Olympic Guidelines for Business Promotions

Posted by Ross on Apr 18, 2012 in advertising, Branding, Communication, email marketing, Expert Advice, News, Web development | 3 comments

The Olympics is a very tempting time for marketers to offer competitions and promotions loosely aligned to the games… but beware!

Thanks to the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act (2006) and the Olympic Symbol (Protection) Act (1995) any such use is not a civil matter (as is usually the case with copyright infringement etc.) but a criminal one – your competition could be breaking the law and there is a team of LOCOG “Brand Police” who are very actively seeking infringing adverts, events and promotions.

We’ve produced a simple set of guidelines, based on the LOCOG brand guidelines, to try and help*

Latest study highlights the importance of online advertising

Posted by Natalie on Apr 3, 2012 in advertising, Expert Advice | 0 comments

After today’s figures from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers revealing a 14% rise in online advertising spend, RT Media take a look into what this means for the future of Marketing, and how we can help.

The IAB have revealed the biggest increase in online marketing spend in five years with video ads and display ads helping to accumulate the massive £4.8bn spent in 2011. It’s apparent that with technology rapidly improving to allow for high-quality video, animation and interactivity within banner and skyscrapers adverts, that companies are now realising the central role that online marketing should play in their brands marketing campaigns. As online display advertising sails past the £1bn mark for the first time, no wonder the digital world is heralded by many marketers as the future of all marketing. We at RT have the knowledge and skills to go all the way with you, have a look at how we can help you keep ahead of the game with our online marketing strategies here.

Luke Achieves Personal Goal at TEDx Event

Posted by corli on Mar 2, 2012 in Corli's PR | 0 comments

The opportunity to speak at one of the world-famous, non-profit TEDx events doesn’t happen every day – in fact it is by invitation only.  So when Luke Williams, a Social Media Strategist at RT Media and fan of TEDx events for many years was asked to speak at a recent TEDx event in Hull, it was a personal achievement.

Luke explains: “TED was set up in 1984 in the USA to bring together people from the Technology, Entertainment and Design worlds under the banner of ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’.
TEDx events follow the same format but on a local level and take place all over the world covering a whole range of topics.

“To be invited to speak at a TEDx event, the content must be unique and in keeping with the spirit of sharing worthwhile ideas, as well as the theme for the event – in this case ‘Beyond Limits’. Speakers undergo a rigorous process, which ensures the quality and standard is very high. First I had to submit my idea and then complete a form about why I wanted to speak on my chosen topic.  Once accepted, I was asked to meet the panel in London, prior to the event in Hull. “

Luke’s powerful subject  ‘Why Don’t You?’ focused on his own personal journey from boy to manhood following the death of his father, the ‘epiphany’ he experienced from setting key personal, career and even ‘enjoyment’ goals, and the focus to achieve them.

Luke adds: “Being invited to talk at the TEDx event in Hull was a great honour, especially having followed TEDx events for many years – and one which I can tick off from my list of personal goals.”

Each TEDx event includes a suite of short, carefully prepared talks such as Luke’s, or demonstrations and performances (live, or TEDTalks videos from TED.com) on a wide range of subjects.  The aim is to foster learning, inspiration and wonder – and to provoke conversations that matter.

Luke’s presentation will be added to the TEDx library and made available on the RT Media Blog in due course.

Is Your Business ‘Socially’ Acceptable?

Posted by corli on Feb 24, 2012 in Corli's PR | 0 comments

“Too many businesses are just ‘doing’ social media without training, or worse, without a strategy, wasting time and resource and often damaging their brand online.”  That’s the warning from RT Media’s Social Media Strategist, Luke Williams.

RT Media recently launched ‘Get Social in 2012’; a program of Social Media Training courses and Social Impact Audits with the aim of helping clients and other businesses to meet their online and social potential.  The aim is to strategically review campaigns, tighten content and ensure brand continuity across a business’ online presence.

