Earth tells the story of our planet’s four and a half billion-year history with stunning photoreal computer generated effects.
Presented by naturalist, Chris Packham, who calls it a “biography of our planet”, the series is showing on Monday nights in the UK on BBC Two throughout August and available for streaming on iPlayer.
Moonraker VFX contributed to around 30% of the final footage—97 minutes, a feature film’s worth—and represents one of the studio’s largest ever television projects.
Since being first engaged by the BBC Studios’ Science Unit, nearly two years ago, over 30 VFX artists have produced more than 13,600 individual graphic elements and 360 shots of photoreal CGI.
Scientific accuracy was always the highest priority for Earth and so Moonraker worked very closely with over 200 scientists and researchers who were employed to provide guidance on everything from palaeontology and geology to climate.
“This project was challenging. How could we convincingly place the audience on a version of earth, from earlier in its history, that may feel very familiar but look completely different from how it does now? The visual evolution of these landscapes took a lot of hard work and consideration to make sure we got every detail right,” says Simon Clarke, Co-founder and Creative Director at Moonraker VFX.
“We contributed to some really demanding shots, like time-lapse scenes of geological events spanning many millions of years, which required huge attention to detail and asset creation.
“There were also a few firsts. We visualised ancient flora or fauna that has never been imagined in 3D before, paying particular attention to textural details and placing them in their natural habitats. The scientists were astounded with what we came up with.
“It’s been a phenomenal project and fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the talent and creativity at Moonraker VFX, but it was certainly a team effort and we’re very grateful to the BBC’s production team as well as the scientific advisers who made Earth possible.”
Rob Liddell, Executive Producer, BBC Studios, said: “With Earth we wanted to push the boundaries of what was possible with VFX sequences featuring some of the planet’s most dramatic moments. The ambition was high and Moonraker has been a brilliant partner in helping us realise it. The team brought amazing flare and attention to detail to every shot, resulting in some breathtaking moments of visual drama.”
In today’s rapidly changing world, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are not just buzzwords; they’re powerful pillars that drive success, enhance problem-solving and fuel innovation within organizations. Recognising the significance of DEI, creative technology agency Aer Studios enlisted the help of HeyFlow to build a stronger and more inclusive workplace that would support their existing workforce better and prepare them for a wider range of experiences as the team grows.
Central to Aer’s new strategy was the desire to foster comfortable conversations around reproductive health and its significant impact on the workplace. And the best way to do that was to create a more informed and open dialogue to pave the way for greater understanding and empathy among employees.
Enlisting the help of Hey Flow they designed a two-step approach. Firstly, a comprehensive companywide survey to gauge the current level of understanding and comfort levels related to reproductive health in the workplace, assess management’s knowledge of existing policies and identify areas for further education.
Based on the insights gained from the survey, HeyFlow then hosted a half-day workshop for the entire team at Aer Studios that focused on key points to bridge the knowledge gap, foster open conversations, and drive positive change.
The impact of the workshop was evident, with 93% of participants left feeling comfortable discussing all reproductive health topics covered during the session. More impressively, 36.2% of participants felt significantly more comfortable discussing these topics than before the workshop.
The workshop also generated seven employee-raised initiatives to create a more inclusive and supportive workplace culture that could be presented to management for consideration as their DEI strategy was being further developed.
“We knew that as part of our ongoing DEI charter, there needed to be a particular focus on gender equality. But if we were going to play a role in tackling the gender imbalance and systemic issues we face in the tech industries, we were going to need some help. Working with the brilliant team at HeyFlow has created a more open dialogue among the team and inspired new policies to better support women at all stages in their reproductive journeys. If you are looking for impactful and meaningful ways to further your DEI efforts, I would highly recommend HeyFlow”
Tom Harber, Managing Director, Aer Studios
Reproductive health doesn’t stop while you’re at work. And by their partnership with HeyFlow, Aer Studios have set a precedent of ensuring companies are building on inclusive foundations that work for their current workforce. If you’re interested in finding out more about HeyFlow and how they can help you understand your female* workforce better then get in touch at hello@heyflow.co.uk
McCann Bristol has strengthened its strategy operation with a senior promotion and the appointment of two new team members, including a new Strategist and a Strategy Director.
The strategy team are integral to the creative services offering at McCann Bristol, uncovering the truths that allow everyone to work together potently so we can create impact for our clients.
