The Agency

I recently watched a great ad that launched a well-known brand back into our consciousness. It was brilliant, capturing the brand and the verve of the previous campaigns. Then I realised that a few months previously I’d seen a whole series of films on YouTube that were pretty much identical.

Over the last few years I’ve seen more and more campaigns that take (diplomatically-speaking) reference from postings.

But is this wrong?

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I read with interest the figures from LinkShare suggesting that ad revenues and returns on social media sites were far lower than their experience had shown (NMA 8 July 2010), as well as the numerous defensive comments from media executives.

Presumably, LinkShare took a snapshot of the social media advertising landscape as a whole, probably including many companies swept up in the social media frenzy that perhaps lack the planning and buying experience required to make appropriate media judgements.

This being the case, these findings conclude that social media is only a relevant advertising platform for some products. Also that strategic direction and media planning is still required for the optimum media mix. And finally, this social media frenzy has driven significant revenues, but isn’t it likely to be a short-term fad?

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Not many marketing agencies are founded with a five-year plan in place that includes making acquisitions in that period, but Saman Mansourpour isn’t your typical creative who’s partly headed West from London for the lifestyle.

At the age of 23 Mansourpour was European marketing manager for a Fortune 500 company, before switching to the agency world where he worked for companies such as the well-regarded Rapier.

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Signing up for driving lessons can be as daunting for many people as it is exciting for others. The British School of Motoring (BSM) – to celebrate its 100th birthday – has given its site a refresh to ease people into learning to drive. It’s a vibrant site that reaches out to learners, potential instructors and franchisees.

As a sales-driven site it’s unsurprising you’re lured to sign up by a competition to win iPads on the home page. Other offers – such as 25% off when you book 10 lessons – and ads for an iPhone app are also prominent. It includes links to Twitter and Facebook, with recent Tweets on the home page.

Information for people looking to become instructors is comprehensive, but it only directs you to making phone enquiries – no email addresses are displayed. The site is content-rich, but it steers clear of the information-overload route. However, one thing that seems missing is theory test information – it would have been good to have a mock test on the site.

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BSM, the largest and most established driving school in the UK, has launched a new website as part of a wider realignment of its digital offering, following extensive usability testing.

Designed and built by integrated advertising agency, TheAgency, the website will provide BSM with a platform to continue recruiting learners nationally, as well as independent instructors, who make up more than 80 per cent of the national market. With additional focus on retail products, such as training aids and the newly launched iPhone app, BSM believes its new website strategy will also lead to an increase in sales conversions for driving lessons.

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I remember having a telephone interview with a journalist from The Times a few years back, where I naively and rather over excitedly ranted on about mobile marketing, and a day when all Outdoor, Mobile and In-Store channels would be intrinsically linked, both creatively and promotionally. The idea was that the data held on individuals would be so vast that advertising would literally be tailored to their specific needs.

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I was sat in a board meeting yesterday, where we were reviewing upcoming job roles within our business. And I found myself pondering the question, “just what is the best way to build our integrated team?”

When we launched a couple of years ago, we set out to build an integrated agency from the bottom up. Now lots of agencies claim they’re integrated. But the reality is that most of them have grown by department. Hiring or acquiring an individual with a new skillset, or a digital team and placing them next to the advertising team, for example, supposedly builds their ‘integrated offering’.

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BSM, the UK’s largest driving school, has launched an integrated summer ad campaign designed to strengthen the brand’s youth appeal and drive lesson bookings during its 100th Anniversary year.

The “learn to enjoy the summer” campaign, created by TheAgency, will run across online, outdoor and point of sale channels. It features striking 1970s style visuals of top UK pro-surfer Sophie Hellyer on a sunny beach in front of a BSM branded car.

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Behind the scenes on a recent beach shoot with UK pro surfer and face of Roxy clothing, Sophie Hellyer.

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Future, the special-interest media group, has appointed TheAgency, a leading brand and response marketing agency to develop creative online and print advertising for several of its high profile gaming brands. The deal sees TheAgency develop advertising creative for Future’s GamesRadar network, computerandvideogames.com and PC Gamer magazine.

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The Environment Agency has appointed leading brand and response marketing agency, TheAgency, to work on its new digital strategy following a three-way pitch.

The objective is to significantly increase traffic to the NetRegs web site, focussing initially on pay per click (PPC) advertising. As part of an initiative involving all government web sites, NetRegs is required to converge all its content with the Business Link website by March 2011, which will also be integral to TheAgency’s brief.

