I should start this by saying that I am an advertising nut. I have often spent more time watching advertising than some of the shows they sit around. I am also an advertising snob and find it difficult to cope with the fact that adverts like gocompare actually work. I believe this is more about the medium’s power than the adverts quality and I simply dislike them. You have to respect the results though…

I remember the first time I watched the Honda advert ‘the Cog’ so brilliantly put together, it truly made you stop in your tracks. Honda followed this up with a wide selection of interesting adverts with people signing the sound that their cars made, and then ‘the impossible dream’ series, which in the end I think lost their way.

What makes a great advert is using the medium at your disposal intelligently and in a way that clearly communicates with your target audience. ‘The Cog’ did this brilliantly because in TV, noise and colour are constants. The contrast of quiet and simplicity made you stop and pay attention.

In more recent times, the Old Spice ‘Be a man, man’ ad series was truly genius. Now this ad was outstanding, because it so beautifully and effortlessly traversed different media, I had seen a whole selection of the old spice ads on the internet well before I saw it on the TV. With 41 million You Tube views you can see the breadth of impact this video had online. They backed this up with all manner of social media activity that built on this brand change. This used many mediums and still worked.

The Nikon ‘I am’ series however, goes in the opposite direction of Honda, and aims to use all the tools that the medium of TV offers for an advertiser, and just does it better.

It started with the Robbie Williams advert…

The music is evocative, the shots people are taking are personal and appeal to wide audiences, and the moment the flashes go off at the concert is mind blowing. You are captured.

This has been followed by a number of powerful adverts, and the ‘I am’ messaging followed through in exhibition stands and everything else that Nikon promote.

The most recent advert for me tops it off: This is 30 seconds of genius:

Why? Because the music is powerful, and we have built an association with it, the moments being captured tug at heart strings for many of us, and we are made to smile by moments of lightness.

But perhaps most importantly, the ad uses everything. Music, imagery & words to create an effect that is so powerful I want to take photos. This is the skill of the great communicator, can you pull together the tools at your disposal to drive people to take action?

Tonight we’re off to the Arts & Business Midlands Cultural Champions awards. As official design and print partners to Arts & Business for four years now, we’ve produced the invitations and souvenir programmes for the event – working closely with commissioned artist Jane Anderson aka Current State.

The Arts & Business Cultural Champions are individuals from the business world or wider community who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to, or support for, a local arts or cultural organisation. The invitation-only awards ceremony at Jaguar Land Rover is a celebration of the inspirational contributions made by the nominated Cultural Champions.

Our lead designer James Griffin was responsible for the project, taking Jane’s work and creating designs that really let the original piece sing.

We were delighted to again have the opportunity to gift our time and design expertise to an organisation like Arts & Business, and look forward to supporting them in years to come. We’ll see you there!

Arts & Business is a national agency that connects companies and individuals to cultural organisations, providing the expertise and insight for them to prosper together. Arts & Business has helped all kinds of businesses, forging valuable partnerships and bringing benefits to brands, staff and ambitions.

David Beech explores how market research should be an essential ingredient in the communications and marketing mix.

There are few areas within the marketing spectrum that can divide opinion so much as market research. Academics and many marketing practitioners swear by it; the cynics have a field day – as evidenced the following (unfortunately genuine) quotes:

• ‘To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal them from many is research’

• ‘Our investigations have usually contributed more to our amusement than they have to our knowledge’

And whilst it’s certainly true that a badly designed research study can (and probably will) produce suspect information, the corollary is equally true – that well planned and well executed market research can provide a dazzling insight into the often complex thoughts of the customer. It can help to identify perceptions, beliefs, misconceptions, attitudinal influences – and it can also be used to quantify the extent to which these might jeopardise successful outcomes.

Without wishing to start a dictionary of quotations, here’s another that puts over a more positive slant, which comes from Kennedy (President John F. – not Nigel!):

• ‘Our judgement can never be more accurate than the information on which it is based’

Why then is there so much scepticism about market research? The Marketing Society have summed it up (relatively) neatly by identifying the potential downside – research for the sake of doing – or being seen to have done – research, often with the primary aim of protecting one’s rear end from any subsequent criticism. At a recent conference, a speaker hit the nail on the head by stating:

‘The problem today is there is so much research, most of which has ended up in no conclusive action. The need and the challenge is to analyse, simplify and act – and to train those who commission research to take responsibility for delivery which affects both the bottom line and stakeholder value, rather than generating a plethora of more information and often clever but cosmetic initiatives’.

