Creative: Global drinks giant appoints Leeds event specialist; Finn forms a sweet partnership with Fox’s Biscuits; MCG on track with Northern brief

ONE of the world’s leading drinks companies has awarded its meetings and events remit to Yorkshire-based XSEM.

MolsonCoors, whose signature brands include the likes of Carling, Coors, Cobra and Staropramen, has signed a three-year agreement with the Leeds-based event, conferencing incentive travel specialists.

In the last two years, XSEM has organised and executed a range of incentive-led trips for MolsonCoors, including visits to New York and Prague.

Managing director at XSEM, Dan Bardgett said: “The long term partnership agreement with MolsonCoors has come off the back of some inventive, well-planned and extremely successful events for their sales teams and customers.

“We’re thrilled to have developed this to a stage where they can see true commercial benefit of cementing a long-term relationship with us. MolsonCoors is a world leading drinks company and we’re thrilled to be entering into this partnership with them.”

The contract means XSEM will also be handling event-led and ticketing briefs for the new Premier League season, with Carling having been named as one of the league’s new partners, alongside the likes of Nike, EA Sports and Barclays. MolsonCoors, through its Carling brand, has signed a three-year partnership deal with the Premier League.

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FINN has been appointed by Fox’s Biscuits, one of the UK’s leading biscuit brands, as its retained PR and social media agency, securing its second ‘sweet’ win in so many months.

The agency was appointed to drive consumer engagement with Fox’s new and existing product ranges, which include Crunch Creams, Viennese, Rocky and Chunkie.

Fox’s Biscuits has grown from a Victorian bakery in Northern England to become one of the UK’s leading biscuit brands. It currently has three manufacturing sites in Batley, Kirkham and Uttoxeter.

Richard Rawlins, managing director of Finn, said: “Fox’s Biscuits is a brand we have wanted to work with for a number of years and it really plays to our experience in the consumer packaged goods sector.
“Our insight team helped identify something which truly differentiated us and helped us develop ideas which we’re looking forward to getting started.”

The win follows Leeds-based Finn’s appointment by Finsbury Food Group to implement an integrated communications programme across consumer and trade.

Finn’s dedicated trade team will work on a campaign to directly support the commercial goals of Finsbury’s cake division; raising awareness of the cake business in grocery, convenience and food service media and reinforcing the company’s position across these three channels.

Finsbury Food Group has a group of specialty bakeries across the UK which serve the major grocery retailers and foodservice market. The cake business is a significant supplier of own label products and also has multiple license based partnerships including brands such as Disney, Thorntons and Weight Watchers.

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TRAIN company Northern, the largest UK rail operator outside London, has appointed PR and social media agency MCG to support its new marketing campaign.

The campaign aims to highlight the potential for great days out by train across the Northern region under the strapline ‘We are Northern’.

The £2m integrated marketing campaign, spans TV, radio, out-of-home, digital, employee engagement, PR and experiential.

MCG’s remit will be to engage consumers and bloggers through a programme of stunts, experiential events and blogger liaison all designed to show the variety and quality of locations, attractions and natural beauty throughout the north of England.

Northern’s customer and people experience director Richard Allan said: “We want to inspire and excite people living in the region about the great destinations which are less than an hour by train away from them, using imagery and words which tap in to Northerners’ wit and warmth, pride in their culture and landscape.”

MCG’s Director Sarah Chadwick says: “We’re really excited to be working with Northern on this campaign to promote the fantastic opportunities for a great day out in the region that’s so close to our hearts. We’ll be working with bloggers and media across the Northern network to create activity that highlights hidden gems as much as well-known attractions and we’re hoping to distil those special qualities of wit, grit creativity and flair that make it such a great place to live.”

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BRAND consultancy Propaganda has been appointed to support office interiors specialist Southerns on its next phase of growth following the acquisition of a number of competitors.

Propaganda will undertake a comprehensive brand audit, assessing the brand, business and wider marketplace, resulting in a set of recommendations to aid ambitious business growth plans.
 
Over the past 18 months, the Southerns brand has acquired a competitor in the North West, integrated a premium furniture consultancy proposition and made another acquisition to strengthen its position and reach in the interiors market. Landmark contracts across a range of sectors have led Southerns to revise their forecast upwards.
 
Richard McMurrough, director at Propaganda, said: “The brand health that Propaganda is set to undertake will look at all the Southerns Group businesses to understand how they compliment each other, and fit into a complex and evolving marketplace. The business is in a period of rapid growth, and Propaganda’s work will help guide their strategic direction at this exciting time.”
 
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LEEDS-based marketing agency Banana Kick has hired six staff.

Jen Vasis joins the digital team as a senior account manager, following spells client-side with Freemans Grattan and Provident, while recent marketing graduates Ruairi Crossan and Oliver Mitchell join the agency as account executives.
 
The agency has strengthened its creative team with the addition of artworker Patrick Fleming, while University of Huddersfield graphic design student Jade Irving joins the agency on placement as a junior designer.

Banana Kick’s recent intern assessment day was attended by more than 20 young professionals, and University of Leeds student Harriet Brear has joined the agency on a one-year placement as a result.

Banana Kick director Gary McCall said: “We are thrilled that as we continue to grow as a business, through a combination of existing client development and new client wins, we are able to expand our team with the addition of six new members of staff.

“We are fortunate to receive applications from all over the UK, but it is particularly pleasing to see that we have been able to recruit a number of people based or studying in the region.”