Rule 5 To Represent UCI Track Cycling World Cup

trackworldcupThe agency has won a competitive pitch to promote this year’s UCI Track Cycling World Cup.

The world-class event, which takes place at Lee Valley VeloPark (the host venue of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games) this December 5 – 7, will see Olympic & World Champion riders from across the globe descend on London to compete for international ranking points that will determine their qualification for the 2015 World Championships and 2016 Olympic Games.

The agency is appointed to manage all event media relations, PR and social media, with a focus on driving tickets sales and audience engagement.  The team is also responsible for further raising the profile of Lee Valley VeloPark.

Speaking on the appointment Phil Heselwood, British Cycling Major Events and Projects Manager, said: “This was a highly competitive pitch.  Rule 5’s knowledge of cycling and expertise in sports event marketing combined with their creative approach and ability to demonstrate a strong return on investment set them apart from the rest.  We’re looking forward to working with the team to deliver this year’s UCI Track Cycling World Cup.”

Work is already underway, run out of the agency’s Shoreditch and MediaCityUK based offices.

The Future’s Bright, but Not Always Digital

If you’re planning on picking up a copy of Company after this month, we’re afraid that won’t be possible. The monthly magazine has stopped printing after 36 years and has gone online-only. After our initial surprise abated, the mag fans in the office had to be honest and admit we were now much more likely to get our lifestyle fix online.

The news of the title’s demise came just one day before the latest ABC magazine circulation figures were published. A seemingly sad repetition of Bauer Media’s suspension of More! magazine last year after poor sales, we were curious to see how the wider consumer lifestyle magazine market was performing.

Company’s print circulation was down more than 30% year-on-year, not including 2,000 digital editions. The overarching and ongoing conclusion was that magazines continue to suffer, but some iconic mags are still flying the print flag flying high. Cosmopolitan, Ideal Home and Vanity Fair all showed strong sales.

Cosmopolitan’s strength appears to be in its content – steadfastly dealing with topics relevant to all women, from careers and self-improvement, to fashion and celebrities, relationships, sex and beauty. So popular is the magazine, it has 64 international editions, printed in 35 languages and circulated in more than 110 countries.

The best-selling homes-magazine in the UK, Ideal Home knows when to move with the times. Now 94 years in circulation, the glossy continues to capitalise on the nation’s fascination with home improvement.  Inviting a turnover of new readers each month, the magazine gives great focus to specific sections and standout DIY project areas.

George Clooney, Daniel Craig, Will Smith and supermodels that “won’t get out of bed for less than $10,000”. Vanity Fair only deals with the Hollywood A-list. A magazine of popular culture, fashion and current affairs, readers are taken on a fashionable journey of luxury and bright lights, and get to see how the other half live. Escapism at its best.

Capitalising on the strength of their brand, moving with the times and staying true to readers’ interests are all core themes in the success of the print stalwarts.

We often hear the millennial generation now only consume news with the simple click of a mouse instead of in the ‘traditional’ black and white, but it was good to see an article – online, ironically – on The Huffington Post diffusing that notion. It’s true to say we’re well-versed on digital outlets like Buzzfeed and social media, but we’re reading traditional news outlets too.

So how have print magazines stuck around for such a long time? The Guardian’s Mark Hooper attributes it to the internet. We had to scratch our heads on that idea for a moment too. Then one word stood out – permanence. Even the big hitters like ASOS and net-a-porter have print versions too.

It is true that news can be accessed with the mere click of a button, but for some, there’s no escapism like that 30 minutes tucked away with a new mag and the feeling of pages between your fingers.

Yes, we’re in a digital world full of tablets, laptops and smartphones, and a digital world may be on the horizon, but the print pages aren’t finished turning just yet…

Rule 5 Preview: The Manchester Contemporary

 

Picture1JJLast night (Sept 25) saw the exclusive preview of Buy Art Fair and The Manchester Contemporary and we were delighted to be in attendance.

The events, collectively the largest art fair outside of London, feature over £1m worth of work from 500 artists in Manchester’s newest exhibition space, Old Granada Studios.

Amongst those exhibiting and in attendance at last night’s preview event was former KLF musician and acclaimed artist, Bill Drummond.  A key feature of The Manchester Contemporary, an invitational art event that gives a platform to emerging galleries and their artists using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, Drummond is showcasing work from his world tour, The 25 Paintings.

Also in attendance was UK breakout artist, JJ Adams.  One of the most sought after artists of the moment, Adams unveiled the final piece of his latest autumn collection exclusively at the event.

In a rare and opportune moment we were thrilled to bring together both artists for an exclusive interview, which saw a lot of conversation about South Africa, where both grew up, and little about art!

The work of JJ Adams and Bill Drummond is available for purchase at Buy Art Fair & The Manchester Contemporary this September 26 – 28.  To join the 8,000 visitors anticipated to attend the event this weekend, register for your free ticket at buyartfair.co.uk and themanchestercontemporary.com.

Works range from £50 to £5,000+ and include original prints, sculptures and paintings from established and emerging artists.

Rule 5 Shortlisted in Northern Marketing Awards

Picture1 NMA 2We are thrilled to have made the shortlist of the Northern Marketing Awards.

The awards champion the work of some of the UK’s biggest brands and this year attracted over 200 entries.

Rule 5 has been shortlisted twice in the Sport Campaign of the Year and Social Media Campaign of the Year categories.

The nomination for Sport Campaign of the Year features the agency’s work on the inaugural World Taekwondo Grand Prix, pitted against Manchester City FC and Salford Red Devils.  Rule 5 is also nominated for Social Media Campaign of the Year, a category that it won at this year’s Big Chip Awards and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide Awards last November.

The agency is already shortlisted for Best Social Media Campaign and Outstanding Consultancy in this year’s PRide Awards.

The Northern Marketing Awards will be announced on October 16.

MediaCityUK Video with Instagram’s Hyperlapse

Two days ago Instagram launched a new app for iPhone called Hyperlapse. It’s a free application that opens up new frontiers in creating professional standard video content with just a phone.

With the huge growth in content marketing and an exploding demand for short engaging videos, apps like this will play a vital role. The app instantly topped the download charts and with good reason.

Hyperlapse is a video format similar to time-lapse photography but the position of the camera moves. In the past it has mainly been achieved with painstaking use of still images. It’s a very time consuming process requiring expensive equipment – 10 seconds of film requiring 300 separate precisely planned camera positions.  The alternative would be to use a Steadicam or a £10,000 tracking rig.

Hyperlapse from Instagram lets you shoot in real time and uses stabilization technology to process the images into a professional looking timelapse video. Yesterday we road tested the app around MediaCityUK.  The clips took about 40 minutes to shoot (that was mainly walking time).  They were edited together on the phone in about 10 minutes using the Splice app (£2.49). We topped and tailed the video and added some music using Windows Live Movie Maker (free).