Kate will add considerable experience to our existing agency team in terms of creativity, brand communications and client servicing, reinforcing our audacious ambitions for Better. Kate’s pragmatic and innovative approach to brand creation and management is based on over 20 years consulting with some of the world’s most iconic brands including ICI, Vodafone, Nike, BT, British Gas, Virgin, Diageo, Royal Mail and Nestlé. During her career, she has worked with London’s leading branding and design agencies – including Wolff Olins, Identica, JKR as well as WPP-owned Coley Porter Bell (as a Board Director) and Enterprise IG.

Kate’s focus is on providing expertise in the craft of delivering excellence through ideas-generation, effective brand management and compelling communication strategies.

Says Kate: “When I relocated to the North East, the challenge was to identify the agencies that would understand – and welcome – my London-based experience and sensibility.”

“Quite frankly, Better quickly emerged as the one to beat as I realised I was increasingly using them as my benchmark by recommending them before I had even met them.”

“Since then, not only have I been impressed with the scope and breadth of their work, I am blown away by their sophistication, their commitment to delivering excellence and their entrepreneurial spirit. Just as important, they are attracting the sort of clients that I really want to work with.”

So, as you can see we intend to deliver on our vision as we continue to build a design and brand consultancy full of the best people, doing the best work. You should know us by now though, at Better we’re never content with the best. That means living and breathing our commitment to continually evolving and challenging ourselves to keep delivering outstanding thinking, and award-winning creativity, for the most visionary of clients.

Building brands people believe in. That’s Better.

The ‘Online Community’ has been developed and launched to support ongoing customer and client engagement and develop insight into the needs of customers. Home customers will now have 24/7 online access to discussions with other customers, focus groups, polls, and surveys as well as direct access to feedback through the community.

The new virtual platform was launched in the latest Home Group newsletter with the article below:

“Online Community is an innovative approach to customer and client involvement and customer insight. The virtual community makes it easier for people to tell us what they think, discuss current and new initiatives within Home with other customers and to take part in surveys and polls about our services.

This is the first time that Home has utilised the power of social media with customers and clients and already you’re having an impact on what we do and the decisions we’re making.

Joining the community is easy. Follow the link from the Home Group website and register to join, answering a few short questions. You will be emailed your login details and you’re ready to begin.

Have a go and let us know what you think. You can also follow us on twitter @wearehomegroup.”
 

Steven who owns Chapters Hotel & Restaurant and with his Brother Peter, the house designer wear , has spoken of his delight at raising another fantastic amount of £13,500 with the event held at Gisborough Hall on Friday 7th October. This now takes the total raised over the 6 years to £113,500 – an amazing feat!

Steven and Peter would like to express their thanks for the continuos support and generosity received from sponsors Glamal Engineering, KAEFER Group, Better Brand Agency, Gisborough Hall Hotel, Court Homemakers, Whittakers Jewellers, Middlesbrough Football Club,  &The Flower Box to name but a few.

Hosted annually by radio presenter Judie McCourt, the evening’s Hollywood themed fun and entertainment included performances by The Paul James Band, Jack Mitchell, The Butlers In The Buff,  The showbiz and Doctor Brown & The Groovecats, plus a fund raising Casino, Art Sale & raffles.

Judie introduced the evening with Steven Bell, patron, and then Lynne Gray, manager of the Centre invited guests  to listen to patients from the Holistic Cancer Care centre understanding what the centre actually does for them – these heartfelt messages touched the guests hearts and helped raise the fantastic amount on the evening.

The evening consisted of a popular heads n tails introductory game, Silent Auction, Grand Auction, Raffle Draw, a tombola and due to the vast amount of donated artwork, this year saw the introduction of an Art Sale.

A vast array of special prizes were on offer including Fender Stratocaster, ringside tickets to Michael Katsidis Fight in November, lunch at Coutts & Co, Living Room performance by Alistair Griffin, MFC mascot experience and a stunning Charriol Watch supplied by Whittakers Jewellers, all which were displayed by the specially requested assistants- the butlers in the buff & the Tiller Girls

Guest auctioneer, Richard Storry from Lithgow Sons & Partners, got the fundraising into full swing, achieving a fabulous result for the charity.

Steven Bell, Patron of the charity said:

“I would like to thank everyone who attended this year’s event and particular thanks goes to the people who are there ever year and all those who kindly donated prizes. It was a fantastic evening and we are thrilled to have raised so much money for the charity.

Using therapies that complement orthodox cancer treatments, The Holistic Cancer Care Centre supports patients through the physical side effects and emotional roller coaster that experiencing a cancer diagnosis brings.

