Avoid getting into a sticky mess with the agency pitch process

Too many agencies on a pitch list can lead to a right old sticky mess if new research on jam is anything to go by, writes Alison Meadows, of Cambridge marcomms agency Ware Anthony Rust.

Apparently when faced with a choice of 24 different jams on a trip to the supermarket we’re so daunted by making potentially the wrong choice that many of us chose not to buy a jar at all.

This latest research proves that too much choice panics the human brain as it attempts to review the options and come to a sound decision. Twenty-four brands and flavours is simply too many.

However, when faced with a choice of six – considered by researchers to be the optimum – consumers are able to assess them all, make a considered choice and feel happy that in reviewing all the choices fully they have selected the best jam for them.

Well this set me thinking about the agency pitch process. So often we find ourselves in the company of more than six agencies. We ask ourselves ‘how can we stand out?’, ‘what is the client really looking for?’, ‘what criteria for appointment will be applied?’ and many more questions that we rarely find the true answers to.

How is it, we wonder, and clearly rightly so, that the client can carefully assess the pitch that each agency puts together and indeed how can they be sure they’ve made the right decision from such a large selection?

There are two answers for us. Firstly if the pitch list gets too long we decline to participate. Whatever the economic climate this is a hard decision to make but a pitch can be a time consuming drain on resources and we have, more importantly, existing clients to serve.

Secondly, and most importantly, we work really hard on our prospecting relationships. The more we know about the people, the brand, the product and the challenge, the better our response. The odds are improved and the prospect of a win stronger. The chance of the right choice for the client is also improved.

So you’ll find us working harder on our client intelligence and insights, marketing, packaging and standout (website and pr in our case) rather than wasting vital man hours on a multi agency pitch process. No different really than selling jam perhaps.

Ware Anthony Rust and Anglia Ruskin encourage students to get creative

Creative agency Ware Anthony Rust has teamed up with Anglia Ruskin University to offer real-life experience to a group of third-year students, aiming to make it big in the creative industry.

The ‘RealWorld’ sessions included five one-hour workshops to help students from the Cambridge School of Art apply their skills to live, real-world briefs. As a result, it is hoped students will be able to build exciting portfolios in readiness for the workplace as well as gaining an insight into the different arenas and disciplines in which creatives operate.

The sessions covered a broad range of topics such as art direction, writing for advertising, digital and presentation skills, branding, and storytelling for film. Portfolio surgeries and critiques will also be part of the programme.

Ware Anthony Rust’s executive creative director, Dale Haste led the sessions and believes that although the creative industry can traditionally be a tough one to break in to, hands-on experience can make the difference when applying for jobs.

"By teaming up with Anglia Ruskin to put on the ‘RealWorld’ sessions we hope we’ll not only inspire the next generation of creatives to demonstrate the impact of creativity and innovation, but also help to bridge the gap between education and the workplace," said Dale.

"It is becoming increasingly important for students to differentiate themselves after graduation and we think by offering an honest overview of our industry, and by providing real-world briefs, we can help students achieve the niche, mould-breaking CV that might make all the difference to potential employers."

One of the participating students Bredon Patter said: "I have learned so much in the five sessions and it gave me a great insight into the real world of the industry. Not only was the feedback on the solutions wonderfully positive but also wonderfully constructive."

After the successful first round of ‘RealWorld’ sessions, it is expected the programme will be repeated for new groups of students on an annual basis.

Can brand Murray recover from his unforced error?

Successful brands, be it an individual person, a product, or a service, deliver on their promises, appeal to and inspire their target audience, and are generally liked, writes senior account director Kay Davis.

But while there’s no doubt Andy Murray delivers when he’s on a tennis court, and his run to the last four of Wimbledon this year has been mighty impressive, many of the public still seem to struggle to connect to him as a person. How come? Shouldn’t we bow down to his great sporting prowess and thank him for his valuable contribution to British sport?

The most basic premise of a brand is that it appeals and has resonance with its target audience but with one ill judged utterance Murray seemed to alienate and offend a large proportion of his audience with a comment that will stay with him forever.

