And there are those who long to publish on every available platform and those who despise such flagrant self-publicity as pure vanity.

Given that these days, your personal brand profile (or ‘reputation score’) has become an important way in which you determine the impact you make – have you considered how you are going to influence what is seen or said about you? 

Features of a brand
Here are some things we know about brands:

• Brands have meaning
• They are well recognised
• Brands have a personality
• Brands are attractive
• They command a price premium
• They represent a short-cut for quality
• Brands have long-term value

Is this true of you? What is your personal brand and what does it communicate about you?

Selling your service
The way in which we ‘place’ our trust in professionals has altered in the 21st Century, and whilst credentials and word-of-mouth reputation are still key factors, the mechanisms for developing these are now more profoundly linked to our ‘online reputation / publicity’ than ever before.

Top 10 criteria for selecting a service provider
The following list provides a useful checklist to assess your own performance but it is NOT in any particular order because of the differences between services:

1. Previous experience (industry and functional)
2. Qualifications and membership of professional associations
3. Understanding of nature of problem / sensitivity to needs
4. Testimonials of previous satisfied clients
5. Personality and integrity
6. Fees incl. transparency
7. Clarity about deliverables and results
8. Communication and presentation skills
9. Responsiveness 
10. Quality, reach and accessibility of published material

We have long-standing experience with several of our clients who sell their expertise as a service (lawyers, insolvency practitioners, recruitment consultants, accountants, academic professors, hairdressers, HR consultants, trainers, teachers to name a few) and all have to consider how they express ‘brand me’. Typically, one of their biggest challenges is how to produce high quality published material that reaches the right target audience and is cost effective.

Quality, reach and accessibility of published material (content management)
Your brand reputation is now being determined in part by what you choose to publish – from Twitter posts, to LinkedIn discussions, blogs, newsletters, videos on You Tube or podcasts on your website, Q&A forums, case studies, white papers or even webinars. Whilst this list can feel overwhelming, we have successfully helped many of our clients develop and implement a media rich ‘content’ plan – and often it is just one small step at a time, helping them to reach new clients and influencers.

If you don’t have the time to plan, write or publish – but you are keen to develop your brand presence, give me a call on 01273 834434 to have a no-obligation chat as to how we can help.

Extract from presentation by Liz Barnes to Institute of Consulting – 21st June 2011

A. As brands they have all celebrated their 100th birthday in recent years. And they are all successful and relevant to buyers today. 

Quick quiz
Can you put the following brands in chronological order from the oldest to the youngest? Some are over 150 years old and going strong! We’ll send a bottle of fine wine to the first person to email us the correct answer at hello@preview.co.uk

• Santander
• Hamleys
• Cow and Gate
• Douwe Egberts
• Ikea
• Ericcson 

And the bonus question…which brand used the ‘Refreshing the Parts Others Cannot Reach’ strapline?

In the eye of the beholder
Whilst beauty (and visual identity) is always judged by the beholder, it is also true that preferences evolve, almost unnoticeably over time as fashion moves on. You only need to dig out a few snaps from five years ago for you to see how clothes and hairstyles have changed.

When it comes to visual identity, branding and styling, we need to be confident that we still stand out from the crowd and that we are still communicating the messages and values we want our customers to hear.  Sometimes, a very simple refresh of a logo is all that is needed, other times, more radical changes are required.

Not just about the cosmetics
The need for a brand re-fresh can come about in a variety of different ways. Sometimes there is a strategic imperative, other times it is tactical. Perhaps the owner of the company has simply got bored with the current logo or your competitor has just launched a stunning new website.

We work closely with our clients to clarify the rationale behind a brand re-fresh, ensuring that it achieves their key objectives.

Here are just some reasons why our clients’ have asked us to update their visual identity:

• Developing a new strategic direction
• New competitors or existing competitors’ redesign
• Wanting to reach new clients 
• Serving a new market or new product development
• Awareness that the branding is looking tired particularly versus today’s styling
• Moving to a new technology platform e.g. a content management system
• New name or ownership
• Building a corporate image from which to conduct new PR and marketing 
• Need for new signage, equipment or vehicles

And it can be helpful to have a third party involved in the process who is prepared to challenge the premise on which you’ve decided to go for a brand re-fresh. Sometimes we recommend research first, perhaps ascertaining your current position in the marketplace versus your competitors or what your clients currently think about you as an organisation and your service. 

