South West-based brand and communications specialist AgencyUK has announced record growth as evolutions in the company’s culture continue to drive unprecedented levels of performance, despite an economically turbulent period for many.
AgencyUK (AUK) achieved record numbers in their 2023 financial results, following two years of cultural alignment and investment in their new Senior Management Team led by founding members Sammy Mansourpour and Amy Stobie. The business has delivered 220% annual growth in revenue for each financial period since January 2020, putting them on track to becoming one of the UK’s largest independently owned agencies.
“Celebrating 16 years is a seminal moment for the whole agency. It really feels like a transition into adulthood. As an established agency business with a team rich in experience, it is in no small part down to our team embracing creativity and new technology. AI and data analytics have made a meaningful difference to our work, by fuelling our creativity and building in new features around advertising campaign performance. This has been instrumental for our clients, particularly those in the B2B space, where we have a particular foothold in the healthcare sector. And we’ve seen the agency grow exponentially because of it,” says Sammy Mansourpour, Managing Director.
In 2021, the Senior Management Team focused on expanding the agency’s client portfolio in the health, life science and pharmaceutical sectors, leading to a record signing of three top-tier new drug development organisations, as well as launching Our Future Health, a nationwide health research programme in partnership with the NHS, which now has over 1.2 million participants across the UK.
The agency now boasts a stronger B2B portfolio making up 50% of its revenue. The remaining 50% houses well-known food, drink, health and wellbeing brands, including beloved sweet brand Chewits, currently enjoying a renaissance since our amplified brand campaigns and award-winning work across social media.
In response, the agency has expanded its in-house teams by growing its creative department and assembling a new senior management team, recruited from its in-house fast track careers programme. Overall staff numbers have increased by 50% with a further 30% expected to be in place by January 2025.
“We are of course delighted with the performance of the business over the past five years, and we have no doubt that our long-term investment in developing the agency’s culture and staff careers plays a significant part in our success on the bottom line. We welcome turning 16 with open arms,” says Amy Stobie, Director.
The AUK leadership team has embarked on a comprehensive programme of cultural development, sustainability and community outreach. Framed around people, planet and community, these initiatives also form the bedrock of the agency’s commitment to being a certified B Corp since their accreditation in 2021, as well as an award-winning staff development and well-being programme.
Being a stone’s throw from notable Bristol landmarks like the Bristol Beacon, the Christmas Steps and the Hippodrome, this office is perfectly placed for any freelancers, start-ups and small businesses looking to take that next step. The collaborative duo hope that the space will become a bustling creative hub offering opportunities to new businesses.
You can check out virtual gallery of the office here.
Interested in viewing the space in person? Reach out to the team: [email protected]
The concept is a fusion of ancient tea-drinking culture and a contemporary treatment, as well as melding East and West, taking inspiration from China, Japan and specially Taiwan, as well as from British tea and coffee houses. This fusion reflects the background of the brand’s owners, one-time students-turned-entrepreneurs, who first met at Bristol University, before plotting their new venture.
The brand name, Oricha, is a fusion too, bringing together the words ‘Oriental’ and ‘Original’, with the word ‘cha’, Chinese for ‘tea’, a word first introduced to the English language as far back as the 1590s via the Portuguese, who traded in Macao and picked up the Cantonese pronunciation. When Phoenix Wharf came on board, Oricha’s brand identity was already in hand, having been created by a Taiwanese branding agency.
The Oricha logo features a tea leaf integrated into the letter ‘R’, whilst the brand icon is a T Rex dinosaur, a fun take on the Chinese dragon, hinting at the meeting of old traditions and a contemporary sensibility. The T Rex bears a large, traditional tea bowl on its back, representing the Eastern tradition of offering hospitality, and is decorated in a bespoke pattern inspired by stems and leaves. The Oricha crest above it represents the seal of quality and encompasses the Chinese character for ‘tea’ in a circle. The brand strapline – ‘Oriental and Original, since antiquity’ surrounds this family of icons. The identity’s colourway of rich blue, white, gold and grey also formed part of the brief for the new environment.
