Highlights of 2011

As 2011 comes to a close, we can proudly say we are now working across more global markets, more channels and with more brands than ever before, creating some of our most effective work for the largest and most complicated campaigns ever. Most importantly, we have achieved the best results ever for our clients. 2011 has been a great year for us, and to illustrate it, here are some of our 2011 highlights. Now, sit back and just feel the success!

Won seven new clients in the Retail, Sport, Pharmaceutical and FMCG industries

Launched The Engagement Approach and Five Rules of Engagement

Scooped four major industry awards including our first Blades Award for Interior Design at The Sky Backstage Bar and Sky Gallery, a Marketing Week Engage Award for Best Experiential Event, an Eventia award for Best Experiential Event and an FMBE award for ‘Agency Leadership’. We were also shortlisted for eight awards in total.

Created the world’s first ever sail-in cinema for Talisker, beating Toronto’s attempt by four days

Celebrated our 14th year activating Strongbow at festivals

Increased our European and Global footprint through multiple client campaigns

Helped 190,000 riders back onto their bikes during cycling campaign Sky Ride

Expanded and revamped our HQ to include a whole new floor

Cheered on Hugh, Dom and Rory who were all listed in The Event 100

Launched our brand new website: http://www.rpmltd.com/

Educated over 43,000 people on cancer prevention though the CRUK Cancer Awareness Roadshow

Welcomed another four graduates onto our competitive grad scheme

Supported our chosen charities: Horses Help Heroes, Greenside Primary (our local school) and The Great Football Giveaway

Contributed to over 112 articles in major trade titles including The FT and Campaign

Recreated the best of Jamaican nightlife at Alexandra Palace for The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange

Celebrated our 18th birthday along with five engagements, four marriages and four pregnancies

Managed to stop for breath yet? We thought not!

From all at RPM, we would like to say a huge thank you to all our clients and partners, without whom the successes of this year would not have been possible. We leave you with a ‘Happy Christmas’ and look forward to revealing what we have in the pipeline for 2012.

Low-Interest Brands can be Sexy. Rob Wilson.

Our Head of Planning and Strategy, Rob Wilson, believes that functional, low-interest brands can be made more exciting if you simply follow five rules of Engagement.

Too often when marketers are asked to describe successful brand experiences, they default to traditionally high engagement ‘sexy’ brands from sectors such as fashion, sports and alcohol. We all get excited at live music experiences hosted by alcohol brands at festivals, or events like Microsoft’s Secret Cinema project in London. But engaging brand experiences can also play a role in functional or low engagement brands, such as energy, finance, telecommunications and insurance.

Often not seen as the most appealing or interesting, these functional brands face a unique set of challenges. Most of the brands that are categorised as functional and low engagement have intangible products. This means that, while essential, they are naturally seen as dull and uninteresting to consumers. Furthermore, these brands tend to operate in highly commoditised markets where people distinguish between brands solely on price and offers available and are increasingly promiscuous, tending to switch providers regularly for a better deal. There is little brand loyalty or affinity, to say the least.

Despite consumers feeling less emotional towards functional brands, they often need the products and services these offer more than the high engagement lifestyle products. As any phone operator who has had to talk to a furious customer when their phone or electricity has been cut off can testify, people do feel strongly about these functional products and services. But people only tend to feel strongly or talk passionately about these brands when there is a negative or serious issue. This is why it is so important for functional brands to engage with their customers with a positive experience, before problems occur.

Mobile network providers have led the way in functional brand engagement. O2 is far better known for its music affiliations and innovations. Similarly, Orange mobile network’s Orange Wednesdays cinema promotion gives the brand relevance beyond its core service of providing a mobile network service. These connections make sense to consumers because the brands’ marketing highlights the value of the mobile as a way of connecting people, in the same way that experiences do.

In fact, the opportunity for functional, traditionally low engagement brands to make the most of live activation is often higher because they can behave completely differently to the competition within the category and really create stand-out. Through identifying emotional drivers around their brand or service offering, they can begin to shift consumer perception from being cold and rational, to being open and engaged. Many functional brands lack the high street presence of others, such as those in automotive or retail. Establishing an emotional relationship rather than a functional one puts a face and a feeling to the brand.

That said, functional brands must do more than simply replicate the tactics of their high engagement counterparts. Those that have tried this approach quickly see that without a valid reason for creating a brand experience, consumers may interact but not really engage with them.

When energy giant E.ON approached us a year ago, the brand had recognised that its customers cared about the environmental impact of their energy consumption and were also concerned with reducing their energy bills to save money. They also understood that they needed to do more than simply tell them what to do. So, E.ON launched an Energy Fit roadshow designed to kickstart the energy debate with its customers and provide them with practical advice to help them understand how they could reduce their consumption and bills.

The rules of engagement
Yes, the final manifestation of campaign activity can be significantly different depending on brand and sector. But the fundamental principles of engagement are universal. It is frustrating to see how many marketing campaigns are not as effective as they could be simply because they haven’t followed these five basic rules of engagement.

1. Define ‘shared purpose’. This is about taking the insight brands have and going one step further. A shared purpose is an insight that links the consumer need to a credible role for the product. Whether that’s Sky encouraging a million people to get back on their bikes, or M&S encouraging their consumers to be more environmentally aware through its Plan A programme; it’s becoming clear that brands can play a genuine and valuable role in society.

2. ‘Say and Do’ – show integrity through action. Brands absolutely must show their integrity by walking the walk. For brands to have credibility they must lead by example. So a vodka brand marketed as being ‘clearly original’ must create clearly original marketing that allows the audience the opportunity to participate, like Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange. Live brand activation is a powerful way of creating this kind of engagement, but walking the walk doesn't have to involve an event. Ultimately, doing something is about the brand's ‘owned’ assets, which can involve sponsorship, retail space or digital innovation.

3. Understand the value exchange dynamic. Consumers are savvy. They appreciate that they don’t get anything for free. Likewise, rarely will they be loyal to a brand without a solid motivation for doing so. The third rule, therefore, is to create a ‘value exchange’. In its simplest form, this is often a transactional deal, such as Facebook campaigns that encourage fans, followers and ‘likes’ in exchange for competition entry, exclusive offers or voucher deals. This rule doesn't stand on its own as a route to engagement - more likely you are simply measuring the number of people that would like a free voucher or holiday (irrespective of the brand). Brands should think about different types of value exchange such as entertainment, information, a community to talk with like-minded people, content people can swap, or useful tools that help the audience find or do the things they want to do. Last year, Aviva’s incredibly successful 'You are the Picture' campaign gave customers the opportunity to have five minutes of fame on their billboards, but remember that not everyone wants to create content for you or influence the design of your product.

