For the past five years BeOnBoard operated as a project under TBIT, making significant strides in their mission to ensure that businesses in the South West are reflective of the diversity of the teams, their clients and the communities they serve.
Founded by the inspirational Kalpna Woolf, who also leads the charity; 91 ways to build a global city, the charity was being incorporated to realise the ambitious growth plans.
Through the research we conducted what became clear was that if leaders with the same background make decisions through the same lens, they will get the same outcomes. Where are the fresh ideas? The different outlooks? The challenges to tradition? Where’s the change? BeOnBoard brings the diverse talent they’ve coached and nurtured to boardroom tables.
The proposition: BeOnBoard connect businesses who are ready to embrace new ideas with the people who have them. Those who have a hunger for growth and innovation. And they do it not just from an equitable standpoint, but from a commercial one. It’s just better business.
Our programme of work included:
To see how we can help, visit talismansparro.com
Towards Change Exhibition for Inclusive Advertising
We are thrilled to announce a showcase of civic powers to transform advertising content from controversial to inclusive messaging from our workshops we’ve conducted to the public every week.
See the fusion of social, academic, and advertising industry unravels the impact of stereotypes in advertising and provide a platform for dialogue, learning, and change.
This exhibition is proudly sponsored by Launch, a Google Premier Partner and two-time winner of Europe’s Best Small PPC Agency. Thanks to their generous support, admission is free, making it accessible to everyone interested in exploring this transformative display.
Speaker Session (18:00 – 19:00)
Carol Watson, Chief Inclusion Officer at BCW ( Global Agency)
Dan Srokosz, Creative Director, AgencyUK
Megan Gibson, Paid Media Director, AgencyUK
Dr. Junko Yamashita, Professor at the University of Bristol
Ms. Samantha Ford, Marketing lecturer at the University of Bristol
Comments are from
Polly Wyn Jones, Kantar Global Knowledge Manager, Creative & Media
Nendra van Wielink-Mohamed, Global Media Practitioner
Dr. Terrell Carver, Professor of Political Theory at the University of Bristol
Joyann Boyce, TedX Speaker, Founder AI Consultancy
Olu Osinoiki – 
Wedding Photographer
Branding is often associated with big commercial enterprises. Nike, Google, Amazon, Coca-Cola, are all instantly recognisable around the world – why? Because they’ve got good branding.
A strong brand identity helps to build trust and credibility through consistency and identifiability. That’s why it’s just as important for not-for-profits and charities.
A strong brand says, ‘we know who we are and what we’re doing.’ And this is as critical for building partnerships and raising funds as it is for boosting sales. That’s because investors and donors aren’t just looking for a cause to support, they’re looking for an organisation they can rely on. And good branding conveys the confidence and credibility they’re looking for.
It also manifests a sense of permanence. Good branding can make a charity or not-for-profit feel less like an organisation and more like an established institution. When it comes to attracting funding – this is crucial. Investors want to know that their resources are going towards building something long-lasting – a legacy for themselves and the organisations they support.
The same goes for potential partners and collaborators. They want to be sure they’re putting their faith in the right organisation. A strong brand can help bolster your reputation.
Finally, brand marketing does a lot of the work for you. Through consistent messaging and a discernible visual identity, you can build familiarity and trust with every ad, every post, every email, every piece of content. This means your marketing strategy can be proactive as opposed to reactive. Which means less time and money poured into short-term gains, and more resources spent on the cause you’re fighting for.
A brand should never be pulled out of thin air. No matter the sector, a brand is a representation of a company’s mission, purpose, values and vision. When it comes to branding for charities and not-for-profits though, it’s especially important to put values front and centre.
Nowadays, lots of businesses are taking a values-first approach to their marketing. It’s a trend that rose around the wave of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). Every business, big and small, wants to be seen as driven by their purpose.
Charities and not-for-profits are built around purpose – so this part is easy. It’s setting them apart from one another that becomes the challenge.
Storytelling is an integral part of brand marketing. And it’s something our head of video and motion graphics, Tim Price, loves most about working with charities and not-for-profits. Why?
