listening to audiobooks is booming. Use as many words as you like to get your ideas or story across. You never need to worry about physical stock, with digital downloads and paperbacks printed on demand. 'Continuous Branding' by Craig Thatcher is available as a paperback - printed-on-demand, as an e-book and audiobook on Amazon and from other retailers. Why use documentaries, Short Films & Stings? Short-form documentaries about specific topics is a sophisticated way to reach and engage people. Choosing how and when to interact with brands, as they’re increasingly rejecting traditional advertising and marketing methods. More likely to consume video than text, they are shared more frequently across social channels resulting in impressive click through rates. Stings are the very short indents used to introduce a video. No story is too complex. If you think you have a story that is too complex to get across, don't worry, nothing is impossible. This is a personal favourite of mine as I led the creative team that created this film of the story being told by a chef for Restaurant Associates to reposition the contract caterer in a highly competitive market. Lovely location, compelling script, convincing actor, with soundtrack and sound effects. A long hard day though! Why use Infographics? Infographics give you the ability to create interesting ways of getting key information across in an engaging format. Easy for your followers to share with their networks, boosting your social media presence and reaching new people. Why use Kinetic Typography? Most people prefer to watch a short video on demand to reading a long text-based post. Grab their attention, then tell your story in an engaging and informative way with kinetic typography. If you impress them, they’ll share your story and improve traffic to your website. The Light in the Dark is an amazing example of what can be achieved with a good script, a great motion designer and soundtrack. Why use Podcasts? Podcasts help you to communicate information in a very personal and time-efficient way for your listeners, with new episodes automatically downloaded and easy to consume. Why use Soundtracks & Sound Effects? Soundtracks or musical sequences give you the opportunity to create an holistic and memorable image of your company in your clients’ minds. They need less effort to recognise and to understand than words or images so they’ll quickly be associated with your brand. Creating an emotional reaction, a great impression and shortening the odds to buying Why use a Voiceover Artist? Voiceover artists use their professional voice to bring your script to life, conveying emotion and excitement. Engaging your audience, then convincing them to take action, as the spoken word is easier for our brains to process than the written one. Alternatively, you can record your voice if you want to convey your own distinct personality. I narrated my audiobook and record it myself. It took about five hours in total and it was more difficult than I expected to keep up the enthusiasm. Here you can listen to a sample chapter from the audiobook Why use Webinars? Webinars are complete digital experiences, where you can talk to, engage and interact with your audience using a variety of different types of content and tools; including the main presentation, polls, surveys or Q&As. Great for generating leads but make sure they’re scored, prioritised and followed up. DO YOU have access to the right digital skills? The dynamic way you tell your story digitally will add so much more power, interest and engagement than if it is static or monotone. However, you need to work with creative directors, digital marketing managers and motion designers who understand the art and craft of storytelling and clear communication. As motion design can makes good content magnificent. DIY, DIFY or DIT? If you have the skills and the time, then you can certainly undertake ‘Do It Yourself’ digital marketing. This is especially important if budget is tight and you want to learn new skills. Alternatively, outsourcing to specialists who claim to ‘Do It For You’ rarely produces the best outcome, as they'll never be able to understand your clients and organisation to the same depth as you. So we we’d always recommend ‘Doing it Together’ which blends our digital marketing skills with yours, for the best of both worlds. what now? If you have a question, would like further information or support then contact Craig now and he'll be happy to help you get going, without obligation.

In this post we will outline why experience design is such a powerful tool for creating memorable moments for your clients and the three questions you need to answer to make them feel special. Competition is fierce and there is very little difference between one product or service and the next. Yet a memorable experience will drive the loyalty of your clients to new heights and make it difficult for your competitors to match. In so doing, this will create a clear gap between your company and theirs. So experience design is a powerful form of branding that few companies understand and can help you to become a leader in your market, if you really want. For companies that sell to other companies rather than consumers, search engines have levelled the playing field when it comes to sourcing new products and services. Anybody can create a website and this provides so much choice. Plus the professional procurement process means it is more difficult to rely on the strength of personal relationships, alone. We all live in a multimedia world and we use our computers, tablets or smart phones to engage with companies and brands. Goliaths like Amazon, Microsoft and Apple dominate, so how can the rest of us running businesses, survive and thrive? Let’s take a look at what Jeff Bezos of Amazon says. This is interesting and explains why the overall experience of buying from Amazon is so smooth. He goes on to add... Agreed. Then I noticed this quotation from Bezos. I was relieved when I first read this. As everyone knows that only one company can be the cheapest in any given market. That leaves room for the rest of us to make a living! But I don’t actually believe it. Because Amazon is going all out to reduce delivery times as people want everything yesterday. As any corner store owner manager knows you can charge a premium for convenience and people are prepared to pay extra for easy ordering and fast delivery. Make your clients feel special So the only hope is to make each and every one of your clients feel special, treat them as individuals and to personalise everything for them. Otherwise they’ll search out a cheaper more convenient solution. One solution is to provide a superior service, because even having world-class products are not enough. Sales of Porsche vehicles in North America were suffering until they improved the customer service experience. Quality means being able to justify a price premium. Being small means being flexible with an intimate knowledge of clients and changing expectations. So how do you make them feel special? Ask yourself these questions 1 What do your ideal clients want to achieve? 2 How can you anticipate what they need from you? 3 What can you do to make them feel special? Everyone should think like an Experience Manager Stop doing your day job for a moment and think like you’re an Experience Manager. Think about your ideal client. Who they are what they do, what their challenges are and what they want to achieve. Then work backwards from there to see how your product or service will help them to achieve their objectives. Think hard about what they want to know or buy not what you want to sell. Then think about your ideal clients’ experience. What are the intangible and emotional benefits that your product or service gives them? Also list down and consider all the key touch points that bring them closer to you. You can now anticipate what their needs are at every stage of their relationship with your organisation. How do you want them to feel and what do you want them to do? If you need a little bit of lateral help here. Then think about the hospitality industry and the sheer variety of places there are to eat, meet, drink or stay. There is something to suit every occasion and at every price point. Note down what ideal clients call things when they’re searching for organisations like yours, not the jargon you use in your company. Then use their words as keywords for your Search Engine Optimisation. Why are B2B decision maker groups so complex? We all know that selling products and services to companies takes time and can involve many people in the decision making group. Especially where more than one department or the whole company will be impacted by the purchase. This group has developed for a number of reasons. The first is that senior decision makers do not answer or return cold calls, which means that companies are often 50% through the buying process before you know they're looking. The procurement process is far more rigorous than ever before. The people in the buying group could be fulfilling some or all of the following functions; Information Gathering stage Researchers Champions or Sponsors Shortlisting Vendor stage Gatekeepers like Technicians or Executive Assistants Financial Influencers External Consultants Buying stage Procurement Legal IT Engineering Deployment stage Users Human Resources Operations Installation Maximise the results of your digital marketing Before deciding what digital marketing activities you should undertake, clarify your value proposition for your ideal clients (or target market) by using the worksheet (A: Developing your value proposition). Map out the current stages that clients go through in their business relationship with you by using the second worksheet (B: Anticipating the content your clients need). Make it specific to your company as every one of our organisations are different. Use this worksheet to note down what questions they ask themselves at each stage and then decide which channels or forms of digital communications are best at helping you to answer them. Key stages of your clients' journey Discovery of your organisation and making an initial enquiry Compiling a long list of possible solutions or providers like you Whittling the long list down to a very short one Making the purchase Re-purchase Become advocates when they really believe that you are the best for them what now? If you have a question, would like further information or support then contact Craig now and he'll be happy to help you get going, without obligation.

