With our passion for all things digital we decided to close the studio for the day hire a mini bus and spend a day at the TFMA show. http://www.t-f-m.co.uk/
As both the show and RT celebrate this year our 10th anniversary we felt it was an opportunity not to be missed.

#tfma is the UK’s only integrated marketing event and delivers all the latest industry insight, trends and developments giving the perfect blend for truly integrated marketing & advertising campaigns. All 10 staff have chosen their seminars and keynotes to attend and we will be looking forward to the day of learning.

Check this post throughout the day for our live video feeds below. We aim to record snippets every hour or so, and with the chat feature direct on the live video feed you will be able to interact with us too!

If you want to find out how you can stream live video from a smart phone, integrate it real time on your blog plus feed straight to twitter, facebook and YouTube then contact us tomorrow when we are back!

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Following last years growth of over 27% on 2008 we are delighted to welcome Richard Webley who joined us this week as a Digital Projects Account Executive.

As a marketing graduate from the University of Exeter whose most recent role combined lecturing and research at Bournemouth University, Richard brings with him a thirst for digital technologies and a passion for all things brand and marketing.

Having previously completed a Graduate Training Scheme at a global consumer research agency in London where he worked with a range of FMCG, media and public sector clients, Richard is extremely excited about the prospect of nurturing brands and growing businesses with RT Media.

Welcome aboard Richard.

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This is a really important realization for many clients and indeed agencies. Having designed countless websites, logos, brands and custom software it is important to know what exactly you are buying.
The following is an exert we obtained from one of the South’s leading law firms who specialise in these matters…

“If you have paid someone to design your website, logo, or brochure or create software for you, it is not unreasonable to assume that the copyright in the end product belongs to you. However, this will not be the case unless you obtained the designer’s express agreement to this when you commissioned the work.

If you haven’t obtained the designer’s agreement to the copyright passing to you, all you have is a licence to use the website, logo, brochure or software.

This may be all that you need, but it might become a problem if you want to sell the business or authorise someone else to use your “property” or get someone else to develop or change what you already have. The original designer can stop you unless you have his agreement, which will normally comes at a price.

Action Points
It is essential to ensure that you get the designer to agree that you will own the copyright at the time you negotiate the terms of the engagement.”

Add this to the T&C’s of an agency and you can easily become confused as to who owns what and where you stand. Reading the T&C’s of any supplier is essential however this is often overlooked as business is regularly done on trust. However lack of understanding from a client or the reluctance of an agency to explain exactly what is being bought and sold is not a valid excuse.

Website source code also remains the copyright of the agency unless written agreement has been agreed. Also this licence to use the source code like any goods remain the sellers property until full payment has been received as is the same with any designed product from a logo to a brochure.

So please be careful that you are aware of what you are purchasing when commissioning a design agency to build you logo, website and materials, that if you require more than a licence and wish to own the copyright then make sure you have the agreement and costing outlined at stage one.

As the South’s leading branding agency we are committed to helping consumers understand what they are buying from agencies and not only to be aware of this but work in partnership with them to build brands with value, success and integrity.

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Hi

This is Alex, from the WebDev lair, I have an update for everybody.

Our previous and current projects give us ideas how to upgrade and modify our CMS.  So what did we do? We revised the whole code, and made necessary tweaks, we fine tuned databases and slightly changed the interfaces. Thus, our clients are able to run multi-language versions of websites.  Supported modules are: News, Addresses, Articles, Testimonials and of course: WebPages – all of what you need

If you have ever dreamed of reaching your customers around the world, even people speaking different languages – now you can do it. Armed with our CMS!

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After reading a study of more than 150 taglines that debuted in 2009 this morning from an agency who solely focus on the development of taglines I felt I should share some of the insights found. What we can learn and what I think.
According to Eric Swartz, president of Tagline Guru, “The goal of the survey was to discover the most frequently used words in this year’s taglines, and whether they reveal how companies are strategically recasting their brand message to forge a closer connection with their customers.”