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Let me start with a few questions…

Did you make poverty history? Did you buy the Haiti single? Have you enjoyed some comic relief?

What did you do for charity between those events? Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that there’s something wrong in what you did. In fact it’s wholly admirable. But what’s the impact on smaller but equally worthwhile charities?

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Glutafin, one of the leading providers of prescription-only gluten-free food products, has launched a new advertising campaign designed to help coeliacs carry on with life after diagnosis.

Created by TheAgency, a leading brand and response marketing consultancy, the campaign will develop the theme “Appetite for life” across all communications, highlighting the many ways coeliacs can successfully get on with their lives.

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Before the rise of the digital aisle, we’d thumb through records or books in a store and MIGHT get a bit of advice from a shop assistant or another shopper.Outside of our own peer groups or reviews, we weren’t inundated with advice on our purchasing decisions.

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Glutafin, one of the leading providers of prescription-only gluten-free food products, has appointed leading brand response agency, TheAgency to evolve the food brand, engage with a wider base of consumers and healthcare professionals, and promote new product launches.

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Okay, that may just be a headline to grab your attention, but the point I’d like to make is that social media is turning us all into our own PR agents.

I was recently on a LinkedIN discussion when a few mis-directed remarks were made from one of the key participators. Granted, it was Saturday, the hour was late, and they may have been at the thick end of a bottle of wine, but the recoil was big. 70, 80, 90 posts later, and it became apparent that people just weren’t going to let this one go.

What I witnessed was a display of political correctness worthy of the Walton’s. And what was most cunning was the extradition of said participant from the main event. A few carefully chosen words, and two explanatory statements later, and their profile had been successfully washed.

What’s fact is that by participating in social networking we are now required to manage our profile as carefully as a brand. What’s fascinating is how well we do it. Have we finally graduated from the school of Max Clifford?

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We’ve recently run a number of campaigns in the gaming sector. The guys in the office often hook up online to play various games. So I thought it was high time that I dived in and tried it myself.

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Despite times being tough, our criteria for choosing who we work with has got even tougher. In the good old days, before bank balances took a bashing, investors used to look for big ideas to back. Today, we see venture capitalists investing in the people behind the ideas, in addition to the ideas themselves. Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Sharon Wright, creator of Magnamole is a classic example – the only applicant to have been able to negotiate successfully on percentage equity with the notorious dragons by wowing them with her own business acumen and personality.

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To the casual observer, the recession appears to have made consumers far more careful. But actually, we may be witnessing a more significant change in their behaviour. They are, in fact, becoming considered rather than careful. Consumers are increasingly ready to break away from more ‘conventional’ behaviour. But before we go into the why let’s examine the evidence…

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BSM, the largest and most established driving school in the UK, is launching its ‘Pass on the BIG 100’ campaign in January, created by TheAgency to celebrate its 100th birthday. The campaign, the third in a succession of sales beating quarters, will run across online, radio, cinema, press, direct mail as well as point of sale, and will celebrate BSM’s landmark achievements over the last century.

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Sovereign Living, part of Sovereign Housing Group, one of the largest social housing groups in the country, has appointed TheAgency to raise the profile of affordable home ownership and its developments.

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A new youth marketing insight service is being launched by TheAgency, a leading brand and response marketing consultancy. Bike Shed will provide clients with exclusive access to a range of programmes delving into the minds and attitudes of young people aged between 16 and 19.

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The subject of our daily news digest, its ownership in the public domain and its value has long been up for debate. It’s no secret that news corporations from the BBC to News International have all struggled in the last decade to maintain control of their content, and effectively charge for it.

Clearly the Internet has offered us “free” access to news in real time, and various search engines like Yahoo, Google and now Bing have been able to point us all in the direction of the content we’re after. The announcement that News International were considering severing ties with Google, or that Microsoft had approached them to offer payment for search listings, depends on which papers you read.

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I’ve just been through a whirlwind of social media lately. Conferences, projects, discussions, it’s left me feeling quite anti-social about the whole thing. But stay your burning pitchforks. Do not assault my door as you Tweet that you’ve found a non-believer.

Let me make it clear. I do believe in social media. I just want us to approach this with a rational mind (strange coming from a creative I know). The fact is Social Media is great for developing groundswell. It’s fantastic for connecting with customers and people generally. Indeed it’s even a handy tool for customer services. But however you use it, you must check its relevance to the brand, audience and objectives. And equally important, can the budget accommodate it?