In other words, when commissioning research, there’s a big challenge to be faced, which involves sorting the wheat from the chaff; the central hypothesis has to be that market research is undertaken to illuminate rather than support. And it has also to be recognised that it’s not a magic wand – it is often more indicative than definitive in terms of the answers it provides – and the bane of many a marketer’s life is that it can appear to raise as many questions as it answers.

Perhaps a proper understanding of the role of market research helps the less experienced practitioner to better appreciate how market research findings can add considerable value; the second sentence in the following quotation says it all – it’s about having a clearer insight – which has to be a better option than flying blind.

So, here’s the text book definition:

Market Research is a systematic, objective collection and analysis of data about a particular target market, competition, and/or environment. It always incorporates some form of data collection whether it is secondary research (often referred to as desk research) or primary research which is collected direct from a respondent.

The purpose of any market research project is to achieve an increased understanding of the subject matter.

Clarke Associates undertakes research programmes that deliver marketing solutions. As a leading communications consultancy, we offer unrivalled experience in helping organisations understand their markets and assess those marketing and communication methods that are most effective.

Our communications-led solutions result from well planned research and analysis being used to develop creative solutions. We advise on the most appropriate research techniques to use and the best means of interrogating the marketplace.

Our over-riding objective is to turn impartial research findings into practical market analysis and creative solutions.

We provide a pragmatic approach, allied to a strategic marketing skills set. We are social media savvy (with a small team that have specific responsibility for social media) and understand how social media can contribute to the research mix.

Research, in our view, can also direct improve audience engagement. In particular, we believe in feedback – not just to the client but to the participants also. A follow-up thank you letter and a brief summary, taking account of commercial sensitivity, of how the research is being used is important in securing longer term engagement and support. And whilst we maintain confidentiality – both for the client and the participant, with the appropriate approvals, it is possible to create advocates from research participants. It is a concept that has achieved praise from both clients and participants.

Research is a means to an end and not the end in itself. How it is used is the critical element.

David Beech is Associate Consultant, Strategic Marketing and Research at Clarke Associates.

The branding of products and services seems to be ever gaining in popularity. The word ‘brand’ has escaped from the confines of the marketing department and is now increasingly bandied about beyond commerce by everyone from politicians to broadcasters. David Beech, Associate Consultant – Strategic Marketing and Research, examines how the branding process is evolving amongst an increasingly broad spectrum of organisations.

To paraphrase Lord Lever’s famous dictum, we know (from bitter experience) that half of the people who use the word ‘brand’ don’t really understand it, but we don’t always know which half. The essence of the problem is that there is much confusion between corporate identity / logo and brand identity.

Let us firstly consider a couple of simple definitions to clarify what each term means.

Definition 1 – a logo; a logo is a pictorial device that acts as a shorthand visual prompt. The way in which it is designed, together with the fonts and colours used, deliver a visual image that is intended to be memorable. Think of it as representing the tip of the iceberg. The substance of what is beneath determines whether it is merely a pretty but superficial device – or whether it is the spearhead of a strong brand.
Moving on to Definition 2 – a brand: a brand is the projection of the personality and values of
an organisation, the sum of all the added values and the ‘DNA’ that sets it apart from its from competitors. To be successful, it needs to be understood by customers; even better, to
be admired.

Brands can be likened to people; they exhibit specific and recognisable values, personality and characteristics. Extending this analogy, a logo is just a mask – until it is instilled with the aforementioned values.

For most organisations, the creation of a brand is an evolutionary process and the gradual emergence of the brand identities of second tier engineering companies in our region provides a useful illustration. Most start off unbranded – carrying little more than the owner’s name. Then someone suggests that a logo should appear on stationery and company vehicles.

Sometimes this device will be designed in-house (no prizes for spotting examples); occasionally a professional designer will be commissioned. For some, this is where the process stops, but for the more enlightened, it leads on to their thinking about what that logo represents, what personality it is seeking to project and how it delivers more value than competitors. In time, the logo becomes a recognisable icon and, ultimately, it helps to represent what the company stands for and what its values are. Employees and other stakeholders believe in the brand and voluntarily become its ambassadors.
And people consciously choose to buy brands – even in periods of economic difficulty, albeit that they might switch to economy brands for some foodstuffs or for air travel. There is a famous case study about a premium cola essence that was imported from the USA, with a view to launching a new soft drink to challenge the market leaders.

