Brand and Business Communications
The heart of our approach at Mccann Erickson Bristol is to be communications neutral; not just media neutral and certainly not advertising centric - that's old thinking.
Today's businesses demand integrated ideas that inspire consumers, customers and employees alike. Ideas that create demand in an increasingly competitive, over-supplied and undifferentiated world. Ideas centred around a passionate belief in the power of brands. A belief that branding and business go hand in hand.
At the heart of our brand-oriented approach is McCann Insight. This provides insight into how our clients' business or consumer audiences think, feel and act. We understand the need to manage both the front and back end of the supply chain. And we understand the importance of employees as the 'face' of brands.
We also understand the important differences between managing consumer and business brands with dedicated specialist people. In fact, if our Communications House business-to-business team were a stand-alone agency, it would be the biggest in the country.
This client had never targeted non-boaters before. So we worked through the Demand Chain process to develop communications and run a test campaign across five UK locations using outdoor, transport media and door drops. The research results were dramatic - over 20% uplift in intention to visit with actual visits showing the same upward trend.
In the West Midlands Chiltern Railways is seen primarily as a leisure rail operator, with London commuters preferring Virgin Trains. Seeking to challenge the business community's thinking and reposition the client as the best value rail route for business as well as leisure, our integrated approach included: TV, outdoor, radio, direct mail and ambient.
The UK's best-known tool brand had let slip its dominant position in the Pro sector. Our challenge was to get it back by reconnecting with a younger pro audience. Our 'in your face' and 'in your hands' re-launch combined trade and popular press, TV and live demos on building sites and at key trade shows to encourage trial and positive re-appraisal.
This respected maker of bathroom accessories was under immense price pressure. Two centuries of quality and craftsmanship had to be made relevant again. So, we radically redesigned branding and packaging and created cut-through ads to give PR something to shout about. This stirred up interest from stores, opening up new routes to market.