Complete Control would like to share with you ten fun activities if you are looking for that extra bit of help when planning/refreshing your ‘stay at home timetable’ with the kids.
We’ve put the list together based on a mixture of resources that we found imaginative, playful and fun and all hopefully helpful for you and your children. We will be regularly posting new Playground lists, so don’t forget to subscribe to get the latest updates.
We hope you and your kids enjoy the activities. If you need any help or new recommendations for children’s digital content, then do contact us at [email protected] or share your question on our Facebook page.
Stay safe!
Whilst many people are experienced in remote working (we’ve always had the option of doing so when needed) it’s now non-negotiable, and with an undefined end-date. Add to this the fact that many people will now have to juggle children and other family members in a confined space, whilst trying to concentrate during a particularly stressful period, it feels like we’ve been catapulted into a different era.
But so far, so good. With one week under our belts, we’re into week two of working from home. We thought we’d share what we’ve learnt so far.
At Armadillo, we’ve been fully cloud-based for a year now (for files, emails and calls) so when desks became dining tables there was no disruption. We’re also Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Experts, which means our client infrastructure is accessible and maintainable from anywhere. That’s really helped ensure a smooth transition.
Since working from home we’ve been kick-starting the day at 9am with an all-agency video call. It‘s less than 15 minutes, but it gives everyone the chance to say good morning, see each other’s friendly, smiling faces and share any key info.
We’re using video chat a lot, actually – whether it’s for an organised team meeting or a quick question that it’s easier to ask face to face. Some have also set up groups with their usual desk mates so they can keep the office camaraderie alive.
We’ve seen some great initiatives popping up as people find new ways of keeping in touch and add some essential social connection to their day.
For example, we’ve started a book club. Our first read is ‘The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology that Fuel Success and Performance at Work’ by Shawn Achor. We’ve created an open chat room where we can share thoughts as we go and have a date for a group video chat to discuss it.
We’ve also added a new feature to our weekly agency meeting; Agency Through the Keyhole! A willing participant snaps a few shots of their home and we go on a virtual tour via a shared presentation screen, taking guesses at ‘who lives in a house like this?’ in the chat column.
With high levels of uncertainty and change, wellbeing is critical. We’ve recognised that it’s important to look after yourself and include things in your routine and home setup that make you feel good.
One advantage for lots of people is that at home they get to see their pets. Taking a break with them can help you relax and calm your mind. We wish we could all borrow Becky’s gorgeous dog Roo, or cuddle up to Sophie’s adorable mini-lop rabbit Elio.
But really, it’s whatever works for you. Ella, our Creative Digital Designer says: “I kept myself sane by buying fresh daffodils, lighting some scented candles and doing some light weights from my chair.”
If you’ve got any other ideas we’d love to hear them.
Things are changing all the time at the moment: the physical environment we’re in, the type of support our clients need, the hours we do now we’re juggling work and family… We need to stay adaptable and flexible, and focus on what’s truly necessary, day by day.
Our Conceptual Copywriter Carolyn Carswell has created a stand-up desk using a chest of drawers in the quietest part of the house. Our Client Partner Jo Penn is walking on her home treadmill whilst taking conference calls to get some steps in and keep the energy flowing. Our Strategy Director Fiona Craig has made it clear that, now we’re working alongside our children, it’s fine to see their interested faces popping up on our screens. “Let’s make them part of it”, she urges.
Companies will adapt. National and local brewers, including BrewDog and Psychopomp, are switching to producing hand sanitiser, either giving it away to vulnerable people and charities, or requesting donations to support relevant charities. Restaurants and food producers are switching to delivery, where safe and practical.
The key is to keep processes going but appreciate that things are in flux. To be open-minded. And to pivot. One thing’s for sure; we’ll learn a lot – and probably keep hold of a lot of our learnings – when this period of isolation comes to an end.
Get outside if you can. Make time for your daily dose of exercise and don’t compromise. A family walk, solo run or cycle (whilst maintaining distance from others, of course) can make a world of difference. Our Client Services Director, Steve Jefferys, gained some brownie points and cleared his head by mowing the lawn on his lunch break. Take your laptop into the garden. Sit by an open window and see the world beyond your four walls. And remember, this is temporary.