Sarah Warewinter, who joined the team as Associate Director in October 2022, has been promoted to Managing Partner, having made a significant impact with current clients as well as supporting agency growth.
Additionally, Matthieu Mondin joins the team as Strategy Director, bringing his CRM and digital strategy experience with him. Before joining McCann, he worked in Paris as a strategy specialist for Publicis and Dentsu before moving to Tessi as a shopper and retail strategist and, most recently, as a CRM and digital strategist. Matthieu will be working alongside Sarah to develop the strategy department with an approach that champions creativity and effectiveness.
Meanwhile, Beth Evans joins as Strategist, bringing her experience working in brand positioning, marketing strategy and consumer behaviour.
Managing Director at McCann Bristol, Andy Reid, said: “Our strategy team is integral to our success, ensuring that the work we create is truly effective for our clients. The growth we’re seeing within the business is a testament to our hardworking team and their commitment to help our clients deliver work with impact and potency.”
Sarah Warewinter, Managing Partner – Strategy, added: “We’re thrilled to welcome Matthieu and Beth to the team. Between them, they bring a wealth of knowledge and a different point of view that is already proving invaluable to our clients. I’m looking forward to seeing both of them grow and thrive here at McCann Bristol.”
Access Creative College, Condense and LocalGlobe are proud to launch the second round of their funded scholarship focusing on bringing live events to virtual spaces, starting 30th October 2023 and running until mid-February 2024. The scholarship was created to respond to the growing diversity problem within the tech sector and in metaverse development, relating to a lack of women and people from minority ethnic groups.
“The gender equity gap in technology is higher than in any other sector, with women holding just 17% of technology roles in the UK.”
The Chartered Institute for IT (2023)
“Less than a tenth (8.5%) of senior leaders in UK tech are from ethnic minority groups, a sixth (16%) of IT professionals are female and a tenth (9%) of all IT specialists have a disability.”
Prospects (2022)
In early 2023, 4 young Bristol creatives embarked on the first round of this innovative and unique scholarship with very successful results including one participant, Olivia, being offered an Accounts Manager role at Condense upon completion of the course.
“Participating in the Condense Scholarship allowed me to broaden my horizons, learn some incredible new skills, and contributed to shaping my future. It has opened doors to endless possibilities for my career. The knowledge, practical experience, and networking opportunities gained through the program have significantly enhanced my opportunities in the tech industry.” – Olivia, Condense Scholar, 2023.
Applications opened in July for anyone over the age of 19, with 8 spaces available on this intensive programme that takes in 3D modelling, Digital Graphics, Realtime VFX and Virtual Worlds, all funded by a bursary of £1800. Applications from women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds are particularly encouraged.
Click here to find out more and apply.
For websites and blogs to receive organic traffic, search engine optimisation (SEO) is essential. Google is the primary search engine that SEOs concentrate on since it generates the majority of all web traffic, which is increasingly important in today’s digital environment. Google utilises complex algorithms to index, rank, and choose which pages to display when a user types in a particular word or phrase.
Understanding Google’s algorithms, their modifications, and how they affect SEO and websites will assist companies, organisations, and website owners use this knowledge to boost traffic and reach their target audience, so helping them achieve their goals — whether marketing- or otherwise-related.
Google’s algorithms are based on general algorithms, which are guidelines for how a problem should be handled in a finite number of steps and are used in computer science and other fields.
Google’s search engine result pages are ranked according to a set of guidelines known as algorithms. In this scenario, the issue that these algorithms address is how to order websites in accordance with various ranking criteria and guidelines.
When someone does a search on a search engine, they retrieve data from the pages on websites and blogs, attempt to comprehend them, and grasp what the user is looking for. They then rank the pages based on their quality, context, and relevancy.
The amount and quality of backlinks going to a page, the speed at which a website or page loads, the use of keywords in headings and text, user interaction, the authority of the website or page, readability, and many other variables are all taken into account by the search algorithm. Google’s search engines are said to use hundreds of parameters when deciding how to rank a page or website, according to experts.
Google is constantly working to provide users with fantastic search results while preventing users from abusing its systems. Because of this, the organisation continuously modifies and updates its algorithms. Although the corporation claims to deliver modest algorithm updates every day, the adjustments that are made every few months or years are well known.