Speaking to the Daily Mail in the summer of 2006, Murray was asked who he would support in the upcoming World Cup. His reply ‘anyone but England’ was brushed off as a joke but the ‘anti-English’ tag has stuck, especially among Middle England, where you can find the majority of British tennis fans.

So how can Murray overcome this unforced error and win back his popularity? His personality isn’t likely to woo us alone. His often dour expression and the fact he can sometimes look like he isn’t enjoying his tennis, are not qualities that people instantly warm to.

Murray’s appointed Simon Higgins, a former editor at The Sun to help improve media relations and, in an attempt to negate his anti-English persona, he stresses he’s a quarter English and has an English girlfriend and coach.

Actions speak louder than words, however, and Murray needs to find personal attributes that will resonate with his core audience and communicate and portray these consistently – on and off the court.

Why bother you ask? Well for a start he’ll get more cheers on court and a friendlier media reception. But, more importantly he’ll reap some major financial rewards in the long run. Max Clifford claims Murray could lose potential sponsorship earnings of £50m because of his surliness - and bad teeth.

Sponsors want to be associated with personalities who are well liked. Murray needs to work hard at his brand image to win endorsement contracts and help his career once his time on the tennis court ends. If he launches a range of clothing or food for example, will people want to be associated with it based on his current image?

So, we all hope to see the Murray brand become more rounded in the coming years, especially off the court. He delivers functionally by winning matches but he now needs to concentrate on developing and communicating personal attributes that his audience connect with. Or he could just smile more. With his mouth shut of course!

Gamble you take when backing sports stars

England’s footballers have returned home to anything but a hero’s welcome. Fabio Capello awaits his fate and much of the nation is suffering from depression brought on by the end of our over-hyped World Cup hopes.

But spare a thought for the marketeers who invested their hopes, and millions of pounds of their companies’ marketing budgets, in supporting the national team, writes PR account director Peter Crowe.

By Monday morning, Tesco – official supermarket to the England team – had already reduced its range of England t-shirts to half price. It is just one of the country’s top brands which had counted on basking in England’s reflected glory. Others included Nationwide – currently offering £20 million for another four year deal – National Express, Carlsberg, Umbro, Mars, M&S, Virgin Atlantic and Lucozade Sport.

Sponsorship, particularly of high profile sportspeople or teams, is a gamble. While they are successful the brand will reap the rewards of association, but the danger is that the association continues when the individual or team fails. In the case of the England team this has undoubtedly been exacerbated by the nature of the failure. Supporting brave losers is one thing, being the name behind no hopers is quite another.

And it is not just on the field of play that sponsorship is fraught with danger. Indiscretions off the field – most notably sex and drugs – can plunge the value of the association into negative equity overnight. Tiger Woods is the most high profile example of this in recent times. The appointment of celebrity brand spokespeople carries exactly the same risks.

Which is not to say that sponsorship or celebrity endorsement are not important tools in the marketeer’s toolbox. However, careful consideration of strategy and scenario planning is essential to ensuring that this is the right route to go, and that the money spent really delivers return on investment.

BP boss gets his life back but not his reputation

BP boss Tony Hayward has finally handed over the day-to-day running of the oil spill crisis but the move has come far too late to save both his and the company’s reputation, according to Ware Anthony Rust’s head of PR Alison Taylor.

Finally, BP has made a strong, positive step in the right direction, handing over control of the crisis to their man-on-the-ground, Mississippi born Bob Dudley. Having ignored one of the oldest rules in the PR book – ‘the boss may not be the best spokesperson’, it has taken 65 cringe-worthy days for BP to do the sensible thing? America may have a fondness for British ‘quaintness’ but the Harry Potteresque Hayward clearly doesn’t command their respect and with the American public now baying for blood, accusations flying and the danger of an international cultural rift, let’s hope that Dudley can deliver some clear, honest messaging and actions.

