Bristol-based marketing agency, Seeker Digital, has been ranked 25 in the Deloitte’s UK Technology Fast 50 2020 and makes the top two for the South West region.
The Deloitte Fast 50 winners are recognised as being the fastest-growing technology companies in the UK. The Bristol-based agency has grown by an exceptional 1683% since it was founded four years ago and is the only agency to make the Fast 50 list this year.
Duncan Down, lead partner for the Deloitte UK Technology Fast 50 programme, said: “The Deloitte UK Technology Fast 50 is internationally revered as one of the most important business awards in the industry.”
“Achieving sustained revenue growth of 1683% over four years is a tremendous accomplishment. And to be second in the South West after just four years of trading makes this accolade even more exceptional.” Duncan adds.
Seeker Digital’s growth comes at a time of unprecedented turmoil, shaped by economic and political uncertainty, not to mention the challenges of a pandemic. Despite this, Seeker Digital has continued to grow as an agency thanks to its innovative use of machine learning.
Gareth Simpson, managing director of Seeker Digital says: “As with many other agencies during this current climate, we’ve seen our fair share of challenges. But our investments in tech have aided our success and survival.”
Simpson continues: “We implemented machine learning in many facets of the business to speed up our work and make it more meaningful from day one. And this is all thanks to government research and development schemes that are available to startups across the nation. The result? An operating system that’s efficient, scalable and futureproof for our business and our clients.”
Seeker Digital is keen to share its skills with the wider industry. In October 2020, the team spoke at the virtual search conference BrightonSEO, sharing their knowledge and insights with an audience of over 10,000.
Oakwood Agency has won a Platinum Marcom Award for best integrated marketing campaign 2020, for its ‘Challenge Accepted’ brand work for Weatherford International. A nine month project, working with the internal comms team in Houston, Texas used a typographic-led approach to reposition Weatherford as a tier-one solutions provider. The objective was to create a new overarching identity for the entire corporation, in a challenging time for the energy sector, that would unify the internal organisation and enhance their customer-facing profile.
Neil Sims, CEO commented ‘It is welcome news for everyone at Oakwood to see a creative process and bold statement of intent make a real impact and impression on the internal client team, global audience and the judges’.
Let’s be honest, in the old world (read: 2019) we all loved a day out judging awards. The chance to swan into some lovely building, hobnob with the great and good of our industry, pick up a tasty lunch, grab a new professional head shot and take a goodie bag home. Oh, and there was the business of judging of course.
Tomorrow, I’ll be judging the DMAs from the comfort of my own home. My husband may bring me a coffee, lunch will probably be tonight’s left overs, and the only goodie bag will be the kids sports kit that they’ll dump in the hall at 4pm exactly.
So take away the trappings of a fun day out, and what do you have left? The entries, pure and simple. The strategy, the creative and the results. The hard facts of the case. And since I’m judging Best Customer Retention and Loyalty Scheme, every entry will have its work cut out this year.
When those entries were submitted, many brands were haemorrhaging customers at a rate of knots (cinema, travel). Others were scooping up customers like there was no tomorrow (video streaming, home fitness). So how do we judge how good brands were at keeping customers?
For me, this is where hard customer data comes in. As I recall, when I judged this category last year, I was surprised and disappointed how many entries were still using brand affinity or other such soft metrics to measure retention. There were very few who were able (or chose) to show the volume of customers over time. This surely is the ultimate measure of an effective retention scheme – keeping your customers. I’m happy to accept context-appropriate entries (we lost X but regained Y), or entries where value and volume are balanced (we gained Y but at value Z), but I just want to see the hard facts of the matter. Prove how well you kept hold of your customers. Not what they thought of you, how you stole them from competitors, how likely they said they were to return.
This year has given us all ample opportunity for some clear strategic and creative work, so if you can prove to me (using clear thinking and hard numbers) that you’ve kept hold of your customers or won them back, despite external conditions, you’ll get my vote.
This article was written by Fiona Craig, Strategy Director at Armadillo. For more thoughts from Armadillo, visit our blog.
Paradigm shifts, the ‘next big thing’, world-changing, disruptive, next-generation, XYZ 2.0… superlatives are at home when it comes to digital technology. So, it’s not surprising that most people roll their eyes at the introduction of the next tech game-changer.