Blind tasting sessions were very encouraging with the new cola consistently outperforming both Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola. The launch team became excited (particularly as this was a company that had turned down the opportunity to hold the Coca Cola franchise many years earlier, but that’s another story).

However, when it was launched – with a very stylish logo and despite no end of in-store sampling sessions, did it have any impact on the market leaders? Of course not, because buying Coke or Pepsi is more than just about quenching one’s thirst with a pleasant brown liquid – it is about sharing all the image associations that go alongside these great brands.

Our recent experience is that a professional and disciplined approach is increasingly being adapted by a wide variety of forward thinking service organisations including healthcare, property and national trade associations.
There is equally an acceptance that, whilst a
logo can provide a quick (and, hopefully, temporary) solution, brand development is a long term, strategic process that cannot be completed overnight.

As an acid test, to ascertain how well your organisation has progressed along the brand spectrum, consider what you believe to be the core values of your organisation. Would customers and other stakeholders agree with this list? Then try to be objective about the credibility of your positioning. Will your aspirations ring true with your customers? A professional services business recently undertook an ‘exciting’
re-branding exercise. They adopted a brightly coloured logo with a strap-line promising an uplifting and inspirational experience. This was plastered all over their stationery, website and signage. Was this brave new world reflected by the behaviour? A visit to their offices confirmed the worst expectations – the same old dowdy reception area with only the new promotional literature providing any colour. And the receptionist continued to ignore visitors whilst she finished off a personal conversation.
What a mismatch between aspirations and customer experience.

Clarke Associates’ brand design team includes David Clarke, Head of Strategic Communications; David Beech, Associate Consultant – Strategic Marketing and Research and Clare Godson, Head of Design.

David Clarke:
david-c@clarke-associates.co.uk
David Beech:
david-b@clarke-associates.co.uk
Clare Godson:
clare-g@clarke-associates.co.uk

David Clarke and David Beech reckon it’s all to do with the internal chemistry.

When John Lewis was crowned Britain’s favourite shop, nobody was too surprised. Over the years, it has become a firm favourite with millions of middle-class shoppers.
But perhaps what is surprising is that hard on its heels in The Sunday Times 2009 rankings were Ikea, Amazon and TK Maxx.

As Neil Saunders, Lead Consultant at analysis company Verdict, said: “When you shop, it doesn’t matter how much you spend, you still want to feel valued.”
He went on to say that “in the current environment, it is easy to lower your prices; it is much more difficult to offer great service”.

Perhaps that’s because “great service” is dependent on people – and for staff to offer great service, they too have to feel valued – whether they work in retail, for a manufacturer or a law firm.

That’s not an easy task because, as we slowly climb out of recession, the general consensus is that the jobs market is likely to be tough and that places even more pressure on those in jobs to perform.

Leading organisations and brands share many common attributes – but arguably, the most important is achieving consistency between internal behaviour and external messages.

Increasingly, Clarke Associates is working inside organisations to help them secure such a match.
To reach such a position, staff need to be aware of, understand and be committed to the values of the organisation. This is not something achieved overnight and once initiated, needs to become an on-going process.

However, it is also widely recognised that this is what makes the difference between an organisation that is good and those that are recognised as the best. Those are the businesses and brands we really admire.

But communicating values is not simply a question of punching them out in some internal newsletter or even worse, a round-robin email.

Our experience with organisations large and small (and yes, this is as applicable to the small family business as it is to the PLC) shows that if values are to be believed and to be effective all staff have to subscribe to the values themselves and indeed, even play a leading role in developing and agreeing them.

The benefits of achieving this are many and varied – and there is no systematic process that is right for every organisation but there are a few steps that can help.

The key steps

Step 1 Agree a candidate set of values. This may be done in conjunction with staff but more likely, will emanate from the directors and management. And whilst it can be done without external help, our experience also shows that utilising a non-partisan and independent facilitator will certainly help. But here’s the health warning: sadly all too many organisations only get this far.

Step 2 Involve staff – as many as possible but certainly a representative sample, in a constructive debate to agree and/or revise the candidate values and then prioritise them.

Step 3 Analyse those candidate values closely and as part of that, develop a set of values-based key messages for both internal and external communication, accurately reflecting the personality and characteristics of the organisation.

