Tag Archives: Agency

News

Waste supports indie gaming clients with innovative new revenue share initiative, called Upstart

Independent creative agency Waste has launched an innovative new revenue-share initiative called Upstart, as it seeks to diversify its revenue streams and support up-and-coming independent gaming clients.

The agency, which also works with many of the world’s biggest AAA games brands including Supercell, Riot, and Nintendo, developed the new model in the face of continued commodification in the ad industry and a need to develop new value-based revenue streams, but also in recognition of the fact that many smaller studios lack the advertising budgets or expertise required to market their games.

Upstart aims to help expand the potential of gaming and entertainment companies by engaging with them through a “freemium” model, where its marketing services are provided completely free-of-charge and in return, Waste receives a percentage of net revenue generated.

Upstart clients can tap into Waste’s 15 years of games marketing experience, accessing expertise across strategy, creative ideation, content production, social media and community management, along with advice on brand positioning and pricing, with no risk involved.

The first client to benefit from the Upstart model is French independent gaming studio RyseUp, which has partnered with Waste to launch the game Roboquest. The game has already had a significant number of “overwhelmingly positive” reviews on Steam (out of just under 2000) and is coming soon as a console exclusive via the Xbox Game Preview program later this year.

Waste is now looking for more high-potential gaming and entertainment clients to partner with as part of the Upstart model.

The initiative is led by Visar Statovci, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Waste.

 

Visar Statovci, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Waste, said: “With commoditisation an ever-present reality in our industry, and the price-per-hour model coming under increased scrutiny from clients, it’s important that creative agencies like us employ their creativity in revenue generation and new ways of working.

“Upstart offers up-and-coming gaming and entertainment brands access to our expertise and industry contacts enables them to maximise their opportunities. The model represents greater value for them as clients as well as helping us to make the shift from “service providers” to true partners.

“It’s fantastic to be able to support passionate indie studios like RyseUp and give them the benefit of our 15 years’ experience, but it’s also hugely energising for our team, who get to play a significant role in the success and journey of new and exciting games.”

 

Milen Ivanov, CEO, RyseUp Studios, said: “The best thing about our partnership with Waste is having the freedom to fully focus on doing what we do best: developing our game. Waste have unlocked opportunities, opened doors and given us access to resources that have allowed us to supercharge the marketing of our game.

“Beyond the hard business benefits, we feel like we’ve built a real partnership with a group of people who are as passionate about what we do as we are. It’s been amazing to get that support, and we’re looking forward to a bright future.”

News, North of England

Yorkshire digital agency with humble beginnings marks three years in business with new client wins

Huddersfield-based Beanie Media, a web design and development, video and social media agency is celebrating its third birthday with two new client wins.

Marking the anniversary, the team are celebrating winning website maintenance contracts for two large e-commerce brands, which will see projected growth over the next twelve months rise by 680 percent from its £57k start in year one.

Melissa Roberts, Beanie Media’s managing director explained: “Selling products and services online is a growing market, accelerated by the recent pandemic.

“We work closely with online retailers to ensure their products are seen and importantly, sold. We understand the importance of providing a positive first impression when customers visit a client’s website, and we provide the all-important tools to ensure this.

“Winning two clients whilst celebrating our third birthday is the icing on the cake, and we can’t wait to grow the Beanie Media team and client base further.”

Melissa and Dan Atkinson started the business from Starbucks with £30 in the bank in 2018, both leaving their jobs to take the plunge and launch Beanie Media. They were 18 and 19 at the time and spent the first six months building a reputation, networking and saving enough money to rent their own office space. Beanie Media has been built from the ground up, with the entrepreneurial co-founders using money from sales to reinvest into the business as it grows.

Beanie Media specialises in supporting e-commerce businesses and believe that a web agency should consist of more than just creating a website, helping their clients implement the right marketing strategy to increase customers and profits.

The digital agency works on marketing projects with clients in the UK, recently completing a design and web development project for the West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges and working with Hello Huddersfield – a project funded by Huddersfield BID.

