Be more interesting.

The work life balance is one that is often difficult to get right, especially in an industry of tight deadlines, pitches and the ‘always-on’ mindset that we have in advertising.

In a very generous bid to ensure that all St Lukers take an opportunity to continue to expand their social and ‘extra curricular’ lives there is an annual grant available for each permanent employee to learn to do something to “Make yourself more interesting.”

The value in a well-rounded person should never be underestimated and St Luke's has remarkably valued this for around 20 years. People have done all manner of things such as nutritionist courses, learned to salsa or taken swimming lessons.

I’d been toying around with the idea of doing a few different things with my fund this year, until over Christmas I realised that I was now as an adult craving a hobby that I spent most of my teenage years enjoying – performing arts.

I set about researching immediately, and on Jan 2nd I signed myself up to a 12 week course for adults at Pineapple Performing Arts School – held for 3-4 hours every Sunday at the legendary Pineapple Dance Studios in Covent Garden. Gulp.

After the first session I was beaming with excitement and the next day came bounding in to work, still buzzing off the adrenaline. The singing teachers had been in the original casts of Wicked, Billy Elliot, The Lion King and Mamma Mia. Drama was led by a pair of actor/directors, and dance classes were taught by performers at the top of their games in Street, Hip Hop, House and Musical Theatre. I was in awe of their talent, and it was overwhelming and terrifying to think that in 3 months time I’d be on a London stage, performing a showcase of pieces that we would learn over the 12 weeks.

                                            

When show weekend arrived I felt sick with nerves, and was glad I only had a few select friends coming to watch the 2 shows we were performing on the Sunday. Having a singing solo and a drama duologue, as well as numerous group numbers, made the personal pressure feel heightened, but in the end these were some of the standout memories where I felt I thrived most. The feeling of the adrenaline rush after both performances and seeing my friends' grinning faces in the audience is one I have tried to bottle.

The whole experience reminded me that you should never feel like you’re too old, too busy or too tired to throw yourself into doing something you find nerve-wracking or challenging. The buzz is amazing, and sometimes you just need reminding of that.

                                                     

Even if it’s not something you find daunting, it’s a sterling reminder that we should all make time for hobbies. And when an agency like St Luke’s will freely offer you money to learn to do whatever you like, you should grab the opportunity with both hands! 

Who's next?

Brit boys take on Brazilian girls in The Strongbow Rio Challenge

In every football match, be it a World Cup final or a Sunday league wooden spoon playoff there is a form sheet of some sort. Something that helps the fans pick a favorite based on recent form, the history of the club or star players.

So this summer, we’re asking Strongbow fans to pick between teams of a different kind: amateur Brit boys vs pro Brazilian girls – who has what it takes to win.

We know the boys team HMNB Portsmouth are good at their game, as they came out top in our Strongbow Rio Challenge trial day but how would they fare taking on one of the best female Brazilian teams: Vasco, in their home country?  With players who previously competed in World Cup and Olympic games, the girls certainly had the skill and footballing finesse but would the power and strength of the boys overrule?

The boys team, made up of the five players from HMNB Portsmouth and three subs as voted for by social media, all flew out to Rio in May to face a grueling training schedule ahead of the final challenge. To give these enthusiastic amateurs a chance against some of Brazil’s finest, they where put through their paces on the girl’s home sand by their coaching team, Chris Kamara and Janio Cruz. Their training covered all areas of the game including a tour of the favelas to understand how some of the world’s greatest players built up the physiological strength needed to reach the peak of their game.

Once training was complete, the final challenge showdown took place when the boys took on the ladies team against the backdrop of Rio’s iconic skyline. Could the boys live up to their talk? Did these amateurs have what it takes to beat a pro women’s team? Watch their full story on: youtube.com/strongbow where you can watch all the content in this St Luke’s led campaign.

Strongbow challenges 'normal' guy to score like a pro

Last night, during the England v Germany match (where we disappointingly lost 0-1), one regular guy stepped up to a challenge. Not during the match, but in the half time ad break in our latest Strongbow challenge.

