Better Brand Agency - Brand, Design, Marketing, Web, and Social Media Agency based in North East and North Yorkshire.

Better Team News

Some stuff that makes us tick plus information and updates from the Better team including business, enterprise and community support.

Be Better Informed – June 2010

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

My latest shout out about what’s buzzing in the Better studio.

Things are hotting up, and I don’t just mean the weather.
What a blur of activity the last couple of months have been.

We’ve attended some great events and recent conferences, and we’ve welcomed new clients on board that we’re really excited about. We’ve also been continually impressed by the commitment that our existing clients show to their customers, which we support them with through their brand and marketing activity.

Investing time and resource in new product development (NPD) was always part of our long term strategy, and this has already started to reward our efforts. Our new digital product (currently in development) is on target for our scheduled release date and we’re already having some exciting conversations with prospective clients in the B2C and B2B sector who want it as part of their brand/marketing tool box. Over the coming months we’ll be getting set for launch and I’ll be in a position to talk to you more about it.

Part of the investment in our digital product has been to recruit a new member of the team who has headed up the development. Ian Chilton, who brings to Better a decade of digital experience, has taken overall responsibility for our digital project management and is a fundamental driving force behind our NPD. Having Ian join our team is indicative of our growth over the last 18 months. He joins Senior Web Developer, Simon Scarfe to create a skilled digital team capable of delivering fantastic results for our clients and positioning Better for further growth. (more…)

Posted by: Mark Easby, Managing Director - Better Brand Agency

Filed in: Better Brand Agency, Better Client Work, Better News and PR, Better Team News, North East, North Yorkshire, Tees Valley

Tagged: Be Better Informed, Better Brand Agency, Better News and PR, Better Team News, North East, North Yorkshire, Tees Valley

Federation of Media Development Companies – a good or a bad thing?

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

As a business in the digital sector, issues of regulation or legislation have been on the agenda for many years and we too share concerns about un-reputable suppliers.

The Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC) is a new accreditation federation aiming to stamp out cowboy web developers in the north east. According to the FMDC, “most businesses look at web developers as being cowboys and rip off merchants” and claim the good news is that “they are here to put that right with the help of quality caring development companies”.

Two Teesside business partners, who head up their own website development companies, launched the national Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC) in an event held at Middlesbrough Football Club last night in response to alleged growing criticism that too many web developers were taking advantage of businesses.

The two men behind the The Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC), Stuart Davies and Saheed Rashid, said that the Federation is aiming to prevent businesses from being lured into unfair contracts that leave them vulnerable to overpricing, poor service and withdrawal of services without notice. Mr Rashid founded the Middlesbrough based Com IT in 2005, and he is also a director with Mr Davies of Stockton firm LocalRus.

According to NEbusiness, local firms that have suffered at the hands of industry rogues have welcomed the Federation of Media Development Companies (FMDC), but many in the web industry have questioned the move.

(more…)

Posted by: Better Brand Agency

Filed in: Better Brand Agency, Better News and PR, Better Team News, Events, North East, North Yorkshire, Social Media & Social Marketing, Tees Valley, Web and Digital

Tagged: Federation of Media Development Companies, fmdc, North East, North Yorkshire, Tees Valley, Web Design, Web Development

Better Growth

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Award-winning brand agency, Better has appointed Ian Chilton as its new Head of Digital.

Ian brings to Better a decade of digital experience, the majority with e-commerce specialists Visualsoft.

Ian will work closely with Better’s customers on their web projects taking overall responsibility for digital project management, managing resource, project specification, customer support, liaison and training.

Ian says: “This is a brilliant opportunity to join a growing agency and help guide its digital output and strategy to help it compete on a national level. As Head of Digital, I’ll be heavily involved in the planning and delivery of digital strategies for both existing and new clients, bringing to the table my understanding of a complex digital landscape that is constantly evolving.” (more…)

Posted by: Better Brand Agency

Filed in: Better Brand Agency, Better News and PR, Better Team News, North East, Tees Valley, Web and Digital

Tagged: Better Team News, Industry - Web and Digital, North East, Tees Valley, Web, Web Design, Web Development

Social Media – Obstruction or Opportunity Event

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Social Media – (Trivial) Obstruction or (Terrific) Opportunity – 15th April 2010

Date: 15th April 2010
Venue: Wynyard Rooms, Wynyard Avenue, Billingham
Time: 6.30pm – 9.30pm

Open panel event with Tarek Nseir, Chief Executive of TH_NK, Mark Easby, Partner with Better Brand Agency, Derek Curtis, Managing Director of Bond Solutions and Sarah Kadhim, Managing Director of Back 2 Front Animation

Are you baffled by blogs? Does Twitter leave you in a tizz? Maybe flummoxed by Facebook? Are you not even linked up, never mind Linkedin? It could be argued that adding social media to your marketing strategy isn’t just an option anymore. For some businesses it’s now become a necessity, and for most they need to understand what it is and what impact it might have

It’s also a potential opportunity too! So what steps have entrepreneurs taken to maximise the power of social media and how have many of them been able to generate new business opportunities through social media marketing? (more…)

Posted by: Better Brand Agency

Filed in: Better News and PR, Better Team News, Events, North East, Social Media & Social Marketing, Web and Digital

Tagged: Events, Industry - Web and Digital, North East, social media, Social Networking, Web Development social media

Be Better Informed – October 2009

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Our monthly shout out about what’s buzzing in the Better studio.