We'll make sure that the wheels don't fall off your bike. Take advantage of our strategic brand management tool to add value and achieve success for your company, your brand and yourself. If you’re an owner or director of a company that sells services, rather than makes or sells products, and want strategic relationships with clients rather than transactional ones, then our 'Continuous Branding' strategic brand management tool can help. Perhaps you’re making some significant strategic decisions about the future of your company because margins are under pressure. A good start is to appeal to clients that are an ideal fit for your business model, rather than waste valuable time and resources on those that are not. changing your relationship with clients Changing your present transactional relationships with clients to strategic ones based on long term, collaborative partnerships is another way of releasing the pressure. However, you need to seek out those clients that looking for the same thing, whilst driving culture change within your company. change the way your colleagues think Transform how your colleagues think about the way that your clients buy and experience services. As opposed to the traditional way your colleagues sell and support these same services. Because the two are completely different. Internally, this change must also come from working smarter and developing new skills, because your clients’ are more demanding and discerning than ever before. Adding value and achieving greater success You’ll add enormous value and achieve greater success if you put 'Continuous Branding' at the heart of everything you do. Because it links your strategy to your people and to your clients on a continuous basis. As this is not a tactical activity to be employed every few years when growth slows down. Continuous Branding supports your objectives Branding can be a bit of a mystery to most people. Yet it is simple and you can benefit from it’s performance-boosting capability because we have developed our brand management tool to help you. Proven with consistent results Rapport Guest Services grew by 20% per annum for nearly a decade, into a market leading and award winning company, using Continuous Branding. Read the story in chapter eight of the book. Your next steps Discover how to build the value of your company over the next three to five years and you'll find it easier with our brand tool. Are you going for market or brand leadership? Perhaps thinking of repositioning your company? Do you need to clearly communicate your new value proposition? Discover what’s the best rebranding strategy is for your company. Need any help rebranding your company? Service branding will make your intangible services tangible with our tool for service-based organisations. Connect, contact or call Connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter, contact me with a question, or call Craig Thatcher on the studio number below.

