Flooring group Halstead rolls-out Big Communications as marketing partner

AMERICAN flooring corporation Halstead International has appointed Midlands-based Big Communications as a strategic marketing partner, working across a number of divisions and brands.

Spend will be in excess of $1m with the brief covering brand development, packaging, collateral, digital, above the line, PR and exhibition support.

Big won the account on the back of its track record in the sector and its reputation for creativity. Big chief executive Dylan Bogg will have a central role alongside specialists from a number of key disciplines.

Halstead CEO Harlan Stone said: “We were aware of Big’s work in the flooring sector and their creative reputation, and having met the team feel there is great compatibility here in terms of culture, work ethic and ambition. We want to differentiate our brands and grow our business. We have a top team in place and we expect 2014 to be an exciting year for us as we look to increase share in our established markets as well as break into new ones.”

Bogg added: “This is a fantastic win for us. There is great chemistry and the team is thoroughly enjoying the immersion stage with this amazing business. We plan to challenge the sector norm and produce some outstanding work that will bring growth to the business across many territories.”

Tomorrow People flies ahead with Trustpilot

CONSUMER review platform Trustpilot has appointed Birmingham-based consultancy Tomorrow People to handle its content and inbound marketing strategy.
 
Headquartered in Copenhagen, the Danish start-up now operates as an online review site in 24 countries, including France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, the USA and UK.
 
Tomorrow People won the contract following a competitive pitch. The agency is to deliver an integrated digital strategy that will target both consumers and merchants, to raise Trustpilot’s profile and uptake in the UK.
 
Trustpilot is Europe’s most widely used review site, having attracted 5m reviews of more than 60,000 merchants and businesses since its launch in 2007.
 
Jan Vels Jensen, Chief Marketing Officer at Trustpilot, said: “In todays self-service culture it is essential to have a content marketing strategy to get to the table at all. We were looking for a creative and result-driven content/inbound marketing agency.
 
“Tomorrow People were the right fit on both counts. We are very happy to be working with them to increase awareness in the UK market.”
 
Alistair Norman, Marketing Director at Tomorrow People, added: “Online reviews are one of the most exciting developments on today’s Internet landscape. We’re delighted to be working with a forward-thinking, global company like Trustpilot.”
 

Instant Media Opportunities for IMO

IMO, Cogent Elliott’s new sister agency, has celebrated the summer with a string of new business wins.

The agency, based in the heart of Birmingham’s business district, is yet to reach its first birthday but has already been appointed by the likes of charity organisation Cure Leukaemia, materials technology specialists Morgan Advanced Materials and insurance brokers alliance Unitas.

The team, led by creative partner Paul Lock and digital partner Tom Fearn, will be delivering a range of creative solutions on behalf of its new clients, including technology-driven creative communications, digital strategy, integrated digital social & mobile, digital services, and brand and experience.

Lock said: “We were confident that the IMO ‘Infectious ideas for a world gone digital’ proposition would prove irresistible for businesses crying out for a genuinely better approach to their communications. It’s great that the interest in IMO has translated into a pleasing number of client wins.”