Portfolio - Case Studies

Innovative examples of best practice work

TELEVISION AUDI

Fast lane to brand loyalty Audi claims to be the fi rst car manufacturer to have its own digital TV channel. Laura Blows fi nds out how Audi launched and manages a TV channel, and the benefi ts it provides for the brand.

Audi.indd 2 1/9/08 10:14:56

Traditional TV advertising

is becoming increasingly

fragmented, with smaller

audiences stretched across

a wider range of channels.

However, Audi UK came up with a solution

to this problem, by being the fi rst car manu-

facturer and only Audi region to launch its

own digital TV channel, which the company

says has helped to increase sales and brand

loyalty.

Audi, the German-based manufacturer

of premium quality cars, was formed in

1932 through an amalgamation of four com-

panies (which is the reason for the four

rings logo). Its tagline, vorsprung durch

technik (advancement through technology)

forms the basis of not just its car produc-

tion, but also its marketing.

So for Audi UK, becoming the fi rst car

manufacturer to have its own digital TV

channel, along with the allure of television,

fi ts in with everything it wants the brand

to stand for.

Chris Hawken, brand communications

manager for Audi, explains: “Audi’s brand

attitudes are prestige, being progressive,

sporty and sophisticated, so being the fi rst

car manufacturer to have its own television

channel fi ts in perfectly with this.”

There is also a market for providing 24

hours a day streamed content about the

car company, as Hawken says: “People are

hungry for information about Audi.”

Once the decision was made to launch

a television channel, Audi fi rst had to es-

tablish exactly what benefi ts it planned to

get from the channel.

Hawken explains: “Our aim in launching

the channel was to support the brand’s pro-

gression. We wanted to build a greater affi n-

ity with Audi, by helping prospects receive

more information to make them more likely

to become a customer, and to strengthen the

ties with existing customers so that they

can become brand advocates.”

Audi’s TV channel was launched in 2005,

on Sky channel 884, and Audi is currently

in negotiations for the channel to be aired

by Virgin Media and FreeSat. Jan Redecke,

digital communications manager for Audi

UK, says that the channel’s programme

content contains a range of genres.

The channel includes entertainment

programmes, one of which features celeb-

rities such as Alex Ferguson and James

Nesbitt being interviewed in their Audis.

While some shows may be entertainment-

focused, with an Audi edge, Redecke says

that the core programming is centred on

Audi’s cars, for instance reviews hosted

by presenters.

Audi has recently purchased What Car?

Audi car tests, “for a third party view which

we do not edit or change”, Redecke says. It

also shows many programmes about mo-

tor sport, as Audi is a key sponsor within

this industry. In total there are 160 hours

of content, Hawken says.

New programmes are made each quar-

ter for the channel, with recent content

including programmes about Audi’s CSR

policy. Redecke says: “When thinking of new

programmes, our fi rst priority is promoting

our new cars.”

Brand identity is consistent both within

the channel, and mixing with overall brand

strategy. For example the TV channel has

followed the corporate line by changing

its brand colour from black to white. The

attitude displayed by the presenters is man-

aged by the tone of the piece, and the show’s

production team is well aware of Audi’s

brand style.

The opportunity for Audi to create its

own digital channel came by obtaining a

self-promotion licence within the special

interest category of Sky. To produce the

channel’s content, Audi turned to independ-

ent television production company North

One, which had experience shooting car

shows, including Fifth Gear.

Continuing the advancement through

technology theme, producing and sched-

uling the content is conducted through a

“futuristic” system, Hawken says.

Instead of using couriers to deliver

the fi nished programme, North One edits

the programme and delivers digitally to

the ‘hub’ which organises programming.

A programme is placed into the hub with

information and rules attached, such as

a programme being labelled as an enter-

tainment programme that has to appear

x times a day.

The programmes are scheduled and

played automatically, and are managed by

both global ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty

and Audi’s own account team.

As well as being the fi rst car manufac-

turer to have its own TV channel, Audi UK

is the only country implementing this as a

marketing tool. Audi AG has since launched

an online-only channel with its own con-

tent, which is more lifestyle-centred than

car specifi c, Hawken says.

Creating the programmes is not consid-

ered to be expensive, Hawken says, as the

content is repurposed for other Audi media

channels. The shows are fi rstly made for the

TV channel, then re-edited for online, and

the themes of the shows are also incorpo-

rated into a magazine.

The content produced for the television

channel and then placed onto Audi UK’s

website is divided into section types for

users to choose from. An iPlayer for Audi

UK’s website has recently launched, allow-

ing visitors either to watch the channel in

real time, or on demand. A ‘My Audi’ func-

tion has also been added to the website,

which allows viewers to save their favourite

programmes.

Content is streamed into Audi centres,

and placed within YouTube, iTunes and

Joost. Specifi c programmes are also placed

into DVD direct mail packs, with for exam-

ple Audi A4 programmes in the DVD for the

A4 direct mail campaign.

The Audi TV channel may be shown

across a host of different formats, but it

also still has to be complemented by other

marketing strategies, Hawken says. “We

still spend a lot of money on above the line

marketing,” he adds.

Having a television channel plays a

strong part in Audi’s marketing, but Hawken

says that its customer magazine, with ➤

Audi AG

Audi AG formed in 1932 as an amalgamation of four previously independent motor-vehicle manufacturers: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer. The four rings logo symbolizes the coming together of the four companies.

Along with the four rings, Audi also has a well-known and popular tagline, vorsprung durch technik, meaning advancement through technology.

Its current car ranges include the R8, TT, A3 and A4. As well as Germany, Audi has production locations in China, Italy, Hungary and Belgium.

brand management | September/October 2008 | 37

TELEVISION AUDI

Audi.indd 3 1/9/08 10:15:06

38 | September/October 2008 | brand management

TELEVISION AUDI

450,000 readers, and the website, are also

strong elements of Audi’s marketing.

Hawken says: “The channel is a very

important part of our overall marketing

mix, but we still have to advertise in news-

papers and magazines, and have 30-second

ad slots during key programming, such as

the Champions League. The role of the TV

channel is to add a greater dimension, to

dip in to understand the brand.”

The channel is subject to television

regulations, which Audi handles by having

a consultant check that all programming

meets the requirements. “We are now learn-

ing the regulations, what we can and can’t

do, for ourselves,” Hawken says.

“It’s surprisingly straightforward, and

easier for us now, as in the early days the

team was having to watch the shows for

hours to check we did not breach any regu-

lations.”

Conforming to regulations is just one of

many challenges facing a brand launching

a TV channel. An ongoing issue, Hawken

says, is continually making exciting, fresh

programmes.

He explains: “We have got better at pro-

gramming. Our shows used to be a bit dry,

so we get motoring journalists to co-present

the programmes to make the shows more

of a chatty double-act. We now engage our

PR team with the shows, ensuring that the

show-makers attend a car launch so that

the programme can be made quickly.”

Redecke adds: “The presenters have

gone from being a bit hyper to having a

more serious, evaluated approach. The

tone and style of the shows has developed

gradually, and we write less copy for the

presenters now so that they can talk more

freely.”

As Audi has now mastered the art of

programme making, the challenge now,

Hawken says, is to ensure that people keep

watching the channel. This is achieved by

updating the programmes regularly, letting

the audience know of upcoming shows,

and promoting the channel in Audi’s other

marketing, such as outdoor print.

Audi says its research proves that it

has managed to overcome these challenges.

It says that according to Sky, the number

of homes that have Sky and are therefore

able to view the Audi channel on 884 is

nine million.

