The G Academy is coming to the end of week three, and have had a week job-shadowing different areas within Gratterpalm. It has been really interesting to see in practice what the different teams do. We were given a detailed look into the production side of the company at the start of the week, looking at proofreading and different production techniques alongside all the different media that Gratterpalm has to produce, from annual reports to in store POS.
Tuesday morning involved our insights colours session held by HR Director Helen. Other members of the Gratterpalm team were also there so it was great to work with other people in the company. We found that three of our team are ‘sunshine yellow’, and Andy is a ‘fiery red’! It was a really fun and interactive morning which highlighted the different ways to interact with different colours and it really gave us an insight into our own personalities, as well as other peoples’.
On Wednesday we went into the creative department and brainstormed ideas on different live briefs for Arla Foods and Greggs. We really enjoyed this as it allowed us to be involved in the creative process and we also learned what the creative team do when they receive a brief.
On Thursday we were immersed in the world of digital, looking at how different companies use digital and social media, and we were also given an in-depth view into digital POS in stores and how it will be used in the future.
Today we are going to have a busy day of job-shadowing in the Asda In-store team, which we are really looking forward to. Next week we’re excited to continue our job-shadowing in all the other areas of Gratterpalm.
Week two has arrived and disappeared in the blink of an eye, thanks to our busy yet incredibly informative schedule.
We have had a fantastic introduction into the Asda world, both at Gratterpalm on Monday, and on Thursday at Asda House with the “Best Welcome” induction. We even got to participate in the “Asda cheer”, so we can tick that off our bucket lists.
On Monday the G Academy also got to take part in their very first G Force meeting. It was great to see all the exciting and professional work being created by Gratterpalm, not to mention the whole team being there (and of course the free pizza).
On Tuesday, after learning about Greggs with Amity and how to write an artwork brief with Paul Tomlin, we visited the Marks & Spencer retail exhibition. This provided us with a detailed insight into the fascinating history and development of Marks & Spencer as a company.
The following day we joined some fully fledged Gratterpalm colleagues and participated in a presentation workshop held by managing partner Gordon Bethell. The course proved to be fantastic, if not slightly intimidating to begin with! We all learned incredibly valuable presentation skills which included improving our execution and content, and we will take these skills with us throughout our journey at Gratterpalm.
We have all learnt an enormous amount so far and appreciate all the incredibly hard work that is put into training the G Academy team. We are all excited to see what the next week has to offer and continue our Gratterpalm experience.
The first week of our four-week training programme with Gratterpalm exposed us to many different departments and procedures that are integral to the success of Gratterpalm as a company.
To begin week one we were given an introduction to the background of the company, before exploring the values it supports and champions. This allowed us to understand first hand why Gratterpalm is the leading advertiser in the North of England, and how the use of internal systems such as HR are used to ensure a happy and productive working environment. Throughout the week we were visited by stalwarts of each departmental discipline and introduced to the functions of that speciality and the roles that operate within them.
This week gave us an insight into Gratterpalm as a company, and we enjoyed meeting our colleagues from different departments and really appreciate the time and effort that has been put into developing our training programme. We are looking forward to week two where we will meet people who work on different accounts within the business.
An inspiring set of presentations today from the creative directors of the future. We’ve formed an exciting collaboration with the Leeds College of Art, and today enjoyed hosting 24 students from their advertising course. The third year students, acting as account directors, pitched the creative work from first year teams, for a real client brief. The winning team, which we’ll announce in two weeks time, will be offered a placement in the creative department at Gratterpalm.
We’ve had a fab day of Sports Relief events. We got ourselves into the spirit by dressing up in lovely sportswear. Some of the outfits were inspired – a full wetsuit, Hulk Hogan, and Rocky Balboa…
Then the oven gloves and sweatbands came out with an amazing array of baking. And just as the sugar-high kicked in, a sports quiz crowned the ultimate sports fans. And over £300 raised for a great cause.
We use advertising to inspire consumers into action. Whether it’s brand building or direct response, we’ll find the best way to connect a brand’s agenda with their target customers, across broadcast, print, outdoor, online and mobile.
Our relaunch campaign for Office Depot’s direct mail and e commerce brand, Viking, has achieved great results, delivering increased levels of brand awareness and attracting a younger demographic of customer.
In early 2011, we were appointed by Office Depot to relaunch its Viking Direct business in the UK and Ireland through an integrated campaign.
Featuring the voice of Chris Evans, our launch TV and radio ads presented Viking as an office one-stop-shop and ran with the strapline, ‘All the inspiration your office needs.’ We also developed the brand online, with content, social media activity and display ads, plus a two-week poster campaign on the London Underground. The campaign aimed to illustrate the diversity and breadth of the brand and to encourage new and existing customers to explore Viking’s offerings.
The campaign achieved great results for Viking, delivering increased levels of brand awareness and attracting a younger demographic of customer.