‘The site itself was a double retail unit and former jewellery store’ Chris Gwyther, Creative Director of Phoenix Wharf, explained. ‘We were briefed to work with the new branding and the idea of an Asian-Western fusion, referencing the eclectic cafes of the 30s/40s Shanghai Bund era and incorporating elements of traditional Chinese design, such as the use of tiles and timber battens. British coffee and tea houses were a further part of the mix, alongside more modern elements such as a concrete floor and contemporary lighting.’
The 55.9 sq m space is made up of 16.9 sq m front of house and 18.6 sq m behind the counter. The deep counter is sited almost halfway back, so that customers don’t have to queue in the street when the weather is inclement. The counter front is clad in timber-effect laminate, set over custom-made steel units, and featuring brass detailing with a tiled lower section, using a porcelain tile that replicates the pattern used for the identity.
A row of three digital menu screens sits above the counter. The back wall of the space features is a manuscript scroll – another nod to authenticity and ancient traditions – featuring a fun illustration of a dinosaur chasing a bubble. A large, gold Oricha crest features on the back-of-house door, which is painted blue.
Flooring throughout is large concrete tiles. The left-side wall of the interior features the Oricha branding at large scale, including a fret-cut T Rex, backed by tiles featuring the Oricha crest in pale gold, with the wall framed in pale timber. The right-side wall features promotional posters set against white, with a grey-painted lower wall section, as well as a floor-to-ceiling joinery unit. This displays set dressing ephemera, such as the brand’s unique teapot-shaped carry-out holders, alongside traditional glass jars of tea to underline the promise of high-quality ingredients.
‘Our clients are tea leaf experts and very particular about the sourcing of their tea product’, Chris Gwyther explained, ‘using only high-quality, Taiwanese, rice-roasted oolong tea.’
Just inside the store’s front window are two high tables with velvet-upholstered bar stools on a brass-coloured base. Two pendant lights over the tables are the Chubes ceiling pendant from Lights and Lamps, whilst wall lights throughout are the Brass drop curve wall light from houseof. The inner shopfront area is painted royal blue to match the brand blue, whilst the external shopfront is in dark stained wood with three panels of the brand pattern above the glazing, reversed here as white out of blue. The Oricha name in gold on the fascia is backed by deliberately-faded timber panels to suggest age and authenticity, with a protruding ‘bus stop’ sign also featuring the full brand dinosaur-and-tea icon. The brand icon appears once more in larger scale on the glazing as a manifestation.
‘Oricha immediately stands out from its more brightly-coloured competitors with its subtle and under-stated references to the traditional and the modern’, Chris Gwyther commented. ‘We’re sure it will trade well and look forward to working with its owners on future iterations in different British cities!’
‘It was great to work with the Phoenix Wharf team – they are very efficient and professional’ Jaspar Lo of Oricha said, adding that ‘Many customers told us that they like our shop’s design, which should be a great thank you to the team. We wish them all the best!
One of the big benefits of Bristol Creative Industries membership is the ability to self-publish content on our website. We’ve seen lots of great content published in 2023 including some brilliant business advice.
Here are the 20 most popular advice posts of the year. The list includes some posts from 2022 that have continued to attract views thanks to their great tips.
Want to publish business advice on our website and make it into the top 20 in 2024? Become a member of Bristol Creative Industries.
____
Written by Varn
Click below or read the article here.
Written by Janusz Stabik – Digital Agency Mentor
Click below or read the article here.
Written by Gravitywell
Click below or read the article here.
Startup funding: What is the difference between pre-seed and seed investment?
Written by JX Branding / Joanna Xenofontos
Click below or read the article here.
The role of brand architecture in Facebook’s rebrand to Meta
Written by saintnicks
Click below or read the article here.
