This unique service, Book-Lender, is the culmination of over 18 months of work and is the output from a Brand Discovery we carried out for Carillion aimed at identifying and validating opportunities within the libraries sector. In these austere times, with budgets for public services being slashed against the backdrop research linking educational attainment to the use of physical books, one opportunity stood out above all others – the provision of books into schools.

Alan Bennett, the Leeds-born playwright and author, once said that ‘a book is a device to ignite the imagination’, while Einstein argued that ‘imagination is the true sign of intelligence’. So in books, we have the key to intelligence. But, over the last 20 years, physical books have disappeared from the classroom faster than ever. With budgets stretched and teachers’ time being squeezed, alongside shrinking space in our schools for libraries, compromises are being made and the education of our children is suffering.

Our research highlighted that schools were struggling to access the right books due to budget and time pressures. We also uncovered an existing school library provision that was as disparate and as dusty as the volumes that sat on its shelves. Teachers were faced with having to source books in their spare time, on a limited budget and with little to no guidance on the most appropriate books for the curriculum, often driving for miles to pick up outdated, tatty books. An alternative was desperately needed.

Working alongside Carillion, Propaganda developed the ‘Book-Lender’ brand – an online library, stocked with a huge selection of fiction and non-fiction books, all linked to the National Curriculum and offered as a unique rental model, at a price schools can afford.

Conceived with convenience in mind, the service offers top quality physical books, curated by library professionals, that can be ordered in seconds and delivered direct to the classroom. Once schools have finished with the books, they simply return them free of charge and await their next delivery, safe in the knowledge that their pupils have benefitted from outstanding books and an uncompromised education. The proposition is simple: Rent. Read. Return.

Carillion unveiled Book-Lender at the Bett Show, the largest and most respected education technology exhibition in the UK. Registration for Primary Schools is now open for the 2017/18 academic year, with the first Book-Lender deliveries due in September. The service will launch for Secondary Schools in 2018. We can’t wait to hear the feedback from the education community and to continue to work with Carillion on this truly transformative service.

We’re proud to reveal that we have been shortlisted once again for the MCA Awards, this year in the categories of Strategy and Innovation for our work alongside longstanding client, ReFood.

We place great pride on our membership of the Management Consultancies Association. We’re still the only creative brand consultancy to gain accredited membership and it’s one of the things that makes our offer unique. Taking on convention and industry stereotypes is part of our day job, and is one of the reasons we’ve enjoyed such success at the annual event. Winning an award, often when up against some of the Management Consultancy ‘heavyweights’, showcases our rigorous approach to brand and business.

This year, work for our client, ReFood, who recycle food waste via the process of Anaerobic Digestion (AD), will be judged against other industry leading campaigns. ReFood transforms food waste into biogas, which in turn can be fed into the national grid, or used to generate electricity.  A by-product called digestate is produced, which ReFood paid to dispose of. Due to ReFood’s plans for growth, and the forecasted increase in volume handled, we needed to address this industry-wide challenge, before it became even more significant.

Through the insight gained and our experience of their sector, Propaganda developed a comprehensive plan to turn this ‘waste’ into a revenue stream: a branded fertiliser product called ReGrow. As part of our entry, we had to demonstrate how the recommendations we provided had applied new and emerging ideas, processes and technologies to successfully transform our client’s operation. This was achieved by changing the perception in the agricultural industry of digestate, and by turning it into a branded biofertiliser, which is high in the key nutrients necessary for plant growth, and has monetary value.

The development of this new, clear and validated strategy has allowed ReFood to achieve operational savings of circa60%, has further cemented their market-leader position, and created a unique closed loop proposition. The success of the strategy that we developed and implemented for ReFood is what encouraged us to enter this project into the awards. 

The ceremony will take place on April 27^th at a central London location, and ahead of that, we’ll be looking to impress the expert judging panel, with all the details surrounding this exciting project.

We recently created the identity and brochure for Illamasqua’s ten essential products,  ‘Illa-must-haves’.

Using an anarchic collage style that mashes up model imagery, colours, make-up textures and product photography, the A6 booklet is a window into the freedom of self-expression and the brand’s punk attitude. 

All of this lives alongside professional tips, information about the brand’s history and animal welfare standards, and its links to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation.

By Lee Bennett 

The Illa-must-haves booklet can be found in all Illamasqua stores, counters, and online orders at www.illamasqua.com.

A unique proposition – they support talented people who have built great recruitment businesses to deal with challenges such as breaking through glass ceilings, future-proofing and helping them realise their value in the long term.

Aimed at a discerning professional audience, we wanted the identity to have a serious yet authoritative feel, something that reflected the brands forward-thinking approach. To do this, we used a bold condensed type complemented with a hand drawn font (a cue to the tailored approach the brand takes) and a paired back colour palette of gold, black and grey.