As someone who cut her career teeth on an industry in crisis it never ceases to amaze me how history repeats itself. Is it the power of success that breeds complacency and spurs organisations to turn a blind eye to warning signs? Or is it just incompetence? With 11 people dead and oil still pumping into the Gulf, there is surely no excuse for Hayward’s very public weekend jolly on the high seas. Any clear headed individual, let alone a business leader of his standing, would have opted instead for a few hours behind closed doors with Spongebob Boating Bash on their Wii (I have no vested interest in promoting Nintendo but Hayward seems like a Spongebob-type-of-man).

Surrounded by communications experts as BP undoubtedly must be, how can the men at the top be so inept? Hayward’s gaffes were bad enough but add to them the Carl-Henric Svanberg’s ‘small people’ reference and it can no longer be explained away as one man’s misjudgement. In fact, Yahoo lists more than ten major mistakes by the organisation in all, equating to more than one a week since the disaster began.

So, while we watch in horror as birds drown in the oil-sodden sand, are BP’s competitors rubbing their hands in glee, hoping for a sudden death and easy pickings? ExxonMobil and Chevron have been quick to distance themselves from BP and Ken Cohen’s blog is an interesting attempt by ExxonMobil to reach out to consumers and present a responsible image. Maybe Ken wasn’t prepared for the intensity of response the blog generated, or maybe he is too busy making sure the company is squeaky clean? Either way, the solitary response he provided to the many views expressed by readers of the blog tells its own story. Also, it is encouraging to see that Petrobras is actively seeking PR support as it expands its own offshore drilling programme – it may need it.

And so, Mr Hayward, it looks like you’ll be getting your ‘life back’ after all, although I doubt it’ll ever be the same again. The question is, now that BP is at rock bottom in terms of public perception, can it reinvent itself on the world stage and, like the egg industry, emerge reborn, adorned with little smiley lion stamps?

Golfers get chance to cast their votes away from General Election

The majority of us will be choosing between red, blue and yellow at the upcoming General Election but the nation’s golfers have a far more interesting choice in front of them as they get to vote for the pair of shoes they would like eight of Europe’s leading golfers wear at the upcoming BMW PGA Championship.

Players such as Masters runner-up Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson and Rory McIlroy will wear the ‘winning’ FootJoy shoe styles as they walk the fairways at Wentworth on May 20th.

The brainchild of FootJoy Marketing Manager Richard Fryer, the "MyJoys May" promotion has been brought to fruition with long time FootJoy and Acushnet communications partner Ware Anthony Rust (WAR).

"Having generated the concept of voting for the player’s shoe designs as a means of promoting the MyJoys brand from FootJoy, WAR showed us how to deliver the promotion online and added value at every step," said Richard.

Rich media flash MPU banners placed on leading golfing websites invite golfers to engage with the promotion and vote for one of three shoes for a particular player. The banners then feed the votes to a database which sends the live results back to the golfer so they get instant feedback as to the leading designs. Golfers can then link through to the MyJoys website where they can design their own shoes.

WAR also designed a competition web page where golfers can vote for different players and monitor how the voting is progressing in the run-up to the European Tour’s flagship event.

"FootJoy’s MyJoys programme gives golfers virtually unlimited options in terms of shoe styles, colours and personalistion” said Gareth Brookman, Board account Director at WAR. “It’s an outstanding offering and the chance to promote it using an innovative online mechanic is a tremendous one. The leading golf websites are reaching some serious numbers of golfers and we’ll be monitoring the results carefully across the promotion period."

The current voting can be viewed at www.myjoysmay.co.uk

Dead Parrot sketch creates a stir in Cambridge!

Shoppers, students, and the odd confused tourist or two were treated to a special one-off performance in Cambridge yesterday (April 14) as young actors recreated the famous Monty Python Dead Parrot sketch.

The iconic “Now that's what I call a dead parrot!” line rang out regularly over the market square, competing with the noise of the bustling market and delivery vans.

Designed to raise awareness of the RSPB’s Letter to the Future campaign, the performances will shortly be available to view online at www.rspb.org.uk/letter

The event is part of a creative PR campaign devised by Ware Anthony Rust to help the Letter to the Future Campaign reach an even wider audience.