Depending on how they are developed and optimised for SEO, these modifications may have either a beneficial or negative effect on rankings.
Because it would encourage abuse, Google doesn’t make its algorithms, how they operate, or the changes it makes to them public.
It is impossible to keep up with every adjustment Google makes to its algorithms. To have a better idea of what to focus on when performing SEO, core updates can be examined. Here are a handful of the recent Google algorithm updates that have had the biggest effects.
Although Google had already altered several of its algorithms before Panda, this is still one of the most significant modifications. The update targeted unethical SEO techniques including keyword stuffing and duplicate content. The goal was to rank web sites in search engine results based on the value of the material and how readers would interpret it.
Once marketers and companies understood how Panda will affect them moving forward, they had to move to informative and high-quality material, often editing what was already on their websites and blogs to get it to rank again.
Sensible keyword tactics are credited as being developed as a result of the Google Panda algorithm adjustment. The greatest strategy for marketers to rank their content highly on search engine result pages is to employ relevant keywords for their intended purpose rather than focusing on how many they use.
Even though it was intended to counter so-called “black hat” SEO techniques, this change would still have an effect on people who use term stuffing. Because marketers were aware that backlinks were a crucial ranking element, these techniques included spammy backlinks and link directories.
The Google Penguin upgrades heavily favoured high-quality content that contained only useful and pertinent hyperlinks.
This algorithm modification, which was made in 2013, was intended to guarantee that only pertinent and educational content would appear on the first pages of search results. It made sure users found the content they needed or wanted rather than extraneous pages that were well optimised.
Marketers had to begin producing content that matched the expectations of users by putting pertinent search terms and keyword variations in it.
Relevance and search intent were the main focuses of RankBrain. Informed and pertinent material that matches a user’s goal is what Google is trying to encourage with this upgrade. For instance, based on the other words in their search phrase, a person looking for dresses was more likely to encounter either instructional or purchasing content.
Google released its Search Quality Rater guidelines for the first time in 2013, with a focus on Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust in 2014. In 2022, Experience will be added to the algorithm modification.
According to Google, these rules are intended to identify high quality material that has been published by someone who is an authority and subject matter expert in their field, has strong trust signals, and has demonstrable hands-on knowledge of the subject matter.
For instance, a post published by someone who has been to the Bahamas is more likely to be ranked higher by Google than one written by someone who has never gone.
To ensure that their websites continue to rank in accordance with the Google algorithms that marketers are already aware of and that Google may release in the future, marketers and website owners should adhere to a few essential guidelines.
Google places a lot of importance on websites giving its users and visitors a fantastic experience, and they reward these sites with a high ranking. The best user experience on mobile can be achieved in a number of ways. The most obvious one is making sure the website runs quickly on every device a user uses to access it.
The numerous Google tools may be used by marketers to check for further possible problems, such as buttons that are too small for mobile visitors, a website that loads too many assets, images that are too large in terms of weight and dimensions, and much more.
The amount of individuals utilising voice search to get information or items is increasing as voice assistants and other devices become more and more popular. Using long-tail keywords that people are more likely to employ when speaking as opposed to typing is necessary for conversational search optimisation.
Because many individuals type like they speak and are therefore more likely to utilise them in their typed searches, using these long-tail keywords also helps a marketer’s or business’s overall SEO.
Marketing professionals and companies can lessen the effects of Google algorithm adjustments by acquiring useful backlinks because Google places a lot of importance on the quantity and quality of them. Moreover, the correct backlinks can raise a website’s authority, which raises its rank.
Businesses can either develop their own link building strategy or work with SEO specialists to find high-quality backlinks on their behalf. Businesses can then obtain the best SEO bundle for link building and other SEO requirements.
When a corporation is creating its own backlinks or has hired an SEO firm to do it for them, context and anchor texts are very important. The information surrounding the anchor or backlink, which is the text used for the link, provides context. Both should be closely related to the material on the website or page that the backlink is pointing to.
Google favours recent content over older content as well. The business does this because it wants to provide its users with the most recent information and search results.
A website’s content can gain a lot from updating, whether it has aged naturally over time or has dropped to the second or third page of search results. A fresh update ensures ranking improvement by supplying new data and facts.
Marketing professionals and business owners can address any SEO problems that can arise on their platforms by updating the content of a website. While freshness can boost ranks, it is the combined SEO work and plan that cause content to remain in the top places and be discovered in the first place.