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BSM, the largest and most established driving school in the UK, is launching its ‘Beautifully Simple’ campaign, created by TheAgency to mark its relationship with Fiat 500 across multi- media platforms.

The campaign will run across online, point of sale, cinema, radio, direct mail, experiential as well as social media portals, designed to make BSM more synonymous with the youth and youth culture. The new ‘Beautifully Simple’ message will emphasise that the Fiat 500 is an easy car to learn in, and is great fun to drive.This new campaign is part of an ongoing relationship with TheAgency, during which it has helped increase sales for BSM by 20 per cent earlier in the year. The driving school is supporting the activity by offering exclusive promotions and discounts on its lessons during the campaign period.

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Siemens Gigaset, the European market leader in cordless phones, has appointed TheAgency.

The leading brand and response marketing consultancy, to help define its global brand proposition, re-affirming its focus on attracting high end users and brand conscious consumers to its innovative products.

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Social media portals need tailored approach

Your feature on youth marketing (Marketing, 23rd September), high-lighted some exciting online trends, but may have overlooked some other key points when targeting youth audiences through social media portals.

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Do companies who market themselves with ethically labelled products do what they say on the tin? How fair is Fairtrade?

In recent years our food, clothes and household goods have become coated with a layer of ethical labelling. Many products have been marketed with a Fairtrade, Organic or Rainforest Alliance stamp – but do we really know what this means?

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93% of social media users believe that companies should have a presence in social media. But what should that presence be?
Help us find out by joining in our Social Media Survey.

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Brand and response marketing specialist, TheAgency, has strengthened its team further on the back of its recent BSM lead creative agency account win with the appointment of three new staff.

Verity Wood has been appointed as senior account manager responsible for the relationship with BSM. Wood joins from McCann Erickson where she worked as account director on Sure Mobile, Milupa and Calpol and will capitalise on this experience at TheAgency, further enhancing the team’s specialist knowledge.

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Whilst chatting with my cousin in India via Facebook, it struck me how social media sites are helping to merge cultural boundaries. At the expense of sounding like someone who never switches off, this got me thinking about its effects on marketing and creativity.

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TheAgency, confident that its offer is unique outside the largest London agencies, this agency is one that aims to grow places, fast.

With any expanding business it’s important to maintain and nurture the start up culture,” says Saman Mansourpour, co-founder of TheAgency. “It’s never about an individual but working collectively as a team.”

The Bath-based agency is achieving this by recruiting “the right kind of people”. Those who are engaged, collaborative and passionate about what they do.  “We look to employ people with a range of skills and experience, so our teams complement each other and we ensure diversity,” adds Mansourpour.

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RK Accountancy has today officially unveiled their new brand refresh. The 6 month project has been integrated with the renewal of their vision and values and underlines the growing strength of the brand in a section of the industry which has been hit heavily by the recent economic turmoil.

“Of course we are being affected by the recession like many other recruiters, but at a time when our competitors are contracting and moving out of geographies, we remain resolute and are investing in the brand.” Explains managing director Paul Waite. “Clients want to make sure that they are getting value for money. Our passion and expertise makes the winning combination. We don’t just assist clients on a daily basis; we give them the insightful solutions that deliver long term, measurable business advantage which they require. This is why we are continuing to outperform our rivals.”

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Currently, less than 10 per cent of UK households recycle energy efficient light bulbs, which are classed as hazardous waste due to their mercury content. In a bid to increase this figure to 60 per cent by 2014, Recolight, the specialist recycling service organisation for fluorescent and mercury lamps, has appointed TheAgency in a seven figure campaign to change Britain’s recycling habits and meet its ambitious target.

TheAgency, a leading brand and response marketing consultancy, has been tasked with creating a hard-hitting campaign to raise awareness of the quantity of mercury entering landfills when energy efficient bulbs are not recycled. This will include a micro website, a viral film, a home user pack, poster advertising and point of sale material.

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Ina week when record numbers of teenagers are biting their nails anticipating their A Level results and pundits are predicting that students will leave university with an average debt of £17,500, leading brand and marketing response agency, TheAgency, has been conducting research into effective sales and marketing to teenagers.