Written by Adapt
Click below or read the article here.
Written by Fanatic
Click below or read the article here.
Written by Carnsight Communications
Click below or read the article here.
Written by Varn
Click below or read the article here.
Written by studio floc
Click below or read the article here.
Written by Carnsight Communications
Click below or read the article here.
Written by Halo
Click below or read the article here.
Written by Trusty Social
Click below or read the article here.
Written by AMBITIOUS PR
Click below or read the article here.
Written by Blog Write Ltd
Click below or read the article here.
Written by Varn
Click below or read the article here.
Written by Proctor + Stevenson
Click below or read the article here.
“Millennials don’t like being told what to do” – Time to rethink your strategy?
Written by saintnicks
Click below or read the article here.
Written by Carnsight Communications
Click below or read the article here.
Written by Flourish
Click below or read the article here.
One size doesn’t fit all – usable HTML across different email clients
Want to publish business advice on our website and make it into the top 20 in 2024? Become a member of Bristol Creative Industries.
As another year draws to a close we look back on some of the fantastic web design and web development projects we have worked on during 2023. Over the course of the past year we have worked with some amazing clients and delivered high quality, bespoke websites built on either WordPress or OpenCart content management systems.
To celebrate another great year of designing and developing websites in Bristol we have decided this year to put together a video showreel showing off our recent work.
This year we have worked with Dream Bites creating an ecommerce sweet treat website, brochure website for civil engineering company Lynwood Civil, ecommerce and informational website for Cardiff Nail & Beauty Training School, brochure website for mortgage broker Mortgage Gold, brochure website for The Natural Pool Company and many more.
Not only do we provide amazing web design and development we have also provided responsive and transparent website maintenance and support to a range of our clients this year to ensure their websites are up to date, new features are added or given technical assistance through our client portal and maintenance packages.
Grab the popcorn, sit back, relax and discover some of the exciting web design projects that we have been busy with!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PieOBe99qFo&ab_channel=eckhoMedia
Located on the second floor of Sparks Bristol, the sustainable department store that opened in May of this year, the Tabb team’s goal for the space is to significantly increase their ability to support Bristol’s independent filmmakers and creative freelancers and to help them benefit from the city’s fast-growing film and creative industry.
At launch, the creative hub will accommodate 50 permanent residents and 30 flexible hotdesks in a space that, for the previous 70 years, served as an office and breakroom for the staff at Marks & Spencer. Tabb has plans to incorporate a permanent film and photographic studio later in the year and hopes that this is just the start of their work in offering further physical services to help its community make their projects happen.
With consultation from low-carbon, innovative design and construction firm Agile Homes, the ‘Tabb Hub’ will use recycled and custom furniture to create unique and purpose-built spaces for its residents and community, including Bristol Production Van, Foxy Motion Films, Barri Films and FishPunch.
The hub is open to enquiries and reservations from filmmakers and connected creative disciplines, whether individuals or teams, with flexibility regarding how residents can organise and set up the space.
Known as ‘Cahootify’ until December last year, Tabb’s collaborative platform for independent filmmakers, producers and actors has gone from strength to strength. With regular events, festivals and screenings aiming to unite and empower South West filmmakers, Tabb’s community has grown to 8,000 members. Rising stars and established professionals, such as Keith Wilhelm-Kopp, who recently released their debut feature film, Translations (2023), have added over 10,000 short films, animations, trailers and music videos to the platform, with many by teams that found each other through the Tabb opportunities and events.
Sparks Bristol, a world-first project co-created by Global Goals Centre and ArtSpace LifeSpace, offers various indoor independent stalls and shops, from fashion and food to nature and energy, supporting people to make money-saving choices on climate, equality and wellbeing. Sparks Project Manager John Hosken said, “We are delighted that the collaborative and empowering Tabb organisation has taken the space – creating so much opportunity for both organisations.”
