Visible PR

This year’s MAD//FEST was the marketing geek's version of Glastonbury, making our annual pilgrimage to be inspired, invigorated, and catch up with friends, old and new, from across the creative and tech fields. Our highlights were (client) Specsavers stalwart, Ian Maybank’s guide to why creative and media should go together to drive better attention, learning about WeTransfer’s renewed vision and Klaviyo’s innovative automation tech that’s driving smarter customer relationships, building an authentic personal brand with Google’s Vanessa Kingori, and of course Justin Pearse’s incredible scoop with headliner Eddie Izzard. We came away buzzing, with a renewed energy for the summer months ahead! #madfest #marketing #advertising

Last week we attended our client Mondra's BRC Coalition anniversary event at the Barbican. The amount of brainpower in the room was absolutely phenomenal. The Coalition exists to bring harmony to the incredibly important but messy business of Scope 3 reporting in the food industry – messy because it’s the most difficult category in carbon accounting to measure and report accurately and consistently. But the enthusiasm and ambition shown by everyone there was absolutely infectious. There are so many plans afoot to help streamline the process and take great strides forwards in reducing food emissions, working towards net zero. We’re really excited that we get to share them with you over the coming months.  Watch this space…   #NetZero #Scope3

Cannes - it's the people, not the place that matters.... We could wang on for a couple of paragraphs about the inspiring content and award winners at Cannes, but you’ve all read about that by now. There’s something very special that happens at Cannes beyond the talks and the work, and that’s the coming together of like-minded people from across the world, there to soak up everything that’s great about the creative industry. Chance encounters, reconnecting with old colleagues and making new friends is what Cannes is all about. We were inspired by the inclusivity and diversity of this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, particularly the amazing team that bring a fabulous group of people from the Brixton Finishing School and the incredible Sase Aimiuwu from Britvic at the Campaign UK party who had come with The Black Network. Of course, there are impressive beach front venues, luxury yachts and star-studded gigs to experience, but it’s also possible to do Cannes Lions on a budget and get real value from being there – long may it continue. #canneslions #cannesforall #marketing

What a brilliant start to the summer it’s been for the Visible PR consumer team. Last week, the team sailed into summer with Little Moons, as they debuted their Little House Boat in London. Taking over the waterways at Queen’s Yard, Hackney Wick, The Little House Boat moored up its extraordinary, eye-catching canal boat and handed out samples of the UK’s favourite mochi ice cream to thousands of fans across the three days. With the sun beaming down, it was the perfect match, snacking on delicious ice cream mochi by the canal. There were lots of interactive elements with lucky fans picking up an array of merchandise, while others found missing keys hidden in the area, unlocking bigger prizes. The Little Moons Little House Boat will now set sail to Manchester, arriving at Media City on Tuesday, 18th - Thursday 20th June, before making its way to Brindleyplace, Birmingham for the final leg of its trip between Friday 28th - Sunday 30th June. Come say hi and enjoy a mochi ice cream snack or two!

If it's not broken, don't fix it... CRASH IT! We’re lucky enough to work with numerous brands to showcase their marketing and creative prowess - and there’s plenty of it.  But every now and again, there's a standout piece of work that just captures people’s imagination and that deserves a big shout out.     And today, we want to give kudos to the talented creative and marketing team at Specsavers (client alert) for this week's absolute showstopper of a stunt! If you've been on Linkedin at all in the last few days, then you simply couldn't miss the applause for the Specsavers "Crashed Van". When there’s stunts every day and it’s hard to get traction, it was simply genius!    This activation encapsulates everything that is so intrinsic to the brand: humour, humility and a healthy dose of the unexpected. But at the heart of it was that signature "Should’ve gone to Specsavers" - a tag line so right and brilliant, that it just keeps on giving.   "Should've" allows Specsavers to play in a multitude of creative spaces and treatments, which is why every campaign evokes such a new and positive reaction. But no matter how the creative manifests itself, staying true to the crux of this age-old tag line means that every idea is unmistakably Specsavers with an important message at its heart.   If you haven’t seen it check it out here...