4. Find the best path to participation. Creating live brand experiences are becoming more central to marketing plans and, as a result, the process of effective media planning has changed. So, it is vital that a clear ‘path to participation’ is created, which makes it as easy as possible for consumers to get involved. Consumers, aware of live events but unable to attend in person, still view the brand more favourably and are likely to interact with any event activity online. When running live experiences for E.ON, we looked at those who didn't attend but were aware of the activity via direct mail. The results showed that they were as positively disposed to the brand as those who actively participated.

5. Capture the imagination. Imagination is intangible, which makes it tricky for marketers to predict, but brands that are able to break category rules or show they are sparking imagination in their consumers benefit hugely. Renowned projects such as the YouTube Orchestra, the Greatest Job in the World or the Great Schlep create buzz and excitement around a brand, as well as long-term engagement and positive interaction and endorsement. This is the Holy Grail of engagement and why creative thinking should run through every part of the campaign from the planning, through to the messages and the execution on the day.

Brands are not automatically low engagement or high engagement, and there is no reason for a traditionally low engagement brand to fail to capture the imagination of its target market through a brilliant campaign. As successful functional brands such as 02 and Aviva have shown, it is possible to break the mould and excite customers. Ultimately, behaviour defines whether the brand is engaging to its target audience. Experiences can assist engagement through creating participation and involvement, but it is not enough to use them as a quick fix solution. Before planning can begin for live events, the right foundations for meaningful interaction and sustained conversation need to be in place.

Rob's piece was published in Admap, December 2011, and it can be viewed online here if you are a paying subscriber: http://www.warc.com/

Who Looks the Best? Dom Steals your Votes!

We asked you to judge which RPM board member looked the best in their Christmas jumper, in return for a chance to win tickets to the Somerset House ice-skating rink. In the words of Dermot O'Leary, the voting lines have now CLOSED! We can finally announce that the board member with the highest number of votes (who will have to wear their Xmas jumper into work on the first day back in Jan) is................DOM!

Dom received a whopping 75% of all votes, with 25% to Lee and a sad 0% for both Hugh and Robin.

Thank you for all your comments and responses. Here are some of the best we received:

"Surely Hugh’s chest wig must take the prize"

"It’s got to be Dom, simply because he’s doing such a great Alan Partridge impression! He must be really busy right now broadcasting all his cheesy Xmas jingles and jokes on Radio Norwich"

"On the subject of jumpers, I’m very disappointed in Hugh – that’s neither a jumper nor Xmassy"

"Dom!!! Not just for the jumper but for the happy face! Lee should be struck off for his miserable expression!!!" ;-)

"It has to be Dom – he’s the only one who looks like he’s just drunk a bottle of Johnnie Walker all to himself"

"I think Lee’s jumper, but most importantly his expression in the photo, is the best"

The Pop-Up Bandwagon

As Christmas fast approaches, the battle of brands on the high street commences, but what is their most powerful weapon? In order to beat the competition, brands need stand-out and tangibility on the high street to attract consumers and ultimately drive sales, so it is not surprising that pop-up shops are on the up. We take you through the top four advantages to these savvy temporary stores, and why brands are jumping on the pop-up bandwagon like there's no tomorrow...

Pop-up shops are beneficial for both retailers and consumers. For retailers, they give brands that don’t usually have presence on the high street or in high footfall areas greater exposure and allow them to test a product on a particular market. For consumers, they are offered a tangible experience of a brand they may have only previously come across online.

Pop-up shops offer a great opportunity to showcase a brand or product in an exciting environment. Their ‘now you see it, now you don't’ dynamic lends the activity an air of excitement, creating a buzz and increasing traffic. Pop-up shops are about presenting something new in an engaging way that creates intrigue and hopefully a memorable experience.

If coupled with a social media platform/strategy, which is recommended, retailers can increase consumer engagement through using innovative interactions that help drive people online to either Facebook pages or online stores. This enables retailers to build a relationship with consumers over a longer period of time, increasing brand loyalty.

In this economic climate, the future for pop-up shops is extremely promising. Retailers are offered the chance to ‘test’ their products and customer behaviour in a trusted environment without having to tie themselves in to long contracts.

RPM Award Winners!

We are proud to say that RPM is the only company to have three key members of staff featured within the prestigious Event 100, which lists the most influential people in the events industry.

Out of the 250 industry figureheads who put themselves forward, our CEO and Founding Partner Hugh Robertson was voted in at No.6, followed by Managing Director Dom at No.24 and Head of Production Rory Sloan at No.65.

...And those aren't the only awards we've won this year. We recently picked up Best Design at The Blades Awards for Sky at the O2, Best Experiential Event for Smirnoff Paintfest at the Eventia Awards and the Agency Leadership Award at the Field Marketing and Brand Experience Awards.

Better expand that trophy cabinet pronto!

RPM Launches Beechams Breathe Clear!

We've launched the new Beechams Breathe Clear hot drink through a sensorial sampling campaign that seeks to drive sales and rival the Lemsip leadership. The activity offers consumers the chance to breathe in the menthol sensation and taste the Hot Honey & Lemon Menthol Flavour in a non-medicated sample, targeting men and women over 18 who use hot drinks to relieve the symptoms of cold.

A bespoke pop-up coffee bar-style structure with large cup tables, hydraulic moving vapour swirls and sampling areas enables consumers to taste the flavour of the Beechams Breathe Clear hot drink and experience the menthol sensation. The combination of the honey and lemon coupled with the menthol vapour is considered to be the first of its kind in what is deemed a very slow-moving category.

The campaign will run for five weeks across five high-footfall locations throughout the UK including:

• The Arndale Shopping Centre, Manchester – 11-13th November
• Glasgow Central Train Station – 15th-18th November
• Victoria Train Station, London – 22-26th November
• Meadowhill Shopping Centre, Sheffield – 30th November-4th December
• St David’s Shopping Centre, Cardiff – 8-11th December

The Board's Christmas Catwalk - Who Looks the Best??

For those of you who've received RPM's festive advent calendars, you will have seen this dashing photo before. BUT, for those of you who haven't, you're in for a treat! As you can see, the RPM board could hardly contain their excitement for this year's Christmas countdown and slipped on their tasteful Christmas-themed jumpers to surprise you all (I'd like to stress that these are their own jumpers, purchased themselves, and not by their mothers).

RPMers are putting who looks the best to a vote, so, starting from the left we have Lee (Grumpy), Robin (Bashful), Dom (Happy) and Hugh....(Cold/Nippy?!). We want to hear from RPM fans and followers who you think looks the best in their Xmas outfit.

Tweet us @rpmltd and have your say! The board member with the most votes has to wear their Christmas jumper on the first day back at work in January, so it'll be worth it!

Event Top 100 - All's Well That Ends Well for RPM!

What a successful night it was for RPMers at The Brand Event Awards last night. Taking place in the UnderGlobe, the evening was complemented by a classy Shakespearean theme with roaming band, fresh cocktails and delicious canapes all topped off by a performance from band The Lionels. Before announcing the award winners for each category, Event Magazine announced the final Event 100 list, and we're proud to say that both Hugh (No.6), Dom (No.24) and Rory (No.65) were all featured. Congratulations, boys - "All's Well That Ends Well" indeed!

