If you haven’t heard about ‘Beat the Boss’ and why should you unless you are home before 4 oclock on a weekday, the concept of ‘Beat the Boss’ is simple. Take three leading experts; an Entrepeneur, in this case Deidre Bounds, a former commediene and now leading speaker who sold her successful .com travel business to a major travel company ; a Trend Setter, in this case Richard Eagleton of Fired Earth and AGA and a Marketing Expert – that would be our boss Melanie MacNab who has marketing and communications running through her veins. Together with three wiz kids aged 11-13 picked from local schools, they are all given a brief from presenter Siara Khan and of ‘The Apprentice’ fame, then are pitched against each other to find a winner.

If you’re as curious as we are to see what they got up to and how Mel and her team of Big Shots got on watch BBC1, Tuesday 18th August 16.35 pm. You have been warned!

With it’s HQ in Macclesfield, Age Concern East Cheshire is a local, independent charity supporting older people. That’s everyone over 50 in our community. Those services are delivered all over the Cheshire East region including Knutsford, Congleton, Macclesfield, Wilmslow and everywhere in between and beyond. Quite a task as we are all living longer you must agree.

People are waiting to be helped 

We were astounded to learn the charity doesn’t get any direct government funding. Madelyn Bridge it’s Chief Executive, her wonderful team and their amazing volunteers rely on raising funds every year  to enable them to supply the vast array of services to our grandparents, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, older friends and neighbours.

We were very concerned to hear that right now they have over 1,000 people waiting for their services, services Age Concern East Cheshire just hasn’t got the money to resource and buy the equipment they need to deliver.

Please support their charity ball

So whilst they are celebrating  fantastic 21 years, providing services across Cheshire East, they desperatly need their charity ball on October 3rd at Mottram Hall to raise enough money to give these people what they need. In fact our agency head, Mel is so passionate about this she became a volunteer Trustee!

It’s about changing your thinking

We don’t know about you – here at ten we love and respect our older generation and we want you to show them that love and respect too. After all none of us would be here without them would we?

Next time you are thinking about making a donation or contributing to a worthwhile cause please think about the very people we are related to , live next door to and say hello to in the street   -  Think of your local charity,  Age Concern East Cheshire who provide help and support to those living alone and those not living alone. They all deserve to live happy, healthy, fulfilled lives as much as we do. We can help by providing design services for free – what can you do?  

We are proud to be associated with Age Concern East Cheshire and congratulate them on the fantastic work they do every day in our community.

If you would like to become a donator, fund raiser, buy tickets for the Charity Ball or see how you can help make the ball a success by being a supporter and contributor please contact:

Karyn Johnston on 01625  612 958.
Email karyn.johnston@ageconcerneastcheshire.org.uk

Clean Inc Direct Mail A5

Clean Inc Website

Clean Inc Signage

We’ve worked with our client for over 4 years. Following the expansion of the business in 2008 ,they became a dry cleaning service provider with three retail shops in Didsbury, Heaton Moor and Central Stockport, together with a successful centre providing services to the commercial, hospitality and leisure industry. Following this growth the client ended up with two brand identities, each one established in it’s own right. Our recommendation was to take the stronger brand across the whole group providing a consistent message to our audiences. Under this brand the client could also easily develop new markets, it being a much better fit.

Brand relaunch and development of new market

We  saw the potential growth of the business in a recession –  Clean inc was relaunched,  clever advertorial run in local media, new shop frontage attracted new customers, while retaining existing  and we put in place across the group direct marketing and promotions campaigns to encouraged new customer growth.

SAS Employment Law Brochure

SAS Website

SAS Outdoor Advertising

SAS Press Advertising

SAS Event Banner

sas daniels LLP had grown into a large practice following a merger and natural growth. With a new identity, they approached us to look at how our strategic approach could benefit their business, strengthen their position in the market further and create new markets.

We knew their culture well. We  designed, edited and produced their client newsletter ‘On the case” and our sister company Enlighten’  produced their  internal staff newsletter ‘Cheshire Chat’. The new logo design fitted well but held no real positioning to the market. Our first step, to change the strap line – they are Cheshire’s largest law firm so lets shout and tell people. This new message gave them credence , showed their pedigree and shouted about their wealth of experience .

