✪ Richard Simpson ✪

Over the last three years our web design and build business has grown threefold, alongside a rapidly growing digital marketing portfolio of clients. So much so, that our specialist digital services now account for almost 50% of our turnover. I’m especially proud of our team here, as many ‘traditional’ advertising and creative agencies have struggled to make the switch to the digital world, especially for more complex technical delivery. (And we were no exception, starting out as a pure-play ad agency in 1996.) Thanks to a team of really smart people here (plus some who are no longer with us) we are now breaking through to a higher level of technical capability, where no project is too big or too complex for us. An example of this was the Traffic Scotland website [https://lnkd.in/e3P77giA] which was awarded a Silver at last year’s Marketing Star Awards. With a huge volume of data feeds and integrations, complex mapping and filtering, and the top level of DSSS accreditation required, the two-year project was a significant challenge. But our team took it in their stride, supported by a wonderfully collaborative client. The last six months or so have been especially productive. We have launched or relaunched no less than 14 websites - the production line has been at full capacity. From time to time our Technical Director had moments when he went all Scotty - “She canna take any more, Cap'n! She's gonna blow!” as the team juggled and worked extra hours to keep to deadlines. I’m proud to showcase these sites, in no particular order: https://www.rzss.org.uk; https://lnkd.in/eFpfm-rn ; www.edinburghzoo.org.uk ; www.homeenergyscotland.org ; www.parentclub.scot ; https://www.lostshore.com ; https://lnkd.in/e8NCGS3C ; https://www.rhspt.org ; https://www.jacobite.co.uk ; https://lnkd.in/eUsEBwBW ; https://lnkd.in/ewycMGuf ; https://www.software.ac.uk ; https://childlight.org ; www.pensionmirror.co.uk . This level of productivity and quality could not have been achieved without the combined skills or our account and project management, strategy and insight team, UX specialists, designers, SEO specialists, copywriters, front and back end developers, and our systems administrator. And of course, the clients who a) put their trust in us and b) worked so openly and productively alongside us. Forgive the cliche - teamwork really does make the dream work. We have another batch of sites ready to roll off the production line in the next few weeks. Watch this space. #webdesign #UX #SEO #webdevelopment

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📣 Call for Panellists! 📣 The inaugural 'Pop Culture Marketing Trends Summit' will take place at MCM London Comic Con on the morning of Friday 24th May.  It’s a free event aimed at pop culture marketers and comms professionals and those that have an interest in staying abreast of current marketing trends in the context of the rapid and somewhat challenging changes we are all experiencing. We're presenting x5 panels in a whirlwind morning schedule, all of them will be made up of experienced professionals in the following areas: - Industry: Published Media (Books, Comics) - Industry: Games - Channel: Events - Industry: On Screen Entertainment (Film, TV & VOD) - Channel: Creator Each panel will be having a discussion based on three core questions: What changes and developments are you seeing in your consumers or audiences? How do you think your sector is responding and adapting to those challenges? What do you identify as the key marketing trends as a result? So, are you, or do you know a potential panellist? A professional working in the pop culture marketing and comms sector who: - is an avid follower of pop culture marketing and comms trends with an eye on the game and finger on the pulse. - walks the walk as well as talks the talk - enjoys voicing thoughts and opinions and likes talking about them nicely with others - whose employer says it’s ok or even encourages going out and about to talk about things that have been learnt ‘in the day job’ - wants to come and hang out at MCM London Comic Con for the Friday before a bank holiday weekend If that sounds like you or someone you know drop me a line (or get them to) on here or via email ([email protected]).  We’re aiming to curate the most interesting and diverse panels we can to gain as full an insight as possible for the attendees. We will respond to everyone who gets in contact but you may not finally be successful as a pannellist. If you want to get involved apart from being a panellist please feel free to give me a shout and let's have a chat.     IF YOU WANT TO ATTEND THIS EVENT (and why wouldn't you it's a legitimate business case to pop to MCM London Comic Con @ Excel to do some learning and also see fandom consumers free-range in their natural habitat!) More about how to get your mits on tickets next week.

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‘You can’t really measure the impact of PR’. I hear that said so often that sometimes even those of us working in the sector can be at risk of internalising that belief. Which is why it’s so uplifting when a client takes the time to write in on a Friday afternoon to say ‘the result of the press coverage [that Rostrum generated] is a 25% increase in website traffic and a 50% increase in form completions’. That’s a measurable return on investment from your PR programme.

