Yesterday we announced that we had been shortlisted for Newcomer of the Year in the NE Business Award 2010 but today we found out we have now been shortlisted for the Service Award at the same awards! (more…)
Contributing to the conversation. That's Better.
- Better Investment in Local Talent
- Date:
- 28/01/2011
Award-winning brand agency, Better, has appointed Ryan Crawford as a Junior Designer. Ryan, 22 of Trimdon Grange, recently graduated from Teesside University with a first class honours degree in Graphic Design. After leaving University Ryan enrolled on 10 week Graduate Internship Programme before joining the team full time.
Ryan will work alongside the agency’s Creative Director, Peter Jones, on brand, creative and print design projects and has already worked with the team on a number of recent projects. Ryan joins a team that has grown from the original 3 founders in 2008 to a powerful mix of 8 individuals specialising in digital and creative. (more…)
- 10 things you may not know about Better
- Date:
- 18/11/2010
As featured on the Network News from Service Network….
1. We called our company ‘Better’ to be both a challenge to us (to continually improve) and also to highlight the needs of our clients to have a better brand, marketing strategy, digital and social media presence.
2. We’ve talked to approximately 1500 business leaders in the past two years about the strategic implementation of social media within their businesses. (more…)
- The best type of emails you can get…
- Date:
- 15/11/2010
We get a lot of emails. The best ones by far are the ones like this…this is an email that landed in our inbox just the other day from Michael at Fudge Fancies. A happy client who has written some kind words about the work we’ve done for them. This is what makes it all worthwhile.
We were initially introduced to Better through LEGI and were impressed with their initial ideas and enthusiasm about our product. After receiving funding through Business Link we proceeded to instruct Better in identity development and ecommerce website design and development. (more…)
- A Touch of Class hits the £100,000 Jackpot!
- Date:
- 21/10/2010
Steven Bell, owner of Chapters Hotel and Restaurant, has spoken of his delight at hitting the £100,000 jackpot since the launch of A Touch of Class 5 years ago.
A Touch of Class is the annual fundraising dinner in aid of the Holistic Cancer Care Centre. The event is hosted and sponsored by Steven Bell, together with brother Peter Bell of the house designer wear. This year’s sell-out event was held on Friday 8th October at Rockliffe Hall Hotel & Spa.
Steven and Peter would like to express their thanks for the sponsorship and support received from Glamal Engineering, Avenue Events, Better Brand Agency, Rockliffe Hall Hotel, Mercury Wealth Management, Lincoln Group, Court Homemakers, Gary Walsh Photography, Castle Print, The Flower Box, and Wildchilds. (more…)
- Be Better Informed – June 2010
- Date:
- 01/07/2010
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…)
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.
- Better Growth
- Date:
- 07/04/2010
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…)
- Social Media – Obstruction or Opportunity Event
- Date:
- 30/03/2010
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…)
- Twitter helps make a splash
- Date:
- 29/03/2010
FIVE local business owners are making a splash for charity by participating in a Swimathon after meeting through social networking site Twitter.
The team, which consists of Heather Baxter of GENI, Derek Curtis of Bond Solutions, Mark Easby of Better Brand Agency, Lisa Forster of Angelfysh and Marianne Whitfield of Cobweb, will be swimming 5,000 metres on April 16 to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.
The group, whose businesses are all based in the North East, met on Twitter and decided to take part in the Swimathon. The swim will take approximately three hours to complete and the team, aptly named the Twimmers, is hoping to raise over £1,000 for the charity.
- RT @refreshteesside: Today's the day! Looking forward to meeting new people, having a few drinks and enjoying free food!
Better. Blog
- Transformation & Growth. That’s Better. January 26, 2012
- The new Better Studio January 23, 2012
- Home Group embrace social media with Better Communities January 20, 2012
- Refresh Teesside’s February Event. Be there and be square January 12, 2012
Better. Flickr