Introduction Edge Foundation is an independent educational organisation with charitable status. It has a new strategic plan to make the education system in the UK fit for purpose for young people in the 21st century. Our brief To update the existing identity and to re-design the website to make it easier for visitors to find the information they need and to reflect the professional status that this influential organisation has within the sector. Creating a new brand toolkit We developed a new logo for Edge Foundation that is bold and clear. With a secondary one for Edge Future Learning, which is the delivery part of the organisation. New simple brand guidelines were also developed and then applied to the new website, stationery and a range of communications materials including research reports, presentations, icons, partner logos and social media graphics. using An elegant sans serif typeface We selected Raleway as the primary brand typeface. This is a distinctive, contemporary and elegant sans serif typeface which is easy to read at both large and small point sizes. being a Google font, it can be used on printed communications as well as in digital form. With 14 weights in the family, it provides enormous flexibility across a variety of applications. The colour palette, angled device & pattern We also developed a modern colour palette of five primary colours and five secondary ones which provides variety and consistency. Then we used the right angled device from the new logo, tilted and tinted it to create an interesting background pattern. Which can be used across suites of reports and documents so that they all feel part of the same family. For the delivery part of the offer to teachers, we proposed that Edge Future Learning should use the turquoise colour instead of the purple to signify a difference. The new strap line ‘Making Education Relevant’ It was important to lock the strap line up with the Edge Foundation logo. However, depending on the specific application, they don’t always need to be tightly locked together, so long as they can be seen on the same page or surface at the same time. Improving the website user experience We reviewed the existing website and discovered if had some great content but did not reflect the organisation’s ambitious plan and did not provide a great user experience either. So we organised a workshop with a small team from Edge Foundation to find out who visits the website and what challenges they’re trying to overcome in their professional lives. We also established what information and advice they’d be looking for, because we wanted to make it easier for them to locate this in the future and to take positive action afterwards. Most importantly we wanted to discover why the Edge Foundation is useful and what tangible and intangible benefits it provides so that this could be better expressed. One of the main issues with the existing website was that the great content was difficult to find. So a key concept for the new one was to ensure that visitors could locate and then consume relevant content easily - because it would be accurately categorised, tagged and optimised for search. We asked the Edge Foundation working group what they wanted website visitors to think and feel once they had experienced it. “Visitors should feel like they’re not the only one trying to achieve what they’re doing in their professional lives - they’re part of a community. They should be impressed and feel informed, interested and involved by their experience. Then they should want to work with us because of our friendly and helpful culture”. The new website reflects the new strategy The new strategic plan has five component parts that include 'research', 'grant projects', 'Edge Future Learning', 'policy' and 'news & events', so it was important that each of these should have their own section and appear in the main navigation on the new Edge website. Creating compelling copy for key pages Craig Thatcher drafted the copy for the key pages by interviewing Edge experts in each of the five specialist parts, by asking them why they do what they do and what the benefits are to visitors. Then he drafted the words for approval. developing a content plan Craig also developed a framework for the content plan to make it easier for Edge to re-purpose existing content and to support their efforts going forward. The plan supported the idea that each piece of content would have its own web page. Therefore, we created a list of items to accompany each piece of content, that would make it easier to find on the new website through the menu system or via a search engine. For each web page, this included a clear title, heading, short intro paragraph and a main article. This included the content item itself, which could be any one of eight different types, from a pdf report, a film or even a podcast episode. Each web page would have links to other items that visitors might be interested in, as well as a clear, positive call to action. Design concept for the new website Having decided how we wanted to improve the user journeys in the new website we made sure that the five key pages were easy to find in the main navigation and in the menu system. Then once a visitor was on the right page, the information was clearly presented in an intuitive and helpful way, with additional content and links to other materials easily visible. Each page was designed using a series of blocks because this would make it easier for editors to create new pages in the future, using the Wagtail Content Management System proposed by Edge Foundation’s web development agency, Vohm. We shared our design concept with the Edge Foundation and the web development agency for their collective comments and feedback before obtaining final approval. Once this was achieved, we handed over the designs to the web development team to build the website. New images of young people It is difficult to obtain shots of children at school or young people, especially during 2020. So we searched image libraries for shots showing young people taking part in problem based learning exercises or on various types of vocational training courses. A new design and format for reports As most, but not all pdf reports are accessed, consumed and shared on-line, rather than in print, we proposed to change the format of the A4 page from portrait to landscape with a column narrow column structure for copy, so that it was easier to read on-screen. engaging Infographics We developed a new style for infographics that help to summarise key information in a simple, engaging and eye-catching way. Turning A 2D INFOGRAPHICS IN... TO A SHORT ANIMATION New Powerpoint templates We designed and developed new templates for different forms of presentation ranging from recorded interviews with Edge Hotel School alumnus to agendas for the MP Researchers’ Network meetings. These templates can be used to create professional looking content without coming back to the design team each time. THE RESULTS The response to the new identity and website from everyone within the organisation has been really positive and supportive. "Craig is a natural problem solver. He helped us bring our team together to create a new website and identity that we are all really proud of. He is quick to identify what’s not working and always has a range of solutions up his sleeve. He approaches every design challenge we throw at him with good humour and enthusiasm. I trust his judgement, rely on his expertise and see the team at StrawberryFinch as an extension of ours". Susan Higgins, Head of Communications at the Edge Foundation what now? If you have a question, would like further information or support for your own project then contact Craig now and he'll be happy to help you get going, without obligation.

If you’re an owner or director of a company and are developing a new value proposition, then this tool called ‘Continuous Branding’ will help you to clearly communicate it to your target customers and colleagues. You may be in the process of ‘creating value’ for a specific customer segment by developing a new value proposition or ’brand promise’ to appeal to customers that are ideal matches for your company. Just the right size and with the right attitude. Not too big or demanding to handle and not too small that they’re uneconomic to service. This is a brilliant book We have not been paid to say this, but the Value Proposition Design, book part of the Strategyzer series is really great. You may also have discovered this book as it contains valuable tools and templates to clearly explain how to create services (and products) that clients or customers want, by creating value for them and for your company. It stresses the need to focus on helping customers to get important jobs done, kill their extreme pains and create essential gains. Continuously evolving and improving relentlessly It is great to develop a new value proposition but you also need to communicate it to your clients and colleagues. The authors of the Value Proposition Design book recommend that, “you should develop a shared language to create alignment throughout every part of your organisation, continuously evolving it, in order to improve relentlessly and reinvent yourself constantly”. Just like an Olympic rowing team, continually squeezing every last ounce of performance improvement. This is where the 'Continuous Branding' tool really helps support you because it shares this same philosophy. It also supports another key point the authors make, and this is “to craft marketing messages based on your customer’s jobs, and the pains and gains your products and services are helping with. Aligning customer-facing messaging all the way from advertising to packaging design”. rapidly and continuously address new opportunities Today's enterprise must be agile and develop what Columbia Business School Professor Rita McGrath calls transient advantages in her book, The End of Competitive Advantage. She argues that companies must have the ability to rapidly and continuously address new opportunities, rather than search for increasingly un-sustainable long-term competitive advantages. Continuous Branding is perfect for companies that want to be more agile To help you to develop, implement and communicate your new value proposition we have developed tools as well as skills transfer workshops, tailored talks and open events that take you through the principles and explain the benefits. Your next steps Discover how to build the value of your company over the next three to five years and you'll find it easier with our brand tool. Are you going for market or brand leadership? Perhaps thinking of repositioning your company? Discover what’s the best rebranding strategy is for your company. Need any help rebranding your company? Are you changing your relationship with clients to strategic ones rather than tactical? Service branding will make your intangible services tangible with our tool for service-based organisations. Connect, contact or call Connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter, contact me with a question, or call Craig Thatcher on the studio number below.