Step 4 Probably the most important step of all, but the one where many organisations fail, is to ensure staff genuinely understand what the values actually mean to them – and how they can personally express and demonstrate them in their everyday working lives. Equally important is to gain collective buy-in to the values so staff throughout the organisation appreciate how those values apply to their specific role and why they are so important. (In our experience, customer-facing staff often find this much easier. It is those who provide the all important support services that might find this the most challenging area.)

Step 5 This may be the final step but it is one that should go into infinity: ensuring the message is conveyed and understood throughout the organisation. Here, techniques – such as Appreciative Inquiry are particularly helpful.

As businesses compete for market share and position, making customers feel valued will become increasingly important. And if staff don’t understand and buy-in to that, the business or organisation certainly won’t be ‘the best’ and quite likely, will not even be considered ‘good’.

David Clarke asks: Will our future Mayor of Birmingham deliver more than our past Mayor of Birmingham – and what should be the priorities?

So Lord Digby Jones has ruled himself out as a runner to become Birmingham’s first ever elected Mayor.

I am not over surprised. Times have moved on and I am sure he has other fish to fry.

Not only that but his preference is for an elected mayor for the whole West Midlands region – and not just the city itself. That, however, is an absolute non-starter.

First, the length of time to pull together the legislation is likely to be  prohibitive. The coalition government wants to move now not in five years time.

Second, getting agreement between the local authorities would require someone with the skills of Kofi Annan and he, as I understand it, is unlikely to want that particular role.

Third, Birmingham – the largest local authority in Europe – is already a pretty big beast and it’s unlikely that there would be the appetite for anyone to single-handedly take control of an even more significant swathe of middle England.

Speaking at the recent debate on elected mayors that was hosted by Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, Greg Clark, Minister for Cities, Decentralisation and Planning, was asked what powers a mayor might have. His answer was that the extent of the powers would differ from one city to the next and that the Mayor of Birmingham would have different powers to, say, the Mayor of Bristol or Bradford.

This underlines the most important point of all: by my reckoning the whole ethos of the coalition’s approach is to give powers as they are needed and, my emphasis, earned. How things develop will be down to the leadership and progress that is demonstrated. Indeed, the one power that Greg Clark did not mention is probably the one that is going to be the most valuable and yet is outside the government’s gift: the power of persuasion. The Mayor of Birmingham will have a mandate like no other politician in the city’s recent history and he or she will need to work with stakeholders both inside and outside the city where the main job will be persuasion of why Birmingham and its surrounding local authorities need to work even more closely.

Of course, it will not be the first time that Birmingham has had a Mayor. Arguably the most famous was that of Joseph Chamberlain who at the age of tender age of 37 became Mayor and left after three remarkable years during which time Birmingham became “parked, paved, assized, marketed, gas and watered and improved”.

Birmingham may have moved on since those days but fresh challenges emerge. One thing is for certain: the Mayor of Birmingham, should the citizens of the city decide we need one, will find his or her hands full without the distraction of having to govern the wider West Midlands. Chamberlain set out his agenda for Birmingham – and he delivered in abundance. What, I wonder, should the agenda be for our future Mayor?

Well, what in your opinion are the three priorities for any future Mayor?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-17064387

Despite boasting its own hashtag (#PRDefined, since you asked) the campaign by the Public Relations Society of America to redefine PR might have passed you by.

Leading on the premise that all PR professionals love a spirited debate, the PRSA launched their “initiative to modernize (sic – this is America after all) the definition of public relations” last year and have just released a shortlist of three. It’s been a hectic few weeks of submissions, word clouds and heated discussions (probably) but before I share with you the shortlist, what’s wrong with the current definition? Well, there isn’t one. Every source, every organisation and every guide book has their own variation on a theme.

Wikipedia, font of all knowledge, has this to say:

“Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing the flow of information between an organisation and its publics. Public relations provides an organisation or individual exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment.”

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations, the UK’s counterpart to the PRSA, offers the following:

“Public relations is the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics.”

Finally the PRCA (Public Relations Consultants Association) reckons:

“Public relations is all about reputation. It’s the result of what you do, what you say, and what others say about you. It is used to gain trust and understanding between an organisation and its various publics – whether that’s employees, customers, investors, the local community – or all of those stakeholder groups.”