Its prospect tracking has found that

73% are aware of the channel and use it

for further research, while 61% out of those

who have viewed the channel have watched

it in the last three months, and 96% of those

are positive about it. Of those that have

viewed the channel, 54% say that it helps

them make purchasing decisions.

Viewers return to the channel 13 times

on average during their buying process,

and the standard viewing time is around

30 minutes.

The channel was originally aired for

just six hours, but was then increased to 24

hours as it was not any more expensive to

run, which was the right decision, Hawken

says, as the peak viewing time for the en-

tertainment shows is after 11pm.

“The research has shown that the chan-

nel is useful for people thinking of buying

an Audi. Six months before purchase is

the main time they go to the channel, and

after purchase they return to the channel

for another three to six months,” Redecke

adds.

So the results have shown that overcom-

ing the challenges of having a branded TV

channel was worth it, and it has also pro-

vided a number of benefits for Audi.

Hawken says: “The channel adds depth

to the Audi brand, and turns prospects into

customers, and customers into advocates.

“The TV channel provides us with a

reason to make great audio visual content

that complements our normal TV advertis-

ing. Without the channel it would not be

cost-effective to make quality videos that

would only be available through the website

or on DVDs.”

He adds: “The channel gives texture to

the brand. Even if a viewer just dips into

the channel for five minutes they still get a

stronger sense of the brand compared with

other advertising methods. It allows the

viewer to engage with the brand in a way

that is not possible with other media.

“We are very happy with it and it puts us

on the front foot. It gives us an advantage

over our competitors.”

Explaining why the TV channel has been

a hit with Audi fans, Hawken says: “Our

audience know they are being sold to, but

we do it in a fair way. We are not pushing

our advertising to them, instead they are

choosing to participate with us.”

So it seems that in terms of brand loy-

alty, Audi’s TV channel has proved to be a

small screen success.

A 30 second spot on Audi UK’s TV channel

The Audi Channel launched in 2005, on Sky channel 884. It showcases Audi’s range of vehicles and provides news of the brand’s motor sport activities. The Audi channel also features a wide range of programming from the worlds of entertainment, celebrity and sport.

Audi UK uses independent television production company North One to produce the channel’s content. North One edits the programme and places it digitally onto the ‘hub’, which organises programming, with information and rules attached, such as ‘entertainment programme to appear x times a day’.

The programmes are scheduled and played automatically, and are managed by both global ad agency BBH and Audi’s own account team.

Audi.indd 4 1/9/08 10:15:12

18 | January/February 2009 | brand management

INTERVIEW DEREK HOBBS

Motoring aheadThe DVLA is targeting customers through each individual’s preferred marketing channel as it seeks to grow its brand, Derek Hobbs, the driver and vehicle licensing agency’s head of customer insight and marketing, explains to Laura Blows.

The shoppers passing by on

the London street outside

are few and far between,

while the pub that Derek

Hobbs, head of customer insight and

marketing for the Driver and Vehicle

Licensing Agency (DVLA), is speaking

to Brand in is near-empty. It serves

to reinforce the point that Hobbs is

making: that in the current economic

crisis consumers are spending less

and are struggling to pay for the

things they need or want. It makes

them less receptive to reminders

about paying car tax.

He explains: “The credit crunch

is affecting us. We do not receive

government money, so we have to

generate our own income. We have

already noticed an impact with the

number of cars and licenses going

down, so we have had to make very

big savings.

“We are under some pressure, but

everyone is going through it so we are

sharing their pain. I feel we have a

bigger job competing for a share of

money though, as it becomes more

of a challenge convincing people to

pay their car tax when you think of

all the other things they are currently

finding it hard to pay for.”

It may be a tough fight for the

DVLA at the moment, but it is facing

the challenge head-on by marketing

its services, a relatively new concept

for the Agency. According to Hobbs,

this was not particularly part of the

agenda for the DVLA before he joined

three years ago.

He says: “‘Marketing car tax’ ap-

pears at first to be an oxymoron. The

conventional view was that citizens

have to pay taxes and do not need to

be marketed to. However, once the

DVLA provided new channels to facil-

itate renewal, all the usual marketing

issues came into place just as they

would for any product or service.

The DVLA’s marketing campaign was recently deemed best marketing strategy by the National Business Awards

“As a result, the DVLA’s attitude

is changing, from a brand protec-

tion viewpoint to brand marketing;

instead of thinking of those that use

our services as citizens, we are think-

ing of them as customers, which is a

huge change in attitude.

“We had a very strong brand

protection team, making sure peo-

ple towed the line with regards to

the DVLA brand, which I felt was the

wrong way to go about things. So we

came up with a set of guidelines de-

termining things such as how to use

the acronym in what context, within

search engine optimisation and pay

per click for example, so everyone

knows what they can do, and the cus-

tomers always know when they are

working with us.”

Hobbs claims his job was the first

within the DVLA to contain the word

‘marketing’ in the title. Since then, his

responsibilities have expanded to an

exhaustive list, which includes brand

management, marketing, events, data

analysis, market research, data sales,

corporate standards and design,

process design, customer service

improvement and web communica-

tion.

The reason for his job role ex-

panding is simple: “We are becoming

more customer oriented, with things

like customer satisfaction being very

important to us, and my responsibili-

ties reflect this. Everything is built

on customer trust. Our chief execu-

tive, Noel Shanahan, came from the

commercial world so he brought this

Derek Hobbs

Hobbs joined the DVLA in 2005 from a commercial background. Previously he was CEO of Valleys Arts Marketing (VAM) and Marketing the Arts in Swansea, Carmarthen and Pembroke (MASC) providing marketing support to arts venues in ten South Wales Local Authorities. He was also marketing director of Classic Choice (a mail order furniture company) the UK’s 24th fastest growing company in the 1999 Virgin Atlantic-Sunday Times Fast Track 100.

DVLA.indd 2 26/1/09 10:52:03

brand management | January/February 2009 | 19

INTERVIEW DEREK HOBBS

➤

The DVLA has been using a variety of marketing techniques to advertise its services

The DVLA

Based in Swansea, the DVLA is an executive agency for the Department for Transport, accountable to the Secretary of State and Parliament. It was established as an Agency in 1990 but it has been responsible for managing the centralised vehicle and driver registers since the early 1970s, when the individual local authorities’ records were consolidated.

The DVLA maintains an accurate record of those who are entitled to drive various types of vehicles (currently featuring 39 million on the database) together with a register of all vehicles entitled to travel on public roads (32 million live vehicle records).

In addition to managing these large databases, the DVLA issues some seven million driving licenses, nine million registration certificates and responds to more than 24 million enquiries from the police and customers on driver licensing and vehicle registration issues each year. It is responsible for the collection of some £4.9 billion in car tax on behalf of the Treasury.

attitude with him; it’s driven from

the top.”

To help generate this customer

trust, Hobbs is trying to create an

open, approachable DVLA by looking

beyond more traditional marketing

methods, like the mass-reach world

of broadcast advertising, and instead

segmenting customers and commu-

nicating with them in their preferred

way, be it through a piece of direct

mail, an automated telephone system

or online.

The DVLA’s website is integrated

into the Directgov site, which all cus-

tomer-facing government websites

will eventually join says Hobbs, who

is also the motoring franchise direc-

tor for Directgov. The DVLA’s website

was one of the first to be integrated

with Directgov, having been part of

it for three years.

Hobbs predicts there is another

three years to go before all customer-

facing government websites are kept

under the one umbrella of Directgov.

“The DVLA as an online brand is very

well-known, but now we are trying

to bring the focus onto the Directgov

website,” he adds.

Transferring the DVLA’s car tax

and vehicle licensing services online

is currently the most important cam-

paign, Hobbs says. It certainly seems

to be doing well, as the campaign has

recently won a National Business

Award for best marketing strategy

(see boxout on page 20).