Working with the Family

Working with family members can be tough when it comes to business, but when the partnership is right, the relationship can be extremely beneficial. After being interviewed by Business XL on Family Business, RPM’s CEO and Founding Partner Hugh Robertson sheds more light on his hints and tips on working with family members, leaning on his experience working with younger brother Dom, RPM’s Managing Director.

Over to Hugh...
I founded RPM in January 1993, and my youngest brother Dom joined the company in 2000, working his way up to become Managing Director in the summer of 2009. This year, we celebrated our 18th birthday as well as winning Agency of the Year, and we are working with some of the UK’s leading brands including Diageo, BSkyB, E.ON and Heineken.

Your No.1 tip for working with family?
I think the key to working with family members is to re-set the time you have together as family as opposed to business partners, and also ensure that nothing is ever left to fester or remain unresolved. When Dom and I are in the work environment, it is the same as it would be with any other colleague. We also spend a lot of time together outside of work, not talking about work, otherwise it can really dominate the relationship.

Another is meritocracy. Employing a member of the family within your business should be done on the basis of a meritocracy and their ability, not just because you’re related to them. Luckily with Dom, he has always been more than capable and is a very admirable Managing Director.

What are the advantages of working with family?
The advantage with RPM is that Dom and I share a sense of unity, and there’s an implicit trust in both of our abilities to manage our respective parts of the business. I recently had a back operation that put me out of work for over four months. Worrying to any CEO, yet despite being out of the office for a significant amount of time, I knew Dom would help run the business with vigour and great capability, and I didn’t have to worry as much as I potentially may have done had we not been related.

Obviously, if we were a whole family working in one business, and things weren’t going well financially, then family businesses can definitely have their disadvantages. My father runs his own business, so luckily no chance of that happening.

Working with the family ensures that trust is already within the business and there’s an established sense of loyalty. Dom and I share the same values, but we also have complementary skills. Again, when you work with your brother, you already know them well enough not to have to apply the controls required when employing strangers.

Do you think family businesses are important to the UK and business growth?
Entrepreneurial businesses are important to the UK economy, and if they are family, then this is great but not necessarily the most important element. Where there is a trade involved, then I think they are important for a continuance of tradition and expertise.

Conversation is King!

Human beings are communal and conversational by nature. If you ask a group of people about their interests and how they spend their free time, regardless of how they choose to spend it, it is highly likely they will talk passionately, and it will entail hanging out and conversing with friends and family. So, it isn't surprising that we’ve seen digital communities flourish in the last ten years. As a result of this, more and more brands are dedicating their campaigns to offering a ‘value exchange’ in order to draw consumers online to help build their brand communities. And the best way to do this? Allowing the consumer to contribute, interact, react, and influence the way a brand behaves. As Canadian blogger Cory Doctorow aptly says, ‘Content isn’t King. Conversation is King. Content is something to talk about.’

Online communities encourage and promote trust, mainly because we’re likely to value and believe the opinions of our peers over those offered through traditional advertising methods. Trust is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve for brands, which strive for greater transparency in their actions and communications. Websites like Trip Advisor, which is based on real-life experiences and opinions, have flourished mainly because there are active communities of ‘honest’ consumers willing to contribute, influence and share knowledge.

Perhaps more staggering is how Starbucks has prospered through brand communities. In 2008, it was facing huge pressures as sales slumped and the brand had to do something to turn around its fortunes. It took a number of steps, including creating the new branded communities, and a year later it reported 4% growth and a 200% rise in profits - a significant turnaround.

The key to any brand community is real-time communications, which require brands to listen, learn and respond to consumers, yet the challenge for brands is how they are geared up to deal with this. We’re currently helping to develop a community for Captain Morgan’s Spiced, which launched in the UK earlier this year. To ensure rapid response, we have a dedicated Communities Manager working on the project. In order to help promote the brand, we have used social media channels to take a lead role in the communications plan through a Facebook page takeover. Using Facebook, we are currently engaging the community in dialogue, running competitions and outbound eComms, driving page traffic, amplifying offline events through digital amplification as well as running Facebook ad campaigns and leading local implementation of global campaigns. Since the transition to Captain Morgan’s Spiced, the Facebook community has grown from 16,000 to over 62,000 (as of November 2011).

Brand communities are based on honesty and transparency, yet how can consumers really trust the content they’re seeing? More recently the provision of content by brands has been under investigation. The two industry trade bodies, the IAB and the ISBA, are working in conjunction with the ASA to put some guidelines in place for the ways in which brands are engaging with social media, including Twitter, Facebook and blogs. The process is being spearheaded by a consultant at We Are Social, who is helping to put together these rules and regulations. The rules set by both associations are basic and include such things as having to disclose when video content is posted on behalf of a brand onto a blog, for example. The brand will need to be completely transparent with its consumers.

The reason behind this is that more and more marketers are seeing the value in producing content to feed their communities, but the means by which this content is produced and distributed is a grey area. This year, the industry has started to uncover the fact that some brands are using questionable methods to build this content; for example, paying people to Tweet or provide editorial content. The issue with this ‘false content’ is that it clearly infects what should be a genuine experience for consumers and compromises the integrity of the brand’s whole community.

Despite this, I believe it is truly an exciting time for online communities. Brands are finally beginning to open their eyes to see social media as a long-term engagement channel rather than something that can be turned on and off, and as a result, we are likely to see more creative and varied approaches to online communities developing. We are also likely to see an increasing number of marketers demanding clear objectives and measurement for their campaigns. Online communities and social media are no longer the new kids on the block. So, just as you wouldn’t dream of creating above the line marketing campaigns without adequate measurement, social media will be subjected to the same rigor.

Facebook Culling is on the Up, so what can Brands Learn From this Savage Trend?

It’s pretty ironic really. While brands are bending over backwards to get more online ‘friends’ to develop and grow their social communities, the average Facebook user is, quite simply, ‘culling’ theirs. In last night’s Evening Standard, Joshi Herrmann wrote that ‘culling’ friends is on the up as more of us look to settle into more meaningful networks with our friends.

I would argue that brands have something to learn from this trend. While sporting thousands of Facebook followers can certainly help to amplify your brand, contributing towards a powerful impression of industry leadership, brands need to ensure that these followers are actually ‘friends’ who will be happy to interact with you and spread positive messages about you. The last thing a brand wants is Facebook followers who aren’t engaged with their brand and merely sit there for the sake of it. They might even leave the community, or worse yet, click the ‘Remove Friend’ button. And all it takes is a click.

Just as we look to have meaningful interactions on our Facebook pages with those we trust, brands should look to do the same. What better way to build brand advocates than to engage them with insightful and relevant content? Once brands create this value exchange and a path to participation, a significant and influential community is built and sustained.