Whether it’s one line of text or several, duplicate content gets removed by Google algorithms from websites. Utilising duplicate content tools, marketers, companies, and SEOs may determine whether websites have duplicate content. Anyone can use these tools to enter two or more URLs and determine whether there is duplicate content.
If so, the pertinent party needs to make sure the content is unique. It would be wise to update it at the same time with fresh data and details.
Marketers should conduct keyword research and apply relevant terms to the pages they wish to rank for. They should incorporate them into the content, headings, URL, opening and closing sentences. Using the same keyword repeatedly without any content is known as “keyword stuffing,” which helps a page rank. It is recommended to stay away from this because it is no longer effective and you will be reprimanded.
The ranking of pages and the search terms, keywords, and phrases they appear for are determined by Google algorithms, which are potent pieces of code. Every marketer should be aware of the most recent changes to the Google algorithm in order to position their content better and avoid being penalised or demoted on search engine result pages.
People can locate your website online thanks to search engine optimisation (SEO). By doing it correctly, you can make sure that your website appears prominently on search engine result pages when users enter queries containing the keyword(s) you’ve optimised it for. To perform SEO correctly, you need to comprehend a few essential concepts, with link building ranking as the most crucial one.
When a person clicks on a link, they are directed to another website. The website where the webpage is located may be the same or different. Links fall into two categories: internal links and external links. One of the first things anyone learning about SEO as a newbie should grasp is these types of links and how and when to use them.
There are primarily two sorts of links that connect different domains. Backlinks, also known as inbound links, come first, followed by outbound links. Outbound links are links on your website that connect to other domains or websites, whereas inbound links are links posted on other websites that point to your website.
The majority of debates in SEO centre on inbound or backlinks. The rationale is that they are a significant ranking element. Google has confirmed that, assuming other SEO best practises have been followed, having a large number of high-quality backlinks results in higher rankings.
We’ll cover all you need to know about outbound links in this post, including how to use them effectively and how they affect SEO.
There are do-follow and no-follow links for outbound links. You’ll be able to choose which to employ and when, once you comprehend their distinctions.
These are external links that provide the websites they point to PageRank. To help their respective search engines index and rank these websites, they direct search engine crawlers or spiders to other web pages on the internet.
SEOs conclude that these links convey PageRank to the linked pages by making your website a “bridge” between these crawlers and the linked domain.
No additional coding is needed because do-follow links are the default type formed when you create a link.
Some examples of places you would use do-follow links include:
In contrast to a do-follow link, a no-follow link does not send PageRank to the website it links to. These outbound links used to have no SEO advantages for either the connecting website or the website being linked to. Google’s perception of them, however, changed in March 2021.
According to Google, the algorithm has been modified to treat no-follow links as a suggestion for crawling and indexing rather than a directive, as it does with do-follow links. In this way, if Google’s algorithm determines that a no-follow link is valuable for ranking and indexing, it may still pass PageRank.
There are different types of no-follow links, including:
If the website or domain you are connecting to is reputable and trustworthy, and you want to transfer your PageRank to it, you should only employ do-follow links. For sponsored, compensated, dubious, and user-generated material or web sites, no-follow links should be used.
Create a no-follow link if you are unclear about the type to use. By doing this, Google will not penalise you if the website is suspect or ought to have been designated as a no-follow according to its policies.
Outbound links enable visitors to your website to explore information or content you believe is important for them to read or consume on other websites. You can link to other websites to provide readers with extra information, support claims and data, help users check the accuracy of material, and uncover other crucial resources, among other things.
For other types of marketing, such social media or affiliate marketing, outbound links are also crucial. In the first instance, they connect to your social media channels, enabling visibility and discoverability.
In the second instance, they direct visitors to websites where they can make purchases from companies and brands with whom they have collaborated. Such use cases make them a crucial component of your monetisation strategy.
It could seem counter-intuitive to employ outbound links to direct readers away from your website in addition to linking to your other resources, such your social media accounts and affiliate pages.
The one thing that many people overlook is the impact outbound links have on your SEO. In other words, not included them could significantly harm your SEO.
For your website and content to be more relevant, outbound links are essential. Outbound links act as a trail that search engine crawlers can follow to evaluate your content, determine the industry or niche you are in, and learn more specifics about your website and its contents.