This then extended into the brand brochure, which we wanted to feel progressive and high-end. Sized at A3, the document used a range of print finishes and techniques,

including a mirrored stock (which when held in the readers hands, reflects their face – emphasising the collaborative nature of the partnership), throw out gold metallic pages and contracoat spot textures. This high end production helps the brochure to feel like a substantial document, one that reflects the scale and success of The Ampersand Partnership.

The cornerstone of the business’ proposition is the ‘hassle-free experience’ – turning the industry stereotype of rushed sales and pushy salespeople on its head and offering exceptional choice, value and service instead. The company’s ability to build relationships with its customers has meant that over half of their sales come from repeat customers and recommendations, and – according to independent review site, Reevoo – 95% of customers would buy from them again.

In 2014 we recognised the value in The Car People’s loyal customer following and identified an opportunity to help cement those relationships. In order to acknowledge the value of each individual customer and thank them for choosing us, Propaganda and The Car People developed a loyalty club, Friends. The programme rewards customers with special offers and discounts on motoring essentials and additional services like ‘Friends-lend’, which allows customers to rent accessories like sat navs and bike racks free of charge. In an ever more crowded and expensive environment – both on and offline – Friends was designed to encourage repeat custom and referrals by maintaining a special relationship with customers long after they had driven their car away from the showroom.

The Friends loyalty club has just celebrated its first birthday and, in its inaugural year, has been met with glowing reviews from customers who have been impressed with The Car People’s efforts to keep them close. We are delighted to join The Car People in celebrating this most recent demonstration of Friends’ value to customers, the brand, and the bottom line. The programme continues to evolve and grow, and we have lots of exciting plans in store for 2017.

The brand development programme included extensive research into the online job market, and looked closely at the evolving needs of employers, recruiters and those looking for employment. This allowed us to create a unique proposition, aimed at improving the experience for all parties.

Propaganda Director, Richard McMurrough, said: “The Yellow Rocket brand has been built using the insight we gained from the market. Online has revolutionised the way people look for jobs, but it has also seen a move towards a lack of trust and transparency. Whilst the online jobs market is huge, we found that temporary workers were often forgotten and underrepresented, despite being so crucial to the national economy. Taking this insight, we’ve arrived at a proposition that will set the bar in this sector.”

Yellow Rocket Managing Director, Craig Vallis, said: “We wanted to create a new type of business that championed the temporary worker. Yellow Rocket will be a breath of fresh air, in a sector that is traditionally very tough on people, and notoriously difficult to navigate. Propaganda’s rigorous Discovery process unearthed new possibilities and opportunities, and I’m excited at the prospect of the launch in January 2017.”

We first worked with the Leeds based business in 2014, when we undertook a Brand Discovery. The resulting strategic shift and rebrand laid the foundations for the subsequent growth of the business, PE investment and acquisitions.

Over the past 18 months, Southerns has acquired a competitor in the North West, integrated Ralph Capper, a premium furniture consultancy, and made a further acquisition to strengthen its position in the market.

In the past six months in particular, Propaganda has been working on the Ralph Capper brand, helping to position their premium offer alongside the established Southerns’ business.

The Brand Health that Propaganda is set to undertake, will look at all the Southerns Group businesses to understand how they compliment each other, and fit into a complex and evolving marketplace. The business is in a period of rapid growth, and Propaganda’s work will help guide their strategic direction at this exciting time.

The collection includes luxury items such as a candle and reed diffuser as well as a brand new hand and body lotion, meaning customers can treat their skin to the same levels of luxury and indulgence as has been a mark of the brand.

Following on from creative concept development, and a wide-ranging brief to develop a new identity, including packaging and POS, we’ve also been establishing the brand through social media and blogs. This has helped in positioning the products as the perfect relaxation experience.

It was important to maintain the luxury feel of the Neal and Wolf brand throughout the Elysian range, which included designing the packaging for the new products, in-keeping with the tone set in previous campaigns. We developed a luxury spa feel to the creative, including referencing the ingredients used in the products.

Elysian launched in salons and spas this month, accompanying its already established haircare range ahead of the busy Christmas sales period.

The MCA is the voice of the consulting industry and here at Propaganda we’ve been members since 2005. So when the MCA made the decision to launch a new ground breaking scheme for the consulting industry, we were proud to be selected to create and design the ‘Consulting Excellence’ identity and launch collateral.

The MCA membership comprises around 60% of the UK consulting industry, including Deloitte, Accenture, IBM and KPMG. We believe that Consulting Excellence epitomises everything that MCA membership means to its members, and importantly, to their clients. Consulting Excellence is the ‘new hallmark of quality for management consulting firms, and commits them to the highest standards, adding tangible value to their clients. Getting client results is something we’re obsessed with, and has been recognised through the numerous MCA awards we’ve won for strategy, change management and consulting excellence.

