Media Mix: Food mag Bitten to launch; theEword & more

THREE experienced media professionals are teaming up to launch a new regional food magazine called Bitten.

The trio are: former Manchester Confidential commercial director Helen Ramsbottom, sales director Chris Grimes and ex-City Life editor David Lloyd. Bitten will be produced bi-monthly and will launch in September.

Around 20,000 copies  will be distributed free in key locations throughout Manchester, Liverpool and locations throughout the region. It will cover food, travel, style, culture and design.  

Helen Ramsbottom said: “Bitten has been months in the planning and we’re delighted we can finally announce the birth of what we plan to be the definitive food bible for the North West and beyond.

“There is a gap in the market for an honest, beautiful and passionate magazine that brings genuine news stories, features and insight for an intelligent, urban readership.”

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MANCHESTER digital marketing agency, theEword, has been appointed by Liverpool discount retailer, TJ Hughes, to lead its SEO and content strategy.

theEword will provide a campaign aimed at increasing the retailer’s visibility to search engine users, drive online shoppers to the website and, in turn, increase footfall in its 10 store.

Paula Wilding, ecommerce manager at TJ Hughes, said: “theEword’s creative and open-minded approach to our brief really impressed us. The agency demonstrated an awareness of the retail sector and an understanding of the need for a successful, content-based strategy to differentiate us from huge competitors within the industry.

Business development director of theEword, Kleon West, added: “We’re really proud to be working with such a well-respected family retailer. Naturally, the pitch process was extremely competitive, so we’re delighted to have won this client.”

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AS part of its 25th anniversary celebrations regional PR agency de Winter has launched a campaign to put something back into local communities.

Staff at the Chester firm, which also has offices in Liverpool and Manchester,  are promoting random acts of kindness and charity fundraising – from volunteering at animal shelters to taking on the three highest peaks in the UK – to share the ethos of people-first and giving back.  

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TAKEAWAY food brand Urban Eat has appointed MediaCity-based digital marketing agency Fast Web Media to manage its marketing activity across all digital and social media platforms.

The business is planning to invest more than £1m in digital marketing in the next four years to build on its 55,000-plus Facebook following and expects its partnership with the North West agency to boost its engagement with consumers of all demographics.

Head of marketing John Want said: “We talked to a number of leading digital agencies before ultimately deciding to appoint Fast Web Media who were clear winners, impressing us at every stage of the tender process.”

Fast Web Media’s director of client services Stephen O’Malley added:  “UK consumers spend over £6bn per year on food to go with around three-quarters relying on shop-bought sandwiches as part of their lunch.  It’s a fiercely competitive market, and we will be running multiple digital campaigns to boost awareness and drive further engagement online for Urban Eat.”

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A LIVERPOOL design team from Glow New Media has created an online game aimed at helping save  orangutans from extinction.

Orangutan Jungle Run will go live on International Orangutan Day,  August 19.  Glow New Media was commissioned by Chester Zoo to design the free-to-play game.

The zoo hopes that anyone who plays the game will be spurred on to help Chester Zoo’s forthcoming Go Orange for Orangutans £15,000 fundraising appeal which will run through October.

Chester Zoo development manager Melanie Cowieson said: “International Orangutan Day is about raising awareness of the desperate plight of critically endangered orangutans in Borneo and Sumatra. So it’s the perfect time to officially launch Orangutan Jungle Run.

“The idea is that as people engage with the game they will become increasingly aware of how important the rainforests are for orangutans to survive. While the message is extremely serious, the game is also fabulous fun and so simple to play that we’re hoping it will be a hit with children and adults alike.”

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MANCHESTER-based Maker Projects, a creative production company, have released ‘Lost Memories’ a film celebrating the work of Swedish fashion designer Isabell Yalda Hellysaz.

Isabell Yalda Hellysaz was clearly pleased with the work, stating:  “This is so exciting. The film is amazing, It’s so mysterious I love it.”

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