Lynne Gray, Deputy Manager at the Holistic Cancer Care Centre, said: “All the efforts to make A Touch of Class such a success are very much appreciated.  To have raised the £100,000 over the previous five years is a tremendous achievement, but to then again hit a target over £13,500 this year is just unbelievable especially more so in the current economic climate”.

To view and download photos from the night, please visit www.photo-crazy.com.

For further information regarding A Touch of Class, contact Rachel Power at Chapters Hotel & Restaurant on 01642 711888.

Since its formation in 2008, in the midst of the economic recession, the Stokesley-based agency has gone from strength to strength. Offering brand, creative, marketing and web services it is now regarded as one of the leading agencies in the North East. This year has seen Better win a number of high profile contracts with clients such as Five Lamps, Business & Enterprise Group, Northumbria University, The Trout Hotel, The Assembly Rooms, Cleveland Fire Brigade and Gentoo.

In its first three years, the agency has also extended its reach internationally. On the back of great work for UK & Ireland SAP User Group (UKISUG), Better were selected from other European agencies for the design and development of a new website for the Swedish SAP User Association (SAPSA).

As the client base has continued to grow, Better have doubled in size by investing in its studio team and now employs eight people with a powerful mix of skills in brand, digital, design and marketing.

The eight-strong team also includes six graduates from the North East’s universities.

Mark Easby, Managing Director said; “Our consistent growth of over 30% year on year over the last three years has been exceptional. This year we’re set to exceed our projections again with the last 6 months being our best period so far. We have continued to see a growth in demand for our services as businesses across the country look to market their way out of the recession.”

“In this environment clients demand a return on their marketing investment and our clear focus on results means our customers continue to have the confidence to invest their marketing budgets in Better. We are proud to have developed long-standing relationships with a number of clients and have become brand partners for national companies such as MPI Offshore, NDI UK and Anabas. Our work on all aspects of their online and offline communication has helped them build a strong place in the market whilst increasing visibility for their products and services.

The agency is passionate and committed to the development of the region’s businesses. They have backed this up through contributing directly to the skills of over 300 SMEs and Start Ups by sharing their knowledge delivering marketing workshops and seminars at a number of regional events including Marketing:TheArtOf, CIM, Service Network, Entrepreneurs Forum and more recently the Keeping Your Business Fit Conference.

Better has also embraced social media and is at the forefront of new web technologies. This has seen them form a partnership with Explain, a Newcastle-based market research business, to develop and launch Better Communities. The product is a bespoke private online community platform which allows companies to gain insight and feedback from their customers. The online platform encourages customer engagement and collaboration though discussion areas, focus groups, polls and surveys backed up by powerful profile reporting and analytics.

Mark Easby said: “We understand how social media and web technology is developing, and see private online communities as a key tool for brands to communicate with their customers to drive loyalty, engagement, innovation and co-creation.”

Since its launch earlier this year, Better Communities is already being used by brands such as Northumbria Water, Scottish Power Energy Networks, and HOME Group with many others interested in the platform.

Even with financial growth, the flurry of new clients, success in The North East Business Awards and recognition of it’s team through the Culture for Success Awards, the agency has set itself ambitious growth plans and is looking forward with excitement to the next three years!

The conference was well attended and I enjoyed meeting the other speakers and attendees throughout the day. The conference was hosted by Sarah Coburn, who injected humor as well as the steely determination to move the conference along.

The conference was opened by Alastair MacColl, Chief Executive, Business & Enterprise Group (If there were an example of a North East business success story it surely has to be it’s growth and movement into new sectors.) and the first speaker was Damian Hughes, Founder of the LiquidThinker Company. Stand out content for me was identifying four basic emotional needs; To belong, To be safe, To be valued and To be in control and the instinctive reaction we have when any of these needs are threatened – Flight, Freeze or Flee. He referred to this as Monkey Brain! It was interesting to see how this related to business performance and personal development.

Roger Flynn, who shared some of his collected knowledge working alongside Richard Brandson and for the likes of the Prudential and the BBC. It’s refreshing to see that here was a business leader who didn’t surround himself with complex business models and was prepared to change the businesses he worked in by throwing out the rule book and believing that an organisation can change itself by listening to the people who work operationally within the business.

Listening Talking Energising Supporting Embracing on social media. NOT hard selling.

My own small contribution to thinking strategically about using social media instead of playing at it went down well judging by the Twitter comments and those who came up to me afterwards. 3/4 of an hour is just too short a slot to cover the subject matter but I liked the fast pace of the session and the questions afterwards.

It was good also to catch up with a few pals; Shaun from Vector 76 (Hope the new office works out for you), Julie from Sharpe recruitment and Heather from Marketing Geni.

I think they are putting all the presentations on the website for download so keep an eye out and have a look, lots of good bite sized goodness for you to take in at your leisure.