WHY KEEPING THE INTEGRITY OF IWD ALIVE IS KEY...   International Women's Day has kicked up quite the interesting debate here at Visible this morning.   We're a team that's largely made up of successful, knowledgeable and well-educated women. We all understand the premise of IWD, what it stands for and how important it is in raising awareness around equality and inclusion. This is something that generations of women before us, including our founders, have fought for, and many women continue to fight for across the world today. But there have been some conflicting attitudes towards what it's actually come to represent in today's society...and for many of us, it isn't pretty, it isn't inspiring and it certainly doesn't make us want to stand up and fight for equality.    In the same way that you often see with awareness events like Pride, many brands appear to be jumping on the band wagon and simply using it as a marketing and/or sales ploy to sell more stuff.   Now, as a PR agency, we want to see brands taking IWD seriously and taking action. But they must do so with integrity and with sincerity or risk undermining everything the day represents.   Some of our female employees said they have 'tuned out' of IWD because it's effectively become as commercial as Christmas. And they're not wrong. This morning, our team has received multiple emails from brands offering them "IWD discounts". One was offering cheap eco-friendly laundry tablets and another was giving away 70% off of baby clothing. Clearly, the ideology of women as dish cleaning, laundry loving baby makers lives on in the eyes of some brands.   If brands are going to get behind IWD - or any campaign that fights for equality and justice - then they must do so with integrity. It's not about offering discounts for the day. It's not just about celebrating success within the business. It's about using the day to practice what you preach - day in, day out, 365 days a year. There are so many brands that do this incredibly well, but as we've seen today, there are also a number of businesses that are falling short of the big picture.    So, before you post anything on Linkedin today, or fire out that customer email, perhaps consider whether IWD is a conversation you feel you can genuinely and authentically be a part of - or you run the risk of "women-washing" and undermining the very principles on which the day was founded. 

WHAT WE LOVED AT THE BABY SHOW...   Last week, Laura Hinchelwood and Ruth Bennett headed along to The Baby Show at The Excel to check out the latest and greatest nursery and baby brands on the market. Among their favourites were: 1.  OBABY LIMITED - Having scooped the Mother&Baby Awards for best cot bed a number of years in a row, our team were impressed by the array of compact, cosy and stylish nursery designs, all featuring a sleek Scandinavian twist. Never mind just Mother & Baby, we think these guys should be on the cover of Ideal Home!   2. Bundlee - Anyone who's had a baby will know they outgrow clothes very fast! This nifty sustainability startup seeks to combat kids clothing waste by offering a rental service that grows with your child. For a monthly subscription, parents can bag themselves the latest baby and kids clothing and have them delivered straight to their door. When the seasons change or your little one goes up a size, simply reorder the latest looks - NEAT!   3.  Two bamboo brands we loved were Bibado and BabyBamboo - Two utterly gorgeous family run businesses focusing on creating sustainable feeding, clothing and nursing products from bamboo as opposed to water heavy cotton. We were so impressed how these guys manage to juggle being busy parents and find the time to run their own successful businesses too. GO GUYS!   4.and finally, a massive shout out to the team at Ickle Bubba. Everyone knows that a pushchair or travel system is one of the most expensive purchases you can make for a new baby. And at a glance, these uber stylish systems look like they carry a hefty price tag. But this Welsh born brand is built for families on a budget, offering safe, stunning travel solutions at a fraction of the cost of most major brands. Amid the current cost of living crisis, we know they'll continue to rise from strength to strength!

What a refreshing start to the year it’s been for Little Moons. To celebrate the launch of their new Refreshos sorbet flavour Blood Orange & Pink Grapefruit, we decided to bring some cheer to the new year with a competition to win an exclusive stay at Little Moons Refreshos Retreat. The integrated PR & social media campaign was designed to give Little Moons fans a chance to win a relaxing and soulful escape. We collaborated with unique holiday rental company Coolstays and transformed a tranquil house in Wales to a colourful, fun and unordinary Little Moons haven that paid homage to the new and vibrant sorbet. The campaign was a great success with coverage in key titles including Secret London and The Handbook, extensive reach on social media, loads of entries (so many that the website crashed) and great UGC content from the winners and influencers who stayed at the retreat. Over and above the campaign, we also landed 34 pieces of coverage across trade, consumer and national media for the launch of the new flavour. A great start to the new year and watch this space for more mochi madness as we head to Summer! ☀

IT’S BEEN A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS WITH ManiLife | B Corp™… It’s been a busy, fun and successful few months since we started working with peanut-butter pioneers Manilife. - Launched a Peanut Butter stout in partnership with Brixton Brewery - Launched a host of delectable new products including the brand’s first ever Almond Butter - Saw the brand skyrocket to new heights with a retail listing in Tesco - And just a few weeks ago, we helped them launch their inaugural Peanut Butter Cookbook – an event which saw over 100 guests spanning industry partners, high profile chefs, media and influencers! With trade coverage spanning titles such as The Grocer and FoodBev, to recipe placements in consumer media including Sheerluxe and Stylist and top taste test coverage in the likes of The Times and Evening Standard we're certainly spreading the love for Manilife. There's a reason Mani make the 'best' peanut butter - it all comes down to the quality of the nut (of which there are four types FYI), getting the roast 100% spot on, and that all important texture - especially for crunchy of which ManiLife is undoubtedly the reigning champion! Watch this space - as we're about to show you the difference!

With the holiday festivities almost here, we want to wish all our industry colleagues, clients, and friends a very merry Christmas and happy new year.