Balloon Dog

TUBE SHOCK! Nice person alert!

Living in London often feels like a death of a thousand cuts, each day another tiny part of your humanity dying through the thoughtlessness of strangers, whose random acts of low-level cruelty diminish themselves as much as they do you. Never more so than on the Tube, where good manners are merely a historic curiosity, like the Bretton Woods Gold Standard or the Amstrad e-mailer phone.

So imagine my astonishment when yesterday, heavy with a summer cold, out of hankies and clearly suffering, a young stranger kindly offered me a paper hankie.

Now, you may be thinking “he probably just didn’t want you sneezing in his face” but that wasn’t the case: the carriage was largely empty and my wife was already deep in her bottomless bag, searching for her pack of hankies, when he quietly proffered the small white gift. Just an act of kindness and consideration for a fellow man.

It’s kinda sad that such a small act should merit a blog post but such is the world we live in.

But it cheered my soul and lifted the spirits: maybe everyone isn’t selfish and hard-hearted after all, I thought.

And then a lady ran over my foot with her trolley-case.

By Greig McCallum, Tube commuter

Mountains, mud, sea and sand...

Leaving the office behind and thinking about the rest of the doggers working away, put a smile on my face. But the trek to Wales seemed to take an age. The usual British motoring delights of A14 standstills,  crawling along on the M42 and getting stuck on the M4 because of that infamous lorry fire, soon turned the smile into a frown.

Finally arriving in Port Talbot, it was time to check into the hotel, grab some tucker and get an early night, ready for Saturday's ride. A short 15-minute drive leaves the bleakness of this industrial town behind and all's forgotten as the natural beauty of the south Wales countryside takes centre stage. We soon arrived at Afan Forest Park and began prepping the bikes.

Due to some people drinking slightly more than others on the previous night, the mammoth 46k skyline trail was ruled out and after some discussion we decided to tackle 'The Wall'.

The Wall seemed to climb, and climb, and climb. After what seemed like an age of going up we finally found some downhill. It was fast flowing, tight, technical and very narrow. Rocks, tree stumps and roots seemed to appear with every turn and a couple of stream crossings were thrown into the mix. Although the downhill seemed short, in comparison it was some of the most technical descent I've ever ridden. All the uphill was soon forgotten as we arrived back at the centre, tired, covered in mud but grinning from ear to ear.

After a relaxing morning and a full English (to put back on all those calories which had been burnt off the previous day) we headed further west to the Gower peninsula. The beaches of Rhossili and Llangennith are long sandy bays, set against the cliffs and look spectacular. Sets of waves were rolling and it wasn't long before the wetsuits and bodyboards came out for a bit of a play in the Atlantic. However, being Wales the weather soon changed, getting windy, rainy and generally unpleasant. So with a sharp exit all we had to think about was getting dry and the lengthy journey back home.

Dan Lincoln - Digital Activity Manager

Beat wins a Nominet Internet Award

We were delighted to hear the news that the My Personal Best website we created for leading UK charity, Beat (previously known as the Eating Disorders Association), was named Exciting Newcomer in the Empowering Young People & Citizens category at this year’s Nominet Internet Awards. The prestigious award ceremony was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on 28 July.

(from left to right) Frances Good, Beat Young Ambassador; Susan Ringwood, Beat Chief Executive; Rachel Cowey, My Personal Best volunteer; Hannah Abdullah, My Personal Best volunteer; Leila Lahfa, Beat Project Officer.

The Nominet Internet Awards scheme recognises companies, organisations, groups and individuals who have embraced the challenge of making the internet a secure, open, accessible and diverse experience.
 
My Personal Best is managed by young volunteers and linked to beat’s services helping those with mental ill health to overcome the challenges and barriers that can hold them back. The site provides a safe, supportive space to celebrate achievements and to encourage and inspire others to do the same. It was created on a part pro bono basis as a part of our charitable giving policy.
 
Susan Ringwood, Chief Executive at beat, commented, “We are thrilled to have won this award, which comes as the result of a great deal of time and commitment put in by our volunteers and our partnership with balloon dog.  The site is attracting a significant number of visitors and positive feedback from those who are encouraged by the achievements and endeavours of others in similar circumstances to their own."
 