Some advice from our Non-Executive Director, Ann Hiatt, was to pick two or three key things to focus on each day. Giving them proper attention is likely to be much more useful and productive than doing a little bit of everything and not being able to give any of it the head space it needs.
No one knows how long this situation will last, and our main focus is everyone’s health and safety. So we’ll keep sharing our hints and tips to help people navigate this remarkable new set-up.
What we do know is that, when the time comes to socialise in person again, not only will we enjoy meeting up with the whole team and celebrating, the agency way of life and ways of working will undoubtedly change. We believe it will be for the better.
Need a quick round-up of the recent Advertising Association (AA) trust paper? Here are our top five insights from the report, as well as our take on what they mean for the world of written communications.
1. Advertising is the least trusted industry
Trust in advertising has been falling since the 1990s, when around 50% of the public felt favourably towards the industry. Now, just 25% of people view advertising in a favourable light. Advertising has slipped into last place when it comes to the industries we trust, behind even energy and banking.
As you might have seen in our recent blog about The Edelman Trust Barometer, trust is something we value more than ever.
The AA asserts that, if banking and energy have found ways to foster public trust, advertising needs to do the same. And it’s not too late to do so either, as research found that the industry is still seen as a ‘good thing with downsides’, and a cause for annoyance rather than genuine concern.
2. 97% of people think ‘advertising’ also covers other types of marketing and promotion
While the AA’s report primarily offers guidance to the advertising industry, it points out the vast majority of consumers group other kinds of marketing and promotion into the same bucket. This could mean that other forms of promotion, like content marketing, might be viewed with as much suspicion and irritation as billboards and online ads. So, it’s important for anyone using written or visual mediums for sales to consider transparency and integrity as key factors in maintaining the impact of your communications.
3. ‘Bombardment’ is the public’s biggest concern about advertising
Unsurprisingly, the number one thing irking the public about ads is how repetitive and obtrusive they can be. Many of us also worry about how invasive advertising sometimes feels, particularly ads that follow us around the internet even after we’ve bought the product.
Though this raises questions about how tech companies use our data to target us, these findings could encourage brands to step away from intensive advertising campaigns. The AA suggests that reducing the frequency of adverts is also likely to benefit companies financially. It could free up budgets for other marketing strategies that feel more genuine and build better relationships with new and existing customers.
4. Favourability and trust in advertising are driven by how responsible the industry is
Independent think tank Credos found that the advertising industry needs to be more responsible if it wants to build people’s trust. Credos’ findings echo those in The Edelman Trust Barometer, which revealed that ethics are three times more important in establishing stakeholder trust than an industry’s perceived competence.
And, while the ASA makes sure that all advertising meets its standards, the AA suggests that companies need to self-regulate too. Producing content that is straightforward, honest and clear needs to be a priority if the ad world wants to turn its reputation around.
5. Showing how advertising can affect social change is a major priority
Following the ASA’s 2017 ‘gender stereotype’ ban, the AA wants the ad industry to become more aware of the cultural impact great ads can have. It has formed the UK’s Chapter of the Unstereotype Alliance, which encourages companies to get rid of lazy and harmful gender-based stereotypes. The alliance also works to promote socio-economic, race, age and ability diversity across the ad world.
Unilever found that when it tested progressive ads through Kantar Millward Brown, the ads created 25% more branded impact and were viewed as 21% more credible than previous campaigns. So, it’s clear that there’s an appetite for socially responsible and progressive ads, rather than those relying on the same old tired tropes.
Building trust is key
Our take on this report is that consumers feel jaded by aggressive advertising and it’s damaging the overall reputation of marketing. As the ASA implements tighter controls to make sure adverts are accurate and transparent, companies might be looking for different strategies to promote their brand.
Carefully curated content and a well-implemented content strategy can complement advertising, drawing people to your brand, products and services without an overtly sales-y feel. By offering your audience genuine and thoughtful content you can earn their attention, loyalty and trust.