“When it comes to stories, charities are probably wealthier than any other industry. Everything they do is about improving a journey. But, it’s imperative to remember who the hero is (hint, it’s not the charity). As is often the case in marketing, your client isn’t Luke Skywalker, they’re Obi Wan.”
That’s right. Just like the customer is always right, the beneficiary is always the hero of the story. We kept this in mind when we put together this video for OTR – a mental health social movement by and for young people living in Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
Watch the video in the article here.
Brands, like people, have distinct personalities. Characteristics that help make them relatable as well as unique. And a critical part of identifying these key traits is working closely and collaboratively with our clients.
This is how we approached the rebrand for Housing Matters, who came to us feeling a disconnect between their origins as CHAS (Catholic Housing Aid Society) were and the modern and dynamic organisation they’d become.
According to the copywriter on the case, Evelyn Chapman, collaboration was key.
“We were lucky enough to have regular face-to-face meetings with the Housing Matters team and getting to know them personally actually played a big part in crafting their brand identity. Each of them communicated with energy and passion. And though they’re warm and reassuring, you could tell they’re also tenacious – they’re real fighters. And we wanted their brand to reflect that.”
We took a similar approach when working with Runnymede, the UK’s leading race equality think tank. By working closely with the Runnymede team to refresh their brand and bring it up to date, we were able to refresh their colour palette to reflects Runnymede’s bold ambitions.
As 2020 was such an unusual and difficult year for everyone, rather than produce our usual Christmas video full of jolly japes, we decided instead to donate our services and resources to a local charity – Caring in Bristol.
They wanted to create something that celebrated Bristol culture – something edgy and full of life to reflect their brand identity and motivate people to donate in the run up to Christmas.
For this reason, we didn’t want to go down the typical charity ‘pulling at your heartstrings’ route. Instead, we went full force with a script and art direction that entertained (with plenty of nods to Bristol and all its wonderful quirks!), whilst delivering the cold hard stats about people experiencing homelessness.
Watch the video in the blog here.
With this video, and the promotion around it, we helped raise over £20,000 in under 2 weeks in the lead up to Christmas. The video also accounted for over 60% of the charity’s engagement for the whole month of December.
A branding project doesn’t always mean an entirely new identity. Sometimes it’s all about a simple refresh or incorporating more consistency across your messaging. But when we take on a branding project, we ensure we are providing not just the building blocks (like a logo, and new colour palette) but the blueprint, the tools, and the training to boot.
A good example of this is the branding work we did with Effat; Saudi Arabia’s first independent university for women.
Our Senior Designer, Katie Elvins said:
“Key considerations were to create a modern, clean and fresh look for Effat. We wanted to create a brand that was fun and engaging for students – but flexible enough to be adapted for parents, sponsors etc.”
In the end, we provided a comprehensive brand book detailing all aspects of their brand including messaging, logo usage, typography, photography style and a refined colour palette which has been given a clear structure with a core palette, college colours, tertiary palette and special colours. Katie went on to say:
“Then, once the brand was finalised we travelled to Saudi Arabia, and I ran a 2-day workshop, presenting the guidelines to the in-house design team and showing them how we could create consistent, exciting work with their new brand moving forward.”
That’s all to say – your branding should be more than a marketing exercise. It should be a collaborative journey for all involved. And it should leave you with a manifestation of your organisation that is timeless, emotive and strong.
Whether you need advice or support with positioning, visual identity, a digital refresh, or all of the above, we’re here to help. Get in touch and book a free consultation today.
Email: marketing@proctors.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0)117 923 2282
Follow the link to watch our Christmas advert: https://youtu.be/e7OHFtfZjgQ
Why create a viral Christmas advert?
We LOVE big-budget TV ads like the John Lewis Christmas advert. They’ve really found the winning formula to maximise engagement and go viral.
In fact, we love it so much that we decided to give it a go ourselves. But instead of helping a big department store or supermarket grow its profits, we decided to help a charity grow its reach.
Our friends at Love Squared do amazing work that’s well worth shouting about.
Who is Love Squared?
Love Squared is a Bristol-based charity who support young people and families with social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs.
They noticed a huge lack in services for young people and children who had aspirations but were missing out on reaching their potential because of SEMH needs, so they work to change this and provide the resources and support to those who need it.