Beanie Media also handles the paid advertising for an online furniture company, driving a 32x return on their advertising spend and decreasing the cost per lead for a Yorkshire-based, electric gate company by over 60 percent, following a takeover from another agency.

Looking to the future, Melissa has ambitious plans to grow Beanie Media and is focused on expanding its technical capability for website development and design projects. This will support the company in servicing its growing portfolio of e-commerce clients and attracting new customers.

She’s also joined the board for the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, after being a patron for the last year, and a member since Beanie Media launched three years ago.

Beanie Media has recently added two new employees to the team, welcoming Anna Coleman as a social media executive and Harry Howells joining the business as a paid media specialist. The company is currently recruiting for an e-commerce assistant and junior web developer to join their expanding team.

News

UK creative agency OC acquires global agency Zero Degrees West

Fast-growing UK creative agency OC has acquired the respected global digital creative company Zero Degrees West (‘ZDW’), one of the leading agencies in the film and entertainment sector. The deal increases OC’s global footprint to include Los Angeles, a key growth driver for the entertainment-focused agency.

The acquisition forms part of a wider restructure for OC, which has created a new parent company, OC Group, with both brands operating independently yet collaboratively. OC was previously known as ‘Obviously Creative’ but rebranded earlier this year.

ZDW, whose recent clients include Netflix, Warner Media, Amazon Studios, Sony Music and NBCUniversal, will retain all full-time staff as part of the deal, including Global Creative Director Ipar L’Aimable, and all existing clients and projects will continue unaffected in both London and L.A.

Following an initial consulting period, ZDW founder and current CEO, Jodie Waterhouse, will depart the new enterprise after ensuring a smooth transition for ZDW’s current clients and staff. Alex Carter, founder of OC, will serve as CEO across both agencies and will be supported by his senior management team which includes Client Services Director Emma Ackerley (a previous senior figure at ZDW), Alison Deboo who joined OC in 2015 and is now Operations & Finance Director, and Commercial Director Richard Benjamin, former MD of the respected Über Agency.

Established in both London and LA, ZDW was founded in 2005 by Waterhouse, specialising in digital, design and AV, bringing insight, data and strategic solutions to top entertainment and brand clients throughout the world. Its strategy expertise and innovative thinking has led to numerous industry awards (including two prestigious Clios) and a strong reputation within the film industry.

Founded in 2006 by Alex and Loraine Carter, OC continues to show significant growth, expanding to a team of 35 with global clients including Sony Pictures, BBC, Britbox, YouTube and Lionsgate. It was recently awarded Creative Agency of the Year by the esteemed industry body BASE, voted for by leaders across the film and entertainment industry.

Alex Carter commented: “We are proud to announce our first acquisition. ZDW is one of the most respected names in the film sector and Jodie has built a genuinely incredible business – I am truly honoured to take the agency to the next stage of its evolution. Importantly, it will allow the OC Group to collectively push forward while expanding our digital and strategic solutions, bolstering the wider OC offering including key art, packaging, campaigns and OOH; as well as taking the group into the all-important LA entertainment market”

Jodie Waterhouse added: “ZDW couldn’t be in safer hands than with Alex and the OC Group team. They are highly creative, forward-thinking and have an unrivalled passion for the entertainment industry. It is this common ground between our agencies and teams which gave me the confidence in joining forces. The potential success, combined talent and drive for both agencies, and importantly our clients, in the coming months and years is brilliant news for everyone.”

The deal was brokered by management and growth consultancy ‘the arc’.

Adam Rubins, founder of the arc, commented: “We are living in unprecedented times and the market is opening up on both the buy and sell side. OC and ZDW are a great match and aligned with the arc’s approach of working with clients to drive scale & growth, increase value and never lose sight of the people behind these deals. It has been a pleasure working with both Alex and Jodie and I believe this union will deliver a first-class product within the entertainment industry.”

Appointments, News

Armadillo appoints Wunderman Thompson’s Andrew Terry as Head of Strategy

Bristol-based CRM agency, Armadillo, has named Wunderman Thompson’s Andrew Terry as new Head of Strategy. Terry will work across its big-name brands including McDonald’s, Disney and Carnival UK.  

