Archive for the ‘Company’ Category
Posted by Peter on 12 June 2009
Tags: | Company, Customer insight
As you can probably tell from then paucity of posts I have made recently we have been pretty busy of late.
Our new Bentley project has kicked off in earnest, Dunlop Health and Safety is just about to launch and you will soon be powerboating off Gibralter.
As well as existing clients we have several interesting pitches on at the moment and we are all thoroughly caught up in them. Triumph is a fantastic British brand with an amazing worldwide following which you can get a sense of by visiting some of the online forums. We are making use of Social Media to validate our ideas and opinions for the pitch and it is a very interesting and informative process.
We are also working on a pitch for a recruitment company who have a different model to any I have seen before which could be quite ground breaking.
Off to the Ace Cafe on Sunday with the team to meet Triumph bikers. Will have to hide my people carrier around the corner!
Posted by Lara on 11 June 2009
Tags: | Company, Customer insight, Social Networking
We’re in the middle of getting together our pitch for a well-known UK Motorcycle manufacturer and I have suddenly developed an interest in looking at bikes to see if they are the particular brand we are working on… if not (in my head) I seem to think all other makes are “inferior”. I nearly missed my turning the other day whilst totally affixed on following the said bike brand in front of me.
This got me thinking, what is it about working on a brand that makes you a natural advocate and how can I influence others around me to feel as passionately about this or any other brand I work on… which in turn will hopefully inspire them to influence others?
So in the run up to the pitch (and beyond) I plan on becoming that annoying friend who won’t shut up about this particular brand. In fact I would go as far as even trying to influence at least one of my friends to purchase a bike (if nothing else so that I could experience a ride on one).
However, on a more serious note and without wanting to give away too much we are approaching the usual suspects/influencers to gain their opinion and get a feel for their passion about the brand. It’s interesting just how strong people can feel about brands (for some reason it makes me feel normal). I’ll be interested to see just what comes out of this… watch this space.
Posted by Peter on 2 June 2009
Tags: | Company, Design
As an Australian I have always appreciated the benefits of sunshine to our outlook on life. This weather just makes you happier despite the gloomy economy and our flip flopping MP’s.
It is also makes me happy to look at a busy studio who have a number of interesting signed off projects and some great pitches coming up in June. Perhaps that economic outlook isn’t so gloomy after all or maybe it is being helped by the sunshine.
Posted by Peter on 11 May 2009
Tags: Company | Company
Natalia just put the months production schedule on my desk and there aren’t many spare time slots on it which is great news. This week for me is Formula 1, music downloads, business growth and Bentley. Love it.
Posted by Peter on 21 April 2009
Tags: Presentation | Company, Design
Good day today.
I have got everything ready for the Board meeting, which is planned to take place virtually with Clive in China after the Youth pitch tomorrow morning.
Really pleased with the effort put in for tomorrows pitch. I think the creative is amazing, especially given the timeframes and Andy has been a huge help here, although he has been able to build on the great work already done by the team.
It’s always a nice feeling when you have a presentation you are looking forward to giving
Posted by Peter on 20 April 2009
Tags: Company | Company, Design
8am and the buzzer went, which is most unusual at Global Beach as they are not the earliest risers! It was, of course, our new Creative Director Andy Paterson-Jones whose arrival I have been eagerly awaiting for a couple of weeks.
Andy has already been helping us on a number of projects we have been working on and we have a pretty full on week this week. We have a second meeting with a Youth Charity here on Wednesday morning which requires quite a bit of Andy and my time but that will be time we enjoy giving as it is a really interesting project it would be fantastic to win.
Off to Crewe again on Thursday to start a planning process for the year with Bentley and then we have an introduction meeting on Friday with Juliet from AAR whom I know from previous agency life, as well as a number of new business opportunity meetings.
It will soon be Friday before I know it…
Posted by Peter on 1 April 2009
Tags: Company | Company, Uncategorized
I have been head down on a new project for Bentley which we are presenting today. And like the last time I added a post on here what a beautiful sunny day for a presentation in the countryside!
As well as this I have been working on our new business plan and more recently our mission statement. I have had a habit of using that old movie line ‘if you build it they will come’ in many of my internet ramblings over the years and I tried it again yesterday only to have Stuart rightly cross it out.
The world has, of course, moved on since I last ran an agency. It is now much more about developing an idea and then working within all of the different channels where people will interact with that idea. Viral, social, online, mobile etc. I am slowly starting to distil this into a mission statement we can be proud of and hang our virtual hats on.
So without further ado, a first airing…
Intelligent Interaction
We help our clients manage their brands in a digital world
Consumers now have many ways of interacting with a brand. Knowing how to retain an influence over this interaction is where we come in…
Answers on a postblog please
Posted by Clive on 18 March 2009
Tags: Global Beach | Company, Staff
Ad spend is shifting at an alarming pace, catching out most that are intimately involved in the industry (ITV is a good example of this). Brands need to be much more willing to get ahead of the curve rather than be left behind. They need to address head on the changes that they need to confront in terms of how consumers consume media and consequently how brands can influence them.