They say roughly the same thing, but verbosely and almost clumsily. Is the PRSA’s aim, therefore, to cut down on the word count? To get the message across clearly and concisely, as we aim to do when we’re actually doing PR? Perhaps not.

The #PRDefined Candidate Definitions are as follows:

1 – Public relations is the management function of researching, engaging, communicating, and collaborating with stakeholders in an ethical manner to build mutually beneficial relationships and achieve results.

2 – Public relations is a strategic communication process that develops and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between organisations and their key publics.

3 – Public relations is the engagement between organisations and individuals to achieve mutual understanding and realise strategic goals.

To me, a definition should be simple. Something that not only people within the PR world can understand – and none of these quite cut it. I’ve often resorted to simply saying I work “in advertising” when asked, after countless attempts at explaining my job. Some will ask if my boss is like Max Clifford. Others assume we quaff champagne daily, Ab Fab style. Are they to blame for the misconceptions about our field? Will a new definition help?

We’ll have to wait until the end of February to see what our transatlantic counterparts have decided, and even longer to see if it makes a difference. In the meantime I’ll leave you with a definition from our own David Clarke, written during his CIPR days.

“Public relations is the management of reputation.”

Doesn’t that say it all?

Join the debate on Twitter #PRDefined, or follow the PRSA blog at prdefinition.prsa.org/

Well, if the headline above had said: “This blog is about grammar,” you might not have been quite so keen to read on.

But you’re here now; so whilst I have no ice cream to give away and definitely nothing on the cake front, you may as well stay.

And as you’re here, I’ll try and explain why those words I use above are loosely relevant to what you’re about to read.

What inspired this article initially was the spurious bilge spouting forth recently from the booksellers Waterstone’s.  Or should that be Waterstones?

Because, for Waterstone’s, the apostrophe is no more.  It’s been consigned to the waste bin of history; it is defunct, kaputt, gone forever.  Rather than me tell you why, allow me to point you at their nitwit explanation: “in a digital world of URLs and email addresses, (not having an apostrophe) is a more versatile and practical spelling.”

What utter, fetid tosh.  Does that mean they’ll no longer stock Gulliver’s Travels, or they’ll create a campaign to rename Hemingway’s famous novel ‘Who The Bell Tolls For’ because they disagree with its current grammatical take.  Tell you what, let’s take the commas out of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and have done with it.

It’s not more practical, it’s not more versatile, but I’ll tell you what it is – it’s plain old wrong.  Waterstone’s is so-called because it once belonged to Tim Waterstone.  It’s possessive.  You can’t take out the apostrophe because you find it inconvenient.  You just can’t.  Well you can, but you’re on a horrible, slippery slope, down which you are dragging every ounce of colour and beauty from the English language.

The language has evolved to what it is because how we use it conjures up imagery and light. It helps us make sense of our thoughts. What did you think of when you read: Free cakes and ice creams for everyone? It hopefully evoked a response. If I were to drop one or two of the rogue apostrophes Waterstone’s no longer needs into the middle of the headline it would make no sense. At all.

It’s not just Waterstone’s, of course.  I well remember Marks & Spencer doing something similar with “season’s greetings” a couple of years back because it “looked better”.  To whom?  To some dullard who can’t recognise how what you write, and what you say, allows you to communicate effectively.  It helps you make an impression, and it conveys meaning.

I understand fully that some people struggle with grammar.  But they can be corrected, it can be explained and people can be taught.  But to willingly disengage with the language – and for a bookshop to do it – well that’s just not right.

My advice?  Use another bookshop.  Or go to Amazon.  Though if you ask Waterstone’s about Amazon, they’d doubtless tell you that they thought it was somewhere in South America, but just to make sure why don’t you punch it into your satnav, as atlases are far too old hat these days.

But who cares whether words or sentences make no sense, lack relevance and meaning or are just plain wrong?  It might well be just me, and fans of cake and ice cream.

Mark Whitehouse

Deputy managing director

Louise Stanley from Clarke Associates sets out the questions every website owner needs to ask.

Why invest in a website? Well, the days of the printed Yellow Pages directory seem to be numbered as more and more potential customers search for businesses online. Website addresses are easier to remember than phone numbers and therefore more easily shared, and allow browsers to view information at a time that’s convenient for them. But while the majority of consumers today expect a business to have its own website, few business owners would know how to create a website that looks good but functions, too. Before you entrust your online reputation to web developers that seem to speak another language, ask them these questions.