Launch of new corporate literature and Websites

The brochures for the company followed, including one for their large employment department. New websites for both sas daniels LLP and sas protect were designed and developed to function and deliver the right information to the browser which, also resulted in improved ranking for the client.

Then on to marketing and advertising

Our approach to each campaign is simple, reflect the culture and gain new clients . Feedback has been terrific – new business gained, job done!!

Developing new markets

We love a challenge. When approached by a client in 2008 to look at their business and look at new market potential. Our Head of Agency is in her element. Mel went away, did her research and presented her proposal to the partners in 2008. less than a year on ’sas laterlife’ , the specialist legal advice services and support provided to older clients and their families was launched. Website done, new brochure coming soon

Headed by Carlton Adkins, one of the leading photographers in the North West our client had all the resources and experience required. On taking this brief, our belief was this client was a well kept secret. Our task was to create marketing tools to showcase the clients portfolio and create new business opportunities.

Our strategy was to divide the marketing into the specialist areas of the business and specifically target each groups separately, not only driving them to the websites but introducing Carlton Photography to  brand new audiences.

In 2009 we launched Carlton’s ‘Photography Masterclass’, both online and in the press, giving people with a keen interested in photography the opportunity to work in a professional studio environment.

Forty 4 Logo

Forty 4 Stationary

Forty4 is a consultancy specializing in delivery of brand management, sales and marketing within the retail environment. Launching in 2009 by one of the most experienced professionals in this field, our research into this specialised market told us immediately how this client’s brand would stand out from their competitors. Website coming soon.

Eye Candy Interior Design Company is based in Halifax. Emma Gordon wanted her business to get noticed. When we launched eye candy to the market in we were on a strict budget, despite that, boy did we want it to deliver.

Eye Candy is about selling what you see, creating a lifestyle you want to live with so the website had to look good.

The brochure had to get noticed too! It arrives with a cheeky message.

A few years later on and the business grows from strength to strength – Emma’s latest project is soon to appear in an editorial feature in a best selling home glossy national magazine and a new website will be launched this summer.

Roy Hopwood Fasteners have been established for over 25 years. When we were approached by it’s owner Directors to develop and execute a marketing strategy which would create new markets, growth and development of the business for the next 10 years we were delighted, looking forward to getting our teeth into a new challenge.

As this was to be a long term strategy we decided to do this in 3 phases:

Phase One – The refresh.

The company had a well established and loyal client base. Many companies risk alienating and damaging relationships in an established sector when they re brand. We believed at this stage in the strategy a refresh would be the best approach. Alongside this we changed the tone and messages across all communications and literature to better reflect the companies culture and promote it’s key brands and services and their out of date website was re designed to give design engineers direct access to valuable product information. CRM tools and processes were analysed and recommendations put in place to align the marketing strategy to the sales process. In 2008 we organised for Roy Hopwood to exhibit with two of their manufacturing partners Southco and Avdel at the NEC, Birmingham, managing and coordinating the whole event for them.

Salamander Rentals had the name, the infrastructure and a great understanding of their marketplace. They wanted us to create a brand that made them unique, non conformist and memorable and work with them to deliver marketing that would attract business and help grow the company . Once the brand identity and marketing strategy was agreed we set about creating  the brand identity and writing and delivering  a full range of literature for each specialist area to be delivered nationwide. 

Our strategy as helped the client to target more effectively which is resulting in new client business as you read.

Our approach was simple -  create a brand that definitely stands out from the competition, let the marketing speak to the customers clearly and provide our client with a portfolio of sales and marketing material, together with our strategic resources to help them get their sales and marketing up and running as quickly as possible and, at a budget they could afford.

Click here for Salamander -  a wonderful business creature

“The brand has been a unanimous success for us. It’s got us noticed and is making us stand out as distinctive and unique in our industry. It fulfils the brief totally. We get much more than good brand development, design and marketing services from Melanie and her team. The relationship we have with the Account Management team at Ten out of Ten is giving us the marketing expertise, advice  and strategic support our fast growing business needs.”
G. Walton, Sales & Marketing Director