Andrew Terry brings with him a rich history of work in the marketing and advertising industries. Most recently Data Strategy Director at Wunderman Thompson, Terry spent three years working across Shell Drivers’ Club globally, and two subsequent years on its multi-million-pound BT account.  

At Wunderman Thompson, Terry trained up the global team and worked across a wide range of different international markets, optimising the model to be as efficient as possible. Always starting with the question ‘How do we understand customers better?’, Terry was responsible for using data to inform personalisation and measurement; loyalty and membership benefits being at the forefront of his role.  

With in-depth knowledge of data acquisition and optimisation, social and digital data strategies and CRM data optimisation, Andrew Terry’s career has spanned the B2B and B2C sectors, with a firm focus on driving excellent ROI.  

Previous roles also included Data and Marketing Specialist at Newsquest, the UK’s second largest publisher of local media, in which Terry worked with internal and external data to support the centralised recruitment ad sales process and deliver business intelligence garnered from transactional information from both regional and economic trends. 

As Head of Strategy, Andrew Terry will work across all Armadillo accounts with a focus on putting data at the heart of decisions made for customers, using data creatively to change customer behaviour and deliver unrivalled ROI; reaching the right people, the right way at the right time. Keen to involve each part of the agency in achieving this, Terry will ensure results are used to feed back into strategy for maximum effect.  

Armadillo CEO, James Ray, comments: “With the rapid growth trajectory of Armadillo, we value outstanding strategy at the heart of all of our campaigns. From the moment we met Andrew we were blown away by his passion and enthusiasm for results-driven strategy. His vast experience and knowledge were exactly what we were looking for and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the team.” 

Andrew Terry adds: “The people at Armadillo are very, very good at what they do. Their long-lasting relationships with big-name clients are a fantastic indication of just how strong they and their operations really are. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be joining the agency.  

“Like most of the UK over the last 18 months I’ve established a relationship with more new brands than ever before & this presents a huge opportunity for brands entering the CRM space.  CRM is a big, big world but Armadillo is at the forefront. They have the unique ability to pull people together and form teams around the client with remarkable pace and effectiveness. Armadillo is a fantastic blend of passion and enthusiasm; skill and talent and I can’t wait to dive in.” 

News

Creative Marketing Agency, Komodo, Launches New Platform to Support Influencer Business Ventures

Global influencer marketing agency, Komodo, has announced the launch of its sister agency which will work to create bespoke brands and products for influencers and celebrities wanting to start their own business venture.

 

The new agency, Runway, will work directly with select influencers to launch and elevate unique brands from the ground up, handling the entire end-to-end process on their behalf. Once partnered, the team will use their industry-leading expertise to bring business ideas to life, making for a seamless and stress-free experience for the influencers involved.

 

Runway is a product of global creative agency, Komodo, which specialises in influencer and social media marketing, having worked with some of the world’s biggest brands across the globe, including ASOS, Estee Lauder, Sony, Boohoo, Paypal and Jamaica Tourism Board. Founded and headed by four friends in 2017, the Komodo brand now has branches in London, Sydney, Los Angeles and Bangkok, which have collectively worked on over 500 successful influencer marketing campaigns across 30 countries.

 

Runway and Komodo Founder, Freddie Strange, said: “In the past few years we have seen a huge increase in the number of influencers and celebrities wanting to turn their passions into a profit and become entrepreneurs.

 

“At Runway, we have extensive experience in launching and marketing some of the most successful brands on the market, with brands like ASOS, Paypal and Sky trusting us day in day out. We know the amount of research, planning and technicalities that are required in building a successful brand, making this a natural addition to our agency offering.”

 

Joe Ellyatt, Founder and Director of Talent, adds: “With an already guaranteed consumer base and a highly engaged following, influencers already have the foundations for an extremely successful business. As a team, we immerse ourselves in cultural trends, meaning we know what customers really want, what engages them, evokes emotion, and gives them a reason to purchase.

 

“We’ve spent years developing an impressive network of top suppliers, fulfilment centres and web developers, and with the global influencer market expected to be worth $15 billion by next year, we feel now is the perfect time to share this.”

