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When the going gets tough...
the tough get going

January 2009

Famous words sung by a reasonably famous boy band, Yet never a truer word spoken (or sung) because in this gloomy economic cycle that we are going through, it is tough to keep your business going well.

So what is the secret of survival. Well in truth there is no magic formula. However we as a medium sized marketing and design group have traditionally done quite well in tough times. Why? - because we are relatively small so when the economy does take a dip, often first thing big companies do is to cut their big advertising budget - and spend less. That in itself could be argued to be a great mistake, but for us it is a boon because companies must still communicate with their customers. So they look for the less expensive option and often that involves looking for a smaller less expensive agency which is where we step in. Being based in Dorking our cost structure is a lot lower than our competitors in London. Yet we can offer just as much if not more. With modern communications your location is no longer vitally important and at present more than 60% of our income comes from overseas.

The important thing with any business is to offer the customer good service, even more when times are hard. In our case that means clever, cost effective ways of helping our clients to sell their product or services to an increasingly competitive market… and there lies the secret of it all. In tough time you have to be more competitive. Your product/service has to be good - better than your competitors in terms of perceived value and quality. You need to make yourself stand out from the crowd of competitors. You can do this by creating a ‘difference’ in the service that you offer that includes features that provide real benefit to your customers.

Its always important to remember that it is cheaper to keep existing business by offering a bit more, to keep your customers happy and the competition at bay, rather than to have to fund the acquisition of new business.

So times are tough but business will still go on if you work at it. Get going - good luck!

Roderick Wheeler - MD

Navigating a brief for corporate hospitality

December 2008

The glitz and glamour of Monaco and the thrills and excitment of Formula 1 go hand in hand. Lynden Swainston Associates specialise in travel and hospitality packages particularily in Monaco, working behind the scenes providing logistics for teams, sponsors, press and guests.

Our brief was to revitalise the brand and sales message that was being promoted through their existing website.

Our solution was to break down their services into clear and identiffiable benefits facilitating the progress through their website with easy navigation. Good imagery was also important in setting the tone for what LSA are offering.

www.travelf1.com

Hole in one... four!

September 2008

Members of the Clockhouse team were given a chance to let loose on the driving range under the pretence of market research.

Demonstrating a range of expertise from seasoned pro to absolute beginner... "How does anyone hit this ball with such a small bat?!!"

Extensive product testing
with Dorking Brewery

September 2008

Dorking's first micro brewery was started by a small group of businessmen who decided that their passion and enthusiasm for real ale needed to be shared.

Our brief was to create a corporate identity for the company and a brand name for their first two beers. After much product testing and deliberation the company logo was created around the towns own emblem, the Dorking cockerel.

Discussion groups were held with a wide band of beer drinkers and buyers alike to gauge the responce and initial impressions to our proposed product names. The chosen name and style of the new identity reflected a desire to create a new modern brand. The tall, clean and simple design of the pump clip immediately distinquished it from other traditional guest beers found in the pubs and taverns around the South.

www.dorkingbrewery.com

Raising the perception of quality and expertise in school travel

August 2008

2008 saw Pinnacle's largest ski brochure to date and with it the increased importance to portray their level of quality and expertise as leaders in the school travel market.

It was decided early on to feature simple, artistic images on the covers of their three brochures to give an immediate sense of style that set them apart and elevated them from the competition.

We followed this procedure throughout the three brochures, simplifying every element including fonts and colours, to give a more elegant feel to the product.

It is also the first year that a fold out cover has been introduced within the ski brochure, with a striking panoramic view across the entire three pages giving the reader an immediate sense of scale, beauty and excitement.

The three brochures took approximately four weeks to reach a completed artwork stage and a further four to print.

Two years of development...

January 2008

After two years in the making Clockhouse were delighted to deliver their longest project ever to client's Capital Shopping Centres.

The concept was to simply produce one all encompassing manual for each of their 10 main shopping centres. Each manual had to be part of the family and yet maintain the individual identity of each centre.

"This was design by minutiae as each detail, each phrase and each form had to be consistant - let alone the design" explained Lisa Nakiewicz who ran the project from conception. "It truly represents the absolute attention to detail that CSC put into their own shopping malls".

The 10 manuals were digitally printed in full colour with covers made from polypropylene to create a clean contempory look.

Clockhouse goes global -
with Delta Air Lines

April 2007

In early 2007 a team from Clockhouse were let in on a big secret. One of their long standing clients of 19 years, Delta Air Lines, were going to completely rebrand themselves around the world. We were initially briefed with the task of implementing the new house style in all Deltas airports and ticket office facilities throughout Europe, Middle East Africa and Far East.

This was challenging enough but within weeks of commencing we were also asked if we would handle the Latin America and Carribean markets - in effect all of Delta's entire International network.

To meet the challenge Clockhouse set up an office in Atlanta specifically to handle the Americas, while a team in Dorking continued with Europe and Africa.

The first airport to be rebranded was Paris CDG completed on the night of April 30th followed 2 hours later by Gatwick. Over the next seven months Clockhouse was to implement the new brand into 117 locations in 93 cities around the world. Not only was it one of the largest projects ever undertaken by the Dorking based company but quite possibly one of the largest rebranding jobs of the year, worldwide.

Leading the Latin America and Carribean project was Arlaine Shepherd:
"The Latin American and Carribean part of the program required us to establish an office in Atlanta, allowing us to use the flights from Delta's main hub to reach the many airports we had to work with. Although flying off to Carribean Islands every day did sound fun at first, it was actually a very testing project involving long hours and late nights in our new office. We had a great team all of whom saw some wonderful parts of the world".

London Gatwick, UK

Bruno Varillon (left) Paris Station Manager - complete the first rebrand worldwide on April 30th 2007