Agency MD bounces back from brain haemorrhage with BBC appearance
The managing director and founder of Leeds branding agency ALLGOOD Paul Dodd has returned to work following a brain haemorrhage this year, and has topped it off by appearing on TV show Rip Off Britain.
Dad of one, Paul, 38, suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage, a form of stroke, on 27 January – a condition that has a 50% fatality rate.
The burst aneurysm required Paul to have complex neurosurgery in January this year. A few months later, Paul is back on his feet and has been called up by BBC’s Rip Off Britain as a food marketer to discuss how traditional foods can be rebranded for a younger audience/
The brief was to look at how marmalade, a former family favourite that is firmly out of fashion, could be saved from extinction.
Paul and the team, based in Leeds, were tasked with researching the sector and developing a new concept that couldn’t use the word ‘marmalade’. After a complete rebrand and refreshed packaging concept, the jars were consumer tested in London live on the programme to great applause from the younger generation.
He explained: “I’m still suffering problems with short term memory, concentration, not being able to find my words, mixing words up, forgetting names and focusing on tasks, all things that I took for granted when running a busy design agency.
“I have started coming back into work for a few hours a day, slowly working up towards half days and I’m currently working 9am – 3pm and feeling more like myself again. Looking back at where I was a few months ago it’s incredible really”.
“The BBC project was the first week I came back in. It was such a big opportunity, I got off my sick-bed to come into work for the concepts, the design and the day of filming. It was a real springboard to getting back into things and I’m so glad I did.
“It was the perfect way to feel valued again and for me to realise that life can get back to normal after some truly scary times for me and my family. Our agency is creatively driven and totally dedicated to branding, that’s a great release for me as I can really throw myself in.”
You can see the programme here – http://www.allgood.tv/we-get-chosen-by-the-bbc-to-rebrand-marmalade/.
Dodd said: “It’s been a fantastic dream brief for us to rethink and re-envisage an entire product range and to receive such glowing feedback on the work we did. Seeing it put to the consumer test and the branding changing perceptions was very satisfying, as was hearing the BBC programme declare “It’s job done” at the end – this definitely made it worth getting off my sick bed for!”.
ALLGOOD are branding experts who work extensively in the food and drink sector, but also provide branding and design services to many other types of business such as Health and Wellbeing, Software, Schools, Wedding Venues and much more.