If you’re an owner or director of a company that sells services, rather than makes or sells products, and need your company repositioning then our 'Continuous Branding' tool can help achieve it. You’re probably making some significant strategic decisions about the future of your company as your markets are changing. Also your competitors are multiplying fast, getting stronger and more aggressive. appeal to clients that are an ideal fit With margins under pressure, you need to appeal to clients that are an ideal fit for your business model, rather than waste valuable time and resources on those that are not. You’re also having to drive culture change by transforming the way your colleagues think and behave, so your company can move faster and be more agile, in the future. Only a complete company repositioning will help you achieve what you want, yet this is notoriously difficult to get right when you’re running a service-based organisation. Because you have to make intangible services tangible and communicate with clients and your colleagues on a continuous basis. branding is a strategic activity to add value Branding is a strategic activity that’ll add enormous value to your organisations if you put it at the heart of absolutely everything you do. It is not a tactical one to be employed every few years when growth slows down. You need to learn how to harness the power of it and how to manage it. However, branding is a bit of a mystery to most people. Yet it is simple and you can benefit from it’s performance-boosting capability because we have developed a tool called 'Continuous Branding' to help you. proven with consistent results Rapport Guest Services grew by 20% per annum for nearly a decade, into a market leading and award winning company, using Continuous Branding. Read the story in chapter eight of the book. Your next steps Discover how to build the value of your company over the next three to five years and you'll find it easier with our brand tool. Are you going for market or brand leadership? Do you need to clearly communicate your new value proposition? Discover what’s the best rebranding strategy is for your company. Need any help rebranding your company? Are you changing your relationship with clients to strategic ones rather than tactical? Service branding will make your intangible services tangible with our tool for service-based organisations. Connect, contact or call Connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter, contact me with a question, or call Craig Thatcher on the studio number below.

If you’re an owner or director of a company that sells services, rather than makes or sells products and want to discover how to use service branding to differentiate your organisation from your competitors then you’ll love the 'Continuous Branding' tool. It is available as an ebook, audiobook and paperback. Having made some significant strategic decisions about the future of your company, you’re probably developing new and innovative services to exploit new revenue opportunities out there. Or perhaps you’re creating new customer service experiences and plan to use them as a great way of differentiating your company in your market. Service branding a bit of a mystery to most people. Yet it is simple and you can benefit from it’s performance-boosting capability because we have developed a tool called 'Continuous Branding' to help you. Service branding makes the intangible tangible However, you’ll be facing the same three issues that all companies that sell services have to overcome. The first is using service branding to make your intangible services tangible for your clients and the second is motivating your colleagues to deliver them in precisely the way promised in your marketing and brand communications. The third is the lack of differentiation that comes from the first two. Making it difficult for clients to chose to work with you rather than one of your competitors. proven with consistent results Rapport Guest Services grew by 20% per annum for nearly a decade, into a market leading and award winning company, using Continuous Branding. Read the story in chapter eight of the book. Your next steps Discover how to build the value of your company over the next three to five years and you'll find it easier with our brand tool. Are you going for market or brand leadership? Perhaps thinking of repositioning your company? Do you need to clearly communicate your new value proposition? Discover what’s the best rebranding strategy is for your company. Need any help rebranding your company? Are you changing your relationship with clients to strategic ones rather than tactical? Discover our brand tool for service-based organisations. Connect, contact or call Connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter, contact me with a question, or call Craig Thatcher on the studio number below.

We’re asked this question a lot If you’re an owner or director of a company that sells services, rather than makes or sells products, and are ambitious to grow over the next five years, then you'll need a rebranding strategy to achieve it. You’re probably at an important crossroads right now if you’re making some significant strategic decisions about the future of your company. You may have decided to grow to sell in the next three to five years, in which case you need to build the value to realise the best possible price. Alternatively, you may just have acquired the business or the management as a result of a merger, acquisition or diversification and now need to grow in a sustainable and consistent way. Whatever the reasons you need to embark on the right rebranding strategy to help you achieve your objectives. Pivoting out of the pandemic We have all witnessed seismic changes in markets as a result of the pandemic. Some have been utterly decimated whilst others have boomed. Many companies have had to change the way they operate and communicate. The end result is that opportunities are there for those quick or brave enough to pivot their companies to take advantage. The rebranding strategy that adds most value Branding is a strategic activity that will add enormous value to your company if you put it at the heart of everything you do. It is not a tactical activity to employ every few years when growth slows down. To learn how to harness the power of it you first need to understand the process of branding and then how to manage it on an on-going basis. Achieve greater success from continuous growth Branding is more like a journey, one that is totally unique to your company rather than a one-off exercise. With no straight lines to the end. Because there is no end. Only twists and turns along the way to greater success and continued growth. Branding is a bit of a mystery to most people. Yet it is simple and you can benefit from it’s performance-boosting capability because we have developed a tool called 'Continuous Branding' to help you. supporting your rebranding strategy We can show you how to use the branding tool to maximise the impact of your rebranding strategy on your market, on your clients and on your colleagues. Your next steps Discover how to build the value of your company over the next three to five years and you'll find it easier with our brand tool. Are you going for market or brand leadership? Perhaps thinking of repositioning your company? Do you need to clearly communicate your new value proposition? Need any help rebranding your company? Are you changing your relationship with clients to strategic ones rather than tactical? Service branding will make your intangible services tangible with our tool for service-based organisations. Connect, contact or call Connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter, contact me with a question, or call Craig Thatcher on the studio number below.

