Rule 5 Scores with Salford Red Devils

The agency Rule 5 has been appointed to work with Super League club Salford Red Devils. The club was recently acquired by a consortium of supporters through a new holding company Salford RD Holdings.

Rule 5 will work with the club to build its regional and national profile and strengthen its links with Salford and the region.

Salford Red Devils Director Andrew Rosler said: “It’s really important for us to work with the local business community so it was exciting to discover an agency based in Salford, recognised for award-winning work nationally and internationally in the sports sector. We’re looking forward to working with Rule 5 to raise the profile of rugby league and cement Salford Red Devils’ position as a real hub of the community. The agency is experienced in the promotion of grass-roots initiatives through to global events and it is this expertise that makes Rule 5 the perfect fit for us.”

Rule 5 Founding Partner Rob Brown added: “Rugby League is exhilarating and uniquely northern. Salford Red Devils is a big club playing at the highest level in the sport. We’re looking forward to enhancing the club’s profile supporting growth and opportunity.”

The announcement is the second major client win for the agency this year after being appointed as the retained communications agency for Sea Life Manchester and Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester.

Gemma Joins Rule 5

The agency has recruited Gemma Cowburn as Account Director to lead its growing consumer PR offer and strengthen the team. Gemma joins from Amaze, a full service digital agency, where she spent eight years working on campaigns for a range of clients including The Saucy Fish Co., Imperial Leather, Manchester City Football Club and Eurocamp.

Gemma’s will lead on consumer PR across a portfolio of food, leisure, tourism and sports related accounts. These will include Park Leisure, Brother UK and Merlin Entertainments, which appointed Rule 5 to work on the Manchester Sea Life and Legoland Discovery Centres, at the start of the year.

Founding Director, Julie Wilson, said: “Gemma joins us at an important time for Rule 5 and we are thrilled to have her on the team.

“We have ambitious plans to build the agency in 2018 and bringing in a senior hire at the start of 2018 is a key part of that strategy. Gemma has extensive experience in the industry, with McCann, TBWA as well as Amaze and will help us to strengthen and grow our offer.”

Gemma said: “I am thrilled to be part of the Media City-based team here at Rule-5, having watched the agency win prestigious awards each year since launching in 2012. Now feels an exciting time in the agency’s milestones to come on board and I look forward to contributing to their award success.”

Rule 5 Appointed By Merlin Entertainments

LEGO Ninjago Banner The agency has won a significant contract with Merlin Entertainments.

The announcement follows a four-way competitive pitch and sees Rule 5 appointed as the retained communications agency for Sea Life Manchester and Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester.

Work is already underway with the team busy developing plans to promote two new features at the popular family attractions, due to launch this spring. The features are the result of a £400k investment and promise to deliver an incredible experience for both first-time and returning guests.

The agency will also be responsible for delivering a sustained national media relations campaign for both attractions and supporting Sea Life Manchester’s acclaimed conservation programme.

Speaking on the announcement Jenn McDonough, General Manager Manchester Cluster, Merlin Entertainments, said: “Sea Life Manchester and Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester are two of our leading attractions and have been inspiring, exciting and educating families for over seven years.

“With the forthcoming launch of two new features the time was right for us to review our marketing approach and appoint a new agency to support us in driving the business forward. It was a competitive process that saw some great pitches but the communications plan presented by Rule 5 was head and shoulders above the rest, combining strong creative ideas with a solid and strategic approach. We really bought into the team.”

Agency Co-Founder Julie Wilson added: “This is a brief we were passionate about winning. The scope of opportunity presented by the attractions, the forthcoming new features and incredible conservation work undertaken by Sea Life Manchester is great and appealed to us both personally and professionally. It’s a privilege to be involved.”

2018 Predicted By Pinterest

Pinterest, the platform described by CEO Ben Silbermann as a “catalogue of ideas” that inspires users to “go out and do that thing” has evolved into a trend prediction platform.

Launched in the US in 2010 the social media site has, in comparison to platforms Facebook and Instagram, struggled to develop as a commercial retail platform, despite garnering over 175 million daily users.

Media outlets and retailers are, however, now fully realising the benefits of Pinterest as a customer insight tool and not just a sales one. It’s a move that sees the power shift between consumers and retailers move increasingly in consumer favour, with users’ daily pins no longer just capturing trends but informing them.

Published every December Pinterest 100 captures the top 100 biggest trends based on the activity of its subscribers. Style, beauty and home decor are just some of the categories covered, with analysts looking for topics that showed critical mass, grew at least 50% in 2017 and trended up towards the end of the year. You can view 2018’s top trends to try here.

Such is the credibility of the predictions, leading influential media outlets are using the platform as a source for new season forecasting features, the very articles that influence our buying behaviour for the year. Coveteur, WhoWhatWear, the Daily Mail. Metro and Instyle are just a handful of those that have run over recent weeks.

In a world where data is gold, it’s no surprise Pinterest plan to further build on the predictions. This year the platform will launch Audience Insights, a subscriber based tool that will afford businesses the opportunity to take a deeper look at its audience and how it engages. The tool will be available to US business accounts early in the year and is expected to roll out to follow.

With traffic to Pinterest having increased significantly over the last six months, the platform’s potential to inform new product development and business marketing strategies is only set to grow.

The use of the platform by media outlets as a source for seasonal trend features isn’t new but it is gathering momentum. Where trends were once dictated by designers and magazine publishers, consumers are increasingly the ones to watch.

ICON Rises From the Ground

As the launch of Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s rollercoaster – ICON approaches, we shared an exclusive update with the media on the progress of the £16.25 million development, ahead of its spring launch.

Revealed with exclusive behind-the-scenes images of the construction as the park doors are closed for winter, adrenaline enthusiasts were able to see for the first time the world’s first double launch rollercoaster rising from the ground.

Over 100 tonnes of grey steel track can be seen hoisted into position, including the crucial section of the rollercoaster where riders will be taken on an inverted loop at 27 metres in height. Also taking shape is ICON’s impressive launch station where riders will embark and disembark the ride, after a two and a half minute exhilarating journey across 1.14 kilometres of track experiencing the same levels of acceleration felt in a Formula 1 car.

A fantastic show of over 400 pieces of coverage was generated including:

Inclusion on leading national news sites including The MailOnline, The Metro, BBC News Online, AOL and com
Over 390 regional articles in titles including the Belfast Telegraph, the Oxford Mail and Lancashire Evening Post

Speaking on the development, Blackpool Pleasure Beach Managing Director Amanda Thompson OBE, commented: “ICON is really making its mark on the park, new developments can be spotted daily as the construction is really starting to pick up pace and coming to life before our eyes. The ride is going to be a huge addition for us and we’re delighted it’s on track for a spring 2018 launch.”

Since work commenced in December 2016 over 100,000 hours have been invested on site by over 50 workers and hundreds of tonnes of steel installed with up to 10 truckloads arriving on a daily basis.

For further details about ICON and to purchase advanced tickets please visit: www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com/icon

RULE 5