Agency roundup: Definition; Rascal; Extreme; and more

Leeds-based PR and communications agency, Definition Group, has netted more than £700,000 in revenue this year following a flurry of recent business wins.

The run of successful new partnerships come after Definition acquired London-based brand strategy and creative design agency Redhouse and Yorkshire-based leading employee engagement agency Words & Pictures toward the end of 2020.

Definition has brought seven new clients into the business since the turn of the year.

Joining the consultancy’s professional services portfolio are global brand experience agency, FIRST, which designs and produces hybrid, digital, and live experiences; and global Recruitment Process Outsourcing provider Cielo.

The team’s brief is to raise Cielo’s profile across EMEA and APAC, working with affiliate agencies on the ground to position Cielo as a major global player in the talent acquisition sector across key industries.

Other new clients include recycling charity WRAP, where work will include promoting its Love Your Clothes initiative to help change the way UK consumers buy, use and dispose of their clothing; manufacturer of starches, sweeteners, proteins and alcohol Sedamyl, with work to communicate an £80m investment in its Selby plant; and Loop, where the team will launch the cashmere brand and raise its profile across fashion/lifestyle/regional/national media.

The Group’s portfolio of clients now spans business and professional services, motoring and transport, health and wellness, plus Government, education and tech.

It includes Direct Line Group, Honda, Southeastern Trains, Phoenix Group, Astrid & Miyu, Benenden Health, Nautilus International, Nexus, Winston & Strawn, the University of Leicester and numerous Government departments.

Louise Vaughan, managing director of Definition, said: “After what was a difficult year for many industries, it is incredibly uplifting to see some markets starting to bounce back.

“We view our significantly strengthened portfolio for 2021 as very welcome evidence of returning confidence as well as a just reward for our team’s hard work and dedicated client service in challenging circumstances.”

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Joe Costandi

Leeds-based digital-first creative agency Rascal has been appointed as the retained agency for Bayfields – an independent chain of opticians and audiologists with more than 20 branches nationwide.

The brief encompasses social media and online advertising services including creative content, paid social, and support with community management.

Kirsty Franks, director of marketing & communications at Bayfields, said: “We chose Rascal after an extensive search to appoint a new digital partner.

“We had over 40 agencies tender for the work, so the competition was steep, but Rascal stood out from the start; their creativity and design, digital knowledge, commercial result-oriented approach and straight-forward talking made them a very easy choice for us.

“They get us, they get where we’re going, they get our vision, and they behave like an extension of the marketing team with as much passion and commitment to deliver results as I’d expect from my in-house team.”

Joe Costandi, founder of Rascal, said: “We are excited to be working with Bayfields at this key time for their brand.

“Our work will elevate their online presence and help bring to life the personal and tailored services they offer, to the online community.

“This past year has shown how important it is to connect with your customers online and this is something we’re happy to be helping Bayfields with moving forward.”

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Amy Gallimore

Harrogate-based digital marketing agency, Extreme, has responded to a surge in enquiries and wins with the appointment of Amy Gallimore as account manager as well as a frontend developer.

Gallimore joins from a role at Finn where she worked across account management and public relations.

The full-service team is seeing a consistent rise in enquiries, as businesses seek to elevate their position and weather the storm of ongoing restrictions by capitalising on online sales and digital marketing.

Gallimore said: “It’s super exciting to have joined team Extreme as an account manager and even though we can’t be in the office right now, it’s amazing to be working with such a talented bunch.

“I’m looking forward to making an impact and helping to drive forward awesome, strategic campaigns that our clients will love.”

The Extreme team works with diverse clients on B2B and B2C accounts and its clients include pet food specialists IPN, Glorious! Soups, The Body Doctor and more.

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Alistair Grant

TALENTStream has rebranded to Strive Group, becoming a connected experience agency.

Following the acquisition of Strive by Harrogate-based TALENTStream in 2019, the firm was able to broaden its creative service offering.

A full rebrand has now been executed by the in-house team, giving a cohesive strategy for the future of the business, bringing both employees and services working more closely together.

Strive Group is a brand, employee and customer experience agency, originally founded in 2001 and is led by directors Jonathan Haig and Alistair Grant.

It now employs over 75 members of staff and works around the globe with some of the world’s best-known companies, in industries such as automotive, aerospace and retail.

Company director, Alistair Grant, said: “This year we celebrate our 20th anniversary and like many businesses, this past year has definitely been the most challenging.

“But what has remained consistent throughout this time is our people-first philosophy.

“We pressed on with our planned rebrand which we started in 2019 and have been running regular staff workshops to help us shape our service offering and unify the company.

“Our team use their expertise to shape our client’s brands, so we applied this experience into organising our own brand from top to bottom.

“We’re confident in the future of the business, having recently made significant investments in a number of areas, including £100,000 invested in updating our IT infrastructure to allow our team to work efficiently from home.

“£60,000 has been invested in adapting our events service to virtual alternatives and we plan to recruit a further 30 roles in 2021, some of those through the Government’s kickstart scheme.

“We are on track to achieve £4m in turnover this year, thanks to the hard work and dedication of every member of staff.”

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