The most commonly used words or concepts (alphabetically):
1. believe
2. far/further
3. future
4. imagine/see
5. innovate/innovation
6. more
7. new
8. save/savings
9. together
10. you

Are these 10 words that matter most to consumers?

“Whereas one tagline offers telling insights into a company’s brand strategy, a whole bushel of taglines reveals a brand lexicon that speaks volumes about what’s important in the minds of consumers,” says Swartz.
“This year’s tagline harvest is all about working harder and smarter, communicating greater value, and creating lasting brand affinity, which, in today’s tough economy, is crucial for cementing relationships and building customer loyalty,” Swartz notes.

Some of the taglines that echo this include:

• Airbus New standards. Together.
• Baker & Taylor The future delivered.
• Buick The new class of world class.
• Chrysler Come and see what we are building.
• Dentsu Good innovation.
• Home Depot More saving. More doing.
• NBC More colorful.
• Sony Make. Believe.
• Syfy Imagine greater.
• Wells Fargo Together, we’ll go far.
• Yahoo It’s you!

Although the impact of “innovation” has been diminished from overuse, and words like “new” and “more” are typical sales jargon, concepts such as “together,” “you,” “imagine,” and “future” paint a picture that is decidedly more intimate, inclusive, and optimistic.

“Money is tight, consumers are worried, and corporations aren’t content to rest on their laurels,” says Swartz. “The overall message is that we’re all in this together so we need to set the bar higher, do more, and deliver greater value.”

Swartz continues: “Essentially, this tagline-generated brand lexicon tells us that big business wants to be perceived as a neighborly partner that is industrious, accountable, and forward-thinking. Consumers are tired of being talked at and misled. They’re looking for better ideas, better results, and, ultimately, a better relationship.”
Knowing this is really important as it indicates shifts in the market, and highlights what to avoid. To me these examples show not just a shift in the market but how easy it is to get lost and diluted in the nose as we follow like sheep: for example,

• Target’s “Expect More. Pay Less.”
• Wal-Mart’s “Save Money. Live Better”
• Home Depot’s “More Saving. More Doing.”

Sure, consumers are looking for ways to save, but what in these taglines truly drives differentiation? And is that important? I think it is. I think this lack of distinctiveness show lack of creativity and becomes background noise.

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… and it’s not for a bath company either, it’s for me!

I just had news yesterday that my after completing my Chartered Management Institute course earlier this year, that I have passed. I am therefore, now a qualified and chartered manager, therefore you have to do as I say.

So… mine’s a black tea, no sugar please I’m bitter!

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Well, it’s been a while since I posted so I’m going to hit you with a double post today. Right here. Right now!

As many of you know, I am probably the wackiest blog poster that you know, and some of you just don’t get where I’m coming from, so what follows will no doubt surprise you all!

I take my work seriously and I also take the next wave of new competitors (who are currently still in school) very seriously also! I believe competition is what keeps people on their toes, trying harder and coming up with better ideas and designs. I have a lot of time for young people, especially those who in today’s easily influenced climate make choices to be hard working and upstanding. It is because of this that I chose to implement a formal work experience program into the company about 3 years ago.

In the time we have been doing this, we have become very well recognised and respected, and highly sought after amongst the local educational establishment, both mainstream and higher education! It always makes me happy to have helped people in making such important decisions as which holiday destinations to avoid, what foods require the extractor fan on when cooking, and what career path to start on through life and how best to achieve it. I take great pleasure when looking through my lever-arch of thank you letters and what-not, in knowing that we have if nothing else, provided a young person with an experience with which they can make an informed decision based on knowledge, rather than the fear of failing, as is too often laid down in education!

Recently I was contacted about my work experience antics by a local school and business and enterprise specialist college, to ask if I would join in a video conference on web design, with a class of their students. Obviously I jumped at the chance to do it. And a week later, over the course of an hour, I was verbally sniped from many directions with some pretty intelligent and sometimes tricky questions! They ranged from directly relevant to their project work, to far broader subjects encompassing design rules! It was great to do, and nice to know that we have helped in a very literal and immediate way!