The Retail Price War

Simon Couch, RPM's Head of Retailer Engagement, discusses the retail price war that is currently bringing major multiples Tesco and Asda to a head...

In hard economic times, consumers are after the cheapest price, exemplified by the ethos of both Asda's ‘Saving You Money Every Day’ and Tesco’s ‘Every Little Helps’, which clearly show that price comes first. To support shoppers through the hard economic times, grocers are engaged in a fierce price-slashing battle, and for the time being, the emphasis on creating an engaging, high-quality consumer experience has fallen by the wayside. Despite these rigorous, retail price reductions, however, not every retailer is putting price as a high priority. Some have other game plans. Waitrose, for example, along with the likes of Sainsbury’s, do very well to avoid going ‘all out’ on the price war, by playing up other key areas in-store, such as the staff service, quality of product and shopper experience.

It’s difficult to tell whether the price battle is really working for Asda and Tesco, because the reality is that they are always going to be competitive as per their strategic agenda. The question is how far the battle can go in its current guise. I went into Tesco the other day, and there was a bumper packet of crisps priced at 98p. Underneath, in big words, was written ‘Asda 99p’. That is seriously going to war! In this instance, consumers don’t necessarily care about the fact that they’re saving 1p on a packet of crisps, but what it does do is put immediately front of mind that Tesco is really committed to this price war. No matter how much consumers are saving, whether it’s 1p or £1, Tesco is delivering. In this case, the amount of space given to that message is a Brand Manager’s dream in terms of how clear it was, the size of it and the POS exposure.

This is how price-matching evolves, and it’s never got to this state before on this scale, so we’re entering uncharted territory. However, I believe that despite these price drops, it is in fact Waitrose that will come out best. Why? Because it isn't wholly involved in the price war and isn't changing its strategic direction. It's confidently illustrating the fact that it's not out of the ball park when it comes to cost, and it's not getting embroiled wholeheartedly in the price war. For consumers, there are no sporadic comms stating that a particular butter brand is cheaper than that at Tesco. That’s not what Waitrose is about, and people shop there for that very reason. Arguably the only price comparison done by Waitrose is its Essentials range. The pattern is that a shopper will usually go to Waitrose to buy good-quality meat or fish, but then head to Asda or Tesco to buy their essentials. So Waitrose launched the Essentials campaign, price-matching 1,400 key products.

Primarily, major retailers want to be price competitive and get shoppers through their door, yet despite this sales drive, Tesco’s performance was a few % down last quarter, compared with Sainsbury’s that was a few % up. This could be a good time for Tesco to take a good look at itself and ask whether the price match is actually working. Quite simply, it's not winning against its competitors at the moment. With the all-important Christmas trading period just around the corner, it will be interesting to see who the winners are.

The future state of the retail price war will reflect and follow the future economic state of the country. For instance, a serious focus on price-matching started when the economy dived in 2008, and now that we’re double dipping it’s becoming even more prevalent. Economically, we’ll come out of that over the next two to three years, or perhaps even longer, and when we start recovering it is highly likely that multiples will focus on diversity of product. Both Tesco and Asda, for example, will focus on becoming a one-stop shop selling everything from petrol to car insurance, to clothing to bank accounts.

The Golden Treacle Tin Awards!

At RPM's last company meeting, our Head of Creative, Neil Hooper, handed out four Golden Treacle Tin awards to the Best Design and the Best Creative of the quarter. The nominations were taken from all of RPM's projects over the year, and the competition was steep!

The Golden Treacle Tin awards recognise excellence for RPM's creative department, with the winners receiving a £50 bar tab at the local pub. So, to the winners...

Coming joint first for Best Creative were the world-first Talisker Sail-in Cinema and the Johnnie Walker experience at Goodwood Revival, the latter celebrating the extraordinary life of Rob Walker. Awarded Best Design was Sky Arts at the Hay Festival, which aimed to encourage consumers to find their hidden talent through a den full of inspirational items.

The Recruitment Battle

Nicola Clark's article, 'Is Marketing facing a talent crisis', in this week's Marketing Magazine really resonated with us. We understand how important it is to welcome in original minds and passionate creative talent to any workplace and have found that our annual grad scheme is a brilliant way of doing just this. After a competitive recruitment day in August, we took on four new grads ready to give all they'd got to the agency, working on a rota within our Production and Account Team departments.

The consultancy McKinsey, quoted in Nicola's piece, speaks correctly when it says, 'if you sit still, the talent won't simply come to you'. As an example of a more proactive recruitment strategy, in 2010 our Creative department launched a recruitment drive called 'Catch A Creative'. This encouraged people to recommend a friend who specialised in either design, copywriting, artwork or illustration. If they were employed, the friend who recommended them would receive a cash reward.

This was very effective for both parties. For us, there were no huge fees from recruitment agencies and it became a PR stunt. For the public, it gave people that extra incentive to participate. Everyone wants cash, right? In true guerrilla style, we had staff putting up posters in cafes, phone boxes, pubs and lampposts throughout East London wearing red 'Catch a Creative' T-shirts and carrying huge nets. The whole campaign roused attention because it was different, and we had over 100 applications.

I think originality is the key to the recruitment battle; do something different when it comes to securing new talent, and the talent will see that you're creative, unique and passionate about getting new individuals to join your team.

Ensuring Efficiency in Traditional Digital Channels

Dave Squires, RPM's Head of Digital, believes that when it comes to new technology, effectiveness lies in the old and not necessarily the new....

When it comes to exploring new technologies, it's often the case that clients will push to come up with the next idea, when actually less detail is paid to perfecting the basics, leading to a flawed campaign.

We’re all guilty of getting caught up in the ‘what’s next’ culture without stopping to actually review the traditional technology channels and the benefits they have. What clients tend to forget is that a lot of the traditional methods and channels, the tried and tested ones, are actually the most effective.

When looking at mobile solutions, for example, instead of thinking about apps or QR codes, a channel as basic as a text message is probably the most effective means of communication through mobile. This makes sense. People have more access to text messages than anything else. QR codes are good, but they’re not as easily accessible and ultimately not as recognised nor understood as a text.

In terms of RPM's Digital department, this is how we get results. If you’re trying to promote a sound digital offering and a serious digital offering at that, I think reconsidering these older methods puts you in a great position; it shows you’ve got the confidence to pull yourself back from all these new technologies that don’t actually do anything in terms of building a community. It’s important to remember not to use new technology for the sake of it, and think about what the consumer wants.

Simon Couch in Retail Week

Great to see our Head of Retail, Simon Couch, in this week's Retail Week. In Simon's letter, he comments on the ways in which in-store innovations help and encourage impulse buying.

Rob Wilson Explores the Benefits of Pretesting

Rob Wilson, RPM's Strategy Director, addresses his experience with pretesting a campaign, leading to greater and more effective consumer engagement.

