At BMB we believe that business people are human too, so we created a more experiential microsite which retains the focus on clear communication while providing a less utilitarian way to interact with it. Of course, it’s not all whizzy graphics and many of Vauxhall’s Fleet audience are still using older browsers so we made extensive use of cross-browser compatible Javascript to ensure maximum audience reach.

Email marketing is a steadfast of Vauxhall’s communications and we continually work with them to optimize conversion rates through design, content and timing. A more engaging look and feel was created to complement the increased focus on a single, offer-led call to action. Recipients who express an interest in the offer by clicking-through will then receive a personalized follow-up including a reminder that the offer is time-sensitive.

http://www.gmukbusiness.co.uk/marchoffers/

No, it actually means “For the tenacious, no road is impassable…” and is wholly appropriate as this week marked the conclusion of a historic deal that saw the Dutch performance car manufacturer Spyker take ownership of Saab Automobile after over a year of real challenges for the Swedish marque.

As Saab’s ‘Independence Day’ was declared, a collective sigh of relief was heard from thousands of employees and dealers across the globe, and Saab fans everywhere could finally sleep easy, safe in the knowledge that they could continue to dream of their next Saab and a secure future for the brand.

But what’s really interesting is the key role played by Saab’s global online network of fans as they did their best to keep the brand alive during some of its more difficult moments, helping drive interest from potential investors in a company that many in the media had written off as beyond saving. 

This network of passionate fans communicate in their masses online, congregating regularly at Saab’s unofficial blog site – Saabsunited.com – a site set up by an Australian enthusiast in 2005, who has since worked tirelessly to bring the Saab brand to life for thousands of Saab owners and to create an environment in which enthusiasts can share information, anecdotes and images, while also keeping up to date with the very latest Saab news, as it happens, from around the world.

As the site has grown in popularity over the past 5 years, Saab has clearly recognised the power of the online voice and has made an ally of the site’s founder – supplying him with exclusive images, interviews and information, and allowing him behind the scenes access at major car launches, for example. He even had his own exclusive invitation to the deal signing this week where he reported in depth for his site’s followers.

It’s clear that the key to the blog’s success is that despite its close relationship with Saab, it has remained entirely independent, maintaining the authentic voice it started out with. Writers can say what they like, good or bad. They can lobby for change, call for action, praise or condemn. But by trusting the bloggers, giving them key information and, crucially, deciding to listen rather than to censor, Saab has gained a fierce supporter in Saabsunited and has helped to develop what has become a powerful tool for the company. It is a place where Saab can successfully gauge opinion and indirectly gain the trust and support of their customers and fans on a non-corporate level.

This support has never been so apparent – or more important – than when Saab faced its worst nightmare – the potential closure of the company. As many turned their back on Saab, its fans came into their own and took to the web across the world, joining forces to voice their support for the brand and their determination that it should survive against all odds.

Led by Saabsunited, a ‘Save our Saab’ campaign developed, with fans initially sharing photos, memories and experiences across all social media channels from Facebook to Flickr, Twitter to YouTube.

The number of supporters for the campaign grew exponentially – in January alone Saabsunited received 166,000 unique visitors – culminating in the arrangement of the global ‘Save our Saab’ convoys which saw over 5,000 Saab drivers across 42 countries gathering together to drive en masse as a show of support for their beloved brand. These convoys generated global media attention and gave the potential investors a real insight into the loyalty and passion of Saab customers – something that arguably tells you just as much as any spreadsheet or presentation.

The successful completion of the takeover will bring the Saab phoenix back from the flames and give new life to a brand with a clear programme of investment and regeneration. Saabsunited and its ever increasing followers will continue to watch from the wings. Their reward? The survival of the brand they love so much.

Without the time, information and trust afforded to Saabsunited by Saab’s communication team we may have been looking at a very different outcome. However, Saab was saved which only goes to prove one thing – never underestimate, or ignore, the power of your customers. They have a voice, and they will use it.

As Paperchase joins a long and growing list of big brands to fall foul of social media etiquette, it’s clear that classic PR techniques and principles apply more than ever in an age of increasingly vocal and challenging customer groups.   

Earlier this month, an independent artist known as “Hidden Eloise” believed that Paperchase had stolen one of her designs and used it on notebooks, tote bags and albums sold across its 100 UK stores. After posting details of this on Twitter and claiming that her concerns were being ignored by Paperchase, the story quickly became one of the most popular on the network.

This explosion of concern for Hidden Eloise posed a real public relations challenge for Paperchase. As the car crash unfolded, the ‘moberati’ started baying for blood – fuelled by the absence of an official comment from Paperchase. The few objective voices of reason were drowned out as Paperchase’s silence was taken to be an admission of guilt.

Even some of those claiming to be contacting Paperchase by traditional means said that they were getting through to voicemail.

In an attempt to help with damage limitation, a Tech PR person registered @paperchaseuk. He, along with numerous other people, was actively trying to contact Paperchase and involve them in dialogue but it didn’t appear that the company had any channels to deal with this kind of digital crisis management.

By late afternoon Paperchase had set up @FromPaperchase and were trying to get a grip of the situation with the release of a statement – effectively confirming that the company had done all it had been legally required to do. A handful of followers retweeted this but, sadly, it was not enough of an explanation for the baying mob and didn’t have the ‘personal’ feel they demanded.  

Over the next hours and days the statement was amended to include the name of the design agency and designer involved, expanding on the explanation until a more personal statement was released admitting guilt and proving that a thorough investigation had been done. Ironically, contrary to the opinion of the mob, Paperchase and Hidden Elouise turned out to be the victims of another independent artist.