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Delighted to have been awarded Chartered Marketer status by the CIM | The Chartered Institute of Marketing after two continuous years of CPD and passing the Chartered Marketer Assessment. Chartered Marketer status recognises experienced marketing practitioners who commit to continuing professional development. In an ever-changing marketing landscape, staying up-to-date with the latest developments and innovations remains critical to marketing success. #CharteredMarketer #CMktr #CharteredInstituteOfMarketing #CIM #DigitalMarketing #Marketing #SEO #PPC

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Thrilled to be nominated in the B2B Marketing Awards for the Best Limited-Budget Marketing Campaign. It ran for 18 months in total but continues to generate leads - so the 9.3x ROI that we reported in our award submission this summer has actually increased since then. How did we do it - and what have we learned? The first thing to say is this was only possible thanks to a hugely collaborative partner in Park Communications Ltd., with whom we've co-produced print-thought leadership since 2019. But here are 3 more useful, fundamental principles of effective #B2Bmarketing which really set apart the sheep from the goats. 1. Treat your content like a product Park, as a supplier to the marcomms industry (amongst others) takes pride in delivering a product that's second to none. So why would it's marketing content be any different? In a competitive market for attention, second-rate content is a total waste of resources - it's forgotten the minute it's published. The work that rises to the top is the content that creates highly-differentiated audience value that standards apart from the competition. 2) Take an investment mindset This campaign 'started', arguably, in 2019, when we set out to make Park the premier authority on sustainable printing (as well as the premier service provider). Could the client have booked meetings faster with flashy events and ATL campaigns? Absolutely - at massive cost and with no long-term ROI. Effective B2B #contentmarketing is hugely capital efficient as it yeids increasing returns over time. The investments we made in 2019 fed into this campaign in the form of research insights and data points that helped us hone our approach over 4 years and run higher-profile campaigning with greater confidence of success. 3) Obsess over the data For some marketers, reporting is a chore. For us, it's a labour of love. Our proprietary framework has been developed squarely for the marketing analytics that make a geniuine difference to the business bottom line. They're our first port of call for any new content strategy and they're used to continually optimize our approach over time. Best of luck to all the other entrants in our category and looking forward to meeting you next week at the awards. Jody Tideswell Frederick Smith Tom Ritchie

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Do you look at the data that comes out of all of your different platforms and wonder what it all means? How can you demonstrate the positive impact that your marketing efforts are having on the bottom line? If you want to be able to unpick the story that your data is telling you then why not join me at #B2BMarketingExpo where I will be talking all things measurement. #B2BMarketing #Measurement #ROI

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Not everyone likes to hear this I know but standardisation and getting the fundamentals right are key to the success of retail media. Let’s work together as an industry to make this happen

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Thrilled to again achieve #CharteredMarketer status from the CIM | The Chartered Institute of Marketing. Chartered Marketer is a status recognising those marketers achieving the highest level in our profession. It demonstrates commitment to keeping up-to-date and is awarded on a combination of experience and qualifications. #Marketing #Excellence #Personal Development

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🚀 Exclusive Offer 🚀 Be one of the first to join the Care Marketing Academy and take advantage of our best ever value offer! We’re beta testing our CMA 12 week “Foundations of Care Marketing” programme with the first cohort starting Thursday 13th June at 3pm and there are just 3 spaces remaining. [If you can’t make the first session, please don’t let that put you off, I’ll run it again at a time to suit you] The one-time only price will be £795 and it will be 100% packed with value: - How to define the uniqueness of the service you offer and deliver messaging that resonates with your audience - Building a marketing toolkit – section by section – with advice from a range of experts. Websites. Copywriting. PPC. Social Media. Customer Journey. And more. - How to measure the effectiveness of existing and future marketing efforts - Ask anything sessions, feedback on real work to improve your marketing efforts. If marketing has been on your to-do list longer than you know is good for your business and you've just been a bit stuck then jump on a call with me and see if this is what you need. Don't delay though ... there are only 3 spaces available and I'm just about to follow up the enquiries that came in over the weekend since my "soft launch" https://vist.ly/3aahk Click the link to see more and fill in the form or drop me a DM!