Pretesting is crucial for most big budget campaigns, and in order for it to be effectively qualitative, it has to be carried out with over 100 people. The real plus about pretesting is that it optimises the campaign and allows you to really focus on the value exchange between the brand and the consumer. You need to ask yourself why people participate in something and what would encourage them to participate, which all goes back to the fact that value exchange doesn’t have to be transactional; it can bring benefits that are more relational and emotional.

We did a lot of pretesting for the concepts behind our 2011 Sky Ride campaign. For those who aren't familiar, Sky Ride is a series of mass participation cycle events led by Sky and British Cycling, which encourage thousands of friends and families all over the UK to get back on their bikes and take to the traffic-free roads of their city. The pretesting for this was all about trying to find ideas and concepts that would actually trigger people’s emotional relationship with cycling. This is how we ended up going down the nostalgic route: ‘Where would your bike take you?’ The concept was all about getting people to remember that they once loved cycling and have had a connection with it since childhood.

If you sit lots of people in a room and ask how many people have played squash, you might get 20 or so, but once we'd asked how many people had ever ridden a bike, everyone had a connection with it through their childhood; thus, we took the nostalgic route. Pretesting was particularly useful with this insight.

The people we chose to do pretesting with were lapsed cyclists and people who cycle less than once a month. The process goes that we find them through research agencies (which our clients like us to use because they’re impartial), we put together the ideas, a moderator within the research group takes the people through it, and we watch them through a little glass mirror. It’s all very CSI!

What you’re looking for with pretesting is traction; so what gets people most excited, what do people have to instantly talk about and what ideas start making people open up and talk. In the case of Sky Ride, we put one idea in front of them that was less well-received, mainly because there was less instant conversation. As soon as we asked them to discuss their memories of riding a bike, however, people were engaged and eager to contribute and - voila - you have an idea with traction.

It’s important to take on board that pretesting is there for optimising ideas, not for making decisions for you. In other words, don’t make all your creative decisions based on your pretesting; use it to make your ideas better and don’t use them to rule out or discredit ideas. I say this because often ideas are harder to get until you’ve got the right execution, and you’re not testing execution at that stage. Don’t let consumers dictate what your brand should do; let them optimise ideas and work out how that idea should work for them.

At RPM, the scale of our campaigns and therefore scale of investment is going up, which means we’ll inevitably be doing more pretesting going forward. Furthermore, the nature of the work we’re doing is more digital and more and more engagement focused, which again reaffirms the benefits of pretesting.

Pretesting is ultimately about how a consumer gets involved in a campaign, and agencies should be using this to see exactly how the consumer would get involved, to what level they’d get involved, whether they would advocate your idea and whether they would take that extra crucial step and send it on to a friend.

Tim Jones to speak at YCC Event; Return of the Insight

Our Strategist, Tim Jones, will be speaking tonight at The Poke, London, in conjunction with creative group The Young Creative Council. The latter was set up to help start-ups in the creative and advertising industries and host a range of events featuring key industry figures to offer guidance and advice to those keen to learn about the industry. Tonight's event, 'The Return of the Insight', will address how important consumer insights are to successful campaigns and therefore overall engagement. Other speakers include William Humphrey, Asi Sharabi and Andy Whitlock.

On-Trade Activations Leave Consumers on a High

Neil Hooper, RPM's Head of Creative, explores how on-trade experiences can lead to consumer engagement and a unique drinking experience.

We all know that having a brand representative barge into a bar to put on a show could be perceived as tacky, especially by UK consumers. But having recently worked on the Captain Morgan's relaunch, I’ve experienced something totally different and really quite impactful.

RPM’s job has been to reposition ‘The Captain’ in the UK as the face of the brand. He’s always been there, yet consumers have never experienced him directly. So, the best way for them to associate The Captain with a captivating drinking experience was through equally captivating on-trade activations. It was important for us to recruit a Captain who encapsulated the spirit of the brand, which has up until now been led by the Global Brand Ambassador.

We needed to find six to eight Captains to run the campaign across the whole of the UK and have written his character type, the script and looked at the promotional campaign that then tours with them. We created a new look and feel, supported by POS, and helped relaunch Captain Morgan's Spiced in the UK.

In Europe, Diageo has had massive success by caricaturing The Captain as a party leader who then infiltrates bars for half an hour, hitting them all with samples and leaving them with that party spirit still riding high.

The J&B Mirror Man is another example of an effective on-trade activation. An arguably challenging idea at first, yet once you see and experience him in a bar environment - when the music blares out and he starts dancing - the bar totally transforms. Suddenly, everyone is drinking your product, taking photos and dancing on tables. He has a 30-minute impact and leaves drinkers with a wave of energy. It cleverly utilises high impact within a short time frame and has a lasting impact on consumers who begin associating your brand with an exciting, unique drinking experience.

Absolut and Brancott Produce Vodka-Sauvignon Blend

Our Shopper Marketing team was interested to see that Absolut has paired up with Pernod Ricard stablemate Brancott Estate to produce a 'sparkling fusion' of vodka and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. 'Absolut Tune' has an interesting bottle design too - check it out above.

We're on Fire!

It's been a busy couple of months here at RPM. So, here's the lowdown.

We just finished our Sky Ride campaign, which brought thousands of people onto their bikes on the traffic-free streets of London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Blackpool, Milton Keynes, Leicester, Hull, Southampton, Manchester, Bradford, Bournemouth and Middlesbrough. On August 13, the Smirnoff Presents Sensation event kicked into action, with 10,000 consumers dressed in white, ready to drink the best Smirnoff drinks, at the finest Smirnoff bars, to the sight and sounds of the most spectacular music and light show this year.

As well as the brand teams, our trophy cabinet is smiling too. We just picked up a Blades Award in the 'Design for Interior' category for our Sky Backstage Bar and Sky Gallery currently sitting within the 02. We were also voted No.2 in Marketing Magazine's Experiential League Tables 2011!

Our brand spanking new website is set to launch next week, and we've just welcomed four new grads onto RPM's graduate scheme. Each grad will spend four months in both Production and the Account teams working on some of our most exciting projects.

Last but not least, our Old Treacle Factory HQ has a newly-polished third roof to help house our 200 staff, and we're soon to celebrate the success of this year at our summer party organised by The Social Monkeys, this Thursday.

The Really Buff Boutique has Launched!

Our specialist Pop-Up team has launched pop-up beauty salon The Really Buff Boutique in Poland Street, Soho, offering a range of free luxury beauty treatments to those who book in advance.

The Really Buff Boutique pop-up salon is open to the public from 2-5 August and has installed the world’s first tan-tone window display to celebrate the launch of the new TV channel.

Snippets from the RPM Weekly

The Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge has transformed its gym and spa terrace into a lush British countryside. Complete with birch trees and lavender, guests can order a picnic and indulge in a typically British fare of iced tea and strawberries, all in the privacy of the secret rooftop garden right in the heart of the city.