Yesterday, the organisation marked their 60^th anniversary with the launch of the new initiative. Unsurprisingly, it was a triumphant ceremony, whereby the brand received a huge amount of praise. In attendance was our Planning Director, and past winner of ‘MCA Consultant of the Year’, Julian Horberry

So, from us at Propaganda, congratulations to you all at the MCA for initiating an exciting step forward in the consulting industry.

The brand is family run, and uses generations of spinning expertise to produce knitwear to standards which go far beyond anything their competitors could match; all their garments are created from extremely fine gauge merino and cashmere and are knitted in 3D to ensure a perfect drape with no seams. In fact, Slaith is the only company in the world that can produce seamless garments made with 30gg cashmere and merino, as the fibres are simply too delicate for most brands to work with.

When we started working with Slaith, it was clear that there was a niche opportunity in the finest independent UK and international retailers to supply Slaith knitwear to the world’s most discerning customers. Over the last few months, we have helped Slaith to build their brand around the key proposition: ‘From Forgotten Comes Finest’. This simple phrase encapsulates how the brand, born in Huddersfield (once an area of huge importance for the booming twentieth century textile industry), brings together once-forgotten spinning knowledge with a passion for creating the finest possible knitwear for a modern audience.

When we came up with the concept for the photoshoot, it was all about getting across Slaith’s perfect balance of heritage spinning skills and modern elegance. Shot in Spa Mill, home of Slaith, using classic and vintage props against the mill’s modern machinery, the images show off the luxurious finish and classic fit of Slaith garments. We’d like to share a couple of the final images with you here. To see more, and to find out about the garments themselves, visit www.slaith.co.uk.

The Harrogate based business has ambitions to become the second largest agricultural insurer in the UK, and will work with Propaganda to transform the brand in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

Rural handles a range of agricultural and rural specialist insurance policies for clients throughout the country. The business is the fastest growing agricultural insurer in the UK, with a current turnover of just under £50m. Over the coming years, the business is looking to significantly increase its market share and strengthen its position. Brand Discovery will help Rural to better understand the market and opportunities.

Gary O’Brien, Digital and Marketing Strategy Director of Rural Insurance said: “We were impressed with Propaganda’s difference. The fact that they build unique strategies tailored to individual businesses was key to this partnership. The insurance sector at large has gone through immense change over recent years, largely driven by advances in technology. We know this will be key to the success of our business moving forward, and combined with the technological advancement in agriculture, this presents us with an opportunity. This is a very specialist sector with many unique quirks and challenges, therefore it’s vital that we put ourselves in a position to achieve sustainable and significant growth.”

Craig Harrold, Director at Propaganda said: “This is a really exciting brief for a business with big ambitions. They’ve seen significant successes in recent years and have a clear intent to further professionalise their services and customer proposition. Our processes will allow Rural to make these changes in the right ways, through informed decision making. Key to this will be allowing the business to articulate its difference and raise brand awareness amongst key target groups.”

Propaganda will work with Rural Insurance over the coming months to help reposition the business and gear it up to achieve its ambitions of becoming a £100m turnover business by 2020. Based in Harrogate, Rural Insurance has been established for more than two decades and employs more than 100 people locally. The business has experienced double digit growth over the last 5 years and is seeking to build on this success through investment in its brand, digital capability and people.

September in the British countryside is a hive of activity. As the rest of the nation tries to shake off the post-holiday blues, farmers the length and breadth of this green and pleasant land are working hard to reap the benefits of their harvest, making the most of the late summer sun. And the weather Gods were on our side as we travelled the North Yorkshire countryside to capture the rural economy at its absolute best.

A Brand Discovery earlier in the year highlighted an opportunity for Rural to represent the modern rural economy; one that’s evolving, diversifying and specialising. And we didn’t have to travel far to see it in action. From combined harvesters guided by GPS to NFC-tagged sheep, innovation was everywhere we turned.

It’s not just in agriculture that things are changing. Across the rural economy businesses are diversifying to thrive. Farm shops, camp sites and cafes were also on the agenda as we sought to represent the many different businesses Rural supports every day.

As the rest of the market talks about protection and preservation, Rural’s aim is to turn the conversation to the future, and the opportunities on offer within our countryside. The brand shoot will be used across all Rural brand communications as it continues on its journey to becoming the most forward-thinking insurer in its field (sorry!).

After an action-packed two days where we covered 300 miles of country lanes, visited ten buzzing locations and consumed countless bacon sandwiches, we headed back to the city confident that the truth is out there, and it’s much more diverse than you might think.