Matt Isherwood, Digital Director at balloon dog, commented, “Together with beat, our sole focus was to create a site that helps users to be the best that they can be by promoting wellbeing and positive self-esteem. The feedback from users to date has been incredibly positive and this additional recognition is testament to the work that the charity has invested into creating a safe and nurturing space online.”

balloon dog snapper hits Latitude Festival 2011

By Ryan Mason (Account Co-ordinator at balloon dog):

Many moan about the weather forecast being inaccurate. However, fair play to all those who reported heavy rain for the 15^th, 16^th and 17^th July weekend....not only were they accurate (for once!), but they also prepared me well for what was to be my wettest festival to date. Poncho, camera cover, waterproof bag, wellies, hat and hoody – all were packed for the joys of Suffolk’s Latitude Festival 2011.

This was my third year of being official photographer for Latitude festival, so my expectations of what I needed to capture were fully cemented. Many of the festivals to date have been very kind to me weather-wise; however, this was soon to change. The main stage over-hang turned into a man-made scaffolding waterfall. The lush green fields turned into one big mud bath. And by the end of the weekend the car parks turned into a wheel spinning mud rink. But none of this dampened the spirits of those who attended (even though watching Sky Arts coverage of the festival from the comforts of my own home was quite appealing!). My recommendation would be to embrace it. This experience is priceless...the true stereotypical UK summer festival!

Latitude is not just another music festival. I would best describe it as an arts and crafts festival with its range of craft activities as well as the literary, poetry and theatre tents. Another sold-out year inspired many bands to rise to the occasion, performing to a mass audience. Many did just that, with the likes of The National, Paulo Nutini, Suede, Ed Sheeran, Paloma Faith and Foals, to name just a few, producing incredible performances.

After another successful year, Latitude will remain as one of the most popular ‘mixed’ festivals of its kind for many years to come. It’s definitely a festival to share with loved ones and offers something for all ages. I have included a few images I took over the weekend.

 

 

Barclays Corporate re-brand

When Barclays Corporate asked us to partner them in delivering a wholesale rebrand, we leapt at the chance.  As a division of the major global financial services provider, Barclays Corporate serves businesses of £10m turnover and over, employing a raft of marketing support materials in doing so.

Our brief was to apply a brand-new identity and tone of voice, across the various collateral used at different stages in the client journey. The items in need of rebranding included pitch books, welcome packs, product brochures, factsheets, application forms and more. 

In a dynamic sector, our client was understandably keen to roll out the new brand as soon as possible, to coincide with their above-the-line campaign. In order to deliver to the timescales, balloon dog formed a dedicated project team with streamlined processes to deliver in the quickest time possible, whilst maintaining all production quality standards.

Now in the third of a three-phase project roll-out, 200+ items have been created to date, collectively delivering a consistent and powerful brand presence to Barclays Corporate’s many audiences.

On your marks, get set, GO!

It certainly has been all go with the exciting national roll-out of our Aviva ‘Paving the Way’ integrated campaign. The campaign, which includes TV, press and digital advertising, features a range of the past and present Aviva GB&NI Team, including Olympic Champions Christine Ohuruogu and Darren Campbell. Watch it below:

 

Cordell Burke, Creative Managing Partner here at balloon dog, explains, “The concept behind ‘Paving the Way’ was to dramatise Aviva’s support of British athletes and to show how every day is another step on the journey towards each athlete realising their ambitions and dreams. The yellow path that ‘paves the way’ is a symbol of that support through all the ups and downs on an almost pre-destined route to success. We wanted to create a strong branded look and an emotional feel that would stand out from the crowd and resonate with sports fans and everyday public alike. It’s an ad that engages us all, yet highlights Aviva’s in-depth knowledge of the sport itself and the athletes they’ve supported since 1999.”

In support of the advert, we have also created press advertising and online digital ads that include specific athlete profiles. Check out examples below:

View Online ad

Press ad

We’ve already started to receive coverage with the launch of the TV ad in a range of press:

Introducing...Zenith Staybrite!

We’re delighted to announce that we have been appointed by Zenith Staybrite, one of the UK’s biggest names in windows, doors, conservatories and other home improvement products, as lead strategic and creative agency following a competitive four-way pitch.

In addition to creating a new brand identity for Zenith, we will be using brand building and direct response communications to help drive brand recognition and sales growth. We will work closely with Further, a specialist search agency, which will manage the company’s paid and organic search marketing.

Our top dog, James Clifton, said of the appointment, “Zenith has very clear business objectives and targets, and our record in tracking the return on investment in our clients’ communications, alongside our expertise in providing fully integrated solutions, clearly stood us in good stead against the competition. We are really excited about working together.”

Louise Marshall, National Marketing Manager at Zenith Staybrite, commented, “We were particularly impressed with balloon dog’s expertise in handling national, multi-channel campaigns, and the team’s understanding of our brief demonstrated a real insight into our business and customers.”