If brands are to truly get ahead of the game, they need to embrace a step change that will require top down direction and ownership starting from the very top of the organisation. Every CEO must recognize that part of this step change will necessitate new blood and new thinking across the management team, and the first candidates to go will be very easy to spot. The real challenge will be whether the board has the stomach to make such dramatic change, or instead hope that things will get better of their own accord.
There are many good and recent examples of where traditional businesses have adapted to this brave new world and many examples of where established brands (regardless of whether they are tech or traditional) have been pushed aside. I am sure you will find a few of both in the broadcast, technology, gaming and travel sectors without trying too hard.
With the reality that we are experiencing oversupply across most sectors, dwindling finance options, combined with a smaller and more cautious consumer base looking for best value – brands must be willing to adapt or get swept away.
Having implemented a range of dramatic changes to the management team and structure of Global Beach, I do recognize that such change brings with it a new and perhaps even scarier set of problems, and that having swept away the past there is nothing left to hide behind but the results of your future efforts.
Posted by Peter on 16 March 2009
Tags: Global Beach | Company, Uncategorized
7:30am on a beautiful chilly, but sunny, Spring morning in London and I’m at my desk with a big smile on my face. That smile has been there pretty much every day, with a few exceptions, since returning to agency life. I bloody love it and I’d forgotten how much I do love it.
My Nano is plugged into one of our clients, Bowers and Wilkins, fantastic Zeppelin Ipod Speaker systems . For those of you who are like me and only know Bowers & Wilkins because of the Zeppelin they are an amazing British company making some fantastically innovative audio equipment. Check out their new surround sound Panorama system that we have launched on the website today.
I have always loved starting work at this time of the morning. The phones don’t ring and the office is quiet allowing me to get my thoughts together for the day ahead as the staff start to drift in for our 9am start. This morning I have a new business catch up with one of my closest friends who is helping us build our pipeline. This has been sorely neglected and is one of my highest priorities. With the reputation and experience Global Beach have we should be appearing on many more companies radars when they are looking for a digital agency.
I then have a kickoff meeting for a new Bentley project. Bentley!!! I still keep pinching myself. I may only drive a people carrier but I definitely got goose bumps when the cab taking me from Crewe station pulled up outside the gates at Bentley. I was made to feel very welcome and the whole experience took me back to the days when I ran the Waitrose accountat my old agency. Being in the canteen with all the workers sitting down to lunch around us was a real sense of déjà vu.
After that I have a catch up with Clive to discuss how I am getting on against my 7, 30 and 90 day plan (Pretty good I think but you can always do better). One of the discussion points is going to be personnel and what skill sets I think we require to be the strategic and creative agency I want us to be. Having worked in this industry since 1996 I already have my feelers out amongst old contacts and the first post I am looking to fill is Creative Director. On that more next time…..
Then Lara and I are heading over to Kings Cross to firstly discuss a new project we are about to launch for Terrance Higgins Trust and then one of my favourite things, presenting new designs for a brand new project for the same client.
Being that I live in Bethnal Green I will probably G-Wizz it home from Kings Cross and work on the Business Plan I am writing before finishing the day with a call to Matt Passey in our Los Angeles office to discuss ways we can help each other.
Not bad for a days work and I might even find time for a bit of twittering and Facebook catch-up, despite Lara’s scepticism. Like Lara I may not want to know about my mates dissolving earwax but that’s my choice. The beauty of mediums like Twitter is you choose what it is you are interested in, not the other way around.
Posted by Clive on 12 February 2009
Tags: Global Beach | Company, Staff
I am really pleased to announce that Peter Cameron has joined Global Beach as our new Managing Director. His appointment marks the next essential step in the evolution of the Agency as we have now ended our 10 year engagement as Jaguar’s Global Digital Agency of Record last year. Now the hard work begins.
The task of re-shaping the Agency following a significant downsizing will of course involve a lot of effort and commitment from those that believe they can make a difference and want to embrace change. Most importantly, we need new leadership, energy and commitment to continue to evolve and meet the demands of our current and future clients. As the Group’s CEO I will continue to share the majority of my time across both Global Beach and Autotorq.com, however given the scale of the opportunity, I recognize that we need someone full time to take charge and focus their energies together with Stuart Toller and Lara De Angeli on this hugely exciting challenge.
Peter has come highly recommended from both his former colleagues and clients and has a proven track record in building a Digital Agency having grown JKD, (now Twentysix London) to over 70 staff before selling the business to Inceptor Group.
His appointment heralds another important step forward following several months of down sizing which understandably have been quite brutal although entirely necessary, as we have had to evaluate the skills and capabilities needed to take the business forward.
I am also confident that his appointment will send a strong message that whilst I have had to make some difficult and often painful decisions, I remain totally committed to investing in our Agency’s future.
He is a very friendly guy and understands exactly what we need to do to look after clients and I know that many will benefit both from his considerable retail and social media experience. So welcome Peter, the Chairman and I look forward to working with you.
