Category Archives: Creative

Blog, Creative, Design, Digital, Social Media

How To: Write A Strong Creative or Digital Project Brief

October 2, 2019 Amanda Smith

Get it right and your agency will deliver first time – no mistakes.

Writing a creative or digital brief in an agency can be particularly hard. So where do you begin? A good brief is one that inspires, is clear, sticks to one goal, has supportive constraints and inspires others to take on the project. Here are our top 5 ‘ignore them at your peril tips that any novice or expert ought never to exclude from a brief.

The Business Case: This part of the brief will encourage you to precisely outline what the problem is that you are addressing with a new campaign or project. Make sure you have a clear objective, avoiding jargon and any internal lingo. Write with your creative agency in mind; give an obvious and detailed description, so they can fully understand all of the factors they need to consider to achieve your goal.

Measurement: What impact do you want to make with the project? Include facts, figures and success indicators.

Competition: Investigate what your competition are doing and describe how they are achieving results.

Target Audience: Take your audience into consideration – is the project you’re commissioning targeted and tailored towards your target market? This is particularly important when making big decisions like whether building your website to work on mobiles/tablets is just the latest fad, or something you really need to consider.

Budget: Supplying a budget guide is always tricky, especially if you’re not sure how much it is likely to cost. With that being said, giving your design agency an idea of a budget will mean they can better tailor their recommendations to your expectations. If you don’t have a fixed budget, then a price bracket such as ‘between £2,000 to £4,000’ will be the best solution.

Ultimately, a creative brief should inform your agency as best as you can, so you can work together towards a shared goal: growing your brand and business.

Blog, Creative, Design, Digital

Why Retailers Should Embrace Omnichannel

July 4, 2014 Amanda Smith

83% of retailers expect to implement an Omnichannel strategy within the next 14 months*

Connected consumers are forcing a revolution in retail. The Omnichannel opportunity is concentrated more on a seamless approach to the consumer experience, rather than focusing on just one solution. Omnichannel is a mix of all the different ways people enjoy to shop, blended together but all saying the same message and giving the same brand experience. Retailers who have adopted this approach do so by combining all available shopping channels including in-store displays, retailer websites, mobile devices, social media, television, radio, direct mail, and so on, to drive sales.

Research has found that mobile is the channel considered key to the successful implementation of an Omnichannel strategy, with 100% citing it as the most important platform*. Tablet came a close second with 97%, and online received 95%. Fashion brand Oasis introduced iPads into their stores to enable the customer to browse online, pay online and place orders online whilst in store. Customers have the option to try an item on in store, and then order it online and have it delivered, rather than having to queue at the till to pay. This is particularly beneficial if the product isn’t in stock or in their correct size. In the first week of the iPad ordering system opening, 20% of store sales were made through the iPad each day*.

However, with digital commerce attracting a lot of attention, it’s sometimes easy to forget just how valuable physical retail remains. 61% of the survey respondents still consider bricks and mortar and a kiosk (15%) just as important as an online strategy. While many analysts have predicted the impending doom of offline stores, there is little to no evidence to support this theory. In fact, figures from the High Street Sales Track show that High street retailers enjoyed an uplift in takings during May 2014, with sales up by 1.1% overall and up 0.8% on the same period last year*. Stores’ true advantage comes with their ability to act as an effective piece of an overarching, compelling omnichannel customer experience.

Many of today’s most successful fashion houses, are already blending their offline and online strategies to deliver a better consumer experience and build more effective business.

British luxury brand Burberry have reinvented their Regent Street store in London to act as an extension of their website. The flagship store utilises digital technology such as large-scale interactive mirrors, hidden speakers and a hydraulic stage. Above all, the most innovative technology is the chip-technology developed by Burberry, which enables customers to pick up any garment and trigger an interactive video on one of the mirrors which shows how the product was made and what other items compliment it. This gives in-store customers access to the rich levels of immediate information they have grown to expect online. This kind of personalisation has allowed the luxury brand to create a deeper engagement with a customer seeking that very kind of service. Burberry have utilised all of their channels to tie everything together, ultimately making the shopping experience seamless.