With the gift of hindsight, we can see which emerging technologies were worth the hype over the last few decades – but they’re few and far between. The home PC, and in turn the laptop, the internet, and the smartphone: for the general consumer, these are the few revolutionary technologies that have truly impacted the way we live, work, shop and socialise, paving the way for smaller evolutionary trends which dictate our behaviour.
But is it really possible to make predictions on the next big shift in tech?
Well, hold your eye-rolling for now. Because it’s likely already staring most of us in the face.
Virtual reality (VR) has the Ronseal factor: it’s a self-contained digital ‘reality’ which you can digitally interact with.
VR has been around since the late 70’s. The most commonly cited first incidence of its use is from NASA, when their artist-in-residence David Em created the first virtually navigable digital world. But today you’re more likely to find it used for a video game or perhaps a training simulation.
Augmented Reality (AR) is slightly different. Instead of being self-contained, AR superimposes virtual elements onto the real world: it augments our physical reality.
You’ll most often find AR used on smartphones and tablets, making use of the device’s camera. Those social media filters which give you dog ears or a drastic makeover? They’re a form of augmented reality. And ‘Pokémon Go’ uses AR too.
AR isn’t new, but it is being used in increasingly novel ways – and no, we don’t mean the new filters which make you look like an attractively chiselled supermodel.
AR has potential because while VR removes you from the real world, AR supplements your experience with reality – and can actually increase your engagement with the real world.
Imagine, for example, your VR headset didn’t block off your view of the real world. Instead, it’s a set of glasses, much like a normal set of eyeglasses, but provided a digital overlay of useful information. As a construction worker, you could look at a site and immediately be presented with spatial calculations which could help you cut materials to size without needing a measuring tape. As a surgeon, you’d be able to see your patients’ vitals in front of you, without even turning your head. As a consumer, you’d be presented with information about the materials which make up the clothing you’re about to buy.
All these are real examples – albeit mostly in their infancy. But they have incredible potential to become true game-changers with the right thinking, creativity and application.
Through a combination of enhanced engagement and the presentation of useful information, AR’s possibilities are limitless.
We could go on about the complexities, challenges and intricacies of AR, but instead we’ll keep it snappy, as you’re busy holding down the fort in the real world.
Instead, let’s do a quick summary of AR today:
· AR won’t replace computers
While AR may displace some computers, there’s merit keeping most of them. For example, while some companies have experimented with the addition of an AR dashboard in (mostly luxury) cars, this is unlikely to become the reality for the general public – who needs another distraction while trying to navigate rush-hour traffic? A satnav is plenty enough.
· AR is platform agnostic
AR isn’t owned by Apple, Android or Microsoft: its technology can be used in combination with any of the Big Three (and any other brand, for that matter) as long as the device itself is compatible.
• AR is still in its discovery phase
While we’re already using AR on smartphones, this is unlikely to be its final form – the screens simply aren’t big enough for us to appreciate its full potential. There’s so much scope for AR to play with all our senses: haptic feedback (pressure sensing) could be used for us to more accurately ‘interact’ with virtual elements; eye-tracking could ensure whatever information we need in our peripheral remains in constant view; geo-location and movement tracking can even further blur the lines between the physical and digital. In all likelihood, the vehicle for delivering AR experiences will depend on its context and use case – and that’s really exciting.
• AR could see new tech behemoths emerge
The companies who use AR to its full advantage could well usurp many of the larger, well-established players who ignore it. This may seem overzealous, but in 2000, who could have guessed where Microsoft, IBM, or even Facebook would be today?
If technology’s history has taught us anything, it’s that when a new piece of revolutionary technology comes along, it’s true magic is revealed when it collides with culture. It’s the crucial intersection between technology and the arts which offers the most potential.
Right now, the first wave of AR applications sit in two camps: utilitarian or ‘just for fun’. What we’re seeing today is not dissimilar to the very beginnings of an App Store.
The next wave will come when vehicles for delivering AR experiences gain traction, such as the AR glasses we mentioned above (Snapchat, in fact, launched ‘Spectacles’ as far back as 2016). Not only will we see utilitarian use cases strengthen, we’ll also see AR branch out into new markets.
From seeing how much fuel your car has left just by looking at it, or receiving real-time walking directions without ever having to look down at your screen; from your phone notifications appearing in your periphery, to shopping for new clothes seamlessly without ever having to try them on, thanks to a new AR mirror that superimposes new styles onto your live reflection.