Looking to make your content more trustworthy? Get in touch and see how we can help you.
Following a pitch win back in March 2019, PDSA approached us with a big project. They wanted us to help plan their fundraising strategy and produce supporting collateral and events to attract a younger, more digitally active audience.
As the UK’s leading veterinary charity, PSDA wanted their fundraising guide and supporting material to be informative and motivational, but visually appealing in a way that would capture the attention of a new generation of supporters.
OPTIMISE
We approached them with two design proposals for the fundraising guide. The first was more in line with their current fundraising material and represented the ‘traditional’ PDSA branding. The second was a complete revamp and drastic departure from what they currently had in place. To our delight, PDSA went with the second.
ELEVATE
The fundraising guide was stripped to a single colour – the bold PDSA pink – and coupled with a new font, fun graphic elements, quirky animal illustrations and a catchy title (#FundraiseLikeABeast). In line with the target audience, this was initially created as a digital download – accessible on mobile devices – followed by a print version.
This new style was then developed across supporting material, including:
TRANSFORM
To further transform and diversify their fundraising product range, we were asked to create a new virtual event that would encourage supporters to engage with the charity.
After researching competitor activity and thinking about the motivations of our target audience, we decided to tap into the ‘challenge’ element of virtual events. This led to the creation of Dog’s Dinner Challenge; an event that plays on the fun of hosting a meal for friends or family, with a ‘side dish’ of fundraising for pets in need.
Join our bright and airy Co-working Studio! We currently have one 24/7 dedicated desk available on the ground floor for £190pm incl VAT, plus another dedicated desk on our mezzanine available 24hrs Mon-Fridays for £150pm incl VAT! Please get in touch to arrange a viewing. 1 month Minimum contract.
Housed within the renowned Spike Island, our unique studio is situated close to the waterfront, just 15 minutes walk from the city centre, perfect for those lunchtime strolls and post-work socials.
From the huge windows offering plenty of light, super-high ceilings and up-cycled materials used in it’s construction – we’ve really enjoyed creating this studio and put a lot of thought into making it a comfortable and friendly environment for those using it. We have a lovely mix of individuals operating from here, ranging from illustration and graphics, web design, software development, video editing, architecture, wig making and events production. We look forward to hearing from you!
A practical workshop for nonprofits on how to improve your Google Ad Grants performance.
The benefits of this workshop reach far beyond Google Ads, your website will be more visible in organic searches, the number of conversions occurring on your site will increase and you’ll leave ready to re-think your charity’s digital strategy and not just because you’ve had a beer or glass of wine to assist your learning.
The key to Google Ad Grants success is not alcohol but this simple formula:
keyword choice + ad relevance + landing page experience
Together we’ll look at this in more depth and examine examples of charities doing this really well.
If you manage your Google Ad Grant right, your nonprofit will start to attract more supporters.
We’ll cover:
As this workshop is above a pub it includes a free drink in the break, wehaay!
To book, visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/96418330823/
About the teacher
Jason Williams was the first Google Ad Grants certified professional in Europe. He has been working with charities for more than 10 years and has been managing Google Ad Grants for over 3 years.
Testimonies
“As for the training, we were all really impressed with the content and the way the training was carried out, There is always a concern about information overload but they way it was structured allowed us to consume and we left the training with a great sense of direction, both in terms of Google Ad Grants and also our website.” – Dan @ Restless Beings
“I would highly recommend Jason’s services to anyone who is struggling with the complexities of AdGrants.” – Sophie @ China Dialogue Trust
“Excellent, super-knowledgable, patient, to-the-point, excellent value.” – Francesca @ Institute for Human Rights and Business
“Really helpful, the most I’ve ever learnt from a workshop! ” – Hannah @Penny Brohn UK
So, you want to know about SEO?
If you get difficult questions about SEO and you know you could do more for your clients but don’t know where to start (or who to trust), this workshop will be perfect for you. Alternatively, if you’re responsible for website SEO and are looking for ways to improve your website then this session is for you.
Jon Payne, Technical Director of Bristol agency – Noisy Little Monkey – will be sharing expert advice, strategies and actionable tips in this Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) workshop, where you’ll discover how to get the best chance of ranking highly in Google and Bing for your own or your clients’ website.
Jon will provide you with theory and show examples so that you can go and get started straight away!
Account planners, strategists, small business owners, or anyone responsible for website performance who is looking for a crash course in beginner’s SEO.
This workshop takes place at 3-5pm on Thursday 13th February at Origin Workspace, Berkeley Square, Bristol.
Tickets are £20 (+VAT) for Bristol Media members and Origin Workspace members, £30 (+VAT) otherwise.
Jon is technical director of Noisy Little Monkey, the digital marketing agency focused on HubSpot. For more than 10 years, Noisy Little Monkey has enabled businesses to generate more leads, drive sustainable growth and unleash anarchic creativity.
The Noisy Little Monkey team work hard to improve the bottom line of their clients through services like: Inbound Marketing, SEO and Social Media Marketing. Jon is a wizard with all things relating to technical SEO and has spoken at events including SMX London and SEMrush webinars. His talks will leave you feeling refreshed, motivated and you’ll (hopefully!) leave with a smile on your face.
Communication is a core part of any brand strategy, and of course that includes the cyber tech world. But when was the last time you made cyber tech communication investment a priority? Every business owner knows that investing in your business is absolutely critical. Without investing, whether financially or with time, you cannot expect to grow and find new success.
In most industries there is a priority order for investment, and in the world of cyber tech, the technology itself always comes first. This makes sense: without the technology, there would be no business and therefore nothing to pay the bills.
Cyber tech firms then typically look to invest in people and premises. Again, this makes sense. You need people who can craft, package, and sell the technology, and they’ve got to sit somewhere.
But this can lead to under-investment in one particular area: cyber tech communication. Marketing and branding are simply not given any time or financial focus. Sometimes this is because communication is not seen as important, sometimes because it’s hard to measure and assign an ROI.
The bottom line is, cyber tech communication is not considered a business critical element.
But we disagree.
Through our extension work with cyber tech companies, we know the impact that successful and quality communication can make. Whether it’s driving web traffic and positive press, or landing clients through clever content, making sure cyber tech communication is at the front of your agenda will make big changes for your business.
Why?
1. Your competitors will fall behind.
If your competitors are ignoring the need for cyber tech communication and you start to communicate well and regularly, you will stand out and your competitors will fall behind. There’s nothing more satisfying than winning contracts that you would have lost to a competitor, but the customer had heard of you.
2. Your customers need to be educated.
In the cyber tech world, your solutions are groundbreaking. That is great for your product team, but not so great for your sales team. While the product team can pat themselves on the back for the incredible work they have done, your sales team now need to communicate clearly exactly what benefits you can bring to your potential customers, educating them on your technology and the impact you bring.
3. Branding is valued, financially.
When an investor or potential buyers of your business looks at you, they aren’t just seeing the accounts, staff headcount, turnover, and assets. They are also looking at your brand value. That is a varied combination of your brand awareness, the respect and reputation your brand has, and how well you have been communicating it.
For all cyber tech communication needs to be a priority. Like any investment, you won’t see overnight changes in your bottom line, but you will improve your purchasing cycle, your customers interactions, and your business value.
Is it time to start taking your communications seriously? Talk to us now!
If you’re thinking of joining, or simply need a reminder on how to make the most of your membership, we’ve created this guide to highlight the benefits of joining our community of creative sector individuals and businesses in Bristol and the South West. So, read on for 9 reasons to join, or stay put…
Won a top award? Published a brilliant thought leadership piece about creativity or innovation? Launched a new showreel and want to get the news out there? We want to hear about it! Members can self-publish content on the Newsfeed as much and as often as they like, and if it’s really good, we might even share it with our 31.8k twitter followers, or publish it in our newsletter.
Our jobs board is the go-to platform for creative industry jobs in the region. Last year, over 750 creative sector jobs were advertised by our members, who can take advantage of unlimited advertising for absolutely no cost. If you need proof that it works, our member JonesMillbank recruited ALL of their team through adverts on the Jobs board!
You may have been to a Vision keynote event before where we invite a world-class speaker to Bristol to share knowledge and insight around current hot topics. Members receive preferential rates, saving anywhere between 30-60% of a non-member ticket. Plus, we’ve recently introduced an offer where freelancers can take advantage of Vision keynote tickets for £10. We provide a networking lunch before each talk, so it’s a great opportunity to get to know fellow creative industry professionals or catch up with old contacts over a buffet lunch. Visit the Events page for more.
Are you looking to promote your business? Partner with a local agency? Want to bag your next freelance gig? Our online member directory allows you to create an individual member profile with contact details and the ability to showcase your latest work. Make sure you keep your profile updated as we regularly point businesses to the directory who are looking for agencies and freelance resource.
If you’re hosting a local event, head over to the Events page, submit the form and we’ll publish your event in the calendar. Just make sure it’s relative to a creative sector audience and is within the South West and you’re good to go.
We work with local businesses to ensure members get the best deals possible for everything from free legal advice to restaurant discounts, coffee subscriptions to team away-days. Our mobile membership cards allow you to claim these exclusive deals and discounts, plus they are available for your whole team! Lunch at The Florist then? Check out the full list of member perks.
We’re firm believers in training and professional development. How else will you develop the skills of your team or attract and retain top talent? We bring the knowledge to our members through a series of intimate workshops and skills sessions, so you can benefit from high-quality training at a competitive price. Check out the latest workshops here.
If you remember the Bristol Media barometer – a valuable tool providing insight into the local creative sector – then good news. We’re teaming up with a partner to create a bespoke report to benchmark business performance, and explore the trends, insights, opportunities and threats facing creative agencies in Bristol & Bath. More info coming soon, so watch this space!
Last, but certainly not least. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do at Bristol Media. We believe that Bristol is one of the most creative and innovative cities out there and it’s achieved this status by organisations and individuals working together. We champion our members in the creative sector and encourage collaborations as much as possible, so keep us posted on your blossoming partnerships.
Collectively, we’re greater than the sum of our parts
Our mission is to put our region on the map as a world-leading centre of creativity and innovation, so that we inspire talented people to work here, attract customers and drive growth. Being localised to Bristol means we can be the eyes and ears on the ground, but we can’t do it without our members. So, if you’ve yet to become part of our community and would like to take advantage of the above, and more, join Bristol Creative Industries today.
With homelessness at crisis levels in the UK, Hurricane is proud to have partnered with Shelter on a successful Christmas fund-raising campaign.
The leading Bristol-based video agency was called on to develop a video campaign to support Shelter’s static digital marketing push. As part of the bespoke video strategy, both branded content and video ads were combined to encourage action. The stories of the films drew on compelling, personal narratives with an emotive story arc.
Back to a Good Place
‘Back to a Good Place’, keys into evocative, childhood memories of Christmas past. The content shares moving stories that demonstrate how Shelter helps people to get ‘the only thing they want this Christmas – a home’. The films were seeded via YouTube pre-rolls, programmatic ads, and paid social to drive direct donations to Shelter.
Watch Rhys’ story below:
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The campaign proved to be highly effective for Shelter; the video ad featuring Rhys has generated 1,452 donations and counting.
Brand content
As part of its broader video strategy, Hurricane also developed branded content. With a story that focuses on Shelter client, Missie Biellie Dee, who joins a choir to record a charity Christmas single for Shelter. Again, the film takes viewers on an emotional journey where the equilibrium is disrupted only to be resolved at the end by the charity.
Watch the film here:
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You can read more about this campaign on Hurricane’s blog.
This work for Shelter is one of Hurricane’s many video marketing campaigns for not-for-profits and UN organisations, including UN Women, IUCN, Earthwatch and UNEP. Explore the agency’s portfolio here.
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