Phase One, a training course covering an Introduction to Social Media, LinkedIn, Twitter, Better Blogging and Facebook for Business, was well received by businesses attending, scoring highly for value, content and detail.

All of the delegates would recommend the course to others, Robert Bennet of Groveley Detection said: “This course gave me a good insight into what is obviously becoming a very important area for any business to add to their marketing programme.” Dr. Monica Seeley of Mesmo Consultancy added: “Excellent – well-presented, clear, learnt plenty (even as an existing blogger).  [This course is] a must for anyone wanting to improve their blogging.”

Phase Two offers companies who are serious about assessing and addressing their online presence a ‘Social Impact Audit’. RT Media examines the online social activity of a business to identify areas for improvement, provide techniques for generating good quality content, including points which can save time as well as money, whilst generating better returns.

Luke explains: “The Audit is the keystone to building a strategy and successful campaign, serving as a reference point to measure and assess current aims in order to update, enhance and develop them into a full, working strategy. “

Ruth Chester of The Little Knitting Company, whose Audit took place recently, said: “Yet again RT Media came up trumps.  Luke understood my brief so on arrival the supporting notes for our workshop demonstrated the thorough research undertaken in preparation. I left with a much clearer understanding not only of how social media works but of how it can benefit my business.”

Luke adds: “Although the web is a part of everyday life, businesses can still have a blind spot when it comes to maximising the potential of planned and co-ordinated social media campaigns.  They have the power to deliver dividends, create awareness and not just support, but complement and underpin other marketing activity – and all for relatively little investment – if the aims and strategy are clear, the process is fully understood and the people involved have received the proper training.  That’s where we come in as specialists in strategic planning  and training.”

RT Media has counted Condé Nast, E ON, KPMG and Channel 4, as social media consultancy clients, amongst others, and regularly speaks at national business and industry events such as Live:Tech @ Saatchi Gallery, The Gathering @ Somerset House and the National Housing Federation Communications Conference.

For more information about training courses or Social Media Audit, visit Get Social in 2012

Brand Creation Key to Continued Success for C4L

Posted by corli on Jan 20, 2012 in Corli's PR | 0 comments

Branding, marketing and design agency RT Media is used to working with fast paced businesses and meeting tight deadlines.  It is this responsiveness which has been central to the successful launch of new group brands for C4L, a leading data centre and connectivity solutions provider.

Stephen Dann, Group Marketing Manager at C4L, explained: “We had already worked with RT Media to refresh and update the business identity and brand of C4L, and developed an honest and frank relationship with them.  When it came to positioning our new brands for launch, this important rapport was already in place.  We are a fast growing business within a fast paced market place, with ambitious plans to expand further into Europe and ultimately the United States and beyond.  Working with a design agency with the ability to not only accurately interpret our ideas but deliver the full branding and related marketing collateral for a new range of products, against very tight deadlines, has been extremely important in our journey from concept to launch.”

C4L launched Infiniserv, one of its new brands, which is ‘removing the limitations you inherit with off the shelf virtualisation products’, at London’s Cloud Expo on January 25th, 2012.  Working in conjunction with C4L, RT Media provided a range of options, from which the final brand design was selected.

Ross Thornley, Strategy Director and Founder of RT Media, said: “’Intangible’  services, especially those which are ground breaking, such as Infiniserv, are often the most challenging when it comes to brand development.  Since time was of the essence, we had to work closely with the team at C4L to understand its core values in order to create a design which would convey the cutting edge nature of this technology.   The launch at a major trade show was critical in terms of ensuring the stand, website, marketing materials and literature would all be deliverable.”

Stephen continued:  “This year is forecast as the time when cloud computing finally comes of age.  RT Media has created an arresting identity for Infiniserv at a time when image and identity are essential for ensuring differentiation in a crowded market.  The team has fully grasped concepts which are sometimes difficult to convey; creating a brand which, in my view, is spot on.”

As well as the launch of Infiniserv, RT Media is working closely with C4L to launch many other products into the global market.