According to Hobbs, there are

currently up to1.6 million users of

this online facility every month. On-

line renewals account for an average

of 42% of all car tax renewals, and the

aim is to have it reach 50% by the end

of the financial year, he says, adding:

“This will be a very big achievement,

as it’s ingrained in people’s minds

that they have to go to the Post Office

to get their car tax renewed.”

The aim of the DVLA’s online serv-

ices, according to Hobbs, is to make

the website as automated and intui-

tive as possible. The DVLA does this

by conducting research and tests to

see if any refreshment is needed.

It also uses the internet to host an

online panel, where it is able to listen

to customers’ viewpoints, complaints

and recommendations. “Our online

panel was quite dubious of the DVLA

Last minute with your vehicle tax?It is still not too late to tax online or by phone.

at first, as they considered us to just

be a government agency that didn’t

really care. But because we listened

to them, they became such strong

brand advocates that we couldn’t use

them on the online panel anymore.

We had to get new people on the

panel to find new ways in which we

could improve,” Hobbs says.

Even though the online channel is

growing, and is described by Hobbs

as increasingly important because of

its ability for measurement, he says

that direct mail is still its largest

marketing channel. Traditional mar-

keting channels cannot be ignored, he

explains: “For our wider messages,

we have to use all the main market-

ing formats because we have to make

sure the message reaches a variety of

audiences. TV and radio will not go

away anytime soon because not

DVLA.indd 3 26/1/09 10:52:25

20 | January/February 2009 | brand management

INTERVIEW DEREK HOBBS

everyone uses the internet, but the

younger generation that is learning

to drive now is used to the internet

and is more likely to want to conduct

services online.”

It’s Hobbs’ determination to

reach every type of audience that

fuels his motivation to try new mar-

keting techniques. After discovering

that its marketing messages were not

quite reaching all demographics, the

DVLA undertook some research and

found that its untargeted audience

was also that most likely to enter

prize draws.

From this, DVLA decided to

launch a competition in summer

2008, whereby everyone that uses

the DVLA website or phone system to

renew their car tax would automati-

cally be entered into a prize draw.

Once a month winners are selected

to receive a new Seat EcoMotive car,

donated by the motor fi rm. The DVLA

is planning to run the competition for

at least a year.

“It took a lot of red tape to get

through, but it has generated a lot of

coverage for us and it’s giving some-

thing back to our customers,” Hobbs

says. The car is also a low emission

model, so it is helping promote the

environmentally friendly message,

he adds.

The prize draw has been adver-

tised in a variety of media, as the

DVLA joins up its messages across all

of its marketing mediums to ensure

they reach as wide an audience as

possible. Hobbs describes his mar-

keting messages as providing both

the ‘carrot and the stick’.

To highlight his point, Hobbs

gives the example of the DVLA’s car

tax renewal marketing campaign.

This highlights the enforcement side

of the DVLA’s message through tel-

evision, as the TV advert warns that

car owners run the risk of their car

being crushed if it is not taxed. How-

ever, the online message also uses

encouragement, as it has a crushed

vehicle transforming into a phone -

as a reminder that people can simply

call to tax their car.

As part of the DVLA’s responsibil-

ity to promote its messages in a vari-

ety of ways, Hobbs is always keen to

fi nd new ways to market the DVLA’s

services. “I come from a commercial

background, so the type of marketing

techniques I like are the ones that

offer measurement,” he admits.

He has recently experimented

with placing DVLA advertisements

into programmes broadcast over

the internet, which Hobbs says has

generated positive initial results. An-

other marketing area he is keen to

explore is social networking.

EN60WS

visit : www.direct.gov.uk/taxdiscRenew your tax disc online

WALKSORT

FRE

E

PRIZE DRAW

WIN

ONE OF THREE SEATC

AR

S

Win a SEAT IBIZA 1.4 TDI

When you receive your vehicle licence reminder…You can now renew online or by phone.www.direct.gov.uk/taxdisc Phone 0870 850 4444

Just to let you know...

MIS244_150607.indd 1 29/6/07 10:33:50

“We are monitoring DVLA key-

words on social networking sites and

blogs to establish how we are per-

ceived and what positive and nega-

tive comments people make about us.

We then want to use this channel to

talk to customers in an upfront and

honest way, as it has to be more than

simply putting website text into a

blog,” Hobbs says.

Exploring new marketing chan-

nels may require stretching the budg-

et further, but this sort of challenge

does not faze Hobbs. He explains:

“The budget here at the DVLA is fan-

tastic compared to the budget I was

previously working with for my arts

organisation, although the volume of

people we have to reach is so much

greater.

“Having come from a business

where the money was pretty much

coming out of my own pocket, I had

to be innovative and make sure every

penny counts. I have therefore tried

to bring this ethos into the DVLA.”

While he does have a substantial

marketing budget now, Hobbs is not

short of other challenges. “We have

huge databases containing millions

of records, so we have a very good

data protection team to protect this

information. It’s actually diffi cult for

us internally to access data from our

database,” he laughs.

Data restrictions aside, Hobbs

describes his biggest issue as ac-

cepting change within the DVLA: “My

main challenge is that there is a ten-

dency in government to be quite risk

averse. The reasons why there may be

reluctance against trying something

new are not often based on law but

simply current practice. This means

that there can be barriers to break

down in order to get things done,

but for me that’s exciting as I get

a real sense of achievement when I

manage this.”

After three years of marketing the

DVLA brand name the signs are en-

couraging for Hobbs. He says: “Public

perception is starting to change, as

awareness of the DVLA as a brand is

very high. The only downfall is that

some think we are responsible for

everything to do with driving, such

as speed cameras, but that’s only

because the DVLA as a recognised

brand is so strong.”

National Business Awards 2008

Despite marketing being a relatively recent strategic focus for the DVLA, the Agency clearly learns fast, having won the bigmouthmedia Marketing Strategy of the Year Award at the National Business Awards 2008 for its campaign to drive customers online for their car tax payment. David Hardy, international sales and marketing director at bigmouthmedia said the DVLA’s marketing initiative “caught the public imagination and drove a massive increase in traffi c to their site”.

He added: “It’s a classic example of how a blend of clear strategy, creativity and thinking outside the box can really deliver results. Their campaign was as bold as it was eye-catching. They used commercial promotional techniques no public sector body had tried before, and the success they’ve enjoyed from doing so is just reward for a brave and clever approach to marketing.”

The DVLA has advertised its prize draw throughout its marketing activities

DVLA.indd 4 26/1/09 10:52:32

14 | March/April 2008 | brand management

FEATURE BUILDING BRAND IDENTITY

Recipe for successAt just five years old, Gü has taken on the big boys to become a leading producer of premium chilled desserts. Laura Blows explores how this has been achieved.

Health messages, obesity scares

and Jamie Oliver abound, but

chocolate pudding brand Gü’s

sales are growing at around 60%

year on year, so it seems that the desire to

give in to the temptation of a ‘naughty treat’

is still strong.

Launched in May 2003, Gü is currently

tracking at £22.5 million in sales in the UK,

and hopes to reach £30 million in sales by

the end of 2008. So how has it managed to

achieve such phenomenal growth in just

five years?

For Becs Sears, marketing manager for

Gü, its success is due to its brand identity.

She says: “The essence of Gü is a mixture

of being serious about the product quality,

while having fun with the brand. Food for

kids is exciting, but for adults, it’s more seri-

ous. We’re trying to bring the fun back into

desserts. Adults deserve their own treats.”

