Creative: Singapore office launch for marketing agency; Boost for Hatch Communications; and more

LEEDS marketing agency The Individual Agency has plans to open an office in Singapore in 2017 to service its growing arm of international clients.

It also plans to open a specific and dedicated packaging division to offer a bespoke packaging service to clients in the retail sector.  

The agency, based at Blayd’s Yard, has invested more than £50,000 in a full rebrand this year, which included a new website and logo.

With turnover of £500,000, the business forecasts 20% year on year growth for 2017.

It has also appointed four members of staff in the past six months, including an international marketing manager, two new studio designers, and a marketing assistant to bolster the existing design and client services team.

The Individual Agency has been appointed by a host of UK and international clients, including US based Baker Ruskinn which manufactures medical research equipment; Bangkok based Rockworth, which is Thailand’s leading manufacturer and distributor of office furniture and Hong Kong-based LF Europe & LF Americas, which designs, develops and sources consumer goods.

The agency has also been appointed by Leeds based financial services firm, GDS Link and Leeds’ longest standing retail and leisure destination The Light.

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ENERGY drink brand Boost has appointed Hatch Communications for an extensive social media and experiential campaign.  

Hatch will help Boost interact with and reward new and existing as part of the brand’s ‘Release The Boost’ campaign.

James Hickman, director at Hatch Communications, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the team at Boost and are excited to get underway with the activity.

“Boost and their creative agency, The Brand Nursery, have provided us with a really compelling platform from which to work from, with their ‘Release The Boost’ campaign. We feel it will lend itself perfectly to expanding the current brand fan engagement and we’re confident that our activity will resonate with both new and existing consumers. This is a big year for the brand and we look forward to working alongside them to bring the campaign to life.”

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DIGITAL marketing agency The Bigger Boat has moved into new offices in Mirfield to make way for continued expansion in 2017.

What started out seven years ago as a three-man crew is now a nine-strong team with its eye on turnover of £500,000. The growing business has relocated to a 2,000sq ft space in a converted water mill at Wheatley Park, to pave the way for its next phase of development.

Creative director Doug Main said: “We care a lot about our surroundings, so purposefully looked for something a bit different. You don’t have to be involved in the routine ‘rat race’ to do cutting edge stuff. We’ve got big plans for the future, with aims to ultimately become a £1m turnover business in the next five years. This picturesque location, with significant room to grow, will help us be just that.”

With more than 60 clients in its customer base including Visit Calderdale, Celloglas, Deuren and Direct 2 Mum, The Bigger Boat has just secured its first ‘household name’, Little Tikes. The US-owned toy brand – most famous for the red and yellow Cozy Coupe originally created in the 70’s – has tasked the team with handling creative and website development throughout the UK.

Within weeks of the Mirfield move, a new designer and account manager were also on board, and there are plans to continue the recruitment drive in the next 12 months.

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BOLSER has won a global project with Microsoft.

Following a competitive pitching process in the US, Bolser has been appointed to redesign Microsoft’s learning and advocacy program, ExpertZone.
 
Microsoft’s ExpertZone platform is an essential tool for its retail and contact centre staff in building their knowledge of Microsoft products. Bolser’s specialist knowledge on using gamification as a route to online learning and their proven track record in this area were cited as key factors in being awarded the project.
 
Bolser’s brief is to help evolve the user experience on the eLearning platform, that is used in over 77 countries, across 32 languages. Work includes introducing a loyalty rewards program and deep site personalisation. Through the use of big data analytics and deep profiling data, the team are developing a site that gives each user a completely different experience, tailored directly to them. They will each see a different journey built just for them, based on what they know, how they act, how they feel about Microsoft, and how they like to be rewarded.
 
The agency’s new psychology recruit Hannah Drakard worked alongside the agency’s digital designers and marketers to research into how people absorb information and learn. Using this information Bolser are in the process of redesigning the current platform to enhance the user experience.
 
Bolser MD Ashley Bolser said: “We have an experienced team of designers, developers and testers who are working on the project. They are using their expertise and knowledge to improve the UX on the site and introduce a new gamified journey, which creates a holistic experience for the user as they are rewarded to achieve and are driven towards a custom path to excellence.
 
“We are proud to be a Leeds agency working with such a globally recognised brand and it is a great opportunity to really showcase our specialist skills. User experience is everything and we have built up great knowledge and expertise in this area. Hopefully it will also lead onto more international prospects as we continue to grow as an agency.”

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HALIFAX company Shrewdd Marketing has recently secured a number of new customer.

The company has recently secured three new contracts including Lancashire-based companies Hargreaves Ductwork Ltd. and Courier Express Refrigerated Transport Ltd., alongside BDA Logistics Innovation, based in Birmingham.

Alf Lombardi, managing director of Shrewdd Marketing said, “The latest contract wins not only continue the company’s growth but also highlight our ambition to broaden our reach across the UK.

“Whilst the company has a number of long standing customers amongst other sectors in technology, logistics, sustainability and construction, it’s always exciting to develop new marketing strategies and build relationships with businesses operating in different sectors.”

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HULL digital agency The Northern Foundry is celebrating after the completion of two new projects.

The agency has re-designed the website for the international male grooming brand Bulldog Skincare.

Another project was the design and development of a website for a new brand of gym equipment, Primal Strength.

Adam Ward, managing director, said: “Following the merger and rebranding of our businesses (formerly Nailed It Design and Best Creative Marketing) back in July, we have managed to obtain a number of contracts in our specialist area of Magento and digital marketing services.

“We’ve been working with Bulldog Skincare for over a year and it is a real coup for the agency to represent such a unique, cool and award winning brand. Furthermore, with access to a range of Magento specialists in London, it is with great pride that we have, again, been chosen to take their brand forward online.

“Primal Strength represented another exciting project for the web team to get their hands on. Working from the ground up, we helped Primal Strength enter the sport and fitness market – which is an area we have previous experience in. This will be followed up by the digital and content team to ensure increased brand awareness and direct online sales.”