Letter to the Future already has in excess of 170,000 signatures and aims to ensure we provide a healthy environment for future generations and that nature’s voice is heard loud and clear by all the political parties ahead of May’s General Election.

Alison Taylor, Head of PR at Ware Anthony Rust, said: "Our young actors certainly created a bit of a stir in the centre of Cambridge and we now looking forward to these hilarious performances creating a buzz online."

WAR Highly Commended at Fresh PR Awards

A PR campaign by leading East of England integrated marketing agency, Ware Anthony Rust (WAR), has received prestigious industry recognition at this year’s Fresh PR Awards.

Highly commended by the judging panel in the Freshest Business to Business Campaign category, Bacs Late Payments campaign was developed by WAR in close collaboration with its client, Bacs Payment Schemes Limited (Bacs). The campaign used national business research to position Bacs as lead commentator on the issue of late payments, while communicating the benefits of Bacs Direct Credit as an effective and efficient business tool to help manage cashflow. Drawing on WAR’s in-house digital and production capabilities, interactive maps were used to illustrate the impact of late payments on British businesses, both at a geographic and industry sector level.

To date, Bacs Late Payment campaign has secured an audience reach in excess of 272 million and a media circulation of more than 251 million, raising awareness of the issue and bringing urgency to the debate.

Melanie Tuckwell, PR account director at WAR, said: "We are delighted to receive this award in recognition of Bacs Late Payments Campaign which we will continue to develop to ensure that Bacs retains its position as a voice of authority in the late payment debate."

Jayne Stuart, senior manager Bacs marketing, said: "Since 2004 Bacs has been researching the issue of Late Payments and its impact on British SMEs. This campaign, developed in partnership with WAR, was clearly focused on helping us achieve our overall business objectives. The result surpassed our expectations and has provided Bacs with a platform and the credibility to open dialogue with target business partners."

Ware Anthony Rust’s creativity flows for Anglian Water

Integrated communications agency Ware Anthony Rust (WAR), has pumped a new level of creativity into Anglian Water’s customer communications with the development of a series of refreshingly quirky customer leaflets.

Featuring unusual images entitled ‘useful/helpful things we want to share with you’, the new leaflets are being distributed with Anglian Water’s annual customer bills. Each leaflet carries ten succinct messages split into ‘5 things you should know about us’, and ‘5 things we can do to help you’.

Diane Gregory, Anglian Water’s Marketing and Website Manager, said: "Our research showed that information included with annual bills is often discarded before being read. We needed to find a way of grabbing, and keeping, customers attention for long enough to communicate core messages about our company and services. WAR’s creative approach takes us in a new direction which has real impact and we’re absolutely delighted with the results."

Following the successful roll out of the leaflets, Anglian Water is continuing to work with WAR on the creative development of a series of press advertisements.

WAR PR pick their favourite reads to mark World Book Day

You might have thought that settling down with a good book may not have been at the top of the agenda for the PR team at Ware Anthony Rust.

Reading a multitude of newspapers and magazines every day to keep on top of the news agenda for a plethora of clients can be a tiring business and you would forgive the team if they preferred to settle down in front of the television or plug in their iPlayer.

But, inspired by the occasion of World Book Day (March 4) a quick survey of the team revealed everyone has been glued to the pages of a wide range of fascinating reads.

PR assistant Mark Debenham has certainly been going that extra mile by swotting up on Microtrends by Mark Penn. "I can’t give too much away about it as I’m preparing a presentation to the whole agency on it soon!" joked Mark.

Meanwhile, account director Melanie Tuckwell has been engrossed in Stephanie Meyer’s Twighlight saga after watching the romantic vampire movie. "I never thought I would want to read about vampires but the love stories are great for a slush pot like me!" she laughed.

Rob Neal, PR senior account manager, is a massive fan of Philippe Auclair’s biography of Manchester United legend Eric Cantona. "This is a different kettle of fish from the usual gumph you get with football autobiographies. The Rebel Who Would Be King is as close as anyone will get to demystifying one of the greatest enigmas the game has ever seen."