The aim of Gü is to provide premium

quality chilled chocolate puddings, designed

to appeal to young urban families in the

ABC1 bracket. However, Sears says: “Our

consumer demographic and profile is very

varied. Young professionals, yummy mum-

mies, empty nests, everyone likes to have

a treat.”

Gü is a joint venture with Rensow Patis-

serie, a supplier of handmade patisserie to

the airline sector, and currently consists

of 32 different products in the UK, on sale

in more than 3,000 UK stores. It features a

team of 25 in London, with another 10 in

France. Gü is marketed in 10 other countries,

including Belgium, Ireland, Holland, Spain

and Barbados. Gü estimates that one of its

puddings is eaten somewhere in the world

every two seconds.

James Averdieck, MD of Gü, began his

mission of bringing “the fun back into des-

serts” in Brussels, where he was working for

dessert, yoghurt and fromage frais producer,

St Ivel.

The sumptuous scents of the patisserie

he lived near to swept into Averdieck’s mind,

convincing him to create a brand that mar-

ried up the high quality of a chocolate patis-

serie with mass supermarket distribution.

With the idea in place, Averdieck ap-

proached Big Fish, a branding, design and

marketing agency, stating that he had a bril-

liant product but no brand “and not much

money”. Big Fish was given carte blanche

with Gü’s brand, forming its identity, down

to the name Gü itself.

Big Fish is responsible for designing all

the advertising and packaging for Gü. Sears

says that Gü’s packaging is stylistic with a

strong tone, “allowing the packaging to talk

for itself: we don’t ‘busy it up’”.

Averdieck says: “The photography on the

packaging and advertising is very impor-

tant; it has to be high quality, so we use a

car photographer, as he is very good with

lighting. The pictures immediately convey

the quality of the brand.”

Once the products were created (which

was a challenge in itself, Averdieck says, as

“despite being a chocolate factory, we do not

have oompa loompas working for us”) and

the brand identity was formed, “the next step

was to get it out there”.

The first supermarkets to take Gü on

board were Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. Now

Gü is available in a wide range of shops,

including Morrisons, Tesco, and Asda.

Sears says: “Even though the supermar-

kets have different customer profiles, they

all have our target consumers in varying

amounts, as everyone wants a treat. For in-

stance, Waitrose likes to experiment so we

trial new products there, while Sainsbury’s

is looking to expand its premium brand fur-

ther. We work closely with their buyers to

ensure the right type of products are sold

in the right stores.”

Averdieck adds: “Having products sold

in supermarkets helps a company to scale

up very quickly, as you cannot supply super-

markets in a small regional way.”

After this, Gü began its mission to build

brand awareness through marketing. Sears

says: “Often with food there is quite a hard

sell, explaining what the content is and tak-

ing away the magic. We are about enjoying

yourself. From a brand perspective, a small

brand is a fun marketing challenge as people

like to support the underdogs.”

Sears says the marketing focus is on

print advertising and building up the brand

through word of mouth. She adds that Gü

does not advertise on TV due to budget

constraints and because “we frequently get

informed by our consumers that they love

to ‘discover’ our brands, so TV is too ‘big

brand’ for Gü”.

A major part of Gü’s marketing is dedi-

cated to sampling, with around half the mar-

keting campaign budget being spent on this.

“Consumer lives are now hectic, so we make

it easier by bringing the product to them,”

Sears explains.

Where to conduct the sampling is care-

fully considered to ensure that the correct

target audience is present. Sampling takes

place at “premium events” such as food shows

and outdoor festivals, including BBC Proms

in the Park.

During Christmas 2006, Gü took its sam-

pling campaign to the streets of London. This

was supported by an advertising campaign on

the London Underground, explaining that Gü

was giving away products across London.

Gü also samples on all Virgin flights. Sears

says that this partnership came about due

to both brands having similar brand values

Gu.indd 2 9/4/08 16:13:24

brand management | March/April 2008 | 15

FEATURE BUILDING BRAND IDENTITY

and “because the partnership was mutually

beneficial, Virgin was the right audience for

us and they wanted to have decent airplane

food”.

For Christmas 2007, Gü sponsored the

ice rink at the Natural History Museum, with

a stand in the form of a chalet serving Gü

products.

A major benefit of sampling at events

is that a high level of cut-through can be

achieved, says Sears. It also adds valuable

insight into the consumers’ viewpoint, and

can reveal how effective the campaign was,

through consumers filling in forms and gen-

eral discussions with the Gü staff.

Listening to the opinions of its customers

is key to the success of Gü. Sears explains:

“We only had a small marketing budget at

first, but we overcame this by the consumers

becoming advocates.”

Gü uses digital marketing to maintain

a positive relationship with its consumers,

particularly through its email newsletters.

The newsletters appear to be well received, as

Sears recently asked the database of 175,000

consumers whether they would still like to

receive the newsletter and 79% said yes, far

exceeding her expectations of 10%.

Consumers also interact with the brand

through Gü’s website, where consumers can

upload pictures showing how they have re-

cycled the glass ramekins some products

are supplied in to win gifts. Gü also uses

its database for research purposes, and has

begun regular testing events, where consum-

ers from the database are invited to try new

products.

As the chocolate puddings have grown

in popularity, Gü has also ventured into the

realm of premium fruit-based chilled des-

serts, with Frü, launched in 2005. Frü cur-

rently has sales of around £3 million and is

stocked in major UK supermarkets, as well

as in Paris.

With Gü seeming to go from strength to

strength, the next challenge for the brand is

to maintain this growth.

Sears says: “Getting brand loyalty can be

difficult with indulgent brands as they are

not bought regularly. We also have to combine

the look and feel of a premium brand with

wide accessibility.”

These more health-obsessed times repre-

sent another challenge for Gü, as Sears says:

“The trend is still to be health conscious,

and we would never advocate eating our

products every day. We just say that when

you do indulge, do it properly with quality

products.”

Averdieck says: “The health trend when

we launched was pro-biotic drinks, but as

people always want a treat there is always a

place for us. The focus should be on quality,

which I think people are realising. Ready

meals have recently been exposed as un-

healthy, and I think diet meals will soon

be too.”

Diet meals are not popular in France,

Averdieck says; instead they simply eat

smaller portions. Gü follows this example

with “quite small portions, just enough to

satisfy the chocolate craving”.

The plan is to expand Gü’s presence

abroad, with Sears predicting France to in-

creasingly grow in importance for the brand

“as France eats a lot more chocolate than

us”.

In the UK, Sears says that Gü’s heritage

lies in London and the south-east, so over

the coming year she hopes to increase its

national presence. To do this, Sears says Gü

will conduct sampling at events nationally,

in the same way it has focused on attending

London events.

Its marketing communications will also

be targeted more specifically, for instance

with regional email newsletters. Gü will also

look at viral advertising and blogging, Sears

adds.

Gü keeps coming up with new product

ideas, Sears says, by listening to consumer

feedback and ensuring it is up to date with

the food industry. The Gü team dines at a

restaurant every month, “trying everything

on the menu”. It hopes to launch 10 to 15 new

products during 2008.

Averdieck says: “The most important

thing is to keep innovating, staying fresh.

There is still room for growth and further

opportunities. I’m very positive that this is

a brand that will continue to grow as long

as we keep on having good ideas.”

Gu.indd 3 9/4/08 16:13:25

qip ● ● ● CREATiVE SERViCES

50 | August 2008 | www.printmediamag.co.uk

The sweet side of productionProduction agency and QIP award winner, Proximity Works, reveals to Laura Blows how it rises to any production challenge, such as producing chocolate letters, in a way that meets its clients’ creative, time and budgetary needs.

S mooth, sensual and guaranteed

to satisfy a woman… it may not

be how most would describe

direct mail, but then not many have

received one made from chocolate

instead of paper.

