RPM Awarded Three IPM Awards

We are thrilled to announce that at last night's IPM Awards ceremony, we were awarded three Silver IPM Awards for the following categories:

Financial and Professional Services: Aviva - Aviva Athletics Roadshow
Household and Petcare: Unilever - Comfort Brights Colour Me Brighter
Shopping Centre Marketing: Unilever - Comfort Brights Colour Me Brighter

Here are the little beauties making a break for it in the cab home....

RPM's Aviva Athletics Roadshow Launches!

Our Aviva Athletics Roadshow kicked off this weekend at the Silverburn Shopping Centre in Glasgow. This is the second year we've worked with Aviva to showcase their sponsorship of the Aviva GB & NI Athletics Team.

The athletics themed roadshow experience invites the public to, ‘Back the Team’ this summer and educates the public on British athletics, showcasing the sport as a fun and accessible sport. Aviva GB & NI Team athletes will be making personal appearances and features will include informative discussions led by a leading UK Athletics coach and several digital based elements including a touch-screen athletics quiz, visual content displays on TV screens and an opportunity for shoppers to photograph themselves on a podium in front of an Aviva GB & NI Athletics Team image, to upload and share.

RPM Launch 'Focus on Life' Exhibition and Auction

Tonight RPM will be launching, 'Focus on Life', a private view and auction of leading photographers' work at the Getty Images Gallery. The exhibition and auction have been developed in aid of the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund to help raise funds and drive awareness of pancreatic cancer.

The event supports the efforts of Howard Kerr who, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, decided to raise awareness and money for research funds by founding, and walking the Howards Way Walk, which stretches 100 miles. Over the last four years, RPM's Partner Lee Farrant joins a group of industry friends to walk this very stretch and collectively they have raised over £250,000.

As a direct result of Howard's effort and influence, the Howard Kerr PhD Studentship Award was created at Barts Hospital, to help find ways to detect pancreatic cancer at an early stage via proteins in the body. They are making some progress, but more research and money is needed and at a cost of £80,000 per year, the PhD Studentship is getting increasingly difficult to fund via the walk alone. Focus on Life is an additional fund-raising initiative to help raise extra funding and drive engagement with both Howards Way Walk and the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund.

RPM's latest projects!

May has been a busy month for us RPM'ers, with activations taking place for M&S, Sky Ride and The England and Wales Cricket Board. Here is a summary of all our experiential activity so far.

After a seven year hiatus, we were appointed by major retailer M&S to help deliver their ‘Farming for the Future’ sustainability initiative through activity at major Agricultural Shows this summer. The campaign aims to help educate, engage and inspire show going families and supply partners on M&S’ sustainable farming initiatives, encouraging brand loyalty and driving footfall into stores. The retailer also wants to recognise, reward and inspire existing supply chain farmers and suppliers.

Farming for the Future has been developed by M&S in partnership with M&S producers and processors to help tackle the future challenges of reduced energy availability, rising costs and a growing population through a programme of innovative activity. It is about making real changes today to create a sustainable farming future for tomorrow. The activity kicks off today at the Balmoral Show, and will also feature at The Royal Highland Show, The Great Yorkshire Show and The Royal Welsh Show.

Once again, we are uniting with British Cycling and Sky for the fourth year of Sky Ride. The campaign has a new creative concept called, ‘Everyone’s Invited’, encouraging the public to join the celebration of cycling, with something for everyone. Sky Rides are a series of fun, traffic-free rides staged across the UK; either mass participation cycle rides or friendly local rides with trained guides. Sky’s partnership with British Cycling was recently extended until 2016 and supports all levels of cycling, across all disciplines, and aims to encourage more people to ride.

Already, almost 700,000 more people across the UK are riding regularly (at least once a month or 12 times per year) through the Sky Ride campaign. In 2011, we delivered 17 Sky Ride events across the UK and Ireland with a total participation figure of over 200,000. This year there will be 18 Sky Ride events taking place across the UK giving more people the chance to get out on their bikes.