By having a consistent presence across all channels, consumers can reach and shop at their convenience, anytime and anywhere. Plus frequent shoppers and those planning high-value purchases are more likely to use a range of channels for their purchase. Consumers want to see the product in-store, compare the product and price online, read consumer reviews and analyse social media feeds before they purchase. The best omnichannel organisations are those who can offer the customer the same value, benefits and options regardless of what platform they use.

Sources:

SLI Systems, 2014
SmartInsights

Blog, Creative, Digital, Social Media

The Internet and Education: what next?

March 26, 2014 Amanda Smith

The web’s 25^th anniversary celebrated an invention that has changed our lives forever, particularly within education.

We have come a long way since using the Internet solely for research. Teachers, students and parents have thousands of different learning tools at their fingertips each day thanks to the Internet. Over the decades we have seen connection speeds increase, the rise of social media and more recently, the shift to online learning.

We live in an era where the wealth of data available and the growth in new technologies is challenging institutions to rethink teaching and learning on a global scale. The impact of how we develop the web and improve digital skills will ensure that the future generation will continue to reap the benefits over the next 25 years and help us to learn faster, better and deeper.

Privacy and Cyber Security

Security will become an enormous issue across all markets – particularly in education. The BYOD revolution, social media, data in the cloud and big data will all lead to a complex network of people and devices. By planning ahead and putting thoughtful and strategic security systems into place, organisations are not only better prepared to implement new technologies, but more in control of their current structure.

Incorporation of Social Media

Learning is changing; over 90 percent of teachers are using social media in courses they’re teaching. This means almost 9 out of 10 teachers now prefer social media and personal learning networks compared to old methods*. In order to link up the worlds of formal education and students IT skills learnt outside the classroom teachers are using apps such as Skype, Google Hangouts and Edmodo to encourage students to engage actively in the material. Other tools such as Schoology and CourseSites also allow students to submit and receive feedback through online communities.

Augmented Reality

Learning will become more creative with Augmented Reality, which allows educators and students to unlock or create layers of digital information on top of the physical world that can be viewed through an Android or iOS device. More and more teachers will begin to use Augmented Reality products like Elements 4D, which allows students to manipulate and combine elements like mercury right from devices, rather than just reading about them or watching a video. Anatomy 4D is an app that allows users to explore a human body and isolate various body systems.

Connectivity in Developing Worlds

One of the major factors education advocates have faced during the last century was a lack of decent education for students in remote or poor areas of the world. Currently, three out of five people in the world still do not have access to the Internet*. Google is launching Project Link which provides faster, more reliable Internet to the places, and people that need it. There are installing an open access fiber-optic network around Kampala, Uganda, to help Internet service providers reach end users with faster speeds at lower prices. Schemes such as this will provide cities with a foundation for growth and will allow the world to have universal access to knowledge.

The Internet has opened up learning for those who cannot find the time or money to attend traditional courses. Schools and Universities have increased their reach and the number of students they can teach by a major push in online classes and MOOCs. Soon mobile devices will be available worldwide, and educational tools like the Khan Academy will be readily accessible. Mobile devices will allow students to learn online without the need for teachers or classrooms.

What next?

These technology enhanced learning solutions will have a huge impact and will eventually lead to a more informed and educated world population overall. In a recent survey, 76 percent of people believed the web has been a positive force for society*. In a lot of ways the Internet has made it possible to receive a free and more engaging education.

Sources:

Freedom to Tinker, 2014
EdTechnology, 2014

Blog, Creative, Design, Digital

Rise of the Construction Drones

March 12, 2014 Amanda Smith

For years the world has had this misconception that scientists are creating evil robots that are hell bent on destruction and taking over the world. In actual fact they’re building ‘drones’ with the purpose to do the opposite. These robots have the ability to independently build the structures that we both live and work in.

