Dan publishes essay in Marketing and Campaign

Our MD and Planning Director Dan Hulse, has yet again been busy writing articles for industry press, and has just been published as one of the writers in a series of essays entitled 'Applied Thinking', which feature in Marketing Magazine and Campaign.

Dan's piece, entitled 'Unity,' focuses on the desire for Marketing Directors to create change within their corporations, who all too often prioritise the short term changes that can occur during their tenure, rather than striving for strategic long term changes which can fundamentally improve and grow their brands and businesses.

Dan explains that through unity with their internal teams, and agencies as key strategic partners, Marketing Directors can really change their businesses and create impactful communications which drive further and deeper than creating ads, but mould the whole business from the inside out. Citing that really the most impactful audience is the internal one, and that unity as a business and with their partner agency on board too, real change can be realised. This reflects the work Dominos and Currys have carried out with their brands, but also the projects we have implemented with our Majestic Wine client at St Luke's, and the projects we continue to strive for as we set Agendas for our clients to allow them to outmanoeuvre their competition.

Adwatch of the Year

December brings out the reminiscent and celebratory nature in most all of us. It's a time to look back on the achievements of the year, the trials and tribulations we've overcome and look forward to what the new year will bring.

For us at St Luke's it's been a particularly successful year, and this has been topped off by Marketing Magazine's "Adwatch of the Year" feature, which runs down the 20 most effective adverts of the year in terms of memory recall. Adwatch of the Year 2013 celebrates our Shop Direct clients Littlewoods and Very.co.uk as the year's biggest success story. Throughout the year, adverts for both have featured prominently in the weekly brand recall listings during their time on air, but for both to make the top 10 of the year is a fantastic achievement for them and for us!

It's even more remarkable when the budgets for both brands were considerably lower than any other ad in the top 20, making us the best value advertisers of the year!

It's been a fantastic team effort, and has seen both brands making the best creative and effective work they have ever done - from Littlewoods launching their first Kids ad for Ladybird, to Very and their new uber-stylish Definitions brand it's great to see recognition from the ad industry as well as those crucial sales figures increasing.

Interconnected by deeds not words.

Our Managing Director, Dan has written a fantastic article which has been published in both Marketing Magazine and Campaign this month. "Interconnected" breaks down the real truths behind brands and how they act in an increasingly connected, information sharing market place. Brands can no longer get away with claiming excellent service or superb value in the safe confines of outbound communications without proving it in practice, as in the harsh reality of the interconnected world, the nature of such claims will be revealed by how the brand acts. Customers will share their experiences of those actions on social media and price comparison sites with great ease.


                                         

Dan's article goes on to explain the interconnected world in the light of how we work here at St Luke's, with particular mention to our Strongbow, Majestic, Very.co.uk and Littlewoods clients. Our agenda is not only transform a brand's communication ideas, but also the client's business ideas in order to create a strategy that rings true throughout their whole organisation, and create a brand identity which reflects the fundamental truths of their audience, company and product.

I don't want to give the whole article away, you can read it here, and you should. It gives great food for thought on how we can sculpt and encourage organisations to embody their brand identity and be true to themselves in an interconnected world.

Ding - we're at the top of the charts with Littlewoods Funfair!

We're delighted to have tied at the top spot in Marketing Magazine's Top 10 ads of the week.

The chart of ads is based on those which are most highly recalled for that week, and our delightful Funfair advert and its respective 10" cutdowns have raced to the top of the chart with 44% recall, alongside the anti-smoking campaign Stoptober.

We've received great feedback in industry press and on social media for the campaign, which you can watch below featuring Myleene Klass, Mark Wright and a track from the up and coming singer Arlissa.

Topping the charts again!

This may give you a slight sense of déjà vu, but no, we're not repeating old news! Very.co.uk have made it to the top of the Marketing magazine chart of the 'Top Ten Ads of the Week" for ads with the highest recall by viewers this week.

This comes only two weeks after two of our Shop Direct brands occupied the top two spots in the same  chart. With Very taking the top spot, and Littlewoods still sitting pretty at number 4 we're the only fashion retail brands in the top 10 and show that our ads resonate well amongst their audience.

Here's to more Very stylish ads to come!