8fbd035081bd09934004bfc61d79c31c5d5d9ee4

Total Web Design

Tagged: agency

Marketing Agency

Meet The Marketing Agency Celebrating Its 30th Birthday By Selling To Its Workers

Farnham, Surrey-based brand experience shop 2LK has become the latest agency to go employee-owned. We sat down with its co-owners (now two among many), who find themselves asking, “where’s the catch?”

Independent agency 2LK has today announced that it has completed a transition to employee ownership (EO).

The deal makes the events shop the latest in a string of worker-owned agencies, along with the likes of RocketMill. These agencies join a broader movement: the UK-based Employee Ownership Association counts over 1,400 employee-owned businesses in the country (in the US, CertifiedEO counts over 6,000 members).

When The Drum visited 2LK in leafy Farnham on the eve of the agency’s 30th birthday celebration, co-owners (now co-owning with all their colleagues) Dan Mason and Andy Sexton paint a picture of employee ownership as a no-brainer – “when you start to unpack it, you start to ask, ‘where’s the catch?’”, says Sexton.

What’s your exit plan?

For Mason and Sexton, employee ownership is the almost-inevitable next evolution for a business with what Mason calls “an ethos of leaving”. Founded in 1993 by Derek Lunt, Mike Littlechild and David Kelly (two Ls and a K), those founding partners imbued the business with a philosophy of “writing your exit plan before you write your business plan,” says Sexton.

Written down, that risks sounding noncommittal or distant – particularly in the marketing world, where owners will often have one eye (or both) on sale and exit. For Mason and Sexton, it’s quite the opposite. “The principle underpinning the whole thing was that the business needs to be have enough money in it to buy out any individual shareholder,” says Mason. “The founders worked hard to ensure that they weren’t taking away our business – all the money stayed in it in order that, at any

… Read the rest

Marketing Agency

Senior art director and PR director among six new hires at Fox Agency

Global B2B technology marketing specialist, Fox Agency, has made six new appointments following a series of strategic client wins.

The hires grow key services at Leeds, London and Dusseldorf-based Fox Agency, including copywriting, creative and PR, while bolstering the agency’s operational capabilities to deliver against increasing demand for its integrated offering.

Bringing years of experience from agencies including cain&abelDBB and Havas CX Helia, the new team members have worked with clients such as The Economist, WWF, Halifax, Audi and Visa. This brings Fox Agency’s total hires in FY23 to 15, bringing the agency’s total headcount to 60.

The appointments follow a series of client wins with significant integrated marketing briefs, including Gamma, PHINIA and OneStream.

The agency welcomes Tom Sulley as senior art director, Richard Jefferson as senior conceptual copywriter, Lucy Bristow as PR director, Steve Crookes as studio and traffic manager, Will Greaves as project manager and Leyton Williams as finance assistant.

Ben Fox, CEO at Fox Agency said: “Integrated agency partners with extensive knowledge and expertise are critical in ensuring success in a time where CMOs are under increasing pressure to do more with less. These six new team members are vital in ensuring we are positioned to adapt and evolve with the growing needs of global marketing teams. Our new colleagues bring a wealth of experience from across the industry, and all contribute unique and valuable skills to the team.”

The agency continues to grow, with further hires planned across motion, creative, PR, and operations before the end of 2023.

… Read the rest

Marketing Agency

Complex Agency Rosters Give CMOs Headaches. Mekanism Wants To Offer Pain Relief

A year and a bit since its acquisition by Canadian holdco Plus, Mekanism’s boss shares how it is looking to expand with a two-rail strategy.

Despite the smoke blown by ad agencies about the culture-breaking creative, agile teams or moving at the speed of social, a lot of marketers choose agencies because they think they stand a decent chance of solving the problems plaguing their organizations.

Speaking to The Drum remotely from a hotel room in Miami where he’s attending a marketing conference, Mekanism co-founder and chief executive Jason Harris hopes that’s the case.