 

Runway has engaged the services of Harry Dixon, as Chief Technology Officer. Harry is ex Chief Information Officer of Boohoo group, where he helped to build and implement the infrastructure around the retailer’s meteoric growth and prior to that held a similar position previous at RentalCars.com. His role at Runway will be to strategise and implement the technology, data and logistics systems across the business, ensuring the smooth running of multiple brands across multiple verticals on a global scale.

 

Other key hires include Matt Cole, Natasha Benharoosh and Jonny Eckersley, who all bring a wealth of experience having held roles at Next, ASOS and The Hut Group. With backgrounds in branding and building e-commerce businesses from the ground up, these key hires are part of the company’s commitment to becoming the go-to business support agency for leading influencers and celebrities.

 

Taking a bespoke approach to partnerships, Runway will specialise in the apparel, beauty, fitness and tech sectors, offering a ‘white-label’ service to its customers in order to help reach their business goals.

News

ReachFive selects Neo PR to deliver disruptive retailtech campaigns

Neo PR, the B2B technology PR agency, has announced it has been appointed as UK PR agency for ReachFive, provider of the cloud-based customer identity and access management (CIAM) enterprise platform, with immediate effect.

Since 2014, the Paris-headquartered company, ReachFive’s cloud-based, API-first platform has provided retailers with the capability to deploy consumer identity and access management with speed and at global scale, while maximising agility to keep up with the pace of digital change. Leading companies such as L’Occitane, Boulanger, Etam Group, Hachette Group, La Compagnie des Alpes, Monoprix and ENGIE use ReachFive to drive higher lifetime customer value, and improve marketing, commerce and customer service results.

Since expanding into the United Kingdom with Series A funding of $10 million at the beginning of the year, working with Neo PR will help to solidify ReachFive’s footprint in the country, enticing retailers to take advantage of digital technology and put identity at the centre of the customer experience to drive personalisation, engagement and loyalty. The PR agency aims to do this by elevating the presence of ReachFive’s cloud-based API platform through thought leadership to create brand awareness and coverage within the industry.

“We are incredibly impressed with Neo PR’s experience, knowledge and stance within the retail technology industry,” said Russell Loarridge, Director, ReachFive. “Throughout my own career, I have worked several times with Neo PR as I know that they will deliver disruptive campaigns to elevate ReachFives’ brand recognition within the industry and support our broader business objectives. Their opinion based thought leadership and news jacking opportunities makes Neo stand out from the crowd and I’m thrilled to be working with them again once more at ReachFive.”

Ashley Carr, Managing Director and Founder of Neo PR commented, “ReachFive is at the forefront of innovation and at Neo we love doing business with people who love doing business. Neo has a unique deliverables based pricing model, meaning that we are outcome focused and we give full transparency so our clients get exactly what they want. I am thrilled that the Neo ReachFive PR team continues to deliver above and beyond, which highlights that the talent we bring to our clients sets us apart.”

Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Waste appoints We Are Social’s Brett Phipps to build newsroom function

Independent creative agency Waste has announced the appointment of Brett Phipps to the newly created role of Senior Editor, as it seeks to build a newsroom function for entertainment clients as part of its fan-first offering.

Phipps joins from We Are Social, where he spent nearly three years as Senior Editor, leading the social media editorial vision for two of Activision’s biggest gaming franchises, Call of Duty and Destiny, across 12 international markets.

In his new role at Waste, Phipps will build a newsroom function in order to help clients better understand and react to conversations about their brands online, with an initial focus on the Supercell account. The new function will enable brands to spot and act on real-time opportunities to join the conversations that matter to their target audiences.

Phipps will report to Alistair Campbell, who joined Waste as Executive Creative Director in May 2020.

With in-depth expertise of the gaming sector and experience across content and community management, social media and SEO, Phipps was previously the Games and SEO Editor at the Time Inc-owned Trusted Reviews. He has also held positions at The Independent and Pro-G Media.