I did take a few photo’s throughout the day which I’ve put here. Sorry for the quality of some, the lighting was terrible, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

Newcastle-based Explain Research said revenues in the first quarter of the year – which are based on fees – leapt by 44%, largely on the back of contracts with the Yorkshire and Skipton Building Societies.

The independent market research firm, which has around 30 staff, also won work from the North East Strategic Health Authority, even though the NHS is currently slashing its budgets to meet Government cuts.

Managing director David Shiel said: “To be honest, the year has started exceptionally well for us. The first quarter has turned out to be the best ever.

“One or two of the sectors that had been quiet with the banking crisis – financial services – picked up again.

“Even people we thought we’d lose – the NHS, particularly with the changes going on. But the PCTs (Primary Care Trusts) and some of the health authorities are still spending money on things like obesity, alcoholism and teenage pregnancies. We haven’t lost as much as we’d expected.

“July is maintaining a 40% increase and projection for the first half of the year is a rise of just over 40%. The demand for core research is very, very strong.”

Explain now expects turnover to hit £1.1m this year, up from around £830,000. Shiel says the net margin for profitability is around 15%-20%.

The increase in demand for Explain’s traditional services comes before the company starts to reap rewards from its latest social media product, Better Community.

The service, which is aimed at large organisations that need to communicate with their customers, was launched in January after being developed with Stokesley-based social media and branding agency, Better.

Shiel said: “We have no competition at the moment. In 12 months’ time there will be other people.

“It’s a private, online community for very large organisations. A lot of large companies are struggling with social media – they are using the usual, Facebook and Twitter.

“We’ve developed a way of having all that social interchange with their customers. It raises the consumer to the top priority and we manage that engagement.

“We have orders from Northumbrian Water, Scottish Power, CE electric and Home for Better Communities, so that is going to help us deliver consistent growth throughout the full financial year.”

Explain has a further 15 expressions of interest in the system and has set itself a target of converting five of those into orders.

Shiel said: “It’s certainly going to drive the revenue stream. It’s non-traditional and it is something that’s a must for a lot of large organisations.

“We are convinced we are going to get on to a new platform for the business.”

View this article online on NE Business.

Over 50% of delegates attending the workshops answered “Social Media”. With such interest in this area, the programme was put together to include a Master Class on the subject delivered by Stokesley based brand & design agency, Better. Declan Metcalfe, Marketing Director is delivering the master class which will give the big picture on Social Media, looking at strategy, case studies of successes and how to make Social Media really work for your business and include Better’s own story of success.

Date: Wednesday 14th September 2011
Time: 8:30am
Location: The Hilton, Newcastle Gateshead

Declan says; “Businesses need to be as visible as possible in a tough economy. They need to be seen where their customers are making decisions and that is increasingly online. Who would make a purchasing decision without checking out the company or the product online first? It’s become the norm.

As a means of communication the growth of some social media tools is unprecedented. It’s a new space that offers businesses huge opportunities to understand their customer and create deeper high value relationships with little investment other than time.

I think the conference will give the people attending the chance to see how other businesses, like our own, are successfully using social media to grow their profiles online and apply some of the practical advice to their own businesses. I’m sure everyone will leave with ideas they can implement immediately and I find that a really exciting prospect.”

Business Link’s Fighting Fit conference consists of a full programme of keynote speakers, practical workshops and showcases of best practice, with the theme of the conference being around managing and implementing change.

Jess Faith, Event Coordinator for Business & Enterprise Group (BE-G) who deliver the Business Link service in the North East says: “Fighting Fit 2011 has been put together using feedback from attendees at the workshops that have been running throughout the year, therefore we are certain that it will be relevant and meaningful to the audience. Speakers Damian Hughes, Author of The Liquid Thinker and Roger Flynn previously of Virgin Group PLC will provide inspirational and motivational keynotes both with a wealth of experiences to share.”

“Based on feedback from last year’s conference, we are really pushing the networking aspect of the event, with 300 delegates from regional SMEs, we are embracing social networking with the use of a Twitter Forest and people can start tweeting about the conference and even arranging a “Tweet Up” by using #FFit2011 and following us on @kybfightingfit.

Tickets are only £35 (inc VAT) including lunch, refreshments and parking. Full details of the Fighting Fit 2011 conference can be found at www.keepyourbusinessfightingfit.com/ffit2011.

Tweeting, hash tags, mashable, SEO, tiny URLs – these are all terms that a few years ago didn’t even exist, yet today they play a fundamental part in organisations’ marketing strategies. Due to the popularity of this workshop in 2010, Service Network is repeating (and enhancing!) this event which will take you through the step by step process of developing a digital footprint for your business. A digital footprint is a collection of activities and behaviours recorded when an organisation interacts in a digital environment. It includes the recording of activities such as clicks on e-newsletters, visits to a web-page, tweets and Facebook updates.