Mekanism was acquired just over a year ago by Canadian holding firm Plus Company, which also owns agencies Cossette, We Are Social and 55 Rush. Harris says the last 14 months or so have meant “a lot of change” for the business he founded – the main being that he’s had to remember what it’s like to have a boss.

“It took some learning to manage up versus being managed up,” he says. “That was a new skill. It’s taken me this year to develop that muscle memory.”

Headcount at the agency has grown around 10-15% since the Plus deal was inked, with new staffers joining its media, UI, UX and AI practices. One particular addition has come through Zapiens, a boutique Madrid design agency that has brought 20 new digital designers under the Mekanism umbrella.

The acquisition will send Mekanism farther along the road to its eventual destination, Harris says.

“We’re really trying to be long-term brand builders and short-term drivers of business growth. [The Zapiens deal] doesn’t necessarily have huge revenue implications; it’s more about the skillsets and chemistry.”

Marketing clients are caught up in the tension between long- and short-term business goals. “CMOs are under more pressure than ever to show performance

… Read the rest

Marketing Agency

B2B technology marketing agency expands team following recent client wins

Global B2B technology marketing specialist Fox Agency has made six new appointments following a series of strategic client wins.

The hires grow key services at London headquartered Fox Agency, including copywriting, creative and PR, while bolstering the agency’s operational capabilities to deliver against increasing demand for its integrated offering.

Bringing years of experience from agencies including cain&abelDBB and Havas CX Helia, the new team members have worked with clients such as The Economist, WWF, Halifax, Audi and Visa. This brings Fox Agency’s total hires in FY23 to 15, bringing the agency’s total headcount to 60.

The appointments follow a series of client wins with significant integrated marketing briefs, including Gamma, PHINIA and OneStream.

The agency welcomes Tom Sulley as Senior Art Director, Richard Jefferson as Senior Conceptual Copywriter, Lucy Bristow as PR Director, Steve Crookes as Studio and Traffic Manager, Will Greaves as Project Manager and Leyton Williams as Finance Assistant.

Ben Fox, CEO of Fox Agency, commented: “Integrated agency partners with extensive knowledge and expertise are critical in ensuring success in a time where CMOs are under increasing pressure to do more with less.

“These six new team members are vital in ensuring we are positioned to adapt and evolve with the growing needs of global marketing teams. Our new colleagues bring a wealth of experience from across the industry, and all contribute unique and valuable skills to the team.”

The agency continues to grow, with further hires planned across motion, creative, PR, and operations before the end of 2023.

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

Looking to promote your product/service to SME businesses in your region?

Find out how Bdaily can help →

… Read the rest

Marketing Agency

Don’t Let A Future Investor Ask Why Your Agency Hasn’t Got An AI Strategy

Agency owners looking to sell up must have a response to the questions posed by AI, writes Martin Ward of Waypoint Partners.

Selling your agency is all about putting your best foot forward. Until recently, it was clear what a potential investor or buyer was looking for. But with the recent huge advances in AI, the goalposts have changed. According to a private equity house that is active in the marketing services space, if you don’t have an AI strategy as part of your IM (the information memorandum, a core sales document), you’re unlikely to impress.

In effect, you will be broadcasting to the world that you are either behind the times or simply arrogant enough to believe you can ignore the impact of the technology. Both are as bad as each other. An agency that gets it will know that, depending on how they navigate the technology, it represents either the biggest existential threat or the greatest opportunity.

But if the requirement to get on board with the opportunity presented by AI is clear to most, the decision-making journey the leadership team needs to go on is by no means straightforward. And that’s because the business world likes to deal with certainties: if I do A plus B, the result will be C.

We can also blame Richard Herrnstein’s hyperbolic discounting theory, which, simply put, means we humans are much more likely to opt for today’s clear but smaller reward over a future, larger reward that is not yet quite tangible. Effecting behavior change to mitigate climate change is tough for the same reason.