These new applications will go beyond making life more convenient: they’ll start to build the standards behind the tech, and ignite discussions about how our technologies ‘talk’ to each other.
As for the third wave… That comes down to data.
Now is the perfect time for brands to get ahead of the game when it comes to using AR in ways that will truly inspire and engage their audiences.
There are limitless opportunities. Why not contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your goals with our team.
Softech firm Amdaris have won the Great British Entrepreneur Award just 6-months after securing a £6m investment from BGF.
The Bristol company has offices in the UK, Dubai, Moldova and Romania, providing software development teams in high profile industries from Oil and Gas to finance and logistics.
In 2017 the board appointed AgencyUK to help develop a brand and marketing strategy fit for global expansion. Scale has been rapid, with new offices in Dubai and Romania in 2019.
AgencyUK have continued to support Amdaris with their external advertising, internal communications and PR strategy. This award win follows a string of new customer appointments.
The short film was made for Viniv Wine during lockdown & released in April. It was written & created by Bristol freelancer, Gavin Knight. The film is made entirely from existing footage, either shot by Viniv themselves or sourced from rare films about Bordeaux. It is voiced by Hugh Bonneville, who recorded the script in his ‘garden shed’ studio at home!
Viniv have developed as a new luxury concept in wine, where customers are allowed to blend their own barrel of wine (240 bottles!) under the guidance of the experts at Chateau Lynch-Bages. They decided to create a promotional film to extend their reach, particularly in the American & UK markets.
Evcom is one of the largest and most prestigious film festivals in Europe for brand films & usually takes place at the BFI in November. The full shortlist can be seen here:
Loom Digital has won the Business Services category at the 2020 Bristol Life Awards.
Competing against ten other Bristol-based businesses, Loom impressed the judges enough to take the trophy. The judges were looking for “demonstrations of the efficiency and effectiveness, repeat business and recommendations, growth and/or positive results in the past year” along with demonstrations about “what makes our service a cut above the rest.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020’s Bristol Life Awards ceremony was hosted online, so the winners were announced via a virtual award ceremony on Thursday the 17th September.
Loom’s entry focused on their 2019 rebrand, their 30% YOY revenue growth and their excellent client retention over the last 12 months.
The judges said, “It’s milestone 10th anniversary brought with it a creative rebrand, and Loom was born. What followed was a 30% revenue growth and remarkable client retention. Going from strength to strength.”
Nikki Ellison, Director and Founder of Loom Digital, said, “I am so thrilled that we’ve won the Business Services category at this year’s Bristol Life Awards! 2020 has certainly presented new challenges for everyone, and last night’s Bristol Life Awards helped celebrate the great work going on in this incredible city. We’re very lucky to be a part of this very supportive business community.”
Top team news today and bringing it home for Bristol … AMBITIOUS has been awarded Best PR Agency of the Year at The Drum Recommends Awards for the third year running.
Having previously picked up Best PR Agency for under 40 staff, 2020 sees Team AMBITIOUS pick up the award across small, medium and large agency categories.
Organised by The Drum, a global media platform and the biggest marketing website in Europe, the awards are one of a kind in the industry. There are no entries to submit, work to design or papers to write. Winning can only be achieved through the high regard of clients, supported with their ratings and feedback.
The Drum Recommends database contains over 64,000 ratings left by brands, businesses and organisations. Client feedback covers rating for services, such as PR strategy, content planning, media relations and social media, along with ratings for performance levels – from effectiveness to value for money.
Lis Anderson, Director, AMBITIOUS: “We’re so proud of the team and really appreciate the feedback that our clients have given us. Client service is a big part of our agency life, it’s central to everything we do and everyone works hard to deliver that. We’ll be doing some virtual celebrating and look forward to a big team knees up when we’re back in the office.”
AMBITIOUS works across B2B and corporate clients covering healthcare, trades, education, professional services, tech and property sectors. Being based in Bristol and benefitting from a strong network, the PR agency also works with a number of clients across retail and hospitality supporting their market entry into the South West region.
Connect with us on social media – LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter or drop us a line at hello@ambitiouspr.co.uk
Loom Digital is extremely proud to announce that they’ve been shortlisted for a prestigious Drum Search Award.
Now in their 3rd successful year, the Drum Search Awards recognise and celebrate excellence and innovation in the search marketing sphere, with entrants spanning a wide range of sectors from travel and tourism to healthcare and pharma. Appearing alongside a number of talented UK agencies and teams is a huge privilege.
