Friday 29 July 2011

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.

Thursday 28 July 2011

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!

Thursday 21 July 2011

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!).

Friday 15 July 2011

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.

Tuesday 5 July 2011

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).

Monday 4 July 2011

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.

Friday 1 July 2011

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.