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Over the years, I’ve had countless conversations with PR and comms professionals about the highs, the lows, and the constant need to adapt in our ever-evolving industry. It struck me — these stories, challenges, and lessons deserve to be shared. That’s why we launched the Viva PR Podcast PR in the Real World a couple of weeks ago. This is not intended to be your typical industry talk shop. It’s real people, sharing real stories about how they’ve tackled the biggest hurdles in their careers — and become stronger. From a personal point of view, the podcast has been a great way to connect with new people in the industry and reconnect with long-time friends I’ve worked alongside over the years. The stories they’ve shared have reminded me why I enjoy being involved in this industry in the first place — it’s full of creativity, resilience, and, above all, people who genuinely care about making an impact. From managing crises to navigating digital transformation, the conversations are honest, insightful, and, most importantly, practical. In short, hosting this podcast has been a privilege. However, I have to say I am not a big fan of hearing my own voice or seeing myself in these clips. I have always been the one behind the camera I don’t run towards the limelight. That said, it’s worth the pain as the feedback so far has been fantastic, and it’s clear there’s a real appetite for content that digs a little deeper, goes beyond the surface, and shines a light on the real side of PR. https://lnkd.in/eRDbjFBD #agencylife #PR #VivaPRPodcast #PublicRelations #Communications #StorytellingWithImpact #PRInsights #PRProfessionals #LearningTogether #PodcastLaunch #PRLeadership #ProblemSolving

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Branding case study #5: when DCC-owned Certas Energy needed a new brand for their sustainable energy division they came to us for the brand strategy, naming and design. We created Evolo 'the evolution of energy' and you can read the branding case study here: #branding #brandnaming #sustainableenergy #sustainability #brandidentity #brandingcasestudy #brandstrategy #brandpromise

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❓ What does 'brand management' look like in service industries? Elliott Chase recently asked for my thoughts on this specifically with the facilities management sector in mind as part of i-FM's brand survey. Since this is relevant for all service industries, where people are your biggest brand ambassadors - I thought I'd give it a share. "Brand management in a sector which is heavily reliant on people needs relentless focus on just that; the people. For any service provider the brand is defined by the knowledge and expertise of the workforce, the skills they have and the experience they deliver for the customer and end user. So, to protect and enhance your brand positioning, focus on your team; respect them, invest in them and make them the heroes and heroines of your story. It is them and the things they do every single day that define your brand." If you want to read more insight from the #FM sector including my wonderful client ABM UK - you can do so here. #brandmanagement #pragency #storytelling

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Massive changes afoot (potentially) at Royal Mail. The 'agreed' takeover will no doubt face some scrutiny especially as we face into a General Election and potential change of Government. There is no doubt that parcel delivery has been profitable and universal service poses challenges, however whoever takes on this British Institution needs to ensure they see the growth potential in advertising across the channel. Of course transactional mail items need to be sent out as part of a brands overall service offering, whereas sending something relevant and personalised to reward a customers interest doesn't land in home every day. With that in mind relevant discounts for delivery (admail) and a guaranteed regular delivery schedule (regardless of postage class) need to continue to be supported to ensure the long-term growth of the channel #royalmail #paperplanes #directmail https://lnkd.in/eBCFAZFh

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Insightful thriving not surviving webinar hosted by the CIM | The Chartered Institute of Marketing and Catrina Clulow FCIM Chartered Marketer yesterday. The clear message that there are opportunities for businesses to thrive despite a challenging economic environment is an important one especially with so much negativity surrounding the economy currently. It was particularly interesting to find out more about how each of the 7Ps can have an important role to play in marketing within a challenging landscape. #CIMEvents #CharteredInstituteOfMarketing #CIM #CPD

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Do you want to talk about elephants in the room like advertising x consumption x sustainability? In this new report from the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) we’re beginning to. We hope this is the start of a meaningful debate about the powerful influence lateral problem solvers have in a just transition to a low carbon economy.

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What an absolute delight to see a CEO truly recognise customer understanding defined everything, and being market oriented is the ONLY game in town. Customers rule, no ifs or buts, they do. Convince yourself you know your customers and make poor decisions. So many organisations don't have customer insight embedded into everything (and that is EVERYTHING). Play on price, it's easy, short term and proven to drive short term performance. Focus on customers, it's hard but drives performance in the short AND long term. Why do so many organisations get it so fundamentally wrong?

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Everyone working alongside small business owners deserves a special shoutout - but especially Georgia Dainty who patiently listens to my plans for our new website, then cracks on with the work. Like shop window displays and TV programme formats, it's important to stay contemporary with a regular refresh. #website #sme #business #communication

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We've been creating again. Here's our latest mini-guide to crafting a meaningful PR strategy in a changing environment. What are your key PR concerns today?

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