Bet you didn’t expect that did you!

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Following years of working together on a variety of digital projects Sony have been working with RT in the management of their European e-marketing activities.

Over the last 18 months we have been tailoring a bespoke workflow which includes the setup, build, distribution and reporting for their European email marketing campaigns.

Now as an integral part of the Sony process we are very excited to be growing this department as a world class resource for other leading brands to unlock the potential of effective, well planned email strategies.

We offer design, build, distribution and complete strategic campaign management to companies who are serious about developing truly engaging relationships with their customers.

Sony Digital Marketing: “We have now been working with RT Media for over seven years – longer than any other agency – and we enjoy a close relationship with them. RT have been responsible for many of the banners and microsites on Sonybiz.net and played a key part in ensuring we were able to launch our new site to schedule in January 2007. RT have also been responsible for some of our most successful eCommunication campaigns, driving forward both awareness and sales of our products. More recently, we have entered into a new partnership with RT for them to take on management for a big part of our eCommunication activities, including the set-up, distribution and reporting of the more than five million EDMs and eNewsletters we send out every year. We look forward to working closely with RT for a long time to come.”

We will be putting together a Case Study later next month so we will keep you informed.

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Today saw a nice little banner app go live for NAB video content. RT worked on the banner to make sure new video content can be added with Sony’s CMS system through XML so that video can go live super fast. This interactive carousel demonstrates nice flash work and simple design.

Sony NAB video banner - Nice flash app

View it in action here:
www.sonybiz.net/nab

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Today I gave a presentation to company who we have been working with for the past six months. The unveiling to the staff a new re-brand, critical to the success of the change and strategic repositioning we are aiming to achieve are the employees.

A fundamental mind shift and belief will build on the foundations this new vision and decide it’s success.

The company’s position as one of the South’s largest and most visible driving schools is about getting a much needed enhancement with the launch of their new branding. So much more than just a fresh logo, this project has taken New Driver’s management team over six months to complete and involved them working closely with us.

With full implementation planned for the next few months, the resultant strategic and operational changes will positively impact everything from the company’s literature and website to stationery and vehicle livery.

One of the most innovative and important changes to come out of New Driver’s re-branding initiative has been a complete restructuring of how the school works with its Accredited Partner Instructors. We have developed some industry first packages that will truly differentiate them in the market.

For me today was about ‘Employee Alignment’

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After a successful start to 2009, winning many a prestigious client in just the first 2 months; RT have been focusing their push on the food sector… with great effect!

We have been working closely for the past half a year with the multi award-winning national nutritionist Barbara Cox and her company Nutrichef on developing their key product packaging.

Nutrichef are a nutritional healthy meal plan delivery company who can tailor a package to the individual’s objective; be it weight loss, increased energy or even higher mental clarity!

After recently briefing us with the envious task of developing a range of health conscious fruit, nuts and seeds, we immediately donned our thinking caps.

Covering all aspects from the product naming and copywriting – to the design and packaging, the range has gone down a storm with Nutrichef CEO Barbara Cox, and we are now simply waiting for the shelf-stackers to do their bit! (Click image for a larger pic).

(more…)

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Last year we gave away a FREE brand audit to one lucky entry at the BowShot e-Den.2 series. The winners were New Driver, the South’s most prolific driving school with some 280+ franchise instructors across the south.

We are now delighted to announce that we will be supporting New Driver through a new phase of positioning and market share growth. The work has involved strategic planning and forecast modeling for the next 5 years, along with the development of completely ground breaking suite of package offerings to the driving instructors market.

The new brand and communications program will roll-out over the next 2 years and form the platform for stability and increased visibility.

Working with such a passionate team has been great fun, there is so much we can do to build on the success New Driver have had over the last 20 years.