How will my site be hosted and who pays?

It’s not just design that costs – you need to factor hosting into your budget, too. Some developers will offer hosting as part of the package or you may have to go (and pay) elsewhere – either way, find out how often your site will be backed up, what are the maximum data levels, and how much downtime you should be prepared for. If the content on your site changes regularly, you’ll need it backing-up daily, and many hosts can guarantee downtime of just 0.01%.

Which web standards do you follow?

Web standards are the different ways of coding and designing a site to make sure it looks (and functions) the same on different browsers and operating systems. If your site doesn’t meet World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards then it’s unlikely to work on future browsers. Examples of web standards include XHTML, CSS and ECMA Scripts – you don’t need to understand them yourself but if your developer doesn’t, run!

Who owns the code?

You’re unlikely to switch developers halfway through your project but after the website is complete, you may want to take it to another developer for further work later on. It’s therefore important to establish who owns the finished code – if your initial developer does then all future changes must be done by them. If you buy the code yourself it may be more expensive, but you’ve bought the flexibility to take the site elsewhere for modifications. If you’re not happy with the original work, this will save you having to start from scratch.

Do you design for SEO?

You want your site to be one of the first thrown up by search engines, and the design and coding of your site can be crucial in achieving this. With so many search engine optimisation (SEO) agencies out there you may not entrust all of this to your developer, but they must know how to design your site with future SEO strategies in mind. More text, more content, minimal coding.

Does your design rely on Java or Flash?

Flash looks pretty but in reality it’s not particularly user-friendly as it may not show up on all platforms – particularly iPhones and iPads – and isn’t great for SEO. If you’ve got your heart set on Java or Flash then make sure your developer can code an alternative HTML version.

Can the site be viewed on a mobile?

More and more people are accessing the internet via their smartphones. This can be great for business –people can access your site as soon as they see your advert or shop front while out and about rather than waiting until they get home to log on (if they’ve remembered). Your developer should be able to create a site that doesn’t compromise on functionality when viewed on an iPhone or Blackberry.

Will you use graceful degradation or progressive enhancement?

Throw some jargon at your prospective developer and see if they flounder. A site using gradual degradation has been built to look best on the newest browsers while still being functional on older models, while progressive enhancement means almost the reverse – your site will be built for an older browser, but will be upgraded periodically to keep up the new versions. A good developer will know the difference, and be able to recommend the best option for your needs.

What about the future?

All websites will be tested before ‘going live’ but it’s impossible to catch every glitch and teething problem. Will your developer support you in the early days as part of the package? As time goes on its almost inevitable that you’ll experience the odd problem, and require the odd update. Find out if your package includes ongoing support (and how long for!) or if you’ll need to sign up to a monthly retainer for support and maintenance.

Clarke Associates designs and produces websites for organisations large and small (we also prepare the copy, make creative suggestions and offer more than a straight web design service). For a (near) jargon-free chat send an email to Javan Bramhall (javan-b@clarke-associates.co.uk) or James Griffin (james-g@clarke-associates.co.uk). You’ll find they both talk your language.

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We’ve recently been joined by two new account handlers and thought it was about time we introduced them to you!

Account Director Javan Bramhall – who spent the previous six years in a senior marketing and communications post – joins us with a wide brief, part of which is to expand the sectors in which we operate. After starting his PR career agency side, Javan joined Birmingham-based Color Confidence and drove their position as a leading distributor into the photographic, design and pre-press channels. Javan brings expertise not only from these industries but also consumer electronics and accessories as well as the broader IT sector, and has a wealth of experience in both B2B and B2C PR and marketing. 

Louise Stanley, who has almost five years’ experience in both agency and in-house PR roles, joins the team as Senior Account Executive working across a variety of B2B and B2C clients. Louise has experience in the NHS where she managed the press office and communication activities for a specialist hospital trust, and previously worked across clients in diverse sectors such as tourism, construction and office products at another Birmingham agency.

Away from work Javan enjoys playing rugby and golf, and has his own travel blog. He has recently become a father for the first time and is enjoying the challenge of a new role in work and in life! Louise meanwhile recently got married (in Las Vegas no less!) and is a mildly obsessed Irish dancer in her spare time, regularly contributing to the international Irish Dancing Magazine and working towards her teachers’ qualification.