If you’re an owner or director of a company that sells services, rather than makes or sells products and plan to achieve market leadership or brand leadership in the next three to five years then this Continuous Branding tool can help. It is available as an ebook, audiobook and paperback. It is proven with consistent results. Rapport Guest Services grew by 20% per annum for a decade, into a market leading and award winning company, using Continuous Branding. Read the story in chapter eight of the book. Brand leadership takes determination and stamina You may have taken a significant strategic decision on achieving market leadership for your company or brand leadership in a specific market segment. Because you know that being a market follower limits the size and quality of clients you appeal to. Or perhaps you plan to regain your lost leadership because your markets are evolving fast and so are your competitors. They’re multiplying quickly, and getting stronger and more aggressive. You also need to adapt by achieving far more with possibly fewer employees. Colleagues in turn, must all work smarter because your customers are more demanding and discerning than ever before. Continuous Branding is a tool for brand leadership Branding a bit of a mystery to most people. Yet it is simple and you can benefit from it’s performance-boosting capability because Craig Thatcher has developed this tool to help you. Your next steps Discover how to build the value of your company over the next three to five years and you'll find it easier with our brand tool. Perhaps thinking of repositioning your company? Do you need to clearly communicate your new value proposition? Discover what’s the best rebranding strategy is for your company. Need any help rebranding your company? Are you changing your relationship with clients to strategic ones rather than tactical? Service branding will make your intangible services tangible with our tool for service-based organisations. Connect, contact or call Connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter, contact me with a question, or call Craig Thatcher on the studio number below.

If you’re an owner or director of a company that sells services, rather than makes or sells products you’ll want to know how to harness the power of branding to help you to achieve greater success. Discover how to manage your brand at every stage of your company’s life stage, to maximise the value of it. Thinking and acting like a brand owner pays off in the long term, helping you to build value in your company and look forward to a prosperous and sustainable future. We know it can be a bit daunting to know where to start rebranding your company, so we've created a series of short articles and a brand tool to help you, whatever stage you’re at. Continuous Branding tool The tool is called 'Continuous Branding' and is available as an ebook, audiobook and in paperback. We're here to help you get the most out of it by answering your questions, and to give coaching, as well as skills transfer workshops to engage and excite your colleagues. It is proven with consistent results. Rapport Guest Services grew by 20% per annum for a decade, into a market leading and award winning company, using Continuous Branding. Read the story in chapter eight of the book. Ambitious for growth or brand leadership If you're ambitious for the future success of your company, aspire to be a market leader or regain lost leadership. Read more. changing business strategy About to undergo a merger, acquisition or diversification? Or maybe you are under new management or ownership? Then you’ll want to discover the best ways of communicating significant change in your business strategy to your colleagues and clients. Read more. Pivoting out of the pandemic We have all witnessed seismic changes in markets as a result of the pandemic. Some have been utterly decimated whilst others have boomed. Many companies have had to change the way they operate and communicate. The end result is that opportunities are out there for those quick or brave enough to pivot their companies to take advantage. Read more. Grow to sell? Perhaps you want to grow your company over the next three to five years and then sell. Read more. Change your relationship with clients A popular way to make this shift is to change your relationship with clients. From a simple, transactional one that is easy for competitors to copy or to undercut. Then transform it into a more strategic relationship based on collaborative partnerships that delivers greater reward, profitability and value over the longer term. Read more. Communicating a new value proposition You may be about to design a new value proposition and will want to communicate it clearly to clients and colleagues. We can show you how to maximise your return on investment using compelling communications. Read more. Developing a new market position This is probably the one thing you should spend most time on as it will have the greatest impact over anything else that you do. But how can branding and design help you to create a crystal clear position? We explain how. Read more. Using service branding as a differentiator If you’re struggling to differentiate your company in your markets because of increased competition, then branding an existing service or new services is a great way of achieving this. Making it easier for your clients to chose you over a competitor. Read more. Stages in rebranding your company Not quite sure where to start with rebranding your company? Discover what all the stages are and most importantly, how to get off to a good start. Read more. Your brand is your most valuable intangible asset We can show you how to manage it so you increase its tangible value. Connect, contact or call Connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter, contact me with a question, or call Craig Thatcher on the studio number below.

It is very turbulent right now, yet do you see opportunities to build a stronger company? Perhaps you want to be a market leader? To grow, to create tangible value and sell up? Then slow down a bit. Give some of it away to good causes or pass it all on to your successors? Are you looking for an edge to make that all important difference? Then make your clients feel special and you will turn your business plan into reality. Overcome big challenges Maybe you’re thinking of merging or acquiring other companies to gain an advantage. Achieving higher value sales with a new proposition and unique market position could also improve profitability. Revenue needs increasing, so generating more leads or saving selling time would make a big difference. Provide a far better experience If the experience you provide your clients is disjointed and systems are not integrated, you need to transform the way your colleagues think and work together. They also need to understand what you’re trying to achieve and have confidence they can deliver it. Make the most impact We’ve helped many clients to overcome similar challenges to yours but you are unique, so our recommendations will always be bespoke. Covering the four areas of branding, digital marketing, clear internal communications and creating memorable experiences. Make clients feel special is the secret to success We believe that most companies can learn a lot from the way that hospitality businesses create unique guest experiences for their customers. As there is often little physical difference between your products and those provided by your competitors. So the only thing left is make your clients feel special with service. Which makes it very difficult for competitors to copy the unique experience you’ve created and easier for you to justify a premium. It doesn’t have to cost the earth and we can show you how you can make a real difference.

What have you learned since March 2020 that’s surprised you? What’ll make your company or brand stronger and fitter in the future? What’s your main priority right now? Engage your employees? Drive more leads? Grow to sell your business? Whether it is any one of these or another we can help you and we’ll share what we’ve discovered during this pandemic. Use design and branding better It’ll transform your company. We’ll explain how. Do what you love. Because we do - by collaborating with and helping fantastic clients and experienced creatives. Don’t wait for things to return to ‘normal’ Because there isn’t time and the old ‘normal’ is ancient history. Let us show you how we can help you to position your company in a new and dynamic way. You’ll never score a try on your own Unless you have a ‘virtual’ team of experienced creatives around you, then you’ll never get over the try line on your own in these conditions. We’ve got the digital marketing and communications skills that you don’t have to help you succeed. And win the match. Share your challenge with us Contact Craig for a virtual coffee and chat via Zoom and he’ll explain how we’ll make your company or brand stronger and fitter in the future.