Our new spring TV ad, which is being broadcast through March, reinforces Viking’s brand positioning, as well as introducing new products and promotions to tactically drive sales. Full synergy with the original brand ad has been maintained by using the same music and style, and once again, Chris Evans provides a recognisable voice-over.
“We were impressed with the creative developed by Gratterpalm for our campaign last year, and even more impressed by the results. I’m confident that the new campaign will reinforce our market position and help us to successfully promote our products and services to our existing and new customers.”
John O’Keeffe, Commercial Director, Office Depot
To find out how we could help revitalise your brand, please get in touch.
There’s a simple truth that people like to do business with people. People they like. 2011 saw a widespread distrust of businesses reaching new levels. It will be those businesses that are human, that put their personality into marketing, and manage to make purchases enjoyable, not simply transactional, that will have the most success in 2012.
The 2012 consumer wants to spend their money with companies that do the right thing. Despite the downturn, they still want to shop with retailers who have the right core values at the heart of their business and who act responsibly, offer value for money regardless of price, and treat both their staff and the wider community with respect.
Retail brands that demonstrate genuine personality online and offline will prosper. Every customer is an individual and it is key that retailers show empathy with them, with humility, humour and care at the core of the messaging and behaviours.
Companies that are willing to be flawsome – be more open about their flaws – have a much better chance of building a strong and trusted relationship with their customers. Innocent Drink’s Easter gaffe, sending out an incorrect voucher that couldn’t be redeemed, was saved by their honest and entertaining brand apology.
How much of retail in-shop messaging talks “with” and not “at” its shoppers? A consistent tone of voice, packed with personality, through corporate, service and promotional point of sale is key. And with the growth of digital signage and a suitable in-store network, personalised messaging in store and in window communication is now possible.
From colleague engagement, community involvement, to tailored packages and promotions that are based around the local environment, the retail offer can bring the brand personality to life in a tangible way. By developing relationships with communities, not just shoppers, retailers will build loyalty for the future.
Online culture, with its honesty and immediacy, is also driving consumers away from bland, boring brands in favour of brands with some personality. The ubiquity of information available to the consumer online requires companies to become more transparent.
Savvy shoppers can (and often want to) see huge amounts of information about the retailers and brands they choose to interact with, such as readily available reviews and ratings. We love beauty brand Smashbox’s Social Shop which embraces this trend by showing Facebook ‘Likes’ and comments alongside specific products.
The Personality = Profit trend has driven a current project we are working on with Asda, reviewing their corporate and service messaging. If you’d like to talk to us about how this thinking could be applied in your business, please contact Alex Thompson on 0113 284 4498.
Our next Retail Trend for 2012 will be published in our newsletter and on our blog in May.
The Gratterpalm Creative Directors Rick and Pete got well and truly into the spirit of Pancake Day by going head-to-head in a pancake flipping challenge.
We served up delicious pancakes thanks to our Events Committee and ran a charity raffle, with all proceeds going to Wheatfields Hospice.
To see more of the fun and games that go on here at Gratterpalm, take a look at our Culture pages.
There is no such thing as the average customer and no customer wants to be told they are, or made to feel, average. 2012 will be the year when retailers need to treat customers more as individuals or lose them. These shoppers have been seeking richer retail experiences for years; in 2012, their minimum expectation is for them to be personalised – both online and in the real world.
Retailers are getting better at using personal data to target customers more effectively, harnessing digital marketing to reach different customer segments with marketing messages directed solely at them as individuals, rather than as a homogenous whole.
And we are increasingly seeing the power of the F Factor – when friends, fans and followers influence how and why consumers buy, in ever more powerful and sophisticated ways. These trusted curators ensure that shoppers with limited time are presented with completely personalised recommendations of products and services that are most relevant to them – in the online space.
We believe the next big step is for retailers to deliver the same level of personalisation they are achieving online in the real world of the high street. Time-starved consumers will value those bricks and mortar retailers who serve them when it best suits, and will want more help to make the right choices in the shortest amount of time.
Retailers will need to deliver more localised shopping experiences, with consumers starting to see only local information that is relevant or interesting to them personally. Stores have an opportunity to be more flexible, offering tailor-made packages, solutions and services that are based upon people’s time. By recognising the detailed make-up of the high street throughout the day, and working the window communication to reflect the real-time nature of the audience, retailers can genuinely deal with shoppers, hour by hour.
Digital signage and mobile are bringing the online personalisation experience in store, using face detection and demographic analysis to present targeted ads to people as they shop in the real world. This looks set to take centre stage for retailers in 2012 and beyond. Face detection technology has even evolved to recognise whether you’re smiling or not…
So, 2012 will be the year when the offline world plays catch-up with online. By joining up a personalised shopping experience across stores, web, social and mobile, retailers will create genuine consumer engagement and ultimately drive sales.
If you’d like to hear more about how you can ‘make it personal’, please contact Alex Thompson on 0113 284 44 98. Our next Retail Trend for 2012 will be published in our newsletter and on our blog in March.