Metamorphosis
The Starbucks case study is a great example of how a brand evolves. A radical early step followed by a subtle brand development, then recently, a big change with the removal of the brand name. This was a confident move on behalf of Starbucks, sending a clear and strong message (following Apple and Nike’s lead). 

If a brand’s identity is no longer determined by the visuals of the brand name, it has evolved to a state that is almost untouchable.

So if you identified with any of the reasons for a re-fresh above, whether it is strategic or tactical, we would be delighted to have a no obligation chat with you about how we can help design your visual identity and translate this onto any of your marketing materials.

Your brand should become your customer’s belief in what you stand for as a company. A strong brand enables you to charge a little bit more, be sold through more channels and be the product / service of choice because of its quality, reliability and reputation. This ‘little bit more’ spread across a wider customer base, who have a higher loyalty translates into incremental future cash flow i.e. building brand equity. And this is one of the best ways to create long-term value for shareholders.

What to protect
A picture paints a thousand words and your logo offers an immediate link to your organisation, with all of the positive emotions associated with it. So you need to think about how to protect your brand – the name, logo, design features, strapline to prevent it being copied or misused by another organisation.

In terms of visual identity, you can think of the brand as composing these different elements, all of which need protecting;

1. The brand name. Made up names (e.g. Google) are more protectable than everyday names (e.g. Apple, Orange, Blackberry). But you will need to check that the name hasn’t been previously registered, and indeed that it makes sense and conveys the right messages to your customers.
2. Strapline. An important way to summarise the key buying proposition and can be incorporated in the brand / logo design.
3. Logo. This may or may not use the brand name and is an icon which is consistently used wherever the product / service or company name is depicted.
4. Styling. Colours, fonts and layout all add to your visual identity. It is better to use a Brand Manual to avoid the inevitable desire of staff to edit these elements as they see fit. 

How to protect
Here at Preview, we have teamed up with Future Copyright to help make it easier for you to protect your visual identity. The more supporting proof of your brand, logo, and its use that you can evidence the better.

Historically, the only way was to formally lodge or register your brand with a professional agent / safe-keeper such as a bank, document archive or 'copyright offices'. As copyright, by definition, comes into being automatically, you are not required to register your material at all but in doing so, you now have more solid formal proof that can be legally evidenced if required.

Registering your copyright by the ways suggested above, although effective, can be archaic, laborious, and expensive. Although you get a certificate of your registration, your material remains locked away in a dead end, black box filing system – to the point that you may not exactly remember what the material was you filed in the first place! What’s more you may be charged to obtain a copy of your materials and some file services will periodically re-charge you a subscription cost you to keep your files on record. 

Future Copyright offers a far more efficient versatile solution that puts powerful authentication and management of your copyrighted works completely under your full retention and control with direct interfacing for licensing and publishing – all at a fraction of the price of standard services. From £1.25 per file it is also cheaper than sending your work you yourself in an envelope! 

If you’d like to give Future Copyright a try we can offer you a special promo code that will give you 5 free credits, just contact Liz@preview.co.uk or 01273 834434 to find out more about how we can help you copyright your brand.

Preview helped sister company PVL (specialist manufacturer of vehicle livery) with the design of this stunning livery for AVC Group. PVL has printed and applied the graphics to a fleet of over 300 vans so far nationwide. We are so excited about this powerful branding that we want to share it with everyone!

Help Save the Snow Leopard
If you spot one of these vans, let us know via Twitter /email and why not just take a quick photo and post it for all to see? #spotthesnowleopard or email it to us spot@preview.co.uk 

Sponsoring ‘Spot’ the Snow Leopard
When we reach 100 tweets / emails – we’ll sponsor a snow leopard and if you send us your details, we’ll enter you into the prize draw to receive the sponsorship in your name for which you’ll receive a cuddly toy leopard, an adoption certificate, a photo fact book and updates during the year.