When drafting this article I thought it would be more helpful for you if I described the process we went through to develop the new name, brand identity and service offer for StrawberryFinch. As I can share more with you because we are not talking about a confidential client project. Work backwards from your market When developing a new name for a company or brand, you have to think and work backwards from your target market. What are your ideal clients or customers like? What is your specific value proposition for your particular market segment? What advantages do you offer them when they chose to work with you? What emotional benefits will they enjoy? The stages in the process You need to go through the following stages to develop a cohesive proposition. Value proposition design Story design and experience design Name and strap line development Brand identity design Communicating Value proposition design I know for instance, that our best clients are medium sized companies who have an entrepreneurial spirit and ambitious to grow, who operate in B2B markets with a lot of competition but little differentiation - apart from price. They’re grappling with big shifts in the way that their clients search out and buy from them. They need to dramatically improve their digital marketing and communications. Also they need to redefine their clients’ experience and to reorganise themselves around what they say their brand is promising to deliver. They need specialist skills and support from people like us who understand them and where they need to go. But they do not have the time or resources to recruit and support a full time team at a challenging time. Story design and experience design How you present your value proposition or ‘brand promise’ by telling your story will determine whether you will be successful or not. How will your clients or customers experience your products or services? How do you want them to feel? What will make them loyal? I looked at websites by other design, marketing and branding agencies to see how they were communicating their offers. I have also worked with different agencies over the years and pulled on this personal experience. For me poor communication has most often been the biggest issue that has affected how I felt about a particular company or person. What are you going to be and where are you going to work? I thought about whether we were going to be a team, a group or a collective and to describe how and where we worked - in an agency or a studio - or as the French would call it, an atelier. Name and strap line development It is very easy to waste time listing hundreds of possible names. So prepare an early draft of your value proposition and a create a list of categories for possible names. This will act as a framework and will speed up the naming process and shorten the cycle for the development of your strap line. Categories for possible names These are the categories we used for StrawberryFinch. Yours will be different. 1. Bird names I like birds and admired the advertising agency from the 1980s named after the Yellowhammer finch and remember flying to Toronto with them on a joint pitch to a prospective client. However, the domain names of the British birds names I wanted were already taken. 2. Brave Entrepreneurs have to be confident and to be leaders, not followers. I liked the words 'brave' and ‘fearless’, especially since I was setting up in the middle of a global pandemic. However fearless.co.uk was not available and so I would have had to go with BeFearless.agency or thefearless.studio. I could have put the word branding in the domain name, fearless-branding.co.uk. This was as close as I got to coming up with a name that describes what we do, but I did not want to fall into the ‘Carphone Warehouse’ trap. Also, it was too long and had a hyphen in it which makes it difficult to remember. 3. Craig Thatcher It would have been easy to stick with my name, Craig Thatcher as I already own craigthatcher.co.uk. However, this venture was never going to just be about me, so I felt that its should have its own name. Also, Nic Cornwall made a good point when he said to me that “if you call it Craig Thatcher nobody will ever ask why you named it after yourself”. With an intriguing name, you have the opportunity to conjure up something new and completely different. 4. Character I tried to find a single word containing the same letters as Craig Thatcher and ‘Character’ contains 9 of the 13 letters. I could see a good story around the word and about it being unique, which is essential in branding terms, but only 13 out of 13 would have been good enough to make this one work. 5. Harmony I really liked the concept of working in harmony with clients and like-minded creative professionals and was attracted by the word ‘Together’, but the co.uk domain was taken and ‘Altogether’ was second best. Harmony reminded me of a dating website. 6. Coat hanger There is something special about an everyday word that appears in an unexpected place and taken out of context. It makes you stop and think. So for a while I though about the two words 'coat hanger'. For those who know me, you’ll understand why this even a category. Although I did discount it quickly. Top Level Domains (TLDs) As you know, it is difficult to find a domain name that has not already been taken and so new TLDs has helped ease the situation. .marketing, .design and .agency were just three of the TLDs I looked at. The fourth was .one as I liked the idea of the.one, only.one or become.one. This is why many companies make up completely new names or combine words so they can register the domain names. But I thought it sounded a bit cheesy. The shortlist of possible names Once you have made a long list, it is easy to discount the names you don’t like and leave the ones you do until last. I got very close to ‘fearless’ and dropped the rest for the reasons already mentioned. Why the name StrawberryFinch? During a stage in the process I decided to put two words together that you would not expect to see and made up StrawberryFinch. I also practiced saying out loud ‘my name is Craig Thatcher from StrawberryFinch’, to hear how it sounded back to me and how it made me feel. Also the www.strawberryfinch.co.uk domain name was available. I decided on this name because of my deep knowledge of branding and lifelong interest in the naturalist, Charles Darwin. I maintain that there is a strong parallel between the survival of Darwin's fittest finches in the Galapagos Islands and modern day brands adapting to challenging business ecosystems in order to thrive. StrawberryFinch is also a name that takes the familiar into a new space. Creating a strong visual image, evocative with colour, fragrance and possibilities. Yes, it is also a real bird. Developing a strap line When you have a name that is not descriptive of what you do then a strap line is a very good way of achieving this. I thought about a strap line that describes what we are and what we do but that is a lot to get in three or four words. So I began by writing down a list of alternatives as follows; We are a creative branding agency. We are your virtual creative studio. We are a group of brand builders and storytellers. We make brands stronger and more successful. Then I matched them back to the idea about finches and Darwin and his theory of evolution which is all about the survival of the fittest species. This is particularly relevant nowadays when everyone is having to adapt to a rapidly changing business ecosystem. So I decided on the strap line - makes brands stronger & fitter Brand identity design My brief to my designer, Marios Flourentzou was to develop a simple brand identity that was flexible and could work across lots of different types of media and applications. Initially we looked at the word marque, StrawberryFinch and then at the bird logo. You can download our initial presentation document. Origami bird logo We decided to simplify an origami bird to represent a finch so this could be used where there is little space, eg as a favicon. Short, simple animation I have used a very short and simple animation to combine the name or word marque with the origami bird logo and the strap line. This GIF can be used as a standalone item on a web page, at the start of a keynote presentation or when converted to an m4v file, it can be used as an intro and outro to a video clip or film. Nunito Sans font I explored lots of alternative fonts and eventually chose the Google font Nunito Sans because it is a sans serif typeface, looks contemporary, and uses space efficiently. Which means that I can use a line spacing of 1 as opposed to 1.3 and body copy is still easy to read. As a Google font, it works digitally and in print and because there are 14 different weights in the family there is plenty of scope. Lulo Clean One Bold font This is the second font we use on the website for key headings as it pairs well with Nunito Sans. Colour palette We selected eight colours for our palette giving a contemporary look, feel and flexibility, with the two colours at the far right forming the primary colours as can be seen in the image below. Combining the main image and simple text animation This simple animation works well. You can see that I have flipped the image so that it is easier to read the words on the darker background. Supporting imagery The variety of images that I use is varied and depends on what, when and where I'm trying to communicate. The ten selected below form part of the self-playing presentation you can see further down this page. Tone of voice We have an informal tone of voice for copy on our website, in our written proposals and reports. I write as if I’m speaking to a single person, put them centre stage and go from there. Communicating We have designed a suite of business stationery including email signature, proposal documents, keynote presentation and slide deck templates as well as a range of other items to help communicate in our wonderful, multi-media world. Sound design Nowadays brands have to communicate across audio channels. To communicating their identity and key messages they need a sound logo, distinct sound elements and a music theme to support the overall tone of voice of the brand. So I am creating a suite of sounds, that can be used in podcasts and for other recordings. One possible sound could be the word StrawberryFinch spoken and turned into a series of notes by clarallel.com and you can see the score here. This is no substitute for having sounds and a soundscape designed professionally but was fun. I have also converted the song of a Strawberry Finch into a sound file and use it as a ring tone on my phone. The Strawberryfinch soundtrack I searched a number of libraries for a soundtrack that would express the StrawberryFinch personality. It had to be upbeat and inspiring, but not too overpowering when used as part of a presentation of with animation or graphics. The track is called Baby Bird and was written by Chelsea McGough, performed and produced by Marie. You can hear it on the home page. I liked the composition because it sounded interesting and engaging throughout. The track had a good, clear start, an interesting middle and a good finish. So I can use the different segments of the track at the beginning and ends of presentations or animations. It also had a stem file, which is a track that is split into four musical elements for keyboard, percussion, strings and wind instruments each separated out, which gives me options for a cleaner, pared back sound for certain applications. For example, I’ve used a short segment of the wind instruments for the animation of the StrawberryFinch logo and strap line. Self-playing presentation The soundtrack, images key messages and animated Strawberryfinch logo all come together in this self-playing presentation created in Keynote. An illustrative style and further animations I am working on an illustrative style and animation graphics as both forms of communication are simpler and more engaging than text. Even small animations can draw a viewer in and tell a story in a way that words can not always achieve. Photography In terms of photographic style, we do not have any hard rules for image usage apart from that they should be clean and uncluttered. Ideally shot with a narrow depth of field (blurry background) so that your eye is drawn to the main focus of the shot. Cropping can help create space for a text overlay. Films As a film producer, I commission shorts for my clients and so none are branded StrawBerryFinch. Although when on location, I take my own shots and by adding a light colour wash and texture overlay they can work happily on our website. You can see this short clip on one of the pages of our website treated with a light colour wash and texture overlay. A range of merchandise I plan to create a small range of branded merchandise to give away to clients and colleagues. Recipes I am putting together a StrawberryFinch cocktail recipe to share with everyone and will explore some other recipes that include strawberries. What would the StrawberryFinch scent be? Branded scents are another subtle but important form of communication so I plan to create a scent for our studio that is fresh and distinct. Further reading Chapter 8 in the Continuous Branding book is a case study on creating the name and brand identity for Rapport Guest Services and chapter 9 sets out your branding journey. You can buy the book in paperback, ebook or in audiobook from Amazon. Buy now. Any questions? Get in touch or give me a call.