Instant is best.Whether it is instant messaging, video sharing, social networking or online shopping, it’s happening ‘now’.According to IABuk.net 81% of teens (aged 12 – 24) say instant messaging is an important online service and 83% use MSN to keep in touch with friends.

However, there is a lack of teens twittering.Under 25s make up 25% of the twitter audience, but the 13 – 17 audience is already using facebook/bebo to keep up to date.

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Over the past few months it has been rumoured that TheAgency are working on something new and very exciting, and quite different from the convention of advertising. Here is a sneak preview from a recent film shoot, captured on location somewhere in the Midlands. And is that Leon Tayler, Olympic Silver Medalist?

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BSM Drives into Youth Market

BSM, the largest and most established driving school in the UK, is driving into a £4 million brand evolution to reinvigorate and modernise the company, to broaden its appeal and be more relevant to the core youth learner market. The move comes ahead of its 100th anniversary in 2010, and is designed to reinforce BSM’s market leading position.

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TheAgency wins accountancy recruitment firm’s brand and sales acquisition strategy

Leading brand & response marketing specialist, TheAgency, has won the integrated brand and sales acquisition strategy for accountancy recruitment specialist, RK Accountancy (part of the Kellan Group).

TheAgency has been briefed to develop a clear sales proposition and brand repositioning involving a digital strategy, press advertising and brand identity. RK Accountancy has ambitious plans for national growth, despite the economic climate.

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Ash Communications celebrates marketing client win second time around.

Leading brand & response marketing consultancy TheAgency, has awarded its PR contract to Ash Communications.The consultancy has been appointed to raise its profile in the advertising, marketing and creative fields, and in vertical market client sectors, and communicate TheAgency’s focus on delivering a larger return on investment for clients at a time when marketing budgets are being closely scrutinised.

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RK Supply Chain (RKSC), one of the leading global supply chain recruiters have appointed TheAgency to reposition their brand in the market, and help them develop heavily sales focussed communications.

The company has been extremely successful over the past 12 years, but a strategy for growth, coupled with tougher competition and aggressive market conditions have triggered a need to emphasise their brand position, and lay the foundation for a number of new service offerings.

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Travel and tourism companies are faced with tight budgets and tough decisions at the moment. However, strategic thinking, innovation and a strong marketing effort can ensure that your business will both survive and thrive.Travel brands need better, cheaper and more effective ways to sell, and yet at the same time they need to build vital brand value with consumers. Credit crunch winners will be those who have approached their brand development and marketing in a holistic way, putting the customer at the centre of everything they do.

In particular, those that get their branding right in 2009/10 will have understood that their marketing buck has got to work much harder now to achieve the same bang that it did this time last year. So, what steps can a brand take to be a winner in a market where the emphasis is currently on losing? Why not start by saving huge amounts of money and getting a better result for your budget?

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Leading brand response company TheAgency has signed a Managed Recruitment Service contract with specialist media, creative and marketing recruiters, Ad Lib.

Following a number of major client wins, TheAgency has significant growth planned over the next 18 months, looking to increase permanent headcount by 250% and build an extensive freelance pool.Through the Managed Service agreement, TheAgency will have one central contact point for all their recruitment needs. Ad Lib will field sales calls and CVs from other recruiters, as well as negotiating competitive fees on TheAgency’s behalf, dramatically reducing time and money spent on recruitment whilst still maintaining full access to the majority of candidates on the market.

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TheAgency pimps London’s scoots in a test road safety campaign that could see a national roll out.

The rising popularity of scooter riding by 16+ teenagers in the UK, has brought about a significant rise in the number of road traffic accidents involving scooters. This has placed significant pressure on London Borough Council to raise awareness of scooter training, promote safe riding amongst teenagers, and tackle the dangers they face.

Brand response specialist TheAgency has been appointed by London Borough Council to roll out a pilot campaign directly targeting 16 to 19 year old scooter riders, encouraging them to enrol for an additional road safety training session once they’ve completed their CBT (Compulsory Basic Training).

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Bloom & Co, the UK’s leading expert jewellery designers and re-modellers have appointed TheAgency to implement their online retail strategy, supporting planning, creative and web development.

Their recent move from a leading London brand agency demonstrates their need for a more sales focussed brand response plan, in line with their business expansion plans. Bloom & Co launched in 2008, and is the brain-child of the 18-year old jewelry and fine art insurance company LMG.