Finally, it is now our third year delivering enhanced spectator engagements for The England and Wales Cricket Board, to encourage advocacy towards all forms of cricket and broaden the appeal of the game. A TwelfthMan roadshow will be present at all international fixtures and both domestic finals to bring the Official Fan Community of England Cricket to life on a matchday. The roadshow will offer cricket fans unrivalled access to England Cricket with behind-the-scenes exclusives and news from the England camp as well as money-can’t buy prizes and engaging experiences.

At Friends Life t20 matches, we will deliver spectator engagement through a toolkit provided to all county cricket clubs, as well as enhanced activation at the launch match, Quarter Finals and Finals Day. At NatWest International T20 matches we will provide in-ground activations that engage the crowds and get fans behind the England team. The activity launches on 17th May at the 1st Investec Test between England and West Indies at Lord’s Cricket Ground, finishing on the 15th September at the Clydesdale Bank 40 Final.

How Will The Olympics Impact Iced Coffee Brands?

RPM's Managing Director, Dom Robertson, was featured in this week's Grocer Magazine discussing how the Olympic Games might affect sales of iced coffee brands. Dom extends this conversation on RPM Insights, looking at what coffee brands should expect from The Games and how brands should use The Olympics as a positive springboard.

Demand for iced coffee, particularly portable pick-me-up drinks, is spreading fast. Consumers now want something more adult than an energy drink, whilst retaining the same level of convenience. Events like the Olympics are built around a fast and quick model of convenience as consumers require easy access to a range of refreshments on a much more regular basis. However they also remain open to new ideas and new products which will enhance their overall experience of the events they are engaging with. Iced coffee brands therefore need to make sure, that not only their product is up to scratch i.e. it is really coffee, but that it is positioned as a counterpart to the sporting activity they are watching and interacting with.

The Olympics heralds the start to the British summer season, so as well as the huge increase in footfall in London, iced-coffee brands have even more of a reason to step up their sampling activity, raise brand awareness and get products into the hands of the consumer. Brands will be competing fiercely to make sure their product achieves the highest profile amongst the visitors to the Olympic park. Sampling activity during the Olympics should be, and will be rife, offering brands a huge platform and potential to build association with customers. However, in order to stand out, iced-coffee brands should think about distribution in a creative, original way that sets them apart from the competition and engages the consumer beyond the live activity.

Brands should aim to bring their key messages to life through an experience that offers interaction and added value that is truly creative. Examples of this could be a touring coffee pop-up bar/lounge or a coffee road show that could host light-hearted tasting sessions. This would not only drive trial but create capacity for brand engagement.The biggest challenge many brands will face is recognition in a market full of brands trying to reach consumers, therefore brands need to develop a clear distinctive proposition, which focuses on coffee loving adults, whilst not alienating those who may be easily converted.

The live activity should always be incorporated into an integrated campaign, supported by social media platforms. This will procure the longevity and on-going dialogue with consumers that is so crucial for long-term brand engagement. The live activity should usually provide stimulating content to be broadcast via social media, increasing the reach and keeping the activity alive for longer. Community engagement is not a 9 to 5 job; brands need to recognise this and build a sustainable social strategy which enhances the brand experience for the consumer whilst at the same time establishing a sustainable level of brand recognition.

Whilst summer, sport and sunshine all are strong associations with the notion of drinking iced coffee, brands need to remember iced-coffee isn’t just popular over the summer. Therefore all brand communications need to not only appeal to consumers looking for a more sophisticated, refreshing drink during the Games but establish their product as all year round proposition. Sales figures show that iced-coffee is commonly purchased throughout the year and as a result, iced-coffee brands have plenty more to play on than just their associations to the summer sun.

The Olympics will attract an extremely varied demographic, and as such, iced-coffee brands can expect to market to a huge array of people. This is crucial for sampling campaigns that drive trial of the product, and the high footfall will create huge opportunities. Iced-coffee brands should look to play on the values and messages of the Olympics to create relevant and creative marketing campaigns, but should ensure these can be adapted and evolved once the games are over. Using the idea of heritage, for example, brands could host iced-coffee parties as a quirky alternative to the quintessential English tea party, or drum up their associations to mind stimulation, asking consumers to take part in sport related challenges.

How are brands using heritage?