These links can also aid search engines in comprehending the issues you are attempting to address, the information you are attempting to offer, your rivals, and related content.
When Google is aware of all of this, it will know which keywords, subjects, and search terms to rank your website and content for—even if it means ranking it alongside stuff that your rivals already rank for.
When used properly, outbound links have several benefits:
Backlinks are the most effective approach to raise authority, as is commonly believed, and this is accurate. Outbound links, however, are also a fantastic method for doing this. Metaphorically speaking, Google tends to arrange webpages according to who they are associated with. Google likes to give websites with authoritative outbound connections a higher authority rating, which improves their SEO position.
People adore companies that direct them to the resources they require at the appropriate time.
Finding high-quality and highly pertinent websites and material can be difficult for most people, especially while conducting research. If you can direct them in the proper direction, your reputation will grow and they will see you as an authority.
This is related to giving your customers a better user experience. A better user experience will encourage visitors to remember and return to your website in the future.
Because they now regard you as an authoritative source that provides them with the information they need, there is also a higher possibility that they may convert on a second or third visit.
Smart marketers and SEO specialists constantly evaluate their traffic sources to improve their tactics. You may be sure that their marketers and SEOs will take notice if you link to enough websites. When they do, they may go to your website, determine that it is beneficial to them and their audience, and then link to you.
This kind of organic link building is significantly more advantageous. One reason is that you are aware that the other website wants to link to you because you did not ask for the backlink. Second, because you two have an interest, you are more likely to attract quality visitors.
How do you pick the links to include on your website now that you are aware of what outbound links are and why they are crucial? There are a number of things to take into account, with relevancy maybe being the most crucial.
These are websites with audiences and content that are comparable to yours. For instance, linking to a beauty website does not help you much if your website is a tech one. In this case, the likelihood that the beauty website will connect to your tech website is far lower.
The second factor to take into account is semantic significance. The links you provide should be pertinent to the content of your page. The wording immediately around the outgoing link and the location to which it directs should be closely related.
Lastly, you should avoid pages that have:
Keep in mind that Google groups websites together, so you do not want yours to be among those that Google considers bad or unsuitable for ranking.
While the majority of SEOs and marketers place a strong emphasis on backlinks or inbound connections, outbound links also have a lot to offer. There are hyperlinks leading to other websites that are pertinent to the content to which the hyperlink is pointing and the readers of the information. Outbound links should therefore be a crucial component of your link-building strategy.
Noble Performs Celebrates Five Years in Bristol
Digital marketing agency Noble Performs is celebrating five years in Bristol with a record year in business for its team, who have broken the £1million turnover barrier for the first time.
Established in 2018, Noble Performs was started in Bristol by US West Coast agency Noble Studios and Mr B & Friends, with one on-the-ground employee – current managing partner Kate Sikora. Tripling the size of the business during the pandemic, with significant client wins including premium footwear brand Rockfish, and Bristol’s beloved St George’s concert hall, Noble Performs is hoping to double the size of its 11-strong team during the next three years.
Built on the same ‘Be Better Every Day’ ethos as its US sister company, CSR has been at the core of Noble Performs since day one. During the last financial year, the business donated £12,000 of digital marketing support to local charity Heart of BS13 as part of its ‘Noble Deeds’ initiative. Recently launched, this year’s Deeds programme will receive a 30% increase in funds in line with Noble’s turnover increase, to support a local not-for-profit or registered charity with its digital marketing performance.
“I am so proud of all the team has achieved during the past five years and being able to give back to the local community and create more employment opportunities for others at the same time is incredibly rewarding, said Kate Sikora, managing partner, Noble Performs.
“Bristol has been the perfect home for us – it’s a thriving city with some great businesses and networks, but what underpins this is a real sense of community and collaboration and a genuine desire to do the right thing. This really resonates with our values and we’re excited to see what the next five years brings,” she added.
To celebrate its fifth anniversary, the UK team took a trip to the US earlier this month to visit sister company Noble Studios in Nevada. The celebrations will continue in September in the UK with the ‘Be Better Bash’ – a party for employees and their families, friends and associates of the business, and Noble Deeds recipients past and present.
Ahead of the festivities, Noble Performs will also host a Masterclass, where speakers will be invited to share a quickfire twenty minute ‘Five things’ session on a diversity of topics from AI to ESG.