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Brand response specialist TheAgency has been appointed by Rex Resorts, the UK’s leading Caribbean hotel and African Safari operator, to create a new direct response print campaign for the brand and also to refresh the brand’s positioning.

The move will make it more relevant to a newer, travel savvy target audience and give it a sharper commercial focus given the market forecasts for 2009.

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In the current climate, says Saman Mansourpour co-founder of TheAgency, marketing budgets are getting crunched just as much as credit, which means the marketing buck has got to work much harder to achieve the ROI bang than it did this time last year.
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Brands are looking for better, cheaper and more effective ways to sell, and yet also to build brand value. And this raises an interesting issue.

Do you need to have a separate budget with an above the line agency to build your brand value with consumers?

Or, can you achieve this, and sales, all within one campaign, and more importantly (from an economy of scale point of view) with just one agency?

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Leading brand and response company TheAgency has relaunched BerkeleyScott, the UK’s leader in hospitality and leisure recruitment.

The relaunch includes new branding, website design, web-copy and web-architecture and an innovative print advertising campaign.

The relaunch will present BerkeleyScott Ltd as a premium recruiter, once a core strength of the company which has become diluted over the last five years. It also emphasises the company’s heritage and experience and places a stronger focus on the recruitment of senior appointments and attracting candidates rather than “clients”. The new identity and site will go live on the 20^th October and the online advertising campaign will roll out over the autumn.

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What does ‘creative’ mean to you?
Great ideas that deliver on commercial objectives. That’s the business we’re in.

What’s your best piece of business advice?
Hire people better than you, it keeps you on your toes.

Who do you admire?
My grandfather & Muhammad Ali – for proving that talent, determination and hard work can take you all the way, no matter where you start.

What in the world could be done better?
Most things. Unfortunately too many people settle for mediocrity.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
In an underwater James Bond base. With sharks and everything. I’m not good at plans.

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Leading brand and response company TheAgency has appointed Rajnish Razdan as creative director.

Raz was previously working for Target Direct and Inbox where he was Executive Creative Director and also for The Response Team where he was Creative Director overseeing accounts for Carphone Warehouse, Rentokil and Bristol and West. He has most recently beendeveloping the marketing and branding for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Nokia’s Comes With Music service which has just launched. Raz is the recipient of numerous awards including the IDM Leaders Award and has been nominated for a Cream Award 2008 for his TV work with Wessex Water.

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We are a team of strategists and creative’s from the UK’s top advertising agencies. These include Rapier, Omnicom and Ogilvy.

As a team we have worked with the world’s largest companies, from automotive and financial to food and drink. In January 2008 we made the decision to set up our own full service marketing agency. Perhaps the bigger decision was to leave London, which makes us one of the first true brand response creative agencies outside of the capital.

Our vision
Our proposition is to be able to help all companies focus on the creation of their brand and link it directly to their sales streams. Our focus is to prove that by using creativity, brand and response marketing will work best together.

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Air Products plc, the 10 billion dollar global gas and chemicals company has appointed 2008 start-up TheAgency.

Commissioned to spearhead their Europe-wide communication for performance chemical solutions in the construction market.The brief requires TheAgency to work alongside Air Products’ London and Dutch marketing teams.

“Part of our European strategy is to focus on the Air Products chemicals positioning across a number of market sectors.TheAgency are helping us do that, currently in the construction industry. We work in partnership with our customers, collaborating in the R&D and product development, with a view to pushing the boundaries of innovation, and helping to develop new products that change the industries they serve.” Lee Gorse, European Marketing Manager, Air Product plc.

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In an economically driven move, TheAgency has decided to produce part of its web developmentin Krakow, Poland.

The decision is largely influenced by the mass relocation of a UK based Polish workforce, due to favourable economic conditions back home, and a relaxation on the tax benefits earned abroad. Many Polish workers have started to return home with more money in their pocket, leaving the UK with a potential skills shortfall. Unemployment in Poland shrank to 11.5% in February 2008 (Source: Warsaw Voice) and the country is crying out for skilled workers, particularly those trained over the past few years in Western Europe.

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Following the news in late December 2007 that Rapier would consolidate its regional business back into London, a new team of agency planners, creative’s, account managers and designers have this week announced their startup.

TheAgency is a unique mix of senior advertising and brand experts, as well as direct response specialists. The idea is to marry the strengths of each discipline, and build an agency that focuses on brands whilst driving a measurable return on investment through its response communications.

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