Working in MediaCityUK it’s not uncommon to spot the odd familiar face when you pop out to get a sandwich at lunchtime. Today we discovered that Britain’s Got Talent had rolled into town. Alesha Dixon and David Walliams stepped out of their limos to say hello to the waiting crowds. Ant & Dec are hosting the 2014 live auditions at the Lowry Theatre. Fire eaters, acrobats, dancers and divas are stuggling into their sequinned onesies as we write.
New Year, New Office
For many, today marks the start of the new working year. As the nation takes down the remainder of the tinsel and jolts back into routine, Rule 5 has a special start to 2014 with the opening of the London office.
Based in the heart of London’s thriving digital creative scene, Shoreditch, the team is a stone’s throw from all the major publishing houses, including modern media marketing title, The Drum.
News of the office, which is run by Account Director, Carolanne Bamford, was first announced in late November, coinciding with the agency’s first birthday and recruitment for an Account Executive is underway.
We look forward to sharing with you further news over the coming weeks and months and wish you a very happy and prosperous New Year.
‘Tis the season…to get creative with Christmas cake
Earlier this year, we posted a picture of a Dalmatian puppy cake to the Renshaw Facebook page, which generated over 50,000 shares and added 4,000 organic ‘likes’ to the account.
Knowing the value of original, brand-owned content, we wanted to reclaim the public’s appetite for cake creativity. Capitalising on the festive news season during a pivotal calendar period for baking manufacturers like Renshaw, we worked with the creator of the viral Dalmatian, Trish Clarke, to create a Christmas cake with a difference.
Made to look exactly like a traditional Christmas dinner with all of the timings, the Renshaw Turkey Cake was born. Weighing in at 10kg, every part of the creation was edible – from the marzipan sprouts to the Renshaw Ready to Roll cranberry sauce pot and spoon.
Though the cake looked completely realistic on raw smartphone photography, we knew that putting it into context would provide the impact and assets required for a national picture splash. Setting up a realistic family dinner scene, picture editors couldn’t fail to raise a smile for our snaps and an extensive sell-in secured branded coverage in the world’s largest free paper, the Metro.
A hit with all of the client’s target media sectors, the Turkey Cake was considered for guest appearances on a number of primetime TV shows. Such was the demand that a second cake was needed (the week before Christmas!) to make a special, live appearance on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and was enjoyed by guest celebrities, including Girls Aloud’s Kimberley Walsh.
The creative tactic worked and presenters name-checked the brand on-air, with the team tweeting info containing links back to the Renshaw Baking website alongside the broadcast.
After carving out the opportunities in the national press, the story was also picked up by the client’s core trade media. Regional pieces were also secured profiling the Liverpool-based business and Leicester-based bakers’ talents.
Turkey cake in numbers:
22 – The weight in lbs that the turkey cake tips the scales at
Seven – The number of days taken to create the big bird
15 – Kilograms of Renshaw Ready to Roll icing and marzipan used
Two – Number of birds made to send to broadcast producers across UK
500 – Turkey miles travelled to national broadcast appearances
One – Talented Trish Clarke to make the cake
500,000 – number of viewers who watched the Turkey Cake live on Sunday Brunch
1,300,000 – commuters who picked up a Metro the day the story broke
117,300 – Followers Sunday Brunch tweeted a picture of the Turkey Cake to
5 happy Rule5 members
To learn more about what went into the making of the Turkey Cake, visit the blog here.
Virgin Money Cyclone Drafts in Rule 5
The agency will promote the four day national cycling festival, staged in the North East. The Virgin Money event, which has attracted some of the world’s greatest riders including Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins, Hannah Barnes and Sarah Storey, is part of Virgin Money’s sponsorship of national sport and community events that include The Virgin Money London Marathon and Walking With The Wounded, Virgin Money South Pole Allied Challenge.
Virgin Money Head of Sponsorship Marketing, Andrew Nicholson, said: “We’re looking forward to working with Rule 5. The team’s extensive experience in sports event communication combined with its expertise in managing national brand sponsorship campaigns makes Rule 5 the perfect partner.”
Virgin Money Cyclone Founder and Organiser, Peter Harrison, added: “Virgin Money Cyclone is a multi- faceted event designed to cater for the needs of competitive and non-competitive cyclists. As we enter our eighth year and celebrate the Beaumont Trophy being recognised as an official UCI event, our focus is on further raising awareness of the Virgin Money Cyclone on a national and international scale, and increasing rider participation across all levels. We are confident that Rule 5 will help us achieve this.”
Commenting on the win Rule 5 Founding Director, Julie Wilson, added: “This is a significant win for the agency. The Virgin Money Cyclone is a recognised event within the international cycling calendar and we’re delighted to play a part in further realising its potential; attracting new riders and spectators.
“With the UK playing host to the Grand Dėpart and dates for next year’s British Cycling Elite Road Series confirmed, 2014 promises to be an exciting year for cycling.”
Virgin Money Cyclone takes place from Thursday June 19 to Sunday June 22, 2014. Entries are open now. For more information or to register visit https://virginmoneycyclone.co.uk/EnterOnline.asp
Rule 5 to Launch in London
The agency is marking its first year in business with the announcement that we will have a London office from January. We firmed up the decision several weeks ago and we’re announcing the news to coincide with our first birthday tomorrow – November 29. We have also committed to a three year lease at the agency’s Manchester headquarters in MediaCityUK.
The new office will be in Shoreditch, London, and will be run by Account Director Carolanne Bamford, who relocates in the New Year. Recruitment for an account executive is underway.
“It has been an incredible year” said Rob Brown. “Launching a new agency in the middle of a recession has challenges but we feel that we’ve built a good brand with Rule 5, we deliver great work and are thrilled by the response we’ve had.” Fellow agency founder Julie Wilson added: “It has always been our intention to launch a London office. It’s a little ahead of plan but the time is right for us and there’s a great sense of creativity and innovation in Shoreditch. We’re looking forward to being part of it.”
In our first year we were awarded Best Newcomer at the Prolific North Awards and a few weeks ago won Gold for Best Social Media campaign and Silver for Best Digital campaign in the 2013 CIPR Pride Awards.
Next month, the agency will also be providing consultancy support to the Cabinet Office with the Government’s review of its communications capability.
RULE 5 