So what can we learn from this?

Well, there were probably two main question marks surrounding the Paperchase strategy:

No one was listening.

When they eventually took action, the tone wasn’t wholly appropriate for the audience.

That’s not to say that the incident could have been completely avoided if both of the above had been addressed but it probably could have been better contained. In addition, Paperchase may have been able to maximise the fact that they had a significant volume of traffic to its website.

No matter what company you work for or industry you are involved with, this incident underlines the need to be clear about who and where your customers are and then decide how best to use your time, finances and resources to engage with them – even if it’s just making sure that at a basic level you listen to what is being said and are prepared to respond.

Public relations has always been about consistent communication with customers. The age old saying that PR is not just a tap to be turned on and off has never been more true than today. The time to listen and engage is now, people are talking about your brand more than ever – and you’d be surprised how much damage can be done in 140 characters or less.

Yes, we can’t quite believe it ourselves but the first awards ceremony of the year has sneaked up on us as the PR team head to the Hilton on Park Lane today for the HSBC Rail Business Awards 2010. Once again we’re hoping our internal communications programme for DLR will be recognised at what we have been assured is the Oscars of the rail industry – complete with gushing acceptance speeches.

We’ll be tweeting updates throughout the evening and will have a full report tomorrow – good luck everybody!

Planning the launch of a major new vehicle is a complex & expensive task. There’s the timing of the TV commercials, the direct mail, point-of-sale, email marketing and a whole lot more to co-ordinate & schedule with plenty of last minute changes and tweaks. And then you have to let your network of dealerships know about the marketing plan, ensuring they all receive timely and up-to-date information.  That’s why we created the online “Vehicle Launch Guide” as part of our ongoing work with General Motors.

Initially created for the launch of Vauxhall’s all-new Astra, the digital launch guide covered all marketing elements of the vehicle launch from retailer planning & sales training to public relations, launch calendar & target market data. When combined with the email campaign, the digital launch guide ensured hundreds of dealerships across the country were informed about all aspects of the new vehicle launch.

BMB took the opportunity to integrate a series of enhancements including integrating our improved user-behaviour tracking into the CMS to create more effective email follow-ups; Tracking & analysing user-behaviour allows the marketing team following-up with personalized, relevant emails. The core system behind the site allows for multiple vehicles, localisation and a host of other money-saving features.

It’s another example of how we improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our clients’ marketing budgets and, as a bonus, reduce their carbon footprint at the same time.

We faced a real test of our production capabilities with the high-profile launch of the new Astra – which demanded delivery of a comprehensive range of marketing collateral to help promote the vehicle across the UK.

The challenge lay not only in preparing copy and layouts for all materials but also with co-ordinating the complex production and distribution of each element for both the consumer and B2B launch campaigns.In the end, we delivered everything from national press advertising to billboards, product brochures and dealer literature to showroom signage and point of sale material.
Following efficient sign off and a smooth production process, all literature, promotional collateral, signage and digital elements were delivered on time and on budget – and Vauxhall was delighted with the results.

The sheer volume of materials involved in the campaign presented an exciting challenge and we are proud that the project proved to be so successful. Now that the Astra launch period has moved into top gear, we are looking forward to building on the initial buzz and developing further national press advertising in the coming weeks.

We mean the recession of course: It’s over! And yes it’s official – at least that’s what this mornings GDP figures indicate. So, is this good news? Well, we all know that it’s going to remain very tough out there for businesses for some time yet but it does hopefully signify a more positive attitude across the UK. So, if you haven’t been doing so already, now is the time to start thinking about how to get your marketing in better shape for what will no doubt be a long and slow recovery – but one that will present opportunities for those brands with clear and compelling messages.

At BMB we’ve been working closely with all our clients through the recession to ensure that the marketing pound works harder, faster and lasts a bit longer. We do this by employing our media neutral approach supported by our full service offering. We embrace new technologies and methodologies but never forget that central to any successful campaign are great creative ideas.

If you’re not familiar with what we’ve been doing for our clients over the last 18 months and you fancy seeing how we can help, e-mail to rob.butterfield@bmb.uk.com and we’ll be happy to let you into a few little secrets.

The small worldliness continued. It then turned out that he knew one of their ex top managers who used to work in the home town of our very own Ben. It continued to become even more peculiar once again: The company who ran the training also own the exhibition where we showcased our work at last year!

I left feeling very pleased that I work for BMB, and with a sense of feeling strangely happy that life is full of positive and happy coincidences, and that our world is smaller than we sometimes think.

A few of us spent the weeks up until Christmas with nkd images across our screens and desks – and it was all Rob Butterfield’s idea!

No they weren’t the photos from some debauched agency Christmas party (we were very well behaved) – they were in fact for Nottingham’s first and only waxing and hair removal boutique. They asked if we would create a name and identity for their launch into a market which has seen its own share of growth recently.

They didn’t want to shy away from their treatments ranging from eyebrow threading to pubic topiary (in fact they quite liked the idea of being a little cheeky) so we set to work on some research which would frighten your firewall.

nkd is the name. Animal shapes became the cheeky nod to their craft. Skin tones became the backdrop to it all, and a successful roll-out across all their new interiors and communication was the result, oh and a client who’s a very happy bunny/monkey/chicken/cat.

Following their official opening in December the salon has gone from strength to strength. We’ll be working with nkd throughout this year to help them achieve their goal of opening a chain of salons across the UK. Let’s hope they manage to keep back any growth in competition throughout 2010.