Improv Everywhere celebrated its Mp3 Experiment Eight recently. Involving over 3,500 people, Improv Everywhere invited members of the public to download an MP3 file and press play simultaneously at sunset in two starting points by the Hudson River in America. The participants were asked to follow instructions via their headphones, much to the confusion of passersby.

Bompas & Parr teamed up with Selfridges in July to create ‘The Truvia Voyage of Discovery’ promoting Truvia sweetener. They transformed Selfridges' rooftop into a boating lake complete with a waterfall and a magical crystal bar/island. During the visit, guests could boat up to a bar where they could enjoy rooftop drinks from the Experimental Cocktail Club as well as coffee and tea from the Caravan and the Rare Tea Company.

Doing Our Bit for the Local Community

At RPM, we care about the community, especially the one surrounding The Old Treacle Factory. Deciding agaisnt the stereotypical 'West End agency', RPM remains loyal to the quirky and eclectic community of Shepherd's Bush where the company was born and bred. Hugh, our CEO, and brother Dom, MD, both live in the area and want to give back to the community that has welcomed not only their business but their families.

RPM does as much as it can to support the local Greenside Primary School, through helping out with their summer events, Halloween, sports day and the Christmas play, and we're sprucing up their garden.

Lee Farrant, a partner at RPM, is the External Governor of the school, so he liaises with teachers, parents and all stakeholders including local authorities on the management and running of the school in general.

We believe it's our duty as a business to help those around us, and we will do as much as we can to continue to support our community.

One Year To Go Event - Trafalgar Square - Kikku Mani Reports...

The Olympic Games were awarded to London six years ago, and with just one year left, this marks a huge and important milestone not just for London but for the UK and on an international level. The Games affect so many people’s lives and in so many ways. They’re not just about athletics, and there is a lot happening to engage people in that broader picture; they're a kind of Cultural Olympiad if you like.

This means events and programmes spanning far broader than just sport to celebrate hosting this amazing international event. Millions of people have been inspired and motivated by the Games, and we were taken on a journey to see exactly how they have made a difference to people of all backgrounds and in many different ways.

The line-up of entertainment included West End performances from the West End Kids, music by DJ Kissy Sell Out, MC Cobra as well as the Olympic mascot Wenlock and some stunning BMX displays. The London 2012 hopefuls were introduced as well as a Bangladeshi girl, flown in to highlight some of the work the ‘International Inspiration’ programme is doing. She has been taught to instruct young kids how to swim, and in a country where people die in floods due to their inability to swim, she’s potentially saving thousands of lives.

After this, we were handed over to BBC1 for a live broadcast and the official invite by Jacques Rogge, the IOC President, calling athletes of the world to form teams and come to compete in the London Olympics. At the moment of the invite and at exactly one year to go, a huge banner was hoisted up on the National Gallery! Speeches followed by David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Princess Anne, who unveiled the new Olympic medals.

While all this was taking place on stage, there were a variety of 'experience zones' along the sides of the square, including the British Origami Society making paper boats for kids out of national flags that could then be sailed in the fountains; basketball hoops; and a table tennis table. An Explore London zone focused on what’s happening in London next year, including maps, cycle routes and promotion of the activities of the London Festival. There was also a face-painting area, breakdancers and stilt walkers adding colour and cheer to the crowd.

All in all, the evening was a complete fusion of music, sport and art and a great way to officially begin the year’s countdown to the biggest and most prestigious event to come to Britain in over 50 years!

RPM Team Completes La Pinarello!

11 of the bravest and fittest RPM staff completed the gruelling cycling marathon 'La Pinarello', which took place in the stunning Dolomites of Italy. Here are some facts from the RPM team:

6 months of training took place prior to the race.

The route was 204km long and took the team 9 hours, 40 minutes to complete.

One team member 'accidentally' took the wrong route 'back to the swimming pool'.

The cyclists reached speeds of up to 80mph.

Four RPMers crossed the line together: Tim, Joe, Reuben and Shane.

Matt Convery came within the top 100 of the mountain climbers, out of 3,500 competitors.

The team endured full body cramps and severe exhaustion.

1 bike crashed (the team isn't revealing who this was!).

Grand Marnier at Latitude and Big Chill

Happy Friday, people! If you're planning on heading down to Latitude or The Big Chill, the Diageo Reserves team has an experience for you. The Grand Marnier Terrace offers you a gorgeous bar and lounge, where sumptuous Summer Serve cocktails are poured to the sound of some chilled beats by live DJs. The activity is aimed at raising the profile of the two key serves: Grand Tonic and Grand Esprit, to a target audience of 30-35 year-olds. Get yourself down there, and enjoy a refreshing Grand Marnier Summer Serve.

Comfort Brights and Whites Roadshow

We've been working with laundry care brand Comfort to launch its new Comfort Brights range through a national roadshow: ‘Comfort Brights and Whites’.

Specifically targeting women, the two-month roadshow aims to promote and introduce ‘Comfort Bright Colours’ and ‘Comfort Bright Whites’ to the public.

Visitors will be offered free ten-minute one-to-one colour advice sessions in partnership with image consultants Colour Me Beautiful, and giveaways include money off coupons and a booklet of styling tips that help remind consumers of their best suiting colour palette.

The roadshow will visit shopping centres across the UK including: Lakeside (2-3 July), Bluewater (9-10 July), Bullring (16-17 July), Brent Cross (23-24 July), Westfield (30-31 July), Meadowhall (6-7 August) and thecentre:mk (20-21 August).

RPM Reporter: Goodwood Festival of Speed

I pulled up in a taxi just as the Goodwood Air Show was kicking off with a huge Vulcan thundering through the air, continuing to do a loop the loop through the sky. What a dramatic scene for a dramatic festival, which offered all the furore of F1 mixed with the authenticity of vintage cars and the vigour of dust-destroying rally racing.

Brands relevant to Goodwood's car-loving, thrill-seeking audience were ready to jump on the bandwagon, with Skoda, Johnnie Walker, Nissan and Red Bull all hosting experiential areas; some excellent, and some fairly disappointing. Red Bull, for example, was placed right in a corner in which a DJ in a branded jeep played to an empty terrace cushioned by a few grey bean bags. Inside, you were able to play vehicle-themed video games, but in general there was a real lack of an original consumer experience here, and a serious lack of branding. The terrace was bare except for the jeep and grey bean bags, which certainly wouldn't have been my colour of choice!

The Johnnie Walker Viewing Tower provided some excellent views over the track, and an engaging sampling experience at that. Smartly-dressed Brand Communicators took each and every consumer through the taste experience of drinking Johnnie Walker with strawberries and black pepper and offered all a leaflet to fill out to win a VIP experience at Silverstone racecourse. The stand also provided a smart lounge area with chilled out music, free water and the opportunity to watch Johnnie Walker sampling demos led by a professional. People were queuing up to get to the top of the tower, which provided the best views of the racetrack from two levels. You were only able to go up to the top once you had tasted a sample, which was a smart way to drive trial.