More details on the Be Better Bash and Masterclass, including speakers and how to register attendance, will be announced in the coming weeks.
As we celebrate our 14th birthday this week, we’re looking back on 2023 to date. As always, we’ve been doing everything we can to help our clients thrive and survive in the current economic climate. We’ve helped clients launch new products and services, expand into new markets and to new audiences. We’ve also adjusted work and media spend to suit changing price points and profit margins. We pride ourselves on being with our clients through thick and thin, and 2023 has been no different.
Our clients have seen some great successes in 2023. In many instances we’ve helped clients to exceed target ROI and hit KPIs, showing that businesses are still thriving in today’s climate. Our managed Google media spend is up 80% year on year – a testament to our team and their ability to keep delivering strong results. To learn more about recent successes, see our case studies here.
It’s been a strong start to the year for Loom, too. We’ve had six new businesses join our client portfolio, We’ve achieved some fantastic accreditations and our team continues to expand. And while we’re also adapting to current circumstances, we’ll continue to work hard and help our clients get through even the toughest of challenges.
A big thank you to all our loyal clients and our extremely capable team, who have made all of this possible. Below, we take a look at some of the key changes in 2023 and reflect on the progress we’ve made.
We’re delighted to be working with a number of new clients this year. From gardening and cooking to education and kitchenware, we’ve teamed up with a variety of B2B and B2C businesses in 2023, which include:
Representing a diverse range of industries, we’ve already helped them get closer to their business goals with our digital marketing strategies.
And it’s not just new clients. This year we’ve also had three new digital marketing experts join the team; Tegan, Hugh and Daniel.
Our new additions have already been invaluable in ensuring Loom delivers the best possible service to our clients, and we’re delighted to have them onboard.
As well as returning from maternity leave myself, we’ve also welcomed Tommy back from parental leave. He’s dived back into work and is already making us wonder how we survived without him.
“After a few months off to spend time with my little girl, I was so excited to return in February. Nikki and the team did an incredible job whilst I was off. It’s not been an easy climate in which to run a business over the past year, and I’m really proud of how committed the team are to clients and their success. Whilst we love celebrating strong results with clients, we also pride ourselves on being able to navigate through the tricky times with them.” Karen Pearce
2023 also saw a milestone Loomiversary for Tom Spooner, marking ten years as part of the team! Since joining Loom back in 2013, he’s made an undeniably huge impact on Loom, creating and implementing market-leading digital marketing strategies . Anyone who has had the pleasure of working with Tom knows the level of thought, understanding and strategic input he has on accounts. A real marketing force and we’re proud to have him.
“It’s been a genuine pleasure to mark a decade at Loom and reflect on the evolution of our industry and Loom as an agency. I firmly believe that we’re currently delivering the best service to our clients with an incredibly talented team. I’m immensely proud to be a part of Loom and look forward to helping existing and future clients overcome challenges to succeed.” Tom Spooner
It’s always nice for achievements to be recognised. We’re proud to have three new accreditations this year for our performance and employment practices.
As always, we couldn’t have achieved any of these without our clients and team. We provide all the support we can and are grateful for those who support us. We’re 14 years young and we still have clients from day one.
“It’s been a great start to 2023 at Loom. We’re so proud to now be awarded the Great Place to Work accreditation, as well as being part of the Google Employment Charter South West. Both accreditations are a testament to the culture, values and team here at Loom. We’re always looking for ways to make it an even better place to work and have lots more planned for our 15th year.” Vicky Hockley
As our team continues to expand, we needed a new office to accommodate everyone. Fortunately, we didn’t need to move far. We’re now on the second floor of Temple Studios, located just by Temple Meads station in the heart of Bristol, meaning we’re still easily accessible for both our clients and team members travelling from further afield.
Each quarter we book an evening as a social for the Loom team. In March, we took part in a pottery evening hosted by local potters Pottymouth Workshop at The Star and Dove pub in Totterdown. While we might not be quite ready for The Great Pottery Throw Down, everyone enjoyed the opportunity to get together as a team and take their handiwork home with them.
In June, we went on a glamping trip to the Wye Valley. After canoeing down the river Wye, the team took part in guided foraging lessons and farm tours and played games at the campsite, with refreshments provided by a mobile pizza oven and cocktail bar.