Your Brand Reaching More People
Vehicle wrapping is becoming a very popular way of advertising brands whether aimed at consumer or B2B. From just a few vehicles to large fleets, this is a cost effective medium for advertising in front of a wide audience in prime locations and as you can see – can be quite spectacular.

Easy for the Experts
Vehicle wrapping is actually quite a technical process, requiring specialist design, materials, inks, printing equipment and of course expert fitting. PVL has years of experience in manufacturing and applying vehicle livery using the best fitters. So like all experts… they make it seem easy. You’ll be surprised at just how little it costs for such massive exposure for a mobile advertising campaign. 

Just call us on 01273 834434 to chat about the options for you.

And don’t forget to start tweeting those photos! #spotthesnowleopard

We designed and delivered the final result within their tight deadlines ready for a forthcoming franchise exhibition. From our initial design concept the final artwork was produced and signed off and then given to our supplier who we worked with closely in order to ensure a high quality and accurate finished end result.

Are you exhibiting this year?
If you are exhibiting this year, have you got the right materials to make the most of the sales opportunity? We have produced a range of large format exhibition materials from simple pull up banners to stands like the one above for TFMC, to posters, exterior banners and even full size wall artwork. With design support from us, our sister company PVL produced large backdrops for their own exhibition stand which featured a beach buggy with its own custom vehicle livery on display!

Find out how to get customers on your stand at your next exhibition visit our design page here and don't hesitate to get in contact if you have any exhibition requirements.

You can find out more about the work we have done for the Financial Management Centre in our Portfolio section, including Website design, digital personalisation and email marketing.

The way young people interact with technology is constantly evolving:

With 500 new mobile devices and 100 new tablets being launched this year, so are their online attitudes and habits. Not only do they enjoy communicating with their peers, they’re also open to communicating with brands. Branded apps such as Barclay Card’s Waterslide app, with 10,000,000 downloads, are massive business and encourage repeated consumer engagement.

Engage with change:

Teens and those in their early 20s are a highly sought after target audience due to their relatively high rate of disposable income. Brands need to earn this audience’s attention and meet them where they already are: online and on their mobile devices.

• The average student spend is £185 a week
• Over 650 million people access the internet only with their mobile phone
• 18% of iPhone users are on their handset for at least 4 hours a day

Soon, the Mobile Generation will have more buying power than all other generations combined - a fact your brand can’t afford to ignore. We can create an app to meet and engage your audience on a platform they are rarely without.

Make yourself available:

Apps are commonly used by young people as a method of passing the time, perhaps when there is a lack of Internet: on the train, in a lecture even. They can be practical tools aiding the user with tasks. It is estimated that approximately 125 years worth of Angry Birds is played every day and that 70% of consumers having already downloaded a branded app.

With this high level of consumer involvement with applications, it is clear that there is a large audience ready to be engaged. Through a functional or entertaining app, a brand can ensure a constant and positive association as well as a deeper relationship with its audience.

How an app can help your brand:

In education, apps can be used to assist in many aspects of student life, for example:

• Providing an accessible and offline prospectus
• Maps, timetables, jobs board, events and information for current students
• Open day guides for prospective students
• Near by attractions and offers, as the location can be as important as the faculty 
• FAQs and a help forum directly linked to faculty staff

All of which will enhance the student experience, encouraging new applications and recommendations from current students.

Let us help you:

Young consumers are bombarded by many opportunities to explore and decisions to make. A branded app could ensure your target audience chooses you over a competitor by making you readily available in their preferred medium. Here at Preview, we recently created the Careers 4U App, commissioned by East Sussex County Council, which has been designed to get young people between the ages of 14 and 18 to start thinking about the wide range of careers available to them once they leave school or college. Take a look to see how we have engaged the consumer through this app and increased the presence of Careers 4U. Contact us so we can do the same for you.