However, this is just one of the

many eye-catching and innovative ideas

marketing agency proximity London

has created for its clients. Turning

these seemingly impossible dreams

into reality is the task of its production

arm, proximity Works, making its qip

Grand prix Client and Creative Services

production Team of the Year awards well

deserved.

proximity Works is a production

department that goes beyond the realm

of standard print production, says

Chris Chadwick, head of production

for proximity Works. instead it offers a

creative consultancy service, exploring

and implementing the best ways to make

creative ideas a reality.

Currently a team of five, proximity

Work’s staff each boast expertise in

different areas of the industry, Chadwick

says, from print to environmental issues.

The work created by proximity Works

varies from high volume direct mail to

innovative manufactured solutions.

Whatever the work is, from the

conventional to the unusual, Chadwick

is confident that his team can come up

with the goods.

He says: “When i joined the company,

around three years ago, the production

environment seemed to be synonymous

with the word no. This is no longer the

case. We will always find ways to realise

the creative idea. Nothing is impossible.

personally, i love the challenges; the

tougher the job, the better.”

Chadwick certainly got his wish

granted when proximity was chosen

by the Royal Mail to send out 6,000

personalised letters, made of milk

chocolate, to top UK advertisers.

Through the letter, Royal Mail

explained to readers how engaging the

senses could create a more emotional,

and therefore profitable, connection with

customers.

The brief given to proximity Works

was simply to produce a letter out

of chocolate. To bring to life such a

deceptively simple brief, Chadwick says

that “the last thing to do is to think about

it linearly, instead we thought about what

challenges had to be overcome”.

Being able to deliver the chocolate

was considered the biggest problem,

as “if we can’t successfully deliver the

chocolate, there was no point seeing if

any other aspect was achievable”.

Research found that a number

of online companies offer chocolate

ordering services, and so had managed

to find a way to send chocolate through

the post. Chadwick ordered chocolate

from these companies, and examined the

packaging of those that did not arrive

broken, subjecting them to a “throw

against the wall” test to determine how

well it protected the chocolate.

An even more enjoyable challenge

was the taste test of the various

chocolates. This process took a lot

of time and effort, as higher quality

chocolate tends to have more cocoa

content, but this made the chocolate

more brittle and likely to break during

posting, so a balance of quality and

flexibility had to be reached.

As the chocolate was the most

expensive part of the mailer, Chadwick

had to come up with a way of printing

the letter onto the chocolate with

minimal breakage. After looking into

methods such as edible ink, the decision

was made to deboss the letter into the

chocolate.

To do this, plastic trays for the

chocolate to be poured into were made

with the words embossed inside it.

The chocolate went through a chilled

conveyor belt and were set after 10

minutes. Each recipient’s name was

individually iced onto the letter, as this

solution proved to be the least likely to

damage the chocolate.

proximity Works also had to ensure

that it complied with food standards

regulations, such as handling the food as

little as possible, throughout this process.

Proximity’s production team has risen to the challenges set by client Royal Mail in producing a direct mail piece made from chocolate, and an origami man (opposite) that demonstrated the power of combining direct mail with digital media

proximity.indd 1 15/8/08 12:38:54

The chocolate was then placed into

the packaging, which had been kept to a

minimum to keep to the brief of making

the mailer look as similar to a letter as

possible. The packaging was a slip case

box with a suspended tray to provide

damping beneath the chocolate and to

cushion any blows it may take.

It took 12 weeks from brief to

completion, and initial results found that

eight out of 10 recipients recalled the

mailing when asked. 95% of recipients

opened the mailing and almost three

quarters of those who opened it had

taken some action as a result.

As the results show, the unusual

production challenge proved a success

for Proximity Works and its client, Royal

Mail. According to Chadwick, the more

Proximity Works rises to the challenge,

the more Proximity’s clients and creative

teams want to test them further.

For instance, Royal Mail set Proximity

Works another trial. It wanted to send a

personalised direct mail piece to 6,000

senior marketers that demonstrated the

power of combining direct mail with

digital media.

It was decided that the personalised

mailer would feature a computer screen

image, instructions on how to fold the

paper to make an origami model of a

man, and a personalised URL.

Online the same personalised

computer desktop image folds into an

interactive 3D origami man who explains

the benefits of online and offline media.

When the origami man reveals the

power of combining online and offline,

he reveals himself as Mr Complete and

offers a follow up call.

Everyone who visits the site is then

sent a follow up direct mail pack within

24 hours containing a Mr Complete

origami man on a plinth bearing the

recipient’s name.

Producing an origami desk toy to

be sent as a mailer required “out of the

box thinking” Chadwick says. This led to

Proximity Works hiring Mark Bolitho, an

origami expert, to produce an origami

man that would be simple to reproduce.

This was even more complicated as

certain parts of the images on the mailer

had to be visible on the origami man.

Proximity Works then hired art

www.printmediamag.co.uk | August 2008 | 51

qIP ● ● ● CREATIVE SERVICES

students from the London School of

Graphics to make 7,500 origami men,

with Chadwick and Bolitho conducting

quality audits. Paper types were also

tested for ease of folding and a premium

look, as were different materials to create

the plinth.

Creating a packaging solution that

would ensure that Mr Complete survived

his journey in the post, and was clear

and uncluttered for the recipient to view

Mr Complete clearly, took a great deal

of testing. Proximity Works then worked

with Proximity’s digital department to

create the online part of the personalised

campaign.

Since the first mailing, the campaign

has generated £17.5 million in revenue,

giving Royal Mail a ROI of 76:1,

according to Proximity.

These campaigns have yielded

positive results, and the initial investment

is not necessarily as expensive to

implement as some may fear, Chadwick

says.

He explains: “Budget is not always

the most important aspect, as ideas can

often be adapted to fit within the budget.

However time is now the most critical

factor for completing a job.

“We like to source the best products

and suppliers, and therefore produce the

best work possible, within budget. If we

can find a cheaper option for the same

quality then of course we will go

for it but normally things are

cheaper for a reason.

“My strategy is to save money

where it doesn’t affect quality or

effectiveness and spend money

where it does.”

Further money can also

be saved, Chadwick says, if

production works with creative

teams from the start to provide a

consultancy service.

He explains: “This industry has grown

so much, with many new production

techniques and niche services. There

are so many possibilities for how a job

can be produced that a production

consultancy service is needed to pull

everything together and find the most

suitable approach.

“This means that I can save my

client a lot more money if Proximity

Works is involved from the concept

development stage, otherwise I am only

able to negotiate supplier prices, rather

than maximising production efficiency.

Along with budgetary requirements,

Proximity Works is also able to match any

other production requirements a client

may have, such as ensuring the project is

environmentally friendly.

This is an area Proximity Works

takes very seriously, having recently

created a Truth About Paper DVD, which

researched how paper is produced in an

environmentally friendly manner.

Thorough research is the norm at

Proximity Works. It often has to deal

with a number of suppliers to complete

a project, so Proximity Works takes

the time to find out if a supplier can

guarantee a reliable service.

Chadwick explains: “With jobs using

a number of different suppliers there

are more opportunities for things to

go wrong, so it becomes even more

important that they are all quality

suppliers, all bound together by our

production processes.

“The production department are a lot

like goalkeepers in a football game; no

one notices if they do their job properly

but if anything goes wrong the focus is

on them.”

There are times when the heat

is on the production team because,

as Chadwick says, most

jobs will have problems and

complications along the way, but

the mark of a good production

company is how it deals with

those issues.

However, he is confident that

Proximity Works has the means

to overcome any challenge it

is given. According to Chadwick,

all it takes is “innovation, creativity

and a little black book of contacts”.