Asserting a competitive advantage There is not a single thing that marks out an organisation more clearly from competitors than creating memorable experiences for clients, visitors and employees. As there is often very little physical difference between them. The concept of customer experience is not well understood by most companies and is often confused with customer service. Because experiences are as different from services as services are from products. All ten finalists for this year's award work for companies that recognise that they must make people feel special to create memorable experiences. The qualities of an award winning receptionist I was chatting to Kitija Lace, the 2019 winner of the Corporate Receptionist of the Year Award who works for Rapport Guest Services, about the qualities needed and these include being an excellent communicator with a desire to help others and those around them to succeed, to be a good motivator and to enjoy being part of a team. She embodies all of these in her own unique and very humble way. Yet she speaks three languages (English, Russian and Latvian) and is now a Deputy Client Services Manager. BEING On the judging panel As I’m on the judging panel it has been a privilege to meet every one of the finalists, to see their presentations, interview them and watch how they behave in a role play. This is enjoyable because all the judges have different backgrounds and different perspectives, which makes the process robust and rigorous whilst stimulating lively debate. Three issues holdiNG service-based companies back from greater success Most service based organisations suffer from the same three issues. Number 1, they provide intangible services which are difficult to package and present because of their ‘intangibility’. Which leads to number 2 or poor differentiation, making it difficult for prospective clients, customers or colleagues to chose to work with them. Number 3, relying on their people to provide these services, these individuals may not all equally well engaged, motivated which can lead to inconsistencies. Read more in Craig Thatcher's book called 'Continuous Branding', on Amazon as an ebook, paperback and audiobook. “The concept of customer experience is not well understood by most companies - the secret is to create 'memorable' experiences The way to address these issues is by creating memorable customer, client or colleague experiences. As these are effective ways of competing with bigger and far better funded competitors. You don’t always have to invest a fortune, you just need to focus on what is best for your specific audiences. Experiences are as different from services as services are from products I’m not just talking about service here. But experience. Because experiences are as different from services as services are from products. Yet competitors will find your experiences almost impossible to replicate because they appear to be created in an instant by an individual and consumed in the same instant by another. How do the best companies engineer memorable experiences? They actually don’t happen by accident, they happen by design. Firstly, they decide on the overall value proposition and the market position that will appeal most to the clients, customers or colleagues they're trying to serve and that fits their business model, too. Then they design the experience they want their customers to have and if necessary re-engineer their business, people and processes around their customers. Rather than forcing their customers through the convoluted hoops and loops in their own systems. This all sounds easy but is difficult to achieve, yet the rewards are worthwhile. an essential form of branding Creating memorable experiences is an essential form of branding. I have a deep involvement with the Corporate Receptionist of the Year Award. In 2019, Craig led the creative team that developed the brand identity and design of the website for the inaugural launch and continue to provide creative services. ABOUT THE AWARD Learn why the award was started in the first place. Want to DISCOVER more? Contact Craig for an informal chat about how he can help you create and communicate memorable experiences.

