Agency round-up: Contract wins drive turnover increase; PR firm hired by executive headhunting business; and more

Leeds-based digital marketing agency Bolser’s ongoing growth strategy saw its turnover increase by 35% to a record £2.1m for the year ended 30 November 2019.

The agency’s continued expansion has been driven by a series of new business wins from global brands including Microsoft, KFC, Discovery Channel and Cartoon Network. Around 55% of Bolser’s turnover is from export sales.

Specialising in user interface and user experience design, development, testing, search engine optimisation and app store optimisation, the agency also recruited seven people during the same period, increasing the size of its team to 30.

Bolser has had a strong start to the current year with numerous new business proposals submitted and pitch presentations arranged with similarly world-famous brands.

Founder and managing director, Ashley Bolser, said: “Our ethos at Bolser is simple. We put the customer first. This resonates powerfully with our clients, as they want to ensure their customers have the best possible digital experience.

“We have an extraordinarily talented team at Bolser that works collaboratively with clients whilst delivering clear digital strategy and providing highly effective implementation. We will continue to grow our business on these principles and look forward to announcing further new business wins.”

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Brighouse agency, Faith PR, has been appointed to raise the profile of global executive headhunting agency, Red Diamond Executive.

Faith PR will handle the media relations for the global search firm, which operates out of Huddersfield and the United Arab Emirates, to position it as a leader in the industry.

The firm specialises in placing business leaders and senior management across the UK and Middle East, with particular expertise in the aerospace, construction and manufacturing sectors.

Alongside managing regional, national and trade PR activity, Faith PR will provide content marketing services and social media consultancy to drive awareness, educate the market and generate leads for the firm.

Managing director Emma Robinson, who co-founded Red Diamond with her partner Simon Robinson in 2011, said: “We’re delighted to be working with an agency local to us but able to deliver across multiple communications channels.

“We want to raise our profile outside of our immediate industry and believe Faith PR will do a great job of helping us to achieve this as the business continues on its year-on-year growth trajectory.”

Director of Faith PR, Stefanie Hopkins, added: “Red Diamond Executive has an impressive track record of working with Blue Chip companies and their leaders on an international scale.

“We’re looking forward to highlighting the firm’s successes and helping enhance its brand awareness to reflect the excellent work it does.”

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Leeds-based marketing agency The Marketing Optimist is preparing for a milestone year after receiving significant investment to support its expansion plans.

The news comes just as the company celebrates its fourth year in business and employs its second marketing specialist in just twelve months.

The £20,000 investment will support the agency’s plans to extend its offering to the wider Yorkshire region, as well as fund collaboration with external experts to enhance its offering to its clients.

The agency, which currently boasts a portfolio of clients within the education, retail, textile, technology, telecoms, and business development sectors has extended its current digital marketing offering to include video production, event marketing, and PR services.

Commenting on the milestone year, founder and CEO Richard Michie said: “The last four years have been remarkable, and we’ve grown so much thanks to the support of our clients, suppliers, staff and supporters. Now is the time to spread our wings and extend the services that we offer.

“Business owners are so busy with the running of the business that they need external support in the form of a full marketing and PR package.

“There are so many moving parts and specialist skills that are required to run an effective marketing campaign, that being able to run everything in-house can be difficult.

“The partnerships we have created with a range of trusted marketing and PR specialists mean that we can assemble the full team that every business requires.”

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UK holiday park operator Bridge Leisure has invested in new technology from Leeds-based Force24 to supercharge the customer experience in 2020 and beyond.

With nine parks in locations from Cornwall in the south east to Moray Firth in Scotland, the team has implemented marketing automation platform Force24 into its business, to boost both marketplace loyalty and new bookings.

Recommended to Bridge Leisure by a trusted marketing agency partner, the technology will be used to raise the profile of the brand, drive engagement and boost bookings.

Force24 will enable the brand to power thousands of ultra-personalised email messages over the coming months. The goal is to send very different customers on a journey through the customer relationship management process, so that they receive only highly-targeted information – relevant to them – when they most want to read it.

Bridge Leisure’s senior marketing manager, Rachel Elliott, said: “We love holidays and know how important they are to our guests too. That’s why – as a team – we are genuinely passionate about ensuring holidaymakers are happy, time after time.

“In an increasingly fast-paced and competitive tourism industry it is therefore crucial to ensure we maintain a differential and show just how valued our customers really are. We can gather so much – compliant – insight about people who have, or might like to, enjoy a break with us.

“And we can use this intel to drive more personalised conversations that lead to the getaways our customers are really looking for, and the continued growth of our national brand.”

The investment in Force24 represents Bridge Leisure’s first ever use of marketing automation technology.

Elliott added: “As soon as we met Force24 we were really impressed by both the platform – particularly the potential that comes with email and landing page snippets – and the team. Their level of support is excellent, which is imperative for a business who cares so much about customer service.”