The production process will then go as

smooth as chocolate, you might say.

• www.proximitylondon.com

proximity.indd 2 15/8/08 12:39:31

premedia ● ● ● asset management

50 | June 2008 | www.printmediamag.co.uk

Raising a glass to BAMDiageo’s programme manager Nic Lund explains to Laura Blows how implementing a Brand Asset Management system helped the company manage its asset rights, ensure global brand consistency and receive both time and cost savings.

“Good things come to

those who wait.” not

only is this true for

guinness, one of drinks giant diageo’s

many brands, but also for the company’s

complex brand asset management

(Bam) system, which took around four

years to complete.

as the world’s leading premium

drinks manufacturer with over 30,000

assets and growing across 180 countries,

and with 200 brands including globally

iconic ones such as smirnoff, guinness,

Johnnie Walker and Baileys, the need

for a Bam system capable of handling

complex requirements soon became

apparent.

nic Lund, programme manager for

diageo, explains: “We knew from the

outset that this would be much more

than dam. We needed to take a far more

holistic approach to change the way we

worked both within diageo and with our

third-party suppliers who all contribute to

the creation, evolution and maintenance

of our assets.”

However, diageo decided to

walk rather than run, and began by

implementing its most immediate

requirement, a dam system. realisation

that this was needed dawned back

in 2002.

Before this, the company had no

way of sharing its assets across its

global markets. instead it was a case

of duplication, Cd burning and shared

folders on local networks. after a long

process of understanding the legal rights

of the assets, diageo’s smartLibrary dam

system began operating in 2005.

Content management system

provider Vyre was chosen to take on this

task, and “the system we implemented

was practically designed from scratch”,

says Lund.

smartLibrary provides an online

library of brand materials for diageo

marketers and agencies to access

when required.

it currently features 30,000 assets,

but according to Lund, “this is actually a

very small percentage of all the diageo

assets in use, so this is continually

growing”. a “good proportion” of globally

used assets are on the system, and Lund

is currently working on adding more local

and archived materials onto the site.

Controlling the usage rights of

assets is the most important aspect of

smartLibrary, as Lund explains: “each

set of materials has varying usage

rights across territories and media, and

the added complexity of local legal

restrictions on advertising beverage

alcohol brands.”

Which assets users can access is

determined through the individual’s user

profile. Users are able to see restricted

files, but are not able to download them.

Lund says: “Our external agencies

also use smartLibrary so permission

rights are necessary. this ensures that

they can only see the assets relevant to

the brands they are working on.”

Users can group assets in a

lightbox or add them to their basket

to download. asset managers

distribute high-res files, such as for

tV adverts, as the files are too large

to be downloaded over the internet.

accurate metadata and taxonomy is

key to the running of smartLibrary with

Diageo’s SmartBrand solution has helped the company manage its assets’ usage rights and ensure brand consistency

each asset tagged with information

such as file size, photographer and

usage rights.

“i do not think there is any other

system out there that handles this level of

usage rights complexity,” Lund adds.

While smartLibrary fulfilled

diageo’s file management and

usage rights requirements, it soon

became clear that there was a great

deal more potential from the system

that was yet to be unlocked.

Lund explains: “the initial version

of smartLibrary enabled us to establish

the fundamentals of Bam. However, we

achieved a real step-change in usage

and content when, in partnership with

Vyre, we developed and implemented the

enabler that brought the programme to

life: the diageo smartBrand portal.”

Work began on expanding the

smartLibrary system in 2006, with the

smartBrand system being launched in

september 2007.

smartBrand comprises of a

Diago.indd 1 6/6/08 15:40:29

number of core modules. along with

the smartLibrary system, it features

smartapprove, an online marketing

approval tool, which takes a project from

brief to execution. soft proofing does

not yet occur through smartapprove, as

the majority of diageo’s brands still use

Cromalin proofs, but Lund is confident

soft proofing will become the norm.

the use of smartapprove also helps

to ensure that diageo’s own marketing

code is strictly adhered to, along with

making sure that each campaign

promotes responsible drinking and meets

the requirements regarding alcohol

advertising in each region.

even though smartLibrary was the

first module created for diageo’s needs,

Lund says smartapprove tends to be

the starting point for many at diageo,

because through this campaigns are

created and formed, and once completed

move into the smartLibrary system.

the system also has smartVisibility,

which focuses on adapting centrally

created standard items, such as gift

packaging. it works with smartLibrary

and smartapprove as an ordering tool.

Lund explains: “We don’t do print

on demand yet as we are still working

through the full requirements. However

being able to offer print on demand will

be implemented in the future.”

another module is smartspace,

featuring “brand knowledge rather

than actual assets”. this includes

information such as the history of a

brand, FaQs and how the product is

created. as Lund says: “this ensures

that everyone knows the correct story

of the product, enabling our staff to

www.printmediamag.co.uk | June 2008 | 51

premedia ● ● ● asset management

speak passionately about the brands.”

there is also smarttransfer, an

uploading tool for external agencies, with

online confirmation of usage rights.

While creating smartBrand, both

Lund and Vyre faced many challenges,

such as managing internal changes to

align geographically dispersed teams and

different methods of working to

the system.

However, for Lund a major issue

was handling the external agencies.

He says: “the biggest challenge when

implementing smartBrand was the

agencies, convincing them that this

solution would help them and be

beneficial for both sides.

“most have realised this is good

thing, but we are by no means finished

with promoting this software to our

agencies. any new agencies we begin

working with are aware that this is the

way we work.”

explaining the reasons for using

smartBrand to agencies was not a

difficult process for Lund, as it has

provided diageo and the agencies with a

wide number of benefits.

Lund estimates that diageo has

received a 1:10 cost benefit from the

initial investment. However, this does not

accurately reflect all the advantages of

smartBrand, Lund says, as there are also

many unquantifiable benefits.

ensuring that there is brand

consistency and that the same high-

quality assets are used between markets

is a key improvement for diageo. “it is

hard to put a cost benefit on this,” Lund

says, “as what is the price of brand

consistency? How much does it

affect sales?”

diageo is able to calculate some

of the cost benefits this has provided

through the number of marketers

downloading materials from smartBrand,

as before the system was implemented a

Cd would have to be made for the asset,

or an agency would have to be paid to

create the asset.

the time to market for campaigns

is now dramatically faster, “as it is

lot quicker to adapt an asset rather

than create one from new”. He adds

that the approval process for new

campaigns is shortened, as they have

to be signed off by many people both

locally and globally, “so conducting

this through face-to-face meetings and

emails was a much longer process”.

Using smartBrand has also ensured

compliance with diageo’s marketing code

approval process, and it has helped to

archive and track approvals.

diageo is now confident that users

are clearly aware of where and how

an asset can be used, as the system

prevents the downloading of an asset

that is not suitable to the user’s profile.

the benefits of smartBrand may

be starting to shine through for the

company, but diageo still has to handle

the ongoing costs of maintaining

the solution, both internally and in

partnership with Vyre, which manages

the system for diageo.

this does not mean that Lund is

happy with leaving smartBrand as it

is; instead he sees it as a process of

continual evolvement.

He explains: “there is always the

potential to add and improve the system

to meet our needs. the driving aim for

smartBrand is to improve how we create,

localise and fulfil brand assets. ensuring

these processes are simpler, faster

and better”

Lund’s current aim is “getting more

content, both local and global, onto the

system and getting each market in the

same place with smartBrand. some

markets and brands are better than

others at using this.”

even though implementing a suitable

Bam system took many years, and will

continue to need managing, Lund is in no

doubt that this is a worthwhile process.