The TyneTeesTwestival

The TyneTeesTwestival is all about people. We’ve got to say a big big thank you to some high energy people who stepped up to the bar to help deliver the event. Aoife, Li, The Sharpe ladies, Laura M, Oli, The Frii Spray guys, Amanda and Chris for the pictures and the Sailor Girls. Our sponsors were generous, our host was accommodating and people had a good time; drank, ate and gave their money for charity. Every team needs a leader and Aoife, who despite illness, unescapable trips away and a full time job managed to pull us all together and make us work as a team. Around £1,400 was raised which will go to support Teesside Hospice and NECCR (North East Child Cancer Research), the events chosen charities. Again there’s pics a plenty below, so go take a look….in a bit!

We’ve also been heavily involved in supporting the upcoming ‘Touch of Class‘ Ball which will be held at the MFC Riverside Stadium this evening. Now in its 4th year, the event goes from strength to strength, with previous events having raised nearly £60,000. With only 200 tickets available and some high profile names already on the guest list, it’s an exclusive event not to be missed! (more…)

Posted by: Better Brand Agency

Filed in: Better Brand Agency, Better News and PR, Better Team News, North East, North Yorkshire, Tees Valley

Tagged: Be Better Informed, Better Brand Agency, Better News and PR

Be Better Informed – August 09

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

Our monthly shout out about what’s buzzing in the Better studio.

We’re all really pleased to introduce a new member of the Better team to you all. Say hello to Sam Larcombe, who has joined us as Account Manager. Sam will be keeping us slick and efficient as we grow as a business, ensuring we stay close to our clients. If you’re on Twitter please add her @abettersam.

In September we’re proud to be hosting the hottest event in the calendar if you’re a Twitter fan.
The Twestival is a global charity event being hosted in over 200 cites across the globe with the simple aim of having fun and raising money for local charities. This year the region will be hosting two events, TeesTwestival on Sept 10th and TyneTwestival on Sept 14th supporting Teesside Hospice and NECCR respectively. We’re looking for sponsors for either (Or both!) events so if you want to get your brand in front of techy cool crowd, and support a good cause get in touch.

If you’re on Twitter you really will need to be there. For exciting updates on plans as they develop follow them on @tynetwestival and @teestwestival and use the hash tag #TTWES. (more…)

Posted by: Better Brand Agency

Filed in: Better Brand Agency, Better News and PR, Better Team News, North East, North Yorkshire, Tees Valley, Web and Digital

Tagged: Be Better Informed, Better Team News

Living through a revolution

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

I read a piece recently by Clay Shirky, who in a blog post entitled ‘Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable,’ reflected on the nature of revolutions. Periods of time when old ‘stuff’ was no longer relevant to us and new ‘stuff’ couldn’t come along fast enough to replace it. That feels like now doesn’t it?

The edges of our media space are expanding faster than our ability to make sense of them, of new technologies, of how people use them and of the shake out, that will mean some old media will fall by the wayside.

But this is an unravelling story seen from two very different perspectives. The user, swept along by the rush of the crowd to try new media, to make that media fit their lifestyle and the marketer, trying to position a brand where its’ target customer is. (more…)

Posted by: Declan Metcalfe, Marketing Director, Better Brand Agency

Filed in: Better Brand Agency, Better Team News, Marketing Communication, North East, North Yorkshire, Tees Valley, Web and Digital

Tagged: Communication, Digital, Industry - Web and Digital, Marketing, Marketing Communication, North East, North Yorkshire, online marketing, social media, Social Networking, Web, Web 2.0, Web Design, Web Development, Web Development social media

PHP/MySQL Developer needed to join the Better team

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

On the back of winning some exciting digital projects, the Better team is growing again. We are looking for a talented and exciting PHP/MySQL web developer to join us. You can have previous agency experience or be fresh out of Uni, as long as you meet the grade.

The web developer role requires demonstration technical ability but more importantly the passion required to forge a career in digital media that by its very nature requires continuous learning. You should have a love for all things web. You will see web projects as being not only design and functionality, but also understand the marketing and communication requirements for the project (including SEO). We are looking for a motivated self-learner, who finds code and problem solving interesting. (more…)

Posted by: Better Brand Agency

Filed in: Better News and PR, Better Team News, North East, North Yorkshire, Tees Valley, Web and Digital

Tagged: Better Team News, Industry - Web and Digital, jobs, Web and Digital, Web Design, Web Development

Be Better Informed – July 2009

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

Our monthly shout out about what’s buzzing in the Better studio.

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If We Can You Can Challenge. ‘The Winners’.
Sadly Mark didn’t win (Congrats BTW to Craig Smith, Ian Smith, Esther Dingley, Steven Smith, Ray Liddle, Louise Bell, Rob Earnshaw and Ralph Thompson) but a keenly contested challenge gave us a lot of valuable coverage and goes to show that just taking part in the challenge can help a young business raise it’s profile. A lot of friends, clients and peers took the time to support us so here’s a big shout out to all the good good people who took the time to vote for us. Just being in the company of such dynamic businesses makes us feel we’re doing the right things and people see us as a company worth following. (more…)

Posted by: Better Brand Agency

Filed in: Better Brand Agency, Better News and PR, Better Team News, North East, North Yorkshire, Tees Valley

Tagged: Be Better Informed, Better News and PR, Better Team News

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