Agency roundup: GRM Digital; ASK BOSCO; Definition Group; and more
Leeds-based multi-national web development and digital marketing agency, GRM Digital, has appointed a senior business development manager to strengthen its growing team.
Paul Yates joins with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry, having formed his own agency, Just Search with his brother Justin in 2004, taking it from nothing to a turnover of £5.5m turnover within four years.
Yates then went on to be CEO of Online Ventures Group, a Manchester-based technical web design and SEO agency before setting up a further agency Huddled Media in 2017 before leaving to become a consultant.
Keen to venture back into technical sales, he took a position at FastDox, before being approached by GRM, where he now heads up the new business team.
Yates joins GRM Digital in the newly created role to continue the company’s ambitious growth plans.
GRM Digital, founded in 2009 by Nej Gakenyi has experienced over 100% growth in the last two years and now has offices in Leeds, London, Sarajevo, Amsterdam, and Islamabad.
The company works with a range of brands to enhance their online presence and clients include Danone, Eurotunnel Freight, Club Car, and The Royal College of General Practitioners.
Yates said: “I have a lot of experience and understanding of the digital landscape, but it’s the sales element I have always been most passionate about so it felt right to go back into business development in the tech world.
“GRM is clearly an impressive business, the technical talent is second-to-none and it is an ambitious company which matches my own aspirations for growth. I’m really looking forward to building on the company’s success to date.”
Nej Gakenyi, CEO and founder of GRM Digital, said: “Paul comes with great experience from having run his own digital agencies and I’m confident he can help catapult our growth in UK and global markets over the next few years.”
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Emily Hakner
Leeds-based marketing AI platform, ASK BOSCO®, has secured a contract with e-commerce experts Visualsoft to support the agency’s clients with their strategy and enhance performance.
The platform helps brands and e-commerce and marketing agencies spend less with ad platforms like Google and Facebook and make more money using its AI and machine learning algorithms to reduce media costs and increase sales.
Visualsoft has selected it as its Marketing Intelligence Platform to drive its clients’ strategies and enhance performance.
The partnership will see Visualsoft’s clients onboarded onto the platform on a monthly basis.
Ian Hyde, head of digital performance at Visualsoft, said: “We’re excited to collaborate with ASK BOSCO® and integrate their cutting-edge AI platform into our ecosystem.
“By streamlining automated reporting and providing actionable insights, we are empowering our clients to make data-driven decisions that will propel their success.
“This partnership demonstrates our dedication to staying at the forefront of marketing technology for the benefit of our clients.”
Emily Hakner, director of product at ASK BOSCO®, added: “We’re thrilled to begin our partnership with Visualsoft. This partnership marks a significant milestone in expanding its network of key partners.
“Teaming up with Visualsoft exemplifies our commitment to nurturing relationships with industry leaders who strive for excellence and embrace innovative marketing solutions.
“ASK BOSCO® has been built to not only increase an agency’s client performance – but also to help the agencies like Visualsoft be more efficient and effective, giving them more time to focus on the client’s strategy and excellent service.”
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Leeds-based agency group, Definition, has appointed Luke Budka to develop and lead its generative AI strategy.
Budka, a senior director and PR specialist who previously shaped the group’s SEO and content marketing offering, is leading a project to identify how generative AI can be responsibly and effectively leveraged to support the group’s wider strategy.
Heather Baker, CEO of Definition Group, said: “Our theme for 2023 is adventure and generative AI certainly has all the ingredients of a classic adventure: it’s throwing up meaty challenges and presenting ethical dilemmas while offering endless opportunities for exploration, discovery and wonder.
“Less than a year after ChatGPT’s launch, it’s influencing everything from the way brands are understood to the way organisations communicate and how work gets done.
“We have created this new role because we want to understand how AI will impact us, and we see it as a priority to explore how we can use it to our benefit.
“There’s been a lot of hype around AI being a potential threat to agencies, and it will probably change the way our sector operates. But it’s a long way from replacing the human relationships, creativity and strategic thinking based on deep insights that are at the core of how Definition Group operates.”
Budka says: “The generative AI revolution is redefining the way we think about marketing, design, and content creation.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to guide Definition Group on this journey, ensuring we remain at the forefront of this transformation.
“Generative AI is an invaluable asset: it is already enabling us to serve our clients in more engaging, efficient, and creative ways.”
With Budka in the role, the group is focusing primarily on data safety, internal and external messaging, ethical considerations and employee training and education. It is also developing its own proprietary generative AI solution.
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The England Rugby League team has unveiled their new men’s, women’s, and wheelchair teams’ kits with the help of Leeds-based integrated agency, HUB.
In a series of studio photographs, HUB has captured the squad donning their latest kit and training apparel in advance of the 2023/24 season.
The kit was designed in partnership with official England kit provider OXEN and is distributed by online retailer Elite Pro Sports.
HUB has delivered a portfolio of photography on behalf of Elite Pro Sports for clubs such as Leeds Rhinos and Castleford Tigers – even capturing the promotional shots for the England Rugby League’s prestigious World Cup kit in 2022.
Helen Hudson, co-founder and managing director at the agency, said: “We are thrilled that Elite Pro Sports has once again trusted us to deliver promotional photography for the England Rugby League kit.
“Last year’s images for the World Cup kit were sensational, and I’m confident our photography team has managed to carry over that premium look and feel into this year’s shoot.
“We worked hard to make the team feel comfortable and get as much energy out of them as possible, and I think that’s definitely reflected in the final images. They’re dynamic, they’re vibrant, and they’re certain to create a buzz.”
Lee Jenkinson, CEO at Elite Pro Sports, added: “We have partnered with HUB for several years now, and we are always very pleased with the fantastic output and service they provide.
“They continue to wow us with their creativity, and these images in particular will add a powerful and spirited angle to our kit release that fans are sure to appreciate.”
The images will be used across digital and traditional channels, including social media, PR, and in-store promotions.