He explains: “it took quite a while,

significant financial investment, a massive

internal team effort and a change in

culture in the way that both we and our

third-party partners worked, and we now

believe we’ve overcome all the challenges

and have an enviable and innovative

solution in place.”

• www.diageo.com

• www.vyre.com

Browse similar technical articles at

printmediamag.co.uk/technicalarticles

Diago.indd 2 6/6/08 15:40:53

52 | February 2007 | www.printmediamag.co.uk

“It’s always good to be part of

something ground breaking and

award winning”, says Richard

Mason, head of production at Future

Publishing, about its recent PPA award

win, “but, you are only as good as your

last job.”

It is this attitude that has kept

Future’s Computer Arts Projects team

striving to be innovative. An ongoing

strategy to produce eye-catching covers

began with the December 2005 issue

and resulted with the submission of

nine of the covers to the PPA Magazine

Production awards, gaining Computer

Arts Projects the Creative Production

Initiative of the Year title. Each cover is

unique both in concept and execution,

but themed to the content of the issue.

The focus on innovative covers and

packaging, together with a higher cover

price of £7.50, was a deliberate change in

strategy for Computer Arts Projects. With

small print runs, and a budget of just 20p

a unit for creative production, the strategy

was designed to maximise newsstand

sales and ensure the profi tability of the

magazine. After three issues of regional

testing, the new-look magazine was rolled

out nationally, with sales increasing by 16

per cent thereafter, according to Future.

It requires an investment in time

In November 2006, Future Publishing’s series of innovative covers for Computer Arts Projects magazine won it the PPA Magazine Production award for a Creative Production Initiative. Laura Blows fi nds out why.

Cover innovation rMAGAZINE ● ● ● INNOVATION

Each one a masterpiece: Computer Arts Projects’ covers

are the product of close teamwork throughout the company

and resources to keep producing fresh

ideas though. Brainstorming ideas for

the magazine covers can come from

anywhere in the business, explains

Fiona Tully, group marketing manager

of Future Publishing. “As a minimum,

initial brainstorms involve the magazine’s

editorial team, publishers, production and

marketing teams. However, more often

than not, we invite representatives from

other magazines and other portfolios to

bring their ideas to the table.”

This brainstorming session would

come up with many ideas, a great deal of

which would turn out not to be feasible,

placing added pressure on the team

who were researching multiple options

at once. Both cost and the constraints

of the magazine production process

prevented some ideas becoming a

reality, while other ideas were impossible

or too impractical from a supply and

manufacturing point of view.

Tully outlines the diffi culties these

limitations can have on the creative

process. “Working within the constraints

of a tight budget forces us to be more

creative and work closely with suppliers

to explore a range of options. Ultimately,

if we couldn’t meet these standards of

execution within our budget, we’d go

back to the drawing board and start the

process again. For this reason, we were

always looking into a number of options

simultaneously.”

Talking to Computer Arts Projects’

suppliers, which include Venture

Packaging, Greenshires, Duncan Print and

Packaging, Phoenix Packaging Solutions,

Premier Finishing and Bizzypack Finishers,

was a key factor in discovering whether

a certain creative idea was going to be

feasible. A creative idea that was agreed

upon internally was sometimes revealed

by suppliers not to be a commercially

viable manufacturing proposition.

Ultimately, it is the publishing

executives who decide whether a creative

process was commercially viable. The

creative concept is agreed at the start of

the process, with the editorial, marketing

and production teams then turning that

into a tangible product, all the while

ensuring that the key stakeholders are

aware of the options being explored

and the reasons for selecting creative

treatments.

One particularly diffi cult magazine

cover to create was issue 88, focusing

on design for music. To tie in with the

overall theme of the magazine, it was

decided that the front cover would

feature a picture of a turntable on the

cover, encased in a 12” single-style

Computer_Arts.indd 1Computer_Arts.indd 1 30/1/07 12:06:0230/1/07 12:06:02

www.printmediamag.co.uk | February 2007 | 53

reaps rewardsshrink-wrapped record sleeve. Tully

says: “Finding a fi nishing house that

could shrink wrap the magazine and

wallet within our budget proved to be

a last minute headache. It was only

thanks to the sheer determination and

perseverance of our production team that

we found a supplier that could do it.”

Creating an inspired front cover was

not always a stressful process. On some

occasions, the production team managed

to come up with particularly inspired

solutions to a problem. One such “eureka”

moment occurred while trying to produce

issue 84, which informed readers how to

create the perfect portfolio. A leather-

look embossed card wallet was made to

hold the magazine, with spot UV used to

emulate the inside of a ring binder.

“We got inspiration for the portfolio

issue from an embossed, leather look

DVD case brought in by one of our

suppliers”, says Tully. “Initially, the

treatment was beyond our budget but

we realised that by taking the CD out of

the magazine and inserting it into card

slots within the folder in the style of a

business card, we could use the savings

in insertion and tip-on costs to bolster the

budget for packaging. It was a rare and

beautiful moment of creativity and budget

working in complete harmony.”

Computer Arts Projects has no

intention of reducing the creative heat.

Recent executions include an amazon.

co.uk style cardboard wallet for its issue

about packaging, and the use of heat

sensitive ink for the interactive design

issue.

Future says the need to constantly

produce new ideas and different

treatments ensures that Computer Arts

Projects’ production team stays on top

of the latest print, paper and packaging

developments, along with searching

for inspiration outside the traditional

sectors. The production team thrives on

this pressure, says Tully: “Finding ways

around obstacles, whether that’s fi nding

a supplier who can produce what we’re

looking for or adapting an idea so that we

can produce the product within budget,

is just as creative as coming up with the

MAGAZINE ● ● ● INNOVATION

Future’s winning entry

December 2005 - Start your own design studioA die-cut wallet was designed to look like a New York Brownstone building with cut-out windows to reveal

the illustrative line drawn characters on the cover.

January 2006 - Street Art: The graffi ti art issueGraffi ti artists 123Klan designed the cover and street art sticker pack wrapped around the magazine.

February 2006 - Character designA3 folded backing card displayed designer toys from character designers Ready Mech to cut out and

keep.

March 2006 - Brief encounters - Your design hereA brown paper bag and CMYK crayon cover-mount was used to complement the “design your own cover”

competition in the magazine.

April 2006 - How to create perfect portfoliosA leather-look embossed card wallet held the magazine, with spot UV to emulate the inside of a ring-

binder. The CD was placed in the inside fold, normally reserved for business cards.

May 2006 - Print design - Colour and fi nishes explainedThis issue featured a perforated Pantone strip cover and an A3 CMYK colour chart affi xed to the back.

June 2006 - TypographyA simulator paper wrap-around cover with symbol fonts was used to recreate the dry letter transfer design

of Letrasets.

July 2006 - Brand identityA full noodle bowl was on the front of the cover and an empty one at the back, with the magazine placed

in a metallised fl ow-wrap packet designed as noodle packaging.

August 2006 - Design for musicThe turntable-designed cover was encased in a 12” single-style shrink-wrapped record sleeve.

initial idea.”

Having now worked on innovative

designs for over a year, Computer Arts

Projects has acquired some pearls of

wisdom for producing the covers, as

Mason explains. “It is important to have

an accurate brief from creative and

marketing instructing the supply chain

on what is required, and to be able to

produce quality dummies to manage

creative expectation. Finally, have the

trust and confi dence in your suppliers,

accepting that with specialist cover

treatments the knowledge lies with the

supply chain.”

• www.computerarts.co.uk Issue 84 used spot UV to emulate the inside of a ring binder

Computer_Arts.indd 2Computer_Arts.indd 2 30/1/07 12:06:2330/1/07 12:06:23

public sector ● ● ● print buying

56 | May 2008 | www.printmediamag.co.uk

Evidence of success for police print teamUsing an e-procurement service, South Yorkshire Police’s print management unit has managed to reduce costs and free up police time. Laura Blows finds out how.