The Football Challenge is specifically aimed at getting those guys who always claim they could have scored that missed penalty to step up and prove it. Whether it's your mate, brother, boyfriend, husband, or dad - we all know a bloke who likes to shout at the TV and think they could do better. Our guy, Jared Aransibia, was chosen from thousands of applicants, to prepare for a once in a lifetime opportunity of scoring a penalty 'for England' against our fiercest football rivals Germany.

Jared was mentored by legendary former England player and Coach Stuart Pearce and he underwent two days of intense training which saw his stamina levels pushed to the limit by fitness coach and former Olympic sprinter Ade Mafe. This was topped off with a session by leading sports psychologist Dan Abrahams who helped mentally prepare Jared for his 12 yard challenge. He faced Hamburg’s German international goalkeeper Rene ‘Iron Man’ Adler on his home turf in the epic surroundings of the Berlin Olympic stadium.

                           

Sam Fielding, Strongbow Marketing Manager comments "This week’s game between Germany and England was the perfect opportunity for us to introduce Jared's challenge to football fans across the country. Jared stepped up to a once in a lifetime opportunity alongside Coach Stuart Pearce that provided us with some fantastic and engaging content people will love to watch.”

Stuart Pearce said: "We all watch a game from the comfort of our sofa and think we can do better, take that corner or score that penalty. We can all talk a good game but there aren’t many times you get the opportunity to 'walk the walk'. Jared was armed with all the physical and mental tools to score the penalty but the rest was up to him.”

The trailer as aired can be viewed from the image above, and full content following Jared’s journey along with the result of the penalty is live on strongbow.com/football now.

So, what are you waiting for?

Cricket gets the Strongbow treatment

As a team at St Luke’s, we believe in practicing what we preach. So when positioning Strongbow as the brand which “rewards men who step up to a challenge and get the job done”, the next step was to set up some live challenges to see which Strongbow drinkers really could live up to their name! 

                                   

The first, Cricket, goes live today and shows the story of eight finalists (picked from thousands) who experienced two days of intense training before the final winner was selected to face an over from Jimmy Anderson in front of a 200-strong crowd. 

Keen cricketer, Pete Moxom was chosen as the winner to face deliveries travelling up to 85mph from Anderson. All he had to do was last the full over. Watch Pete step up and EARN IT. as he takes on Jimmy in the first Strongbow challenge.

If you think you have what it takes to EARN IT. there is still time to sign up for the Comedy challenge.

Who Earned the right to take on Jimmy Anderson in our Strongbow Cricket Challenge?

On the 16th of September we are going to finally reveal the lucky winner of our recent Strongbow Cricket Challenge.

Facing 6 balls from Jimmy Anderson, one of England's fastest bowlers, is no easy task. Thousands of you stepped up and only 8 lucky people made it through to the training and audition stage BUT there can only be one winner. Watch the video below to get a taste of what is coming...

Moments of Truth - New Strongbow Work!

Last night, after the England V Brazil match, was the grand debut of our latest Strongbow advert. The 60s spot is entitled 'Moments of Truth' and encounters blokes in a variety of nerve-wracking situations, showing how fear distorts their reality in each of the scenarios. However, they all triumph, smashing it as they step up and face their fears! From the best man's speech, to the nail-biting penalty shoot out, these characters embody the Strongbow brand which rewards the man who gets the job done.

Beautifully directed by Sam Brown, with the undeniably epic O Fortuna (Carmina Burana) as its soundtrack, the tension is palpable throughout the spot, yet exaggerated facial expressions and comedy moments provide some relief - keeping the suspense but making the ad more entertaining!

This spot is the spearhead of the 2013 'Earn It' campaign which involves a range of Strongbow challenges that men can apply to participate in - if they think they're up to it! The first challenge is looking for fellas to step up to take a ball from top cricket fast bowler Jimmy Anderson.

The ad has received coverage in Campaign magazine and Brand Republic amongst others, but the most overwhelming thing was the amount of Tweets registered after the spot went out. We briefly trended worldwide, and were 8th in the UK! Tweeters really got involved and loved the ad - some even calling it their ad of the year so far. We're all very proud of it, and I for one feel it was definitely worth sitting through a pretty dull football match to see!

If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? Click the image below, and let us know what you think!