Tabb CEO Pete Francomb, said: “We’re thrilled to offer this exciting new space to Bristol filmmakers. The forward-thinking Sparks ethos matches Tabb’s commitment to supporting and enabling creatives. Tabb Hub is a perfect and logical move for the organisation and the community.”
Tabb expects the hub to fill quickly due to the hub’s prime central location and high demand for flexible and multi-use creative spaces.
For more information about Tabb Hub and to enquire about becoming a resident, visit https://tabb.cc/hub or email [email protected]
To learn more about Tabb and their growing filmmaker and creative community, visit https://tabb.cc/
To learn more about Sparks, visit https://sparksbristol.co.uk/
As filmmakers, we must adapt and evolve with the times to capture and maintain our audience’s attention while keeping purpose and authenticity at the core of our storytelling.
Many purists would consider the idea of ‘versioning a story’, that is adapting it for different ‘channels’, to conflict with the very soul of the storyteller. A story should simply have the time it needs to be well told.
But what works ‘best’ depends on the context of the telling. We no longer communicate sat face-to-face around an open fire but through multiple and proliferating digital media. We have been suddenly removed from millions of years of storytelling evolution.
However, the need to communicate across multiple media can be an invaluable opportunity for stories to reach and connect with wider audiences. Film narratives need to be crafted into multiple variants to engage, not as auteur works of art, but as purposeful tools with a central unifying message.
But how fast can you tell a story with a sense of context, character, place and emotion, whilst also letting it breathe, before the story falls apart and the essence is lost?
Of course, our attention span depends on viewing context and on how invested the audience is in your subject before they take their seat.
So, you need different versions to engage different audiences watching with different levels of pre-existing attenuation to your message, from the active listener to the casually curious.
Well yes, but not in one step. Editing, unlike say sculpting, is a non-destructive process of refinement. So by a careful process of distillation, each step yields a shorter yet distinct form that can be used to connect with audiences in different ways, each time stripping away more of the context and complexity whilst bringing the essence more sharply into focus.
Here’s a recent example of this creative versioning process in action.
The brief from our colleagues ImpactEd Group was to reveal the transformation of a child enabled by the concentrated attention of an adult, herself guided by the skilful evaluation of data.
Each version of the film had to convey more and more succinctly both the context and emotion of a transformative experience.
‘How can data help transform the life of a child?‘
Edit phase 1 (8 days)
5’00″ version for a Campaign Launch for a pre-invited captive audience
Edit phase 2 (2 days)
2’30” version for Branded Channels for a partially engaged remote audience that has navigated to your domain
Edit phase 3 (1 day)
1’00″ version for Social Media for an audience with passing curiosity surfing your content via media feeds guided by hashtags and leading text.
What remains is the transformative essence of a relationship. An adult really listening to a child.
“I didn’t have that one person I could talk to. And now I have.”
So attention is in short supply.
As the attention economy pulls us into a vortex of distraction, we need to fall in love again with being.
And films, as channels of emotion, can remind us of the very essence of who we are.
All we need is someone to listen, and someone to listen to.
How do stories work? A newsletter for storytellers, changemakers and dreamers:
Got a story to tell? Or purpose to communicate? Need some friendly advice?
#AttentionEconomy #CreativeProcess #FilmmakingProcess #SparkFilms #FilmsToBelieveIn #TurningChanceIntoDestiny #Purpose #Authenticity #Filmmaking #Storytelling #HowStoriesWork #DocumentaryFilmmaking #WhatMakesAGoodStory #FilmProductionBristol #VideoProductionBristol #BristolFilmmakers #BristolStoryTellers #DocumentaryFilmmakerBristol
Introducing our annual Design – People, Work & Engagement Survey, a concise yet comprehensive exploration designed to provide a snapshot of working in Design and User Experience roles across the United Kingdom. This survey allows us to inform employers about the evolving needs, priorities, and aspirations of those shaping the Design landscape.