As we steer toward a future in which all our objects and environments are connected we will eventually find ourselves living a technologist’s dream, with everything part of the network. But how will people experience and interact with it? Will users see it as a logical step in the evolution of the WorldWide Web? Or is it going to be understood as something radically different from anything we have seen before? In a modest way, the 'Internet of Things' is already here. During the second quarter of 2010, more than twice as many connected devices as people were added by carriers in the US. Different kinds of gadgets and gizmos are gradually turning into hybrid devices that are services, as much as they are physical objects.

These days, the pads and pods - in all their different shapes and forms - are also expected to be the portals to an integrated ecosystem of services and applications changing the way people work, learn and play. And the trend is spreading to devices such as TV's, hi-fi equipment and even cars. Is this the beginning of a new era of innovative, intertwined, combined products systems and services that utilize the power of the networks? Perhaps, but first there are some problems to address:

The Internet has run out of Internet addresses… sort of. Perhaps you’ve heard the news: the last blocks of IPv4 Internet addresses have been allocated. The fundamental underlying technology that has powered Internet Protocol addresses since the Internet’s inception will soon be exhausted. When IPv4 was set up with a capacity for 4 billion unique addresses, the technologists of the time could not have conceived they would need to revise the protocol within their lifetime. Now, a new technology will take its place. IPv4′s successor is IPv6; a system that will offer far more numerical addresses reaching units that sound like something from an Arthur C Clark novel (approximately 340 Undecillion*) or 3.4×1038. 'If you think of IPv 4 as a golf ball then IPv6 is the sun'.

*Wikipedia

So what does this mean?

The internet has undergone a series of revolutions in it's short history. A business revolution took place early in it’s inception, in which companies realised the potential benefits of an online presence. Next, the power and focus shifted towards the consumers with information instantly and freely available on an unprecedented scale. Now, with 500 million people moving into cities of the future, the world is urbanising and the internet is set to undergo a new industrial revolution. When you talk about the future, you can talk about smart, connected communities. Intelligent urbanization.

Such large scale urbanisation will inevitably lead to numerous social, economic, and environmental issues, but planning with the future of connectivity in mind will give us the opportunity to create intelligent cities with architectures that address everything from green initiatives, smart electricity, productivity, government services such as education and health care, intelligent transportation and smart buildings. 

Imagine a central command and control that receives information from an integrated Sensor Technology Network which connects every function of the urban environment. Data is combined and aggregated to produce information, which in turn is analyzed and inspected to derive knowledge and insight. This allows city management to collect data about everything going on in an urban environment and retain this information indefinitely.

Not only does this help the city to react in real time to situations and conditions, but also the amount of history stored enables continuous optimization of all city functions, giving the ability to predict the outcomes of events. This includes examples ranging from traffic control to climate and energy management to home automation.

Consistent architecture of information means new applications and features can be added inexpensively and conveniently. Extending the management of cities and service offerings to residents and visitors, these new applications leverage the information provided from sensors, mobile devices, and people interacting with systems in the city. This unlocks the creativity of developers, and provides for new revenue streams and business models to be generated on an ongoing basis.

There are examples of intelligent cities already in place in South Korea’s Sondo City, intelligent motor control in Lisbon, Portugal and intelligent electricity systems in Germany to name just a few.

This new industrial revolution is NOT set to take place in the future. It has already begun.

1. Promote your Facebook page
Make sure your social media is not only an online presence but that you promote it throughout all your traditional media, be that print, radio and TV or email marketing. Encourage customers to interact with your brand or business through these social channels. With social networking accounting for 1 in every 4 minutes spend online you can't afford to not be apart of the conversation.

2. Encourage sharing
We know that the most powerful method to increase growth is via word of mouth, so encourage your fans to share your page on their feed. This can be done by incentivising them with deals if your page grows to a certain number - update with content that will encourage others to share the news or offer. The reach through other people's networks is endless.

3. Engagement
This is key. Keep your page updated 3-4 times a week. Old news is no news. Make sure you keep the updates varied. No one wants to be bombarded with sales messages all the time. Ask questions, be helpful as well as giving fans news on promotions or sales. The most important thing is to be relevant so that fans 'like' or comment on your status - first and foremost to encourage engagement. When fans 'like' or comment on your update then this will be visible in their friends news feed. The more visibility your page gets the more potential customers will see your offers.