Our MD, Mark Easby (@easbynow), will expertly guide you through the key areas you need to understand in today’s digital world:

1. Why you need to develop your digital footprint.
2. How to listen to the internet – how to find out where your audience is and what they are talking about.
3. How to join in – what choices you have to make, how to think strategically and why you have to be committed to the task.
4. What to do when your audience talks to you – you need to learn how to develop a conversation.
5. How to measure your channels.
6. How to stay ahead of the competition.

We are also delighted to be joined by Jayne Graham from work space finding service, Space on Tap who will share how they have used digital media channels to help increase their brand’s profile and recognition not only in the North East, but nationally too.

There will be an interactive discussion and panel Q&A session at the end of this event, giving you the chance to quiz our digital media experts.

After this event, you will have the confidence to go back into your business and start listening, engaging, interacting, recording, sharing and discussing digital information in a very human way. You will also come away with an understanding of how social media can work for your business and will be empowered with the energy to create a successful digital footprint for your organisation.

Can you get involved in this event?

We have an opportunity to showcase one more regional business at this event on 13th October by offering the platform for you to present your digital media success story to our audience and take part in the panel discussion. If you feel that your organisation has a good social media story to tell about how it has helped to propel your business to great heights, we’d love to hear from you.

To put your company forward for this event, please email Sarah Thackray at events@service-network.co.uk.

Cost:
Free to Service Network members and £45 + VAT for non members. Includes breakfast and refreshments.
To avoid a cancellation fee of £35 + VAT please inform the Service Network team in writing at least 48 hours before the event if you register but can no longer attend.

Event Registration:
Please contact Sarah Thackray on 0191 244 4031 or email events@service-network.co.uk

Stand out speakers for me this year (though to be fair everyone really delivered for me) were Gerd Leonhard from The Futures Agency, who Skyped in from Spain to open the conference, Erin McKean who spoke with real social conviction about Wordnik, Conrad Wolfram from Wolfram Research, who wowed us all with Wolfram Alpha (You could see developers in the audience coo over the two line app creation tool) and Steven Bathiche from Microsoft’s Applied Science Group, who gave us a glimpse into the future interactions between human beings and computers. Dan Lyons, made a timely dial in from Boston, the man seems to know everything that’s going on! And Heather Knight was the quintessential straight man to her robot.

Nancy Duarte from Duarte Design really shone for me. She helped us all think about how we present our content and reinforced this by dissecting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” address, pinpointing how he re-enforced the key messages in his speech. Check out how Nancy did this on YouTube, it’s well worth a watch.

What impressed most thinkers was the relaxed vibe of the conference. No one was pitching hard at each other, everyone was in learning mode and the chat between sessions was warm and engaging. Tom Scott, back for the third year I believe, delivered a great finale, everyone laughed and them made sure they checked the security settings in their social accounts!

I’m already looking forward to next year!

Check out some of our photo’s taken during the conference below.

This year’s awards attracted more entries than ever before, which only goes to show the commitment of businesses across the region to maintain a culture that nurtures and invests in their staff, provides transparency to their customers and the drive to succeed in growing their businesses.

We were extremely happy to be shortlisted amongst some established, vibrant businesses and would have enjoyed the evening put on by Service Network regardless of the outcome. It was of course made just that little bit more special for the team here at Better for winning the small business category. For that we’d like to thank category sponsors for this year’s Awards; CCS Mobile, Cintra HR & Payroll and Gateshead College who came out to see us and the other shortlisted companies. The questions were probing and every aspect of the business was looked at in detail, such was the task they took on to evaluate each entrant on it’s own merit.

The Judges were kind enough to say, “Better, Teesside based brand communications agency and winner of the Small Business Category, has a very clear idea of the culture they are developing. They believe in creating a transparent culture, one that will work, both internally for staff but also, and just as importantly, for their customers. The judges felt that the team demonstrate real passion for their business, true integrity and are proud to wear their hearts on their sleeve. Better, who have been operating for just over two years, have already built up an enviable client base, winning contracts against much larger agencies. The company is now successfully working on new collaborative projects to ensure a sustainable business model for the future.”

We entered these awards because they aren’t purely focused on business performance. They are as much a celebration of the teams that work extremely hard to ensure the culture within Better and the other companies who entered the awards, continues to put staff and the customer at the heart of our businesses. Our pride in receiving the award reflects our pride in our people and the job they do for our customers. It’s our team’s award ultimately.

Click on the link to see the Service Network image gallery and watch the winners video on BDaily.