Archive for May, 2010

Working with animals and children – Remedy loves a challenge

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

We have been working with Pet Works since October ’09 on a major re-working of their brand and marketing communications. A key part of the new messaging is communicating the special bond between people and their pets. So some bright spark came up with the idea of photographing pets with their owners on location.

Over the years we’ve photographed all sorts of exotic creatures – ostriches, panthers, bees, swans, piranhas, koalas… But this shoot was different – pets with amateur models including kids. This was going to be more challenging than photographing an 8 foot crocodile and not getting eaten (which we have managed)…

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Either Sam and I were helping to set up shots or our pets have escaped!

We organised a three day multiple-location shoot in Sussex with photographer, Nick Parker with 4 labradors, 2 spaniels, 3 rottweilers, 2 terriers, 3 bull dogs, 2 boxers, 2 retrievers, a husky, a cavapoo (no really), various cats and kittens, horses, rabbits, donkeys and even an alpaca.

It was good fun, challenging and exhausting, but the end results made it all worthwhile. Pet Works now has a large bespoke image library, and we have a very happy client!

The images feature on the new Pet Works website, literature, exhibition stands and point of sale materials – take a look in our online portfolio.

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A big thanks to all at Pet Works, and all the wonderful pet owners and (mostly) well behaved pets – we had a great time.

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Posted by Jason in branding, photography | 1 Response

High Street Dreams – Design Nightmares?

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

We’ve been gripped by the BBC’s latest Apprentice-style series ‘High Street Dreams’. If you’ve not seen it, the basic idea is that Jo Malone (fragrance entrepreneur) and Nick Leslau (secret squillionaire investor) help wannabe successful businessmen and women to launch new products onto the market.

So far we’ve had Mr. Singh’s Hot Punjabi Chilli Sauce cooked up by a Sikh family in their shed in the East End; posh ‘Muddy Boots’ beef burgers made by equally posh Roland and Miranda from Daddy’s Aberdeen Angus herd; ‘Nutriyum’, a healthy milk drink, from newlyweds Paul and Maria and a children’s ‘Den Kit’ designed by teachers, Jo and Kay.

The show is by no means an original idea, but it’s absolutely fascinating watching home-grown ‘brands’ being given a million dollar makeover, ready for presentation to retail buyers. And this is serious stuff, we’re talking giants like Asda and Waitrose.

After pulling the products to pieces, London branding agencies are wheeled in to apply the necessary gloss and this is where it gets really interesting. No doubt the branding work is slick and visually impressive. However, because the agencies don’t have the time to really get under the skin of what the brand’s are really all about, so far none of them have got it quite right. The proof of this is when it comes to the big pitch. Every time, the buyers have been impressed with the passion of the people behind the brands and the products themselves, but the packaging and branding have invariably come in for a pasting.

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Mr Singh gets the minimalist treatment

Design aesthetic is massively important and the consultants that the programme have called on, have it in spades. But unless your design agency has the time to understand you, your brand and the marketplace, inevitably you will end up with a beautiful looking lemon.

We’ll definitely be tuning in for the next spicy installment – BBC1 24th May 9pm.

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Posted by Jonathan in branding | Add a response

Email legalities and absquatulation

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Legal sign-offs at the bottom of emails have become the norm in all B2B communications. Mostly they are ignored, but they do provide a level of protection for when you accidentally send a confidential email to the wrong person in your address book. If you have never experienced that horrible sinking feeling after hitting the send button,  it’s a bit like the ‘doh’ moment you get when you refer to the non-existent ‘attached’ – but about a million times worse.

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The following is a genuine email sign off that I spotted on an email sent to me last week. Would it hold up in court? I doubt it very much, but it made us smile. Warning – you may need to have your dictionary handy for this one.

IMPORTANT: This email is intended for the use of the individual
addressee(s) named above and may contain information that is
confidential privileged or unsuitable for overly sensitive persons with low
self-esteem, no sense of humour or irrational religious beliefs. If you are
not the intended recipient any dissemination, distribution or copying of
this email is not authorised (either explicitly or implicitly) and
constitutes an irritating social faux pas.

Unless the word absquatulation has been used in its correct context
somewhere other than in this warning, it does not have any legal or
grammatical use and may be ignored. No animals were harmed in the
transmission of this email, although the Dachshound next door is living on
borrowed time, let me tell you.

Those of you with an overwhelming fear of the unknown will be gratified to
learn that there is no hidden message revealed by reading this warning
backwards, so just ignore that Alert Notice from Microsoft. However, by
pouring a complete circle of salt around yourself and your computer, you can
ensure that no harm befalls you and your pets. If you have received this
email in error, please add some nutmeg and egg whites, whisk and place in a
warm oven for 40 minutes.

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Posted by Lisa in amusing | Add a response

Choosing the right media can make all the difference

Friday, May 7th, 2010

The idea is king, but the right media choice can really drive the idea home.

If you don’t believe us, check this out…

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Posted by Lisa in advertising, amusing | Add a response

A premium re-brand for AMA Insurance

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

When you’ve lived with the same brand identity for 20 years, it takes a brave client to change. So we were really happy when Ashleigh Mackay and Associates asked Remedy to give their brand a total overhaul.

AMA are high-end corporate insurance brokers and risk management specialists. Their key customers are large corporate clients such as architectural glaziers and electrical contractors with bespoke insurance needs. They also work with high net-worth individuals including premiership footballers.

At our first meeting, Managing Director, Gary Mackay, summed up the company’s ethos very simply: “We don’t sell policies, we buy them on behalf of our customers”. Understandably, he was still quite attached to the old logo that had worked well for them since 1980. However, they had decided it was “time for change” and that they were looking for a “sharp and clean” new brand identity.

With this as the brief, we presented four routes which were all loved by the client.

After some deliberation and a minor tweak, the new AMA logo was born and we are just about to make a start on their new website.

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OLD LOGO                                                                SHINY NEW LOGO

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This is what Marketing and New Business Manager, Anne-Marie Dickinson had to say:

“We were impressed with the way in which you approached us as new clients; you took the time to understand our current business whilst considering our future aims and presented a perfect pitch. It wasn’t easy to decide which of the four options we liked the most but once we did, you were happy to make a tweak to the design, with which we are now delighted. We look forward to seeing designs for our new website – we know it will reflect our business perfectly.”

Here’s to great looking brands and brave clients.

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Posted by Jonathan in branding, design, remedy | Add a response