Nissan also had an engaging stand by TRO. The Nissan innovation car was contained within a bespoke unit that lit up, centered by two large screens and viewing platforms. Throughout the day, the stand blasted out loud music and a countdown, after which two dancers would fall from the ceiling and spin themselves around in total symmetry to the circling Nissan wheels projected onto the screens. This was very eye-catching, and the music definitely drew the crowds, yet the dancers were somewhat limited to dance moves able-to-be-completed-when-hanging-from-a-ceiling, and the show lasted for around ten minutes, so it did drag slightly. Other than this, though, there were some nice car displays on the stand, which was spacious enough for consumers to crowd around each car.

Overall, Goodwood Festival of Speed provided the perfect platform for brands to grab the attention of consumers at their most passionate, yet I would have liked to see more experiences offering the consumer a value exchange (a la Johnnie Walker with better and, more importantly, free views of the racetrack) and more consumer-brand interaction.

A Weekend of Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Sky 3D!

We've got a whole host of campaigns taking place this weekend across Goodwood Festival of Speed and London Pride, so if it's gays or Grand Prix drivers that tickle your fancy, we've got something for all to see!

At this year's London Pride, we've worked with the main sponsor, Smirnoff, to create an eye-catching Miami-themed float that will headline the parade (second only to Boris who will be leading with the Mayor of London team). The float will host a range of entertainment including club performers as well as salsa and carnival dancers bringing to life the spirit of Miami’s nightlife in sleek style. The parade starts at 1pm from Oxford Circus, down Regent Street and ends at Trafalgar Square. There will then be a main stage in Trafalgar Square with a number of acts performing until about 8pm.

Alternatively, if you like fast cars, then why not view them from the best spot on the track? We've been working with Johnnie Walker to produce the mammoth Johnnie Walker Viewing Tower at Goodwood Festival of Speed, providing the best views of the racetrack. Inside, you'll be treated to delicious samples of Johnnie Walker with strawberries and chocolate, as well as live music and F1 driver Q&As. I'll be there on Sunday checking out the view of Lewis Hamilton. Er, I mean the site of course.

Our infamous Sky 3D Prism will also be at Goodwood, allowing consumers to experience the world of Sky 3D from the inside of a glistening structure. We are also running a promotion for people to win the ultimate 3D home viewing experience. Visitors to the Prism will be able to enter by filling out prize draw slips collected by our staff.

RPM Reporter: Tapas Fantasticas

When I arrived at this year's Rioja wine festival, Tapas Fantasticas, queues were already forming right around the corner of the site, and the ambience and vigour of Spain was truly in the air. The blazing sunshine, energetic Spanish music and wafts of rich tapas were a good pull for people strolling down the riverside, and inside the place was buzzing with slightly tipsy Spaniards, families and a host of wine enthusiasts all milling around or dancing to the beats of the bongos with wine glass in hand.

In total there were 33 restaurants exhibiting, and people were swarming around the stalls, dishing out dosh for some of the tastiest tapas I’ve had in years, including traditional dishes like gazpacho, freshly cured meats, seafood and paella. In total there were over 25,000 samples handed out, and Saturday had 8,000 visitors: the highest day attendance in the history of the festival.

While the adults were busy swapping their tokens for samples of rosé, red and white Rioja wine, the children’s area was full of children busily adding to a giant grapevine, so all parties were kept very well occupied.

I spoke to a few visitors who gave the following feedback:

"This has been such an amazing day! We've eaten a load of delicious tapas and drunk bucketfuls of Rioja wine. Doesn't feel like England!"

“What could be better on a day like this than wine and tapas! It’s been lovely”

It's All About Human Nature

Human nature is the driving force behind engagement marketing and the ways in which brands communicate effectively with their target audience. We are social animals; we believe in and have more passion for the things we have real involvement with.

This fundamental human truth coupled with the obvious developments in media and technology has empowered people and created an expectation around participation. What we are not saying is that communication has to be 100% co-generated; people still want to be inspired by brands that stand for something and have a clear vision, but if we understand and engage with human nature and behaviour, we can tap into the consumer more effectively.

Live experiences can, if executed well, provide the most responsive and immersive communications forum for a brand, facilitating meaningful conversations and demonstrating that the brand not only talks the talk, but walks it as well. By tapping into consumer behaviour, we can then establish effective brand behaviour and observe how both work together for a successful campaign.

People love to share experiences, and therefore word of mouth plays a huge part in improving the effectiveness of engagement marketing. If people are willing to share the experience with their friends, then you’ve doubled your reach with no further investment. People will use Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about what they’ve seen or done, and they become crucial to expanding the lifespan of the campaign. To have prior knowledge that people will react this way can work to your advantage if you give them the right channels, and ensure that you respond to their dialogue as much as you can.

Subway Presents the Subway Café!

Subway has launched the snazzy Subway Café. Designed to be a cross between a sandwich shop and cosy coffee bar, customers will be able to drink their coffees in a relaxing setting, with comfortable armchairs and lounge-style seating, furnished with brick and wood-panelled walls and a cosy fire.

The new development follows the lead of McDonald's' highly successful McCafé, which has outperformed expectations and helped drive up sales in both the US and Europe last month, with offerings such as frozen strawberry lemonade and McCafé Shakes. The chain will also be introducing a mango pineapple smoothie later this year.

A Busy Month...

June is certainly a busy month for us RPMers. We've got the Davidstow Cornish-themed roadshow soon to set tongues tingling at the Hampton Court Palace Festival, mass participation cycling campaign Sky Ride helping thousands back onto their bikes, Rioja's wine festival Tapas Fantasticas, and ECB activations including the TwelfthMan Roadshow.

This weekend saw the launch of the Strongbow Graft & Glory tent at the Isle of Wight Festival, which hosted sets from Jaguar Skills, MistaJam and a cracking headline set from Tomb Crew. The venue was packed to the brim and kept festival revellers on their feet until the early hours. Keep your eyes posted on our Flickr page for some photos.

Davidstow on Tour

We're taking Davidstow on the road with a touring sampling experience that looks back to the brand’s roots and drives further engagement with the cheese brand.

The activity is based around Davidstow’s Cornish heritage and seeks to transport consumers into a Cornish setting to relax, take in the scenery and enjoy the taste of Davidstow.

Today, the tour begins at The Royal Cornwall Show and will visit shows throughout the summer including The Hampton Court Palace Festival and Regent's Park.

The Old Treacle Factory Gets a Revamp!

Today is officially RPM’s last day at 205 Holland Park!

Over the last year, RPM’s HQ - The Old Treacle Factory - has undergone an elaborate makeover to house our growing workforce, with the addition of a third floor, hugely expanded kitchen and complete revamp!