With such a great cause, we knew we wanted to support them this year by donating our resources to create them a Christmas advert they can use to raise awareness and donations.
So how do you go about creating a viral Christmas video?
Inspired by the John Lewis Christmas Advert 2022?
So were we. Here’s your guide to making a viral Christmas ad to rival the very best – whether you’re a charity, non-profit or B2B business.
Every year, audiences eagerly await high-production TV Christmas ads from John Lewis, M&S, Sainsbury’s, and a plethora of other consumer businesses. But this year, we’re seeing more and more clients take an interest in Christmas content and other seasonal campaigns – and for good reason.
As we all eagerly await this year’s marketing showdown, many businesses are thinking about their own festive advertising and how they can get a slice of the action.
Emotive and uplifting storytelling
The most popular Christmas ads really tug at the heartstrings. It’s the time of the year when people value togetherness, generosity and kindness the most, but it can also be a tough time for many. So, it’s important to capture the emotions of the festive seasons and make your audience feel seen and understood. Having said that, it should be hopeful and optimistic – after all, it is the most wonderful time of the year.
Our copy team put together a script that captured the emotion behind Love Squared’s amazing cause.
Focusing on issues of loneliness and mental health, we created a story that would speak to the challenges young people face, while reflecting the power of imagination – one of Love Squared’s primary values. We even got our best (only) David Attenborough impersonator in to do the voice-over.
Adorable heroes and creature companions
From John Lewis to Sainsbury’s, all the best viral Christmas adverts embrace the cute-factor. And whether they take the form of animals, humans, dragons or monsters, the bigger the eyes, the more we seem to love them.
Our designers and animators created relatable characters with big eyes and even bigger dreams.
We wanted to introduce an imaginary friend that brings joy to a child’s life, presenting creativity, resilience and fun as an antidote to loneliness and boredom – and so, best friends Rita and Howie were born.
A powerful song choice
Emotive covers of popular songs are a staple of the annual Christmas-ad-off. Possibly the most successful among these are the John Lewis Christmas adverts that feature big stars covering even bigger ballads – from Lily Allen’s rendition of Keane’s Somewhere Only We Know to Gabrielle Aplin’s cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood classic The Power of Love.
Our Love Squared Christmas ad features an acoustic track with an emotional hook: “when we’re together again” – which pairs perfectly with the beautifully animated scenes about loneliness and newfound friendship. Oosh! Right in the feels.
Video and animation magic
The trick to a truly amazing Christmas ad is to fully immerse your audience, perhaps even leaving them thinking: “How did they do it?” Whether that’s through impeccable animation or beautiful videography, or a mix of the two.
There really are no limits to what you can do with video and animation (other than budget, of course).
Our Video and Motion Graphics team did an amazing job of directing, producing and animating an impactful campaign video to support Love Squared.
What’s more, they sprinkled humour in throughout.
Shout out to our A-list actors (A for ‘A member of our studio, marketing, HR and finance teams’) for some pretty impressive skills and even more expressive faces.
A good cause
At P+S, we’re passionate about supporting amazing initiatives and organisations that offer support in our local community. Partnering with Love Squared for this video was a no-brainer.
How do Christmas ads work for B2B brands?
Many B2B marketers mistakenly pour all their energy into lead generation, believing that B2B decision making is a head-over-heart endeavour, where common sense prevails. In reality, buying committees are equally as emotion-led as consumers, but with one key addition – risk.
It’s far more risky to introduce a lesser-known supplier/ partner to your business than it is to buy from an established one, so recognition and reputation are just as important for B2B brands – whose sales representatives are no longer in the room when these buying decision are made.
So, while we may not pour the same level of budget into TV and traditional media advertising, it’s still worth considering how B2B Christmas advertising can set you apart from the competition and make a memorable impression on prospective customers. Ultimately, you want them to remember your brand when they’re in market (just 5% of the time you spend plugging away at lead generation).
The teams across mustard jobs are planning to rustle up as many long-life food, hygiene and sanitary products as possible. Last year’s foodbank donation was impressive, but this year we want to make it even bigger, that’s why we are enlisting the help of our local community.
