Friday 23 December 2011

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/

    Wednesday 14 December 2011

    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"

    Monday 12 December 2011

    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.
  • Tuesday 6 December 2011

    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!

    Monday 5 December 2011

    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

    Friday 2 December 2011

    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!

    Thursday 1 December 2011

    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!