Whilst we have a lot of internal data at ADLIB, we’re always looking to strengthen this and develop a better understanding of the people and communities we work with. Along with our experience, surveys like this help us to inform employers of what’s important to people and create better environments and offerings too.
We plan to run this survey annually each year. Alongside our internal data this survey will help us publish a report that offers a snapshot of the people, working practices and priorities of those in the Design sector and how this is changing. We’ll make this available on the ADLIB blog.
We’ve tried to keep it short but insightful.
People working in permanent roles (including full-time & part-time) in Design and User Experience in the United Kingdom at any level. The job title’s featured in the survey reflect the most common roles and job titles we recruit for, so it’s worth noting that not all roles across the sector are featured.
Around 5 minutes.
The questions are in 3 main sections;
The personal information we ask for here is to help us better understand and share insight on the diversity within the sector. All these questions are optional and please only answer what you’re comfortable with, there is a ‘Prefer not to say’ option. We’ve also included boxes to self identify or describe (we couldn’t change the text to ‘Self describe’ in the form creator, so these say ‘Other’).
We take data privacy very seriously and are fully GDPR compliant. Entering your email at the end of the survey is entirely optional and this information will be securely stored. Your email address will only be used to contact you to share the results of the survey and to let you know of future surveys we’re conducting should you choose these options at the end.
(For context: what are you talking about?)
I’m not worried about AI stealing my job as a content writer. I’m excited about how it will evolve.
AI tools have sky-rocketed my productivity, re-ignited my excitement for work and made me a better writer. Turns out, my pain points were never about a lack of inspiration or creativity. It was the lack of efficiency.
My boss always says, “Just break the white page, get something down and you’ve done the hardest part.”
Also known in the industry as the ‘SFD’ – shitty first draft.
Now, and preferably, forever, AI does the hardest part for me.
Mr Bucket’s original job screwing caps onto toothpaste tubes is content writing before AI.
I think this quote from the film sums up what that was like quite nicely…
“The hours were long, the pay was terrible, and occasionally, there were unexpected surprises.”
In the end, Mr Bucket gets a more interesting, better-paid role at the factory. Fixing and maintaining the robot that took his job.
I much prefer my new job of fixing and maintaining the metaphorical AI toothpaste robot.
Research is easier and more thorough. Article outlines are done for me, giving me an SEO-optimised structure which hits (and improves) my client’s briefs. I have an editor, PA, proofreader, sense-checker, and idea-suggestor, for free, whenever I need them. And we make a damn good team.
AI-written text can be good, but it’s not great. We all know its technical limitations, but its biggest flaw, through no fault of its own, is that it doesn’t care.
It doesn’t build relationships, collaborate with others, or get excited about what you’re trying to achieve. There’s no ‘above and beyond’ with AI.
It’s an out-of-the-box solution for a skill that’s anything but.
Maybe one day it will take my job. But I think the day humans stop writing is the day humans stop reading. In which case we’re all screwed anyway.
AI Oath🤚📕
I solemnly swear I did not open a single AI tool while writing this article.
But I probably should have. It might have told me it’s not as funny as I think it is. And I wouldn’t have spent half an hour deep-diving the Willy Wonka fandom.
In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie’s dad (William Bucket) lost his job because a new robot did his job more efficiently – and for less money.
Phoenix Wharf created a candy-coloured fantasia at the Bradford site. The hospitality outlet was funded by investment from the show’s host, Lord Sugar, now also a partner in the business. The 144 sq m, 55-cover, sit-down ‘Oh So Yum!’ dessert parlour is the flagship for the brand, set to ‘take over the dessert world’. The immersive, ‘wow factor’ space, is inspired by Harpreet’s desire for a clean-lined, Willy Wonka-style interior experience.
A big thank you to the project team and Harpreet Kaur for helping to make the project come to life.
You can view the project entry on the Better Future London Design Awards here.