Rachel Griffiths, PR account executive, says she has been kept very busy reading books for her one-year-old nephew Ryan. "He absolutely loves books and I bought him the Hungry Caterpillar for Christmas which was one of my favourites as a child!" she said.

Account Manager Nick Tapper is gripped by horror writer Dean Koontz and, in particular Dark Rivers of the Heart. "Dean is a phenomenal author who is able to very quickly capture the readers’ attention and never let go," he said. "If you like horror, Dean Koontz is a must read."

Head of PR Alison Taylor is quick to recommend The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan, the untold story of those who survived the Great American Dust Bowl, and many who didn't.

"This is a fantastic, harrowing and truly mind-blowing read about one of the worst man-made environmental disasters ever which saw black dust storms reaching from New Mexico all the way to New York. I promise you won’t be able to put this book down," said Alison.

Big-hitter Appointed Head of PR at Ware Anthony Rust

Integrated agency Ware Anthony Rust (WAR) has appointed Alison Taylor as head of public relations.

Taylor’s career spans over twenty years in agency public relations, working for clients such as Procter and Gamble, Smirnoff, Atkins Nutritionals, The London Institute, UK Technology Week, Mexican Government Tourist Office, National Dairy Council and Weight Watchers. She was the original co-founder of Xchangeteam and, before joining WAR, ran her own freelance business, AT PR Ltd, providing consultancy services to clients including the British Nutrition Foundation.

Taylor will head an established team servicing a client portfolio which includes Bacs, MGA Entertainment, Clydesdale Bank, InSinkErator, and Hewitsons, and involves consumer, business-to-business, corporate public relations support and crisis management.

Alison Meadows, managing director of WAR said: "We’re thrilled with the appointment of Alison to this important position at WAR. PR is a fundamental and growing part of our offering and to secure such a high calibre operator is a real coup for us. The benefits can already be seen with the addition of several new clients since Alison’s been on board. We’re confident of attracting many more high profile brands to our Cambridge operation under Alison’s leadership".

Creative hard-hitter joins Ware Anthony Rust

Award-winning creative, Jack Melville, has joined Ware Anthony Rust, as Creative and New Business Director. Melville, whose creative prowess has earned him a string of shining accolades, including D&AD’s, the Cannes Film Festival – Gold Lion; Eurobest – The Grand Prix; Art Director of Europe Award – Silver; British Television Advertising Awards (Silver and Bronze); and the London International Advertising Awards, brings with him a wealth of big agency and blue chip client experience.

Melville will report into Dale Haste, Executive Creative Director at Ware Anthony Rust, who said: "Jack’s appointment is testament to the pulling-power of our agency and the high regard in which the whole of the industry holds our creative work. Without our history of delivering superb creative campaigns we would not attract talent like Jack. We’re delighted to have him on board".

Melville’s career history includes roles at Saatchi and Saatchi, Delaney Fletcher Delaney, Lowes and The Johnson Agency, before he established his own agency, M&M, in 1995. Melville’s recent creative work has been for major clients such as Health Education Authority, Loot.com, Greene King, Harper Collins, Cable London and Lejaby.

Chamberlain Strengthens Agricultural Communications Team

Chamberlain has appointed Peter Crowe as an Account Director, to work across a range of high profile client business.

Crowe will report to senior consultant and agri-industry stalwart, Geoff Dodgson, who said: "Peter’s knowledge of the agricultural industry is exceptional and perfectly complements our existing team. His extensive experience of working with a wide range of issues including food, farming and renewable energy means that he’ll be hitting the ground running. We’re delighted to have yet another team member of this calibre, who will add value to our clients’ business from day one."

Crowe, who joins the agency from agri-food consultancy Ceres, is a communications professional with more than 30 years’ experience, including ten years in the dairy industry. He was a pioneer of public relations evaluation in the UK, as well as being the founding secretary of the Marketing Communications Group of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. Crowe’s recent work has included advising the Renewable Energy Association, and working with Imperial College London on a series of Science Bulletins for HGCA (formerly Home-Grown Cereals Authority).