The weather can make or break a camping trip, and fortunately, we were blessed with sunshine (which also helped dry out the occupants of a capsized canoe). It was a great opportunity for everyone to relax and bond, and for our new Loomies to meet the rest of the team.
Keep up with life at Loom by following us on Instagram.
Our Illoominate initiative aims to deliver digital skills to the next generation of professionals in Bristol. As part of this, we have advised charities on how to improve their digital marketing strategy through Media Trust and also offered work experience internships at Loom for all ages.
This year, we’ve already welcomed two Loom interns, Tyler and Jazmine, who were given an introduction to digital marketing at Loom and did a great job getting stuck in with some tasks set by the team. Find out how they both got on here and here.
As well as dealing with tougher circumstances, there have also been some huge changes to the digital marketing industry in 2023. Notably, the transition from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has meant a huge amount of work collecting as much data as possible and ensuring the transition went smoothly for our clients. We have invested in GA4 training for all our Loomies and have supported this with regular sessions for personal development and team knowledge shares, ensuring we were well prepared to guide our clients through this process.
Find out more about GA4 in our guide.
At the tailend of 2022, Google updated their Quality Rater Guidelines, expanding the concept of E-A-T (‘Expertise, Authority and Trust’) to include ‘Experience’. This update was designed to tackle poor-quality content, which, of course, wasn’t a problem for clients using Loom’s SEO and Content services! With AI tools and boilerplate content quite common on the web, it makes sense that Google made this change to promote valuable content written for users, rather than search.
Find out more about the EEAT update in our blog.
Speaking of AI, the rise of artificial intelligence continues to make waves in the industry, as content generation becomes more sophisticated and accessible. We explored what it can offer and its limitations but concluded it’s no match yet for the skills, expertise and human touch of the Loom content team.
Given the challenges our clients have faced this past year, it’s more important than ever to keep on top of the latest marketing trends in order to help our clients adapt. We’ve been pivoting our work to accommodate both industry developments and the external factors businesses are currently facing, creating intricate strategies that build and maintain strong online visibility.
To stay up to date with the ever-changing digital marketing industry, explore our Insights section.
It’s not easy running a business right now. With so many challenges to navigate, 2023 hasn’t been the easiest year for everyone. Saying that, we’re here for our clients every step of the way and are proud to be sharing our journey with them.
We’re delighted with all that we’ve achieved this year and look forward to seeing what the next one brings. We’d like to give another big thank you to our clients, partners and our team for all that they’ve done to make 2023 such a success.
“We’re really proud of what our team has achieved in our 14th year, doing what they can for our clients and taking our strategies from strength to strength. Our next year is all about focusing on building a more purposeful-led agency, and understanding how we can embrace machine learning to achieve even more for our clients and build on the successes of this year.” Nikki Ellison
If you’d like to find out more about our digital marketing services, whether that’s PPC & Biddable or SEO and Content, then browse our website or get in touch today.
2023 has turned into another milestone year for ADLIB.
To recap:
In 2019 ADLIB became a certified B Corp, with a score of 82.3.
In 2020 ADLIB became 100% employee-owned.
In 2021 ADLIB launched the MotherBoard Movement.
In 2022 ADLIB broke all of its records.
In 2023 ADLIB recertified as a B Corp, with a score of 130.3, invested into HeyFlow and proudly refreshed our brand to reflect who we truly are today.
We’ve said for a long time that ADLIB is so much more than a recruitment agency.
ADLIB is a true talent partner, we go beyond candidate acquisition, we’ve created business solutions that tackle inclusivity, health, well-being and retention head-on.
We care authentically about the planet. We track and publicly report on our footprint, working with suppliers to support the regional business community.
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Bristol Light Festival invites artists to register interest to showcase their work to more than 250,000 visitors when it returns from 2nd to 11th February 2024. Those interested should register their interest here: https://bristollightfestival.org/call-for-artists/
Offering local, national and international artists a platform to showcase the best in installation art, the Bristol Light Festival has a reputation for show-stopping immersive experiences at iconic locations across the city.
The 2024 edition will return across 10 days and two weekends, offering a captivating journey through the city illuminated by stunning light installations, accompanied by shopping, dining and exploring.