Print may not be the first weapon

that comes to mind for tackling

crime, but for south yorkshire

police it’s a crucial tool.

tucked away at the top of one

of sheffield’s many hills is the south

yorkshire police print and Document

services unit (syp-p&Dsu), which

during the first 12 months of a formal

framework for print and design has

achieved at least £30,000 worth of Hr

savings.

syp- p&Dsu consists of a team of

seven staff in three sections: printed

stationery, print management and

electronic forms management. the three

sections work as a “synergy”, creating

opportunities for savings that feed back

into the budget.

the department handles a range of

printing requirements, from stationery,

such as calling cards and penalty

notices, to large format print for the

marketing department. the print needs

for around 6,000 clients within south

yorkshire police and associated external

agencies are managed by syp-p&Dsu,

including a police force in cyprus.

Julie griffiths, manager of the six-

strong unit explains: “if a police officer

was to order their own print, it may take

around four to six hours to source a

supplier, order the print then track it to

its delivery. the move to ensure all print

is channelled through us has saved the

officer those six hours, giving them more

time to focus on their core work.”

since April 1, 2008, (year 1 of the

Framework) syp p&Dsu has seen a

249% increase in turnover, a figure that is

still growing, griffiths adds. she says that

the department used to manage around

£120,000 of work a year for clients,

but this figure has now grown to over

£300,000 annually – and is set to increase

by a further 100-150% during year 2.

Many of these new syp clients

have long been sought after by the print

department, as their maverick buying

behaviour has been proven to have a

high cost to the force.

one example was where a

department sourced a product that could

have been provided at a saving of £11K.

the turning point for the printing

department was when it moved from

an in-house unit to a print procurement

service at the turn of the millennium.

syp p&Dsu previously had two

shinohara presses, a b3 single-colour

press and a two-colour press on lease,

complimented by a fully equipped

finishing section. the tragic death of the

senior printer, followed by the second

operator leaving the department meant

that the two presses were left dormant.

this meant that there was a need

to buy in print. by the end of that year,

the evidence mounted to support a

change in direction from production to

procurement.

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While the department moved from

in-house print production to procurement

it kept its binding and finishing

operation, in order to keep sensitive

material in-house. it has recently leased

a single clamp Horizon bQ-270 binder

from graphics Art equipment, which has

a cycle speed of 500 books per hour.

griffiths says that the binder can

save around £200 on average per order

compared to outsourcing, and the

in-house service allows officers to order

on-demand rather than holding high

levels of stocks.

the unit will begin promoting this

service in the summer, and it is already

negotiating with syp trainers with a

view to produce south yorkshire police’s

training manuals for its many courses.

syp p&Dsu hopes to promote its

binding facility to other police forces,

as part of an overall plan to market

all its services to other not-for-profit

organisations.

syp p&Dsu spent two years trialling

the procurement process before making

the decision to close production while

Yorks_Police.indd 1 7/5/08 12:15:10

public sector ● ● ● print buying

58 | May 2008 | www.printmediamag.co.uk

18 months were spent producing 6,000

specifications for all the force’s possible

print requirements. the print team

officially launched their tender for the

Framework for print and Design in 2005,

on the bluelight website for suppliers to

cover all their print needs.

the bluelight service was created

from a partnership between the south

West and Wales police forces as an

e-procurement site for the emergency

services. A number of other police forces

have joined since its launch. syp was

one of the first forces to use the service

and now use it extensively for most

tender exercises.

the bluelight service allows the

exchange of tender information to

take place between the print buyer

and interested suppliers online, which

simplifies the tendering process, provides

an audit trail and reduces tendering

costs.

successful tenderers were vetted

down to a list of approximately 15

companies. the vetting process took

into account some very important

criteria including, environmental issues,

sustainability of products and services.

syp p&Dsu feels that as the print

industry is a major producer of waste,

ethical methods of waste disposal are

evidenced before considering suppliers.

For projects that are considered

longer term, suppliers are given the

opportunity to reduce costs further

and the successful supplier is then

awarded a guaranteed 12 months work

(subject to quality and delivery standards

being met). the benefits of this are

the increased marketing power that

departments with tight budgets enjoy.

the supplier list is periodically refreshed

to fill gaps in the market when suppliers

are unable to achieve competitive price

updates, with the unit currently looking

for more four-colour suppliers.

Designers are also sourced through

bluelight tendering process. griffiths

says that the aim is to obtain the best

quality designers at the best price the

department can afford.

she explains: “We have been

extremely fortunate that a selection of

quality designers have been prepared

to work with us at a vastly competitive

rate. this has opened up a whole new

concept in campaign design and higher

level projects. Again, the emphasis is

on achieving the best quality product

to maximise our limited resources

and ensure we spend public money

effectively.”

by ensuring that suppliers agree to

deal only with the print management

team, suppliers have the reassurance

that valuable time is maximised. the

improved communication process and

tracking system has helped to drive the

cost down by maximising the design

supplier’s time.

All syp active Framework suppliers

have signed up to the Department

for transport Framework for recycled

printing paper. paper co is the south

yorkshire police’s selected paper

merchant.

griffiths says the department has

a responsibility to be environmentally

ethical and that reflects in the criteria

set for evaluating the tender. recycled

stocks are specified in at least 80% of

work for syp and suppliers have all

signed up to the DFt Framework which

has also added to the benefits of the

framework by reducing costs further

whilst supporting the environment.

the amount of printed stationery

forms required is also being reduced.

between 2002-2003 the print department

managed to reduce the number of

printed forms held in-house from 800

to 80. the department has over 1,000

electronic forms of which at least 50%

are capable of being used as paperless

documents.

Having to work to a tight turnaround

time is also the norm, with 65-70% of

all work needing to be designed and

produced between one to five days.

As the department is a non-profit

service, efficiency savings supplement

the procurement of all the hard copy

stationery requirements. the aim of

the print management team is to work

towards a self sustaining stationery

service and to continue to meet the

growing demands for new forms and

marketing products that support the

new safer neighbourhood teams (snts)

campaign that syp are working hard to

promote.

A variety of marketing materials

are being produced to promote this

campaign, including contact cards,

posters, postcards and banners.

thousands of copies of promotional

products are produced for each region of

south yorkshire. each product undergoes

an extensive proofing process requiring

effective time management to achieve

lead times. syp p&Dsu’s excellent

working relationships with suppliers

helps to meet deadlines whilst keeping

costs low.

griffiths adds that the team’s

experience as qualified print experts

helps to ensure that the products

bought are fit for purpose and the more

whimsical requirements are guided

to an appropriate product without

compromising the client’s need for

originality.

According to griffiths, moving from

a production-based unit to a thriving

procurement unit has benefited the police

force. Demand for forms has increased

whilst the saving made helps to ensure

that the printing budget does not burden

the centre by asking for increases.

she explains: “Having a print

procurement framework has freed us up

so we can focus on providing a totally

cost effective service. by not being

involved in the production cycle we can

handle five jobs for a client where before

we could only handle one.

“A key factor in the success is that

we are supported by force policy. this

directs any syp funding towards our print

management service.

“by constantly evaluating and

improving the service we provide

and ensuring a flexible, open minded

approach to change, we are actively

supporting the force in its fight against

crime.”

• www.southyorks.police.uk

• www.bluelight.gov.uk

Julie Griffiths (right): “Having a print procurement framework has freed us up so we can focus on providing a totally cost effective service.”

Yorks_Police.indd 2 7/5/08 12:15:16