Our Creative department has been working hard on the interiors, completing an office that we’re proud to call our own...

See you back on the Uxbridge Road!

The Art of Sharing

I read recently that Pret A Manger is offering consumers recipes on how to make each and every dish they serve. Despite being a regular lunchtime haunt of mine, it’s unlikely I’ll be printing off how to perfect that chicken and avocado sandwich, yet the large food chain is being extremely clever. By sharing its ‘secret’ recipes with us, even if they're not groundbreaking, we feel comforted, and it gives the impression they are letting the consumer in, eventually building trust.

The same happens, for example, when a brand asks consumers to contribute ideas toward its next campaign, and then puts this into action. This allows consumers to feel part of the whole experience, showing them their opinion counts. Our ‘Smirnoff: U. R. The Night’ event held at Matter 02 asked consumers to vote towards pretty much every aspect of the event, right through from the DJ in each room, to the cocktails at the bar, to the overall theme. By the end of the night, the Facebook page received 13,500 new fans.

The more brands ‘share’ with their consumers, the more value exchange they create, and the more your brand advocates feel special, wanted and more likely to remain loyal.

The Power of the Tribe

When you hear the word ‘tribe’, you might associate it with ‘primal’, ‘animalistic’, ‘caveman’ or, perhaps like me, you may recall Bruce Parry’s infamous documentary and the piercing of an oh-so-tender body part. Either way, tribes aren’t necessarily what you would associate with marketing, yet it’s the latest lingo used primarily to explain the power of brand advocates.

‘Brand Tribes’, as I like to call them, are being created all around us by a huge number of corporations. Ikea has created fashionista furniture tribes; Apple, a tribe of technology fans; Harley Davidson, a tribe of hardcore bikers; Starbucks, a tribe of culture and coffee enthusiasts, and so on.

Tribes work positively for brands because they like to spread the word, making decisions based on what their friends say, or ‘like’, or digg and so on. If you can gather an enthusiastic tribe based on your brand’s offering, you can rely on them to become brand adorers, increasing your ‘Brand Tribe’ population by the minute and thus significantly raising awareness of your services.

Tribes live within the dark corners of Facebook and other social media channels, ultimately gaining more control over how your brand is perceived than the Marketing Manager himself. That said, it’s important that once a tribe is established, brands must create a constant dialogue, interaction and value exchange with them to keep them interested and engaged. This can include interacting with them directly and instantly over Facebook, or sending them offers and discounts for their loyalty.

Making your ‘Brand Tribe’ feel special and appreciated will do wonders for your reputation, helping to grow your brand recognition organically and with little extra cost.

RPM Helps the Big Deal

On Monday morning, the RPM boardroom was filled with enthusiastic students, all part of ‘The Big Deal’ project. The Big Deal is an enterprise competition for students from disadvantaged backgrounds identified as having high potential, and a number of RPM volunteers helped mentor them over ten weeks.

Teams of students compete against each other to develop business plans, which they then pitch at an exciting Dragons' Den event. The successful team wins a weekend business trip of a lifetime to New York.

Over the course of the day, Hugh took them through the fundamentals of marketing and the history of RPM, with follow-up talks from our Head of Creative, Neil Hooper, and guidance from our Digital and Planning departments.

We wish them the best of luck in their final presentation!

The Big Deal Joins RPM

RPM has been working with organisation 'The Big Deal', a ten-week enterprise competition where teams of students, with the aid of a mentor, compete against each other to develop business plans, which are then pitched at a final event. On Monday 23rd May, RPM's respective team will be visiting the RPM offices to meet the mentoring team and go through their presentations. As well as help from CEO Hugh and Managing Director Dom, other representatives from our Planning, Digital, Creative and PR departments will be offering advice and guidance to the teams.

The Big Deal programme was launched to encourage children and young people aged 0 to 25 to get involved in making decisions that affected them and their friends in youth groups, schools, families and communities across Northern Ireland. The project is a £4 million initiative funded through the Big Lottery Fund under its Northern Ireland Young People’s Fund programme.

London International Documentary Film Festival

I headed down to the London International Documentary Film Festival this week to check out the latest short films from a whole host of directors. The overall aim of the festival, now in its fifth year, is to promote new talent, provide a platform for debate and provoke critical discussion. It’s the largest documentary festival in the UK with a huge programme of 140 films from 44 different nations.

The evening I attended was called ‘A Conversation in Film’, and seven short films were played in succession. The topics covered were simple yet really interesting, including what we think about during a cigarette break, an insight into the different people who frequent a launderette, a touching interview with a mother who lost her son in the war, and behind the scenes at an East End bakery.

The films were hosted in the back room of the Roxy Bar & Screen, and the other venues are spread throughout London. The festival runs until May 28th, and you can buy tickets here.

Dave Squires on Mobile Marketing

Mobile Marketing has probably been talked about for the last ten years, and it’s only within the last year that it's started to come about. Things such as Sky Mobile on your TV is fantastic, and the apps they’ve got are brilliant, but I think we’re still a little bit behind the curve here. We will get on board with it when things such as Facebook places and Facebook deals really start to kick off. If users are out and about somewhere, they are able to use this to check into a location and get a voucher for where they are on their mobile, straight away.

A brand that is particularly good at this kind of thing is Starbucks, which has something like 20 million fans on Facebook. It is particularly good at mobile marketing. In the States, this is much more how things are done than they are over here at the moment. The difficulties you’ve got are making sure you have a network for fulfilment. So, for example, if you’re doing a deal for your customers, you have to make sure you have a national network of places that can be fulfilled. Starbucks is easy as there’s one on every corner, but how do you do a mobile campaign if you’re a small chain? How do you target it so that you’re really going to be talking to people in your outlets? There are mechanisms to do that, but you need to make sure that’s covered off before you begin blasting out great big messages to people.

An example of how this could work, and something we’ve been looking at over the last few weeks, is checking-in within our Sky Ride campaign. The idea is that you take part in a bike trip around a particular city, and participants can ‘check-in’ at various destinations and stop-off points around the route. Once you arrive, you might get some content to your phone, saying, ‘thank you for checking-in, you now have VIP access to the picnic in Hyde Park’, or something along those lines. So, once you've checked-in along the route, you’ll get various deals or certain access or exclusive stuff for doing so. That’s a kind of work in progress example of how we’re thinking of using mobile and location-based marketing.

On a broader mobile basis, the thing that really isn’t in place yet is that about 50% of UK companies haven’t repurposed their website for mobile use. This means they’ve only built their websites to work on computers, so when you log on to it using your mobile, the website appears only as a tiny version. In terms of making mobile marketing appealing, I think as long as there’s a value exchange, consumers will be willing to give their number to a brand. You have to incentivise data capture in this way, otherwise consumers will not be willing to hand over their details.