Brett Phipps, new Senior Editor, Waste, said: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining Waste, a company with a fantastic client list with a huge passion for gaming. The work the team has delivered over the past year has been nothing short of inspiring, and something I knew I had to be involved with.
“I hope that my experience within the games industry, coupled with my passion for community building and social listening, will be an asset to the team. I cannot wait to get started!”

Alistair Campbell, Executive Creative Director, Waste, added: “We’re always looking to introduce new skillsets in order to expand and supercharge our offering for clients. Our newsroom function will enable us to help brands tap into relevant conversations online, creating high quality content at breakneck speed.

“Brett not only brings incredible knowledge of gaming, but also invaluable experience and a proven track record in leading social media and community management for major brands. We’re really excited to see the results he can drive for our clients.”

Acquisitions & Partnerships, Appointments, News

Born Social announce buyout – leadership team become majority shareholders

Born Social, the London-based social media agency, has today announced a management buyout with the six-strong leadership team taking a 75% share of the business.

Founded by Rob O’Donovan and Ben Gateley in 2012 as part of start-up studio, The Eleven, Born Social has grown into one of the UK’s foremost social media agencies managing campaigns for a roster of big-name brands including: Kopparberg; Nando’s; Wagamama; Tinder and Snickers.

The leadership team (from left to right) is made up of Dan Jarrett, Executive Finance Director and Partner; Abbey Mills, Executive Client Services Director and Partner; Ben Tyson, CEO and Partner; Charlotte Hamill, COO and Partner; Callum McCahon, Executive Strategy Director and Partner and Paddy Smith, ECD and Partner. The founders, Rob and Ben, will retain a 25% stake but will no longer sit on the board.

Commenting on the decision to move to a management-owned business, Ben Tyson says: “We’ve always prided ourselves on driving industry change with the belief that social will become the lead channel for the next generation of brilliant brands. And with an ambitious vision for continued growth, we knew we needed to have the right leadership and business structure in place and to invest in the very best senior talent.”

‘Heads-of’ announced

Alongside the shift in ownership, Born Social can also announce two new senior hires: Harry Fishwick as Head of Creative and Hannah Wolff as Head of Social Media Management.

Harry joins from TUI, the world’s number-one tourism business, where he held the role of Video Marketing Manager and Hannah joins from Three UK where she was lead creative in the social and PR team. They join a team that includes Essi Nurminen and Kate Higham who have been promoted to Head of Strategy and Head of Operations respectively and Ed Knights who is Head of New Business and Marketing.

“Since day one we’ve been a people-focused business and the creation of our Heads of team and internal leadership development programme allows us to continue along that path in a time where wellbeing and work satisfaction are being challenged by the ongoing pandemic” says Ben Tyson, CEO and Partner, Born Social “And this investment in building the next generation of leaders at Born Social is testament to the strength of our clients and teams. We now have an exceptional team in place to help drive the next phase of the business.”

Whilst 2020 was a challenge for every business, Born Social has continued to grow with employee numbers swelling to 56, year-on-year growth of 40%, a turnover of £4.5m and continued growth predicted for 2021.

The management buyout was completed for an undisclosed sum.

Marketing, PR and SEO, News, News from Wales

Local Marketing Agency increases turnover by 800% with success on a national level

As they reach their 4-year milestone, South Wales Marketing Agency, Ouma, achieve record-breaking growth after having supported countless local businesses navigate the challenges of COVID-19, as well as landing some big-name contracts.

Business Directors, Ross Jones & Rachel Lyndon-Jones, are proud to be approaching their fourth-year anniversary after surviving an economic crisis which has seen thousands of businesses struggle in the wake of COVID-19. At the start of this year, the Swansea-based marketing agency found themselves facing unprecedented challenges as clients were threatened with closures and unforgiving UK government restrictions. However, despite the peril of uncertainty, Ouma rose to the challenge to support businesses with quick-thinking innovation and creative marketing solutions.