MD swaps laptop for a shovel and helps to rebuild a school in Africa

Alison Meadows, the managing director of Cambridge comms agency Ware Anthony Rust, has returned from Namibia where, along with three of her friends, she helped to rebuild a derelict school.

The trip to southern Africa was the culmination of nearly two years of careful planning and fundraising for the PANTS (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Namibian Tour for School) project, which Alison created with her friends Fiona Fish, Helen Boothman and Karen Pryor.

The intrepid foursome raised a total of £21,000 for their chosen charities, the Parkinson’s Disease Society and The Alzheimer’s Society, as well as donating their time to rebuilding the A.Gariseb Primary School.

The school was located at the foot of Namibia’s highest mountain Brandberg in the heart of Damaraland, the north western Namib Desert. Every day, the team received their wake-up call at 6am and after some breakfast set off on the walk from camp to the school along the dry Ugab river bed.

The team’s challenge at the school, which caters for around 250 children aged between 4 and 16, was to rebuild the cookhouse. The existing structure was derelict so had to be completely dismantled before work could begin on a new water pipe, drains, foundations, roof and walls.

“After the work had been completed the school principal led a very moving hand over ceremony where he spoke to the children about the value of working as a team,” said Alison. “The children put us to shame singing English and African songs, in fact most of them are trilingual!

“It was such a rewarding experience to be involved in and the great bonus was that because of all our efforts to improve the school, the Namibian Government has now been pricked into action as well. The school had been ignored in previous years as the Government tends to only put money into towns where there are more votes to be won.

“What’s really important, however, is that we’ve left a lasting legacy of a fully functional cookhouse which will mean the children get a hot meal every day.”

The money PANTS raised for the Parkinson’s Disease Society will help support carers within Huntingdonshire who dedicate their lives to look after those with the disease, while the money raised for the Alzheimer’s Society will be used to undertake further research and support those with dementia.

Cambridge businesses urged not to cancel Christmas to ensure staff spirits stay high

A new survey has revealed the vast majority of businesses have scrapped plans for a Christmas party this year - but with some careful planning it is possible to organise an event on a budget and ensure staff feel rewarded for a year of hard graft.

Figures released this week by the Press Association show that a staggering 82% of firms have sacrificed the annual knees-up compared to only 11% in 2004. And almost two thirds of businesses warned they will not be holding the festive bash again.

Cambridge marcomms agency Ware Anthony Rust decided to organise a murder mystery evening this year and, food and drink aside, managed to fund the night at The Punter pub on Pound Hill, Cambridge for a grand total of £30.

Costumes and props were all ‘homemade’ with the DIY murder mystery kit purchased cheap online. The Punter hired out its oak panelled private dining room free of charge and there was no minimum spend.

Alison Meadows, managing director, said: "We felt very strongly that we should have a Christmas Party this year. In tough economic times everyone needs something to lift their spirits and make them feel valued. It was important for us to hold an event that didn't break the bank, but still enabled us to show our recognition and appreciation of the team's hard work, as well as giving them the chance to get together and have some fun."

Ware Anthony Rust appointed as retained PR agency by Merial Animal Heath

Ware Anthony Rust’s specialist agriculture and food chain consultancy Chamberlain has been appointed by world-leading animal health company Merial as its retained PR agency for the UK and Ireland.

The appointment, which follows a competitive pitch process, will lead to Ware Anthony Rust’s involvement in all Merial’s livestock products, including Blue Tongue vaccine BTVPUR AlSap 8.

In addition to the retained account, Ware Anthony Rust will develop other PR support programmes. The agency has previously provided Merial with PR support on its CIRCOVAC® pig vaccine.

Alison Meadows, managing director Ware Anthony Rust, said: “This win builds further on our strong Chamberlain business which already includes brands such as Dow AgroSciences, the Agricultural Industries Confederation, GrowHow, RECO, HGCA and EBLEX.”

Brian Rice, Merial’s Technical & Marketing Manager, Production Animal added: “We are delighted to be working with Ware Anthony Rust across all our ruminants’ businesses. They impressed greatly in the pitch process and we were already well aware of their expertise having worked with them in the promotion on our CIRCOVAC® vaccine.”