We’re making this donation as easy as possible for anyone who is interested in taking part. Just pop to the mustard jobs office with your donations, we’ll list the address details at the bottom of this page. Then, we’ll put it in one of our collection box for safe keeping, until we do the big drop off at the foodbank. We’ll get everything delivered to the foodbank by our mustard team, so there is no stress for you or your team.
Whether you’ve got a little or a lot, anything will help.
We have a great relationship with the St Nicholas of Tolentino Foodbank and they’ve let us know what they need the most.
It’s time to step up and support those who find themselves in crisis this winter. If you’d like to donate, please deliver your donations to:
mustard jobs
The Tramshed, 25 Lower Park Row,
Bristol
BS1 5BN
If you have any questions or queries, feel free to reach out to the team on marketing@mustardjobs.co.uk | 0117 929 6060
Thank you.
Bristol Academy of Voice Acting (BRAVA) today announces their support of the world premiere of Shakespeare’s Women; a new play by playwright Lorien Haynes – performed at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare’s Globe, London, on 7 January, 2024. BRAVA has pledged its financial support.
The piece is set in modern-day London and shines a light on ten of Shakespeare’s female characters who meet in a domestic abuse recovery group. Centuries have passed, yet nothing has changed and while they eat biscuits and talk they reveal their darkest secrets. Funny, hard-hitting and prescient, the play allows the women to survive their men and their narratives and finds out what they would have to say today.
All profits from the event will be donated by the producers to Refuge, the largest domestic abuse organisation in the UK.
Melissa Thom, Founder and CEO of BRAVA, said:
“Lorien is passionate about amplifying women’s voices – particularly those not easily heard or silenced. At BRAVA, we align with this and are keen to support women’s stories that go untold. It’s a privilege to help bring this performance to life. We are proud to support Refuge in this way and to add our voice to raising awareness and funds for this hugely important cause.”
Lorien Haynes, playwright and author of Shakespeare’s Women, said:
“It’s fantastic to team up with BRAVA, who are kindly helping us bring this new piece to its first audience. The themes that come up in the play are shocking, yet common. One in four women experience domestic abuse and one in three sexual violence in their lifetime. Our aim is to raise awareness and funds for Refuge, who work tirelessly 24/7 to support those who experience domestic abuse.”
To support Refuge and purchase tickets to this performance of Shakespeare’s Women on 7 January 2024, click here: https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/shakespeares-women/
BRAVA offers personalised training in the art and business of voiceover and is aimed at professionals who are interested in adding voice acting to their skillset.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Refuge
All profits will be donated to Refuge. Refuge is the largest specialist domestic abuse organisation in the UK. On any given day Refuge services support thousands of survivors, helping them overcome the physical, emotional, financial and logistical impacts of abuse and rebuild their lives — free from fear.
Refuge helpline no: 0808 2000 247
Tickets: https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/shakespeares-women/
About BRAVA
Founded by experienced voice actor and communications consultant, Melissa Thom, BRAVA brings together acting and voice experts from the UK & US to deliver best in class training and advice about the industry.
Training is offered as personalised sessions and cover a wide range of topics, including Getting Started in VO, Corporate, Commercial and Narration, Characters, Audiobooks, Performance Techniques, Home Studio, Marketing, Vocal Health, Acting, VO & Shakespeare, Voice, Presence, Impact, Presentation Skills and more.
Find out more at www.brava.uk.com
These Mad Hybrids (running from February to May 2024) is an exhibition of sculpture and paintings by John Hoyland, but also featuring work by other contemporary sculptors. Hoyland was one of the country’s leading abstract painters of the post-war period, but the ceramic sculptures which he made in 1994 – which he called These Mad Hybrids – have received little attention to date so we are very pleased to be able to bring them to the RWA, alongside sculpture by Caroline Achaintre, Phyllida Barlow, Nick Cave, Andrew Sabin, curated by Olivia Bax.
Costs for sponsorship range from £4,000 for non-exclusive sponsorship to £7,000 for an exclusive sponsorship.
In return, we offer a range of benefits and exposure to our audiences, which include an event in the galleries and, of course, logo and mentions in all our exhibition print and online, including our website, e-newsletters and social media posts to our wide audiences.