Like several other companies, Ouma were one of many to feel the strain of COVID-19 as inevitable financial losses were counted for in the second quarter of 2020. It was here, in the midst of the growing pandemic that Directors, Ross & Rachel, knew they needed to upscale operations to ensure their business survived the crisis. Their commitment to supporting both long-term clients and new customers has now seen the business exponentially grow through the second half of 2020, taking the business’ turnover from £6k per month in April to £50k per month by October.

Ross added: “We’ve witnessed first-hand the effects the pandemic has had on both local and larger-scale businesses. We’ve been at the forefront of many of these struggles, the pandemic has left no sector untouched, and it’s been truly inspiring to have been trusted to support our clients and their businesses as they’ve overcome the economic threat of COVID-19. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve worked harder than ever, not just to keep our heads above water, but that of our customers too, and our growth is testament to the effort we’ve made to support our customers throughout this time.”

Rachel continued; “We are thankful for the loyalty demonstrated by our long-term clients and of course, the more recent customers that have onboarded us for our specialist marketing services. The team at Ouma have worked tirelessly to contribute to our business growth and we’re proud to be starting the new year in such a positive position.”

Ouma was founded in February 2017 and has since become one of the fastest-growing marketing agencies in Wales. They support businesses across several sectors and industries with digital marketing, social media management, brand reputation, content creation and much more.

In June 2020, Ouma sufficiently managed operations with a workforce of just three people, but have since recruited three new team members, consequently doubling the headcount at the Swansea-based leading marketing agency.

Now, Ouma boasts an impressive team of specialists, including copywriters, social media executives graphic designers, and dedicated account managers. While COVID-19 is not over yet, Ouma are certain that their latest business initiatives will steer them through any future challenges they are yet to face. In addition, they continue to support the businesses that need them most, as they innovate ways for continued custom and open ‘virtual’ doors.

Ross says: “We understand that we ourselves, alongside the many clients we work with, are likely to experience challenges as the pandemic continues to evolve, but we are prepared for how those challenges may present and we are committed to offering effective marketing solutions to combat them. We are fortunate enough to have some truly incredible and inspiring businesses within our client portfolio and we are exceptionally excited for the year ahead.”

Plans for the new year are likely to see Ouma recruit again, as they initiate further growth and expansion of their specialist services.

Rachel explains; “We’re just at the very beginning of where we would really like to take our business, and I am confident that we will continue to recruit additional talent into our team whilst launching exciting new products and services to support our clients in every way possible.”

Appointments, Creative News, News

Waste boosts entertainment marketing credentials with appointment of Michael Rekab as Lead Strategist

Independent digital creative agency Waste has announced the appointment of Michael Rekab as Lead Strategist, as it seeks to bolster its fan-first offering for entertainment brands.

Rekab joins from Irish strategy agency MCCP, where he was Senior Strategist specialising in brand and communications strategy and innovation, for brands including National Lottery, Jameson and Heineken. He also brings extensive experience in entertainment marketing to Waste, having helped to develop through-the-line campaigns for brands such as Virgin TV, Entertainment One and the Irish language TV station TG4 since starting his career in 2013.

In his new role at Waste, Rekab will focus on the agency’s gaming and entertainment clients including Nintendo, SEGA and Supercell, helping gain a better understanding of brands’ fan communities and sub-tribes, and delivering compelling content and campaigns across the entire fan ecosystem.

He will report to Christian Perrins, Head of Strategy, with joint oversight of a team of seven data, creative, and SEO strategists.

Rekab has previously held positions at Publicis Dublin and Zenith Ireland.

Michael Rekab, new Lead Strategist, Waste, said: “Digital has given us new and exciting ways to reach our audiences, but I believe it’s essential for brands to create work that connects with people on a human level, too. I can see that Christian and the team at Waste share this belief, which is why this is such a fantastic move for me. I’m excited to be joining at a time of real growth and innovation for the agency.”

Christian Perrins, Head of Strategy, Waste, added: “Michael’s a ‘human’ strategist who’s as big-empathy as he is big-data. Our work is increasingly powered by nuanced understanding of fan-tribes, their distinct emotional and rational needs and channel behaviours. Michael will help us deliver that blend of deep personal insight and big-picture ecosystem thinking. We’re delighted to see him become part of the Waste family.”