When it comes to embedding generative AI in your organization, whether to make efficiencies or to develop new products and services, you can’t be sure of the endgame until you’re well on the way and

… Read the rest

Marketing Agency

Mastering the music marketing game: The VM Agency’s disruptive success story

In the fast-paced world of music, where talent meets strategy, View Maniac, also known as the VM Agency, has established itself as a powerhouse music PR company with its revolutionary approach to helping both indie and major artists.

With a roster of artists including global icons Beyoncé, 50 Cent, and more, they’ve proven their mastery of music marketing with their systematic tactics in branding and optimisation, earning recognition from major labels, even licensing their technology to power the growth of numerous artists.

The VM Agency’s illustrious portfolio boasts a recent collaboration with legendary artist Beyoncé and The Isley Brothers. Designing and directing the lyric video for The Isley Brothers new single “MAKE ME SAY IT AGAIN” was a moment of awe-inspiring creativity. The video garnered 1.7 million views on YouTube and achieved certified platinum status.

Kev Miles and Adam Jonathan, the dynamic founders, have combined their business savvy with an unmistakable passion for music, propelling their agency to seven-figure success, asserting “Given professional music and a brandable artist, we’re committed to creating household names.”

With a dedicated team passionate about championing independent artists and nurturing emerging talents, they’ve curated an ensemble of experts poised to transform the careers of up-and-coming musicians.

VM Agency stands out, offering everything from top-tier lyric video production and collaborations with major artists to content creation, marketing, PR, and billboard promotion. In essence, they equip artists with the essential tools and connections to truly shine in the music world.

They’ve also tapped into the undeniable influence of TikTok, urging artists to harness its potential for virality, leveraging the platform through influencer partnerships for organic attention.

The agency is supported by pillars of transparency, coachability, and an unyielding work ethic, emphasizing “The music industry demands transparency.”

They focus on a hands-on approach collaborating

… Read the rest

Marketing Agency

Stockton Agency Partners in Bentonville joins Dallas-based Integrity

Integrity Marketing Group, a Dallas-based distributor of life and health insurance and provider of wealth management and retirement planning services, recently acquired Bentonville-based Stockton Agency Partners. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

President Russ Stockton and vice president Rachel Stockton lead Stockton Agency, which provides Medicare plans and advice to seniors in 11 states. The insurance agency has three employees managing a team of 50 agents, who are independent contractors. All employees will remain with the company.

It also will maintain its branding and logos but will operate as Stockton Agency Partners: An Integrity Co. Integrity has three other Arkansas locations: Eldercare Insurance Services in Hot Springs and MediSource and Drennan Insurance Marketing, both in Little Rock.

A video with more details about the acquisition is at this link.

Stockton Agency was established more than 40 years ago, and many of its clients have been with the company for more than 20 years.

“We focus on protecting families, and Integrity offers us the most end-to-end capabilities to help American families more holistically protect their life, health and wealth,” Russ Stockton said. “I’ve been so impressed with Integrity’s ability to utilize technology to heighten the level of service we can provide in the insurance industry.”

Integrity comprises more than 500,000 agents and advisers and millions of U.S. customers. In 2022, the company helped carriers place over $22 billion in new sales and oversaw more than $40 billion of assets under management.

“At Integrity, we’re developing advanced technology and resources for brokerages like Stockton Agency that are specifically designed to keep them at the forefront of Medicare and support them for years to come,” said Integrity CEO Bryan Adams. “Russ and Rachel are wonderful examples of leaders who serve their customers with honesty and transparency, and now I can’t

… Read the rest

Marketing Agency

Bowled over? Growing estate agency reveals quirky campaign

bowler hat sandcastle

Independent estate agency Hat and Home has released its 2023 brand marketing campaign and today The Neg can bring you a sneak peek about how it’s all put together.

Renowned for its distinctive advertising using hat imagery (main picture) to portray its service proposition, its latest campaign, called ‘What Moves You?’, follows suit with an even more creative approach to estate agency advertising.