Sponsorship of the RWA is very much a collaborative process; we can tailor packages to make sure the sponsorship works for your company and your marketing and business development objectives.
Get in touch if you’d like to know more and have a chat over coffee and cake, and a walkround of the current 170 Annual Exhibition in our galleries (kate.foster@rwa.org.uk)
We’re excited to share that we will be supporting Caring in Bristol, as part of Studio Every‘s pledge of two weeks to two charities this year.
Caring in Bristol work in imaginative and creative ways with people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, with the public and community partners to bring about lasting change in Bristol and beyond.
We will be working with Caring in Bristol to explore ways that they can expand their corporate partnerships to create even more sustainable income for the future.
We look forward to contributing to the future strategy of this incredible charity, to help prevent homelessness.
Emmaus Bristol Wins Place on Noble Deeds Digital Marketing Programme
Emmaus Bristol, which helps people out of homelessness and poverty, has been declared this year’s winner of a place on the coveted ‘Noble Deeds’ programme. Supporting charities and not-for-profits in the South West to carry out their essential activities, Emmaus Bristol will receive an £18,000 package of digital marketing support over the course of six months through the programme.
Emmaus Bristol provides a home and support to up to thirty formerly homeless men and women (known as companions), who also receive training and work experience by helping to run the charity’s shops and its other social enterprises. Enabling them to build the confidence and skills they need to secure future employment.
Funding its vital work, the charity also has three shops across the city and its surrounds, selling pre-loved furniture, clothes and household items. Including its Stokes Croft base which also houses a large warehouse and yard for sorting goods to sell or recycle.
Started in North America twenty years-ago by its sister company, this is the second year Bristol-based digital performance marketing agency Noble Performs has run its Noble Deeds pro bono initiative. The programme, which commits to putting a percentage of annual turnover to dedicated CSR activities, has increased this year’s prize fund by over 30% on its 2022 launch amount.
Entry to become a Noble Deeds Programme recipient opens in May each year with the winning not-for-profit announced ahead of the programme start in September, which runs through to February.
Creating a high level of interest this year once again from the local charity sector, Emmaus Bristol was selected due to the long-term impact it has on the community when it comes to supporting people out of poverty and homelessness.
Lorenzo Campbell, Noble Performs and chair of UK Deeds committee explains; “We love what Emmaus is doing in terms of how it equips people with the skills and experiences they need to build life beyond being a companion. In turn, creating a continuous pathway for those facing homelessness and poverty to get back on their feet and create a way forward for themselves. The way Noble Deeds works itself is not dissimilar, our aim is to help charities maximise the impact of their work through digital channels during the six-month programme, while at the same time giving them the skills they need to continue doing so in the long term.
“There is so much potential here with Emmaus Bristol having several elements to what it does – however, knowing where to focus and what activities will have the maximum impact is not easy. That’s where we come in, helping the in-house marketing team to get that clarity and to build an effective digital marketing programme that will give them maximum return on their efforts.”
With numerous worthwhile entrants to this years’ programme, given the cost-of-living crisis and the increased numbers of families and individuals facing homelessness and financial hardship, Emmaus became a clear winner due to its work in this area.
Talking about how the programme will help Emmaus in its current objectives, Stacey McDevitt, Regional Communications Manager, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Noble team to look at how we can shape our digital marketing efforts further to boost donations and create new revenue streams. As well as our shops and upcycling operations, we also have our online sales team, house clearance service and two new eco-pods for tourists, all raising vital funds for the accommodation and support we offer to help people rebuild their lives.
“This all needs to be communicated to the right audiences by a small in-house team and we hope the Noble programme can help us improve the way we do this. Like many charities right now, being able to fund our activities and do everything we need to do can be a challenge. Being able to identify and reach the right people who might be able to support us through digital channels is an essential part of this. We’re looking forward to drawing on Noble’s expertise here so we can be really targeted and make sure our efforts create the maximum impact. There are so many people who need our help right now in such difficult times financially so the more we can do to support them the better.”
To find out more about Emmaus Bristol go to https://emmausbristol.org.uk, to find out more about Noble Performs go to https://nobleperforms.co.uk,
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