4. Respond
Your Facebook page needs monitoring. If someone comments, or posts on your Facebook page respond to it immediately. News on Facebook moves so quickly and you don't want to miss the chance for interaction with a customer or potential customer. If no immediate reply is required then at least acknowledge the post by liking it or simply thank them for the mention. This shows to your other fans that you are active and engaged with your page and you are listening to them.

5. Measure
As with all marketing activity, the most important aspect is the measurement. Make sure you measure and review your Facebook account regularly. Monitor the amount of likes and dislikes when making posts. Monitor the posts that work and don't work. With this data you can then adjust and fine tune your type of posts and the frequency.

Facebook is a great way of reaching new consumers, but social media also continues to grow in B2B markets too. In both arenas it's a low-cost route to reach new customers when used cleverly.

If you would like advice on which platforms are relevant to your marketing, creating content or managing advertising call us on 01273 834434.

And, by 2013 industry statistics show that more people will view the internet on a mobile device than on a PC. By 2020 there will be 5 billion mobile devices in use worldwide.

Did you know that 20% of job searches are already performed on a mobile device?

Mobile has become an important consideration for all organisations, not just those targeting the youth sector. The need to ensure your site renders correctly and that your emails are delivered well on a mobile are as increasingly critical to business users with their Blackberry as they are to consumers.

Mobile users behavior is usually characterised by: 

• Microtasking - Using the phone for short bursts of activity
• Local - Finding out what’s around the user
• Bored - Using the phone for distraction or entertainment.

When considering your mobile audience, remember that not all content may be relevant at that point in time, so getting this aspect right is vital. For example, does someone viewing your website on a mobile need to see your full company history?  Is the complete depth of site navigation available on your main site essential, when quick mobile viewing is important?

On your website, the intro and section pages are designed to move your customers into the pages where the content lives. On a mobile you need your customers to see these more valuable content pages as soon as possible.

One size fits none:

You should also consider the type of visitor who will look at your site on a mobile device; is it more likely to be a returning visitor or someone who comes to your site for the first time?

If you are a recruitment company it's more likely people will be coming back to your site to check new jobs, rather than to see your company history or credentials. On the flip side, if you're a doctor's surgery, people may be searching for you; in which case some content on your services, contact details and credentials are more important.

Keeping all these factors in mind, here are some specific mobile design and functionality considerations:

• Simplify navigation
• Reduce depth of navigation
• Create a simple navigation home page
• Make links obvious
• Design for smaller screens
• Prioritize content
• Minimise user input
• Keep form fields to essentials
• Design for slower connection speeds
• Keep page sizes small with minimal graphics

Statistical influence

We carried out some web usage analytics on our client sites and found the average number of mobile users to those sites is approaching 15% of the total.

Can you afford to miss out on these potential customers because they found it too difficult to find the information they needed?

If you have a smartphone, take a moment and have a look at how your own site appears, then have a look at Preview’s to see how a streamlined version of the same site is automatically delivered to your mobile. Our site has simplified navigation, reduced content, but also takes advantage of other features of a mobile, such as linking directly to the map or navigation software to provide pinpoint directions, and linking to the phone to enable a call to be placed without having to copy numbers.

Improving your own site’s mobile performance does not necessarily mean rebuilding your site or developing a parallel mobile version as we can often take much of the structure, coding and components from your existing site and a basic, workable mobile site can be delivered within a few days.

We can also deliver cost-effective, creative, promotional and practical mobile Apps (like the one we did recently for East Sussex County Council) for the iPhone, iPod and Android devices too.

Contact us now to find out we can deliver your website seamlessly for mobile users and unlock the potential of this growing market. If you don’t have a smartphone, we offer a free service to show you how your site or email marketing looks to users on various mobile devices. Please contact Wes for details.

Tommy Sanderson, Director of Maestro Direct said "Getting the right people to design our website was proving to be a nightmare until we found Preview. Within a short time we had a fully functional, great looking website. Thanks for a brilliant site and a great