Quadrotors – simple electric helicopters with four sets of rotor blades and controlled remotely are already being used for exploring inside nuclear-processing facilities, inspecting buildings and to deliver vaccines and medicines to cut off communities. With recent advances in robotic technology, the days of the human construction worker may be soon be numbered, as machinery makes the task cheaper, safer and more effective for those involved.

A construction site is the natural habit for quick visual inspections by drones. Add specialised camera technology, such as filters or sensors to detect gas leaks and the drone becomes an invaluable tool. The drone minimises the cost and risks associated with human inspection of hard to reach areas. Multi-rotor drones can also provide companies with precise 3D models of buildings and surrounding areas, which contractors can use when planning changes to a building or trying to figure out where to move a road. Quadrotors are also being fitted with sprays and grippers so they can paint walls or buildings without the need for scaffolding or ladders.

In addition to inspection and risk assessment, the drones of the future will also be able to offer building development solutions. Swiss firm Gramazio & Kohler recently collaborated on a Flight Assembled Architecture experiment where a group of 50 robot helicopters were programmed to simultaneously lift and stack 1,500 polystyrene foam bricks into a six-metre high tower. Built in sensors detected the drones to be working at a speed of 370 feet per second. This data was then fed back into a programming system, which determined how to dispatch the drones effectively to avoid collisions and to determine the best-case paths for fast pickup and release. This trial is the first stage in the firm’s vision to build complex cylindrical towers using drones, which could stand more than 600m high and house 30,000 occupants.

Construction drones offer a more advanced solution than manual labour. However, for the concept to be adopted by construction firms they will firstly require the development of more heavy-duty robots that can carry substantial materials. Many robotic companies are looking to scale up this process, and design drones that can carry bricks and dispense mortar to automate traditional construction methods. The Drexel Autonomous Systems Lab in Philadelphia is working on a more ambitious Quadrotor with multiple arms for more complex tasks that require a pair of ‘hands’. Grippers mean that Quadrotors can pick up and transport construction items and objects without human intervention, making them suitable for applications such as building maintenance and repairs.

The opportunities for the use of drones in the construction industry are continuing to expand. It is envisaged that in the future drones could work in areas that aren’t fit for humans or may help in disaster relief and other emergencies. It is quite possible that more construction sites will see a flying drone overhead capturing photos, carrying bricks and playing a vital role in building our landscape.

Blog, Creative, Design, Digital, Uncategorized

Local Feature: Northampton High School Creative Workshop

February 17, 2014 Amanda Smith

On Thursday 30th January, Gavin Willis and Nina Billington presented at Northampton High School, which is one of GDGT’s independent schools. The session was part of a Careers Conference to broaden the pupils’ understanding of the career opportunities available.

The school runs this evening every two years where external speakers are invited to give presentations about their careers. This provides a valuable insight into real-life working environments and acts as a source of inspiration to the students.

Gavin, who is Creative Director at GWCM, launched the agency that is based in Northampton town centre 18 years ago. Both himself and Nina, who is Senior Art Director at the company, grew up in Northampton and attended the local University. Therefore, the pair wanted to share their industry experience and local knowledge to encourage students who are looking to decide upon a career.

Their presentation was based around life working in a marketing, design and communications agency, and what the job role entails on a daily basis. They advised the students on the most beneficial qualifications and characteristics to have if they were looking to work in the same industry. They also touched upon the skills required for coping with change and dealing with the world of work.

Making important career decisions in the early stages of Education may seem daunting at first. This is why creative workshops are so important – they aim to aid student choices and provide the pupils’ with real-life examples of successful career paths. Gavin and Nina hope to have inspired, motivated and encouraged the next generation of designers, showing them that it is possible to achieve your ambitions.

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