Have you big plans to grow? Want to lead your market not follow it? Then learn how to harness the power of great branding. Motivate your people to perform better and grow your company more consistently with ‘Continuous Branding’. This tool and book has an easy reading style and no marketing gobbledegook. Available in paperback, ebook and audiobook from £7.99. Order your copy now. Download or listen to a free sample chapter. Overcome your three biggest challenges to growth This book has helped service-based organisations of all sizes overcome the three biggest challenges they face. The first is the intangibility of their services, the second is difficulty with differentiation - making it hard for customers to chose their company over a competitor and the third is poor engagement of their people. Now you can overcome your challenges. What you'll learn Find a new way of thinking as the old ways no longer works Understand what makes your organisation great How to grow whilst motivating your people to build your brand Improve your customers, clients or guests brand experience Embark confidently on your own journey to greater success Motivate your people to build your brand Get ahead and stay ahead with practical and effective ways to build your brand. Harness the power of great branding I’ve developed the strategic tool called ‘Continuous Branding’ to help you understand how to harness and apply the power of great branding in your own company by clearly linking your business strategy, your people and your branding together. There are five simple principles for you to adopt and adapt: Think like a Brand Owner Lead from a Powerful Market Position Have a Point of View Personalise your Brand Experience Invest Continuously to Grow Consistently See the results Learn how, in three short years one of my clients grew his brand by more than 20% per annum into a market leading and multi-award winning company, using Continuous Branding. My co-director and I both read the Continuous Branding book, found it engaging and bought into the idea and it changed our mindset. It’s fair to say that our business as a whole was probably sceptical about the impact “marketing” or “branding” would have on our growth. That position has changed and people are realising the potential of projecting our brand – fantastic to see! Neil Timmins, Director Caice Acoustic Air Movement “Craig Thatcher’s ‘Continuous Branding’ workshop makes the sometimes seemingly intangible branding process tangible, practical and applicable to your business. All business owners are brand owners and need to take good care of their brands to grow their companies effectively. Craig will show you how. ” Jackie Campbell, Business Enterprise Manager, Peter Jones Enterprise Academy Any questions? Contact Craig now. Why did I write this book? Because it concerns me when owners and managers of service-based organisations waste their time, money and effort on the disruptive process of re-branding every few years when revenue stalls or margins shrink. Instead they should be linking their branding to their business strategy and to the people they rely on to build their brands. And as a result, they would not be missing out on consistent growth and a higher return on their investment.

Achieve the success, the limelight and the accolades you deserve with our hand-built ‘virtual’ team of creative professionals for challenging times and challenging briefs. Experience a significant digital marketing advantage because we’ll help you to adapt and thrive in this challenging business ecosystem. Since we know it can be lonely being a leader - however it’ll never feel like that with us by your side. Design has the power to transform We’ll show you how design has the power to transform your company and help you get better at using it. So you’ll be able to drive deeper engagement and create memorable experiences for your customers and colleagues. Based on sharing our new ideas, new ways of working and new ways of adding value. We work best with owners and directors of B2B companies with mountains to climb and open working styles who'd love a team of 'virtual' professionals on call, without making a full time commitment. Feel safer with us on your team as we get to the key issues quickly, then identify and simplify what need to be communicated to achieve your objectives. Why the name StrawberryFinch? Because there is a direct parallel between the survival of Darwin's fittest finches and modern-day brands adapting to a challenging ecosystem. Why work with us? Because we exist to help you build a stronger, fitter and more engaging brand with a prosperous future and greater value. Share your challenge Contact Craig for a virtual coffee and chat via Zoom and he’ll explain how we’ll make your company or brand stronger and fitter in the future. We’re not frightened of anything, as the bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity.

Watch how we make your B2B brand stronger and more engaging Then arrange a video call with founder, Craig Thatcher to discover the advantages of working with us.

COVID-19 is having a devastating effect on the hospitality sector It is easy to feel wrapped up and wiped out by the pandemic along with by the tightening restrictions and social distancing regulations. For anyone in hospitality who needs a bit help and encouragement right now I’m offering free phone support for the next three months. I'm just happy to donate my time. You have a lot to offer You may not realise it, but you have a lot to offer commercial organisations because of your hospitality skills and experience. Get in touch if you need some help If your confidence needs a boost or are worried about what to do next then just get in touch now.