Bristol Light Festival celebrates artistic freedom and experimentation, providing a platform for artists to push boundaries, think outside the box, and breathe life into groundbreaking ideas. The festival is looking for light artists, painters, sculptors, architects, performers, or other artistic disciplines, to bring a unique perspective and submit visionary concepts for the 2024 edition. Students and institutions are also invited to apply to collaborate with the festival curation team. Those interested should register their interest here: https://bristollightfestival.org/call-for-artists/
Katherine Jewkes, Creative Director at Bristol Light Festival, said:
“At Bristol Light Festival we love to support artists and makers from all disciplines who are excited to bring their playful and radical ideas to light. We’re looking for installations that will challenge our audiences and that will change the way our community both remembers and responds to our city spaces. Some of my favourite past commissions have come through previous open calls. With the city as our playground, I can’t wait to see what ideas are presented as part of this call out process.”
Vicky Lee, Head of Bristol City Centre BID, explains:
“This year’s event delivered a spectacle at every turn – and Bristol was alight with people from near and far and of all ages keen to see the festival. Next year is set to be just as – if not even more – special. Working with the creative industries in the city – and providing them with a platform to showcase their work to local and national audiences – not only supports our beloved cultural scene in Bristol but in turn supports our city’s high street businesses. Bristol Light Festival has delivered significant additional economic benefit year on year, with the most recent edition encouraging a 250,000 footfall boom and additional spend in city centre businesses of a staggering £3.3 million.”
Gemma Mills, one-half of the light artist duo Illumaphonium, presented Halo and Continuum at Bristol Light Festival in 2023. She explains:
“Through Bristol Light Festival we had the opportunity to install Continuum in the magnificent Temple Church. Teaming such an incredibly beautiful site with such a keen-to-engage audience was quite simply magical. Since this show we have had multiple bookings from all over the world to put this piece of art in similarly exquisite historical and architectural spaces. This is no doubt as a direct result of our collaboration with English Heritage and Bristol Light Festival.”
“Bristol is without doubt one of the most creative and fun places to be, it’s often where we come when we seek inspiration and to reconnect with why we make the art we do in the first place. As artists, we strive to reconnect people with the childhood curiosities that are so often lost in adulthood. We facilitate togetherness and encourage play, and in our experience, Bristol needs very little encouragement! A joy of a city to work within.”
The festival encourages applications that prioritise environmental sustainability and use green energy solutions in their design, embody best practices in their execution, explore the potential for artwork reuse and foster novel and ambitious artistic ideas.
The 2024 edition of Bristol Light Festival is celebrating a new partnership with colleagues at the Redcliffe & Temple BID as they become our presenting partners after two successful years of artwork partner sponsorship.
Steve Bluff, Head of Redcliffe & Temple BID explains;
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Bristol Light Festival team and colleagues at the Bristol City Centre BID exploring opportunities to further extend the festival within our area – especially as it plays host to both new and ancient architecture. After the success of the stunning interactive art installations Continuum at Temple Church, BEAM on Castle Bridge and Ophelia in St Mary Redcliffe Church, we’re excited to see what the Bristol Light Festival artists will create for us this year to get residents and visitors exploring the area and supporting our businesses along the way”.
Artists with a relationship with Bristol who express interest will be prioritised. The submission deadline is midnight on Friday 28th July 2023, with the shortlisting deadline set for August 18th, and conversations with the selected artists will commence on August 25th. Shortlisted artists will be invited to visit the festival site and engage in pre-production meetings from September to November, leading up to the grand opening of Bristol Light Festival from February 2nd to 11th, 2024.
Studio McGuire was chosen as an artist for the 2023 edition of the event. Its stunning Ophelia light installation was a showstopper – depicting a serene, life-size hologram of Ophelia, from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Kristin’s ‘Sirens’ holographic mermaid projection also transformed Bristol’s iconic harbour into a mythical underworld at the 2023 festival.
Talking about the experience, the artist said: “It was fantastic to be selected to exhibit at Bristol Light Festival. Having our installation projected in St Mary Redcliffe Church was so special and a real career highlight. The planning and organising stages were very smooth and the event itself had a phenomenal turnout in terms of attendance.
“Since exhibiting at Bristol Light Festival, we’ve had other cathedrals get in touch to enquire about hosting the hologram and some of our other flagship works, which is so encouraging to see.”
The review process for expressions of interest will be conducted by the Bristol Light Festival team, including Creative Director Katherine Jewkes.
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