RPM's Head of Design, Greg Bennett, muses over design in the run up to The Olympics, touching on how brands have used heritage in the past to their advantage and what to expect from 2012.

Using heritage to drive sales certainly isn’t a new concept for brands; nor is it a strategy employed solely to echo British involvement in major events like The Olympics, or national celebrations such as the Diamond Jubilee. As the economy slid towards recession, for example, a number of household brands started to play on British heritage cues to satisfy anxious consumers’ need for the comfort of well-known, trustworthy brands in the face of uncertainty.

There are many recent examples of ads using ‘Britishness’ as a central theme. Hovis’s campaigns over the last few years is one example, another being the Pimm’s Summer Party campaign, which celebrated British summertime at its best. M&S is also making the most of being British in its advertising strategy this year, celebrating 100 days of summer. The retailer also uses British icons such as Twiggy and Take That, and in the past celebrated its 125th birthday by running penny bazaars, as a nod to its humble origins as a market trader in Leeds.

Other brands such as BA, Mini, Walkers Crisps, Warburtons and Duchy Originals all play on their associations with Britain to drive sales, and evolve and craft their brand design depending on the nation’s events calendar. Take the Royal Wedding last year, when brands went into overdrive with heritage-based campaigns. BA equipped several of its airliners with special liveries, whilst Warburtons increased its product ranges to include burger buns and hot dog rolls ready for street party BBQs. They were among dozens of British brands that shaped their design around the occasion to drive sales.

As for this year, during The Olympics there is likely to be a shift from brands using heritage to cement trust and tap into the excitement and celebration of national pride that heritage can bring, as the nation gets behind its competitors.

Retaining Talent

Dom Robertson, RPM's Managing Director, believes that keeping employees engaged, passionate and motivated is the key to staff retention. His comments, recently featured in the FT, are below.

Research proves that employees who are kept motivated, engaged and feel appreciated, work harder and stay with organisations for longer. In the past, one of the most common forms of employee engagement has traditionally been monetary rewards, such as performance related bonuses, incentive trips and pay rises. The current economic climate has limited this dramatically, meaning that companies have had to find new, more cost effective, ways to ensure employees stay motivated, engaged and loyal.

RPM is very focused on staff retention, (we have remained in the top 100 of The Sunday Times Best 100 Small Companies to Work For, for the last six years) and we devote a lot of time to ensuring our staff remain passionate and engaged with their work. This is managed through quarterly reviews by the HR department and the enlistment of a devoted social team, ‘The Social Monkeys’, who seek out opportunities for team bonding outings or other social occasions. Our Production Manager, Rory Sloan, began at RPM as a graduate 15 years ago. Similarly our Head of Strategy and Creative, Rob Wilson, has remained at RPM for 12 years, beginning as an intern.

In order to retain staff, RPM co-ordinate several initiatives including an annual company away day that shares with staff the direction in which the business is heading, delivers new and improved ways of working, and reinstates the company mission and values, usually delivered by the CEO, Financial Director and myself. The day is not only based around an open and honest showcase of the business, but also rewards the hard work achieved to date. The day includes Q&As and engaging team exercises to keep staff up to date with current client projects, ensuring that staff remain inspired, passionate and interested in the business. Special extras on the day have included entertainment from The Cuban Brothers, engaging industry speakers, and the creation of an RPM ‘all office’ music video.

At RPM we believe experiences are everything, and offer up to £1000 toward any staff member who wants to pursue an experience that will contribute to their current role or aid personal development. Each month, a fund is available and may be granted to help them fulfil an ambition. Experiences so far have included a photography trip to Tanzania, a wine tasting tour to the Rioja wine region, a trek to basecamp at Mount Everest and a typography course.We also recently launched the RPM Training Academy which seeks to utilise our in-house talent to educate fellow staff members on a variety of topics and skills. We pride ourselves on the talent within the agency and try to share it with others as much as possible. The training academy offers anything from photography courses to polishing up presentation skills and how to manage a creative brief.

I also believe it is important to recognise and reward hard work. Each week, our PR Manager co-ordinates a weekly newsletter that is circulated throughout the agency that specifically credits good work and initiative from staff members. There is also the opportunity for team heads to thank their teams for positive contributions they have had to projects.