The series of ads to be released over the next few months (two featured here) sees Hat and Home’s signature bowler hat as the vehicle to telling the story of reasons why people move home.

Ben Gee, Hat and Home Founder, says: “It began with us asking our customers why they were moving. The reasons were never to do with money, or the market or climbing the property ladder.

“The reasons were to do with lifestyle and relationships and opportunity for new adventures. People told us about moving closer to family, about new additions, about moving-in together.”

bowler hat made of bricksGee explains how the agency heard stories of amazing new jobs abroad and retirement plans by the coast.

He adds: “As estate agents we facilitate people’s moves but what we are really doing is playing a small part in getting them to the next milestone in their life journey.”

CREATIVE PARTNER

Hat and Home has worked closely with its longstanding creative partner to produce these ads, developing each creative from scratch using the very latest technology in 3D modelling (pictured).

The campaign can be seen across social media, print advertising, outdoor locations, online portals, email campaigns and in the company’s offices and website.

The Neg revealed in May that Hat and Home had launched Milliner Financial Services – a mortgage brokerage headed by Directors and Co-founders Ben Gee and Luke Strzadala.

The choice of name was no coincidence

… Read the rest

Marketing Agency

Star Alliance Appoints The Secret Little Agency as Lead Creative Agency of Record

After a highly competitive pitch spanning six months, Star Alliance has awarded The Secret Little Agency as its global creative agency of record. 

“We are thrilled to be given this opportunity to take the Star Alliance brand to new heights, and incredibly humbled by the trust placed in us – it’s amazing when we meet clients that mirror our drive and determination to create great work. We’re confident of the excellence we will unlock together in this new creative partnership,” said Eunice Tan, Group CEO, The Secret Little Agency.

The Secret Little Agency’s remit include global brand and marketing strategy and communications development including brand and product campaigns. 

“We’re happy to collaborate with the highly dynamic The Secret Little Agency, which captured our attention with their strategic and creative talent. This partnership marks a step forward reflecting our commitment to impactful brand building, and we eagerly look forward to the creative ventures that lie ahead.” said Sidharth Grover, director communications and marketing, Star Alliance.

Founded in 1997, Star Alliance is the world’s first and largest airline alliance, with 26 member airlines including many of the world’s top aviation companies like Air China, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines and more. The Secret Little Agency is the first APAC-based agency to be appointed as Global AOR for Star Alliance, marking an exciting new chapter for the brand.

… Read the rest

Websites Builders

Bechtel starts construction on NASA’s $1.5B Florida launch site

Reston, Virginia-based contractor Bechtel began construction of NASA’s Mobile Launcher 2, a rocket launch pad that is key to putting people back on the moon for the first time since 1972, and will support the agency’s plans to send humans to Mars, the contractor announced on Aug. 16. 

The project, located at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, may cost up to $1.5 billion to build, according to Space News.

The new launcher will rise more than 390 feet and withstand a launch environment of greater than 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit, blast pressures of more than 130 pounds per square inch and more than 8.9 million pounds of thrust, according to the release. Bechtel will design, build and test the launcher as part of its duties.

“I look forward to continuing safe progress on the mobile launcher as we work from bolting to liftoff,” said Felice Presti, a project manager for Bechtel, in the release.

The project is a part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustainable presence on the moon to prepare for missions to Mars, according to the space agency. The agency has prioritized finding technology partners in recent months, especially as the government gears up to build permanent fixtures on the moon and prepare to travel to Mars.

While the launcher will aid the agency’s mission, it hasn’t been without challenges. The cost-plus contract for the project was originally valued at $383 million, Space News reported, but delays and cost escalations resulted in the current$1.5 billion estimate.

Bechtel did not immediately address Construction Dive’s queries about the reported cost overruns. The contractor told Space News in a statement that it remained committed to the project and supporting NASA.

The launch pad’s first rocket is slated to blast off

… Read the rest