New Driver - Re-Brand Outcome

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Heat 4 of this year’s e-Den event was once again won by the audiences favourite, Ruth Collier-Large of www.me-mo.co.uk. But some of the highest praise of the evening was reserved for Stephanie Penrose of iSS TV, her online local TV station was branded “genius” by e-Den’s digital media guru, Spencer Gallagher. You can see my interview with Stephaine in our own video report from Bournemouth University at www.iscreensouth.com. All four candidates are now in place for the final on 18th September 2008. Get your tckets early for what’s bound to be a sell-out at www.bowshot.org/shop.

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A long term client came to the office today and remarked ‘wow, what’s changed?’ I was a bit taken back as I was not sure what he was getting at. But he said it just feels different here… the energy is visible. It’s nice to get good feedback as we all know we work better when in a positive environment. We moved into Allen House just over a year ago and did the same thing we always do – focus on getting good work done for clients. A year on and the building still looked like it did when we moved in.

Surprising what a lick of blue paint and some music can do! Now it’s got our touch… nothing over the top or flashy just some of our work around the place. And I have to say it feels good. People can now see what we have been doing for others. I have never bought into the big flash London office which so many agencies feel they need. We have always built on our reputation for great work that gets results, done without pain or fuss.

So little things can make a big impression, how are you developing your relationships? Telling the stories you want? Involving, communicating and valuing your customers? My saying of the week is ‘perception is reality’ so make sure your brand is clear, your communications are consistent and your persona matches.

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I will know when you do…

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The third heat of this year’s e-Den proved to be the first where the highly knowledgeable audience agreed with the judges’ verdict. Both chose John Davies from TDSi who is determined to use his web as part of a strategy to talk to his customers’, customers.

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Another great event at Bournemouth University sponsored by RT. Watch our report on the evening’s proceedings which featured our colleague, Richard Mack and his new website, www.rtprmotions.co.uk. All candidates received a wide variety of opinions from the panel and audience.

Whilst everyone expects to get feedback some of the criticism can be difficult to accept, however well intentioned. As Richard said to me when reflecting on his mauling in the dragon’s den, “it’s their opinion I asked for it, but I have my opinion; I accept what they say, get over it and move on. I’ve got so much out of this evening and would recommend it to anyone who really wants to grow their business online.”

Laura McHarrie, from Business Link Wessex, on e-Den 2: “Highly recommended for any business looking to improve it’s online presence. Practical advice.”

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Have you become addicted to email, does it manage your time in the office?

Some organisations have banned email internally to encourage better communication between their people.

True, bad things can happen because of email, but good things also happen because of email, what’s in no doubt in the 21st century is that just about everything happens by email. But should it? There are still many instances when it’s better to telephone, fax, text or even meet!

It is doubtful that any email ever added to a relationship, but I bet it’s spoiled a few! Think before you click!

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When it comes to looking after your customers it pays to keep things simple. Why not start with these four golden rules and apply them with a little lateral thinking throughout your business:

1. Turn up on time
2. Do what you say
3. Finish what you start
4. Say please & thank you…

Oh and don’t forget to put yourself in your customers’ shoes from time-to-time

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When the economy’s on song people buy for fun! We love it, we deserve it, it’s great to get a bit of retail therapy!

But when the talk is of crunch and crisis, the voice in our head changes. We continue to buy but for different reasons; maybe to avoid problems or because we think that it’s a bargain and it’ll never be that cheap again. Alternatively we might still need a sense of reward but buy smaller.

Different motivations but maybe same purchase.

A “Costa” everyday on the way to work was the reward for a confident earner; the same cup of coffee becomes the small reward for someone struggling to make ends meet. It’s all in the story!

If you’re marketing you need to work out how to adapt that story; customers will then be happy to change the story they tell themselves.

All the elements in your product or service when marketed add up to a perception. If you change these elements the perception changes, the buyer’s emotions change and the story will change too.

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