Loom’s nomination is for the “Best integrated SEO and PPC campaign”, and celebrates the work they’ve done on launching their client, Permagard, into the competitive green roof sector.
The aim of the project was to create a strong organic presence for green roof search terms, alongside generating online sales through biddable media activity, as well as phone and email leads that the Permagard team could convert offline.
To achieve these aims, Loom planned an integrated SEO and biddable media strategy in January 2019 ready to be launched in April to capitalise on the peak in green roofing search terms. Green roof content was strategically created, optimised and integrated into the Permagard site, alongside paid campaigns using Google Search and Shopping, and Facebook Ads.
The integration of organic and paid search and social activity was a huge success, allowing Permagard to break into the green roofing search space and achieve formidable results.
Ignition, a Bristol-based exhibitions, events and experiences company, has been awarded The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development in the new 2020 list, announced today. The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise is an awards programme for British businesses and other organisations who excel at international trade, innovation or sustainable development and represents the highest official UK awards for British businesses. Ignition, founded by Claire Menzies in 2007, is a sustainable practice pioneer, thanks to its founder’s commitment to doing business in a thoughtful, green and responsible way since inception – carving a unique path within an industry once known for excessive, waste-creating ‘build and burn’ attitudes.
‘When it comes to sustainability, we’ve been doing it longer than our clients have been asking us to’ Ignition CEO Sam Rowe commented, ‘meaning we’re very much ahead of the curve and can help our clients to move their own businesses forward sustainably too. This award, which recognises our long-term dedication to ‘people, planet and profit’, is both a huge honour for us and a great reflection of many years of hard work and dedication to sustainable targets by our team and board’.
Ignition is part of creative business group Istoria Group Ltd and was established to provide design and project management services to the global exhibitions, events and experiences industries. The company – which also has a US-based office in Indianapolis – works across many sectors, from pharmaceutical, healthcare and beauty to aerospace, construction, engineering and manufacturing, as well as technology, education and FMCG businesses. Clients range from blue-chip multinationals to local South West start-ups and include Thales, Elvie, Invictus Games, Roche, Amazon, Eli Lilly and Company, The British Society of Rheumatology, Galderma, Pilatus Aircraft, Google, Mayborn Group, LafargeHolcim, Vital Baby, Expleo and University of Gloucestershire.
Ignition is one of four Bristol businesses honoured in the new award list – and one of only two in the Sustainable Development category – with 23 award-winners in total throughout the South West. Notably, sustainability is not Ignition’s core business, but is instead an integrated part of its practice, process and ethics. The company has been continually profitable since it started, with a 65% growth in sales since 2014. Ignition holds a number of globally-recognised ISO standards, most notably as one of the first companies in the world to be certified with the ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management standard – and the first within the exhibitions industry. Ignition is also certified with ISO 14001 – Environmental Management and ISO 9001 – Quality Management.
Ignition’s founding principle is to put people and planet before profit. Part of this mission includes decreasing carbon emissions by 10% year on year. From 2018 to 2019, in a major achievement, the company’s emissions were reduced by 25% – well above target levels. But this is only part of the company’s suite of initiatives in sustainability:
‘As a company working internationally, this award will bring us great prestige and open new doors’ Sam Rowe concluded. ‘Of course, it arrives with us at a testing period for our whole industry because of Coronavirus, but, given that we started the company just before the 2008 financial crisis, we learnt to be resilient early on! Taking a long-term view has always been part of our formula and will continue to be the case’.
MM&M AWARDS 2019
WINNER – Best Places to Work, Small Agency
EN ELITE AWARDS 2019
Winner, Best Employer
WORLD EXHIBITION STAND AWARDS 2019
Gold Winner, Best Stand at a Healthcare Event
BRISTOL LIFE AWARDS 2019
Winner, Creative Category
EN ELITE AWARDS 2018
Winner, Best Eco Supplier
EN ELITE AWARDS 2018
Winner, Best Employer
GREAT PLACE TO WORK AWARDS 2018
Winner, UK’s Best Workplaces
For further information on Ignition or to request an interview with Sam Rowe, please contact Caroline Collett of Caroline Collett PR Ltd on T: + 44 (0)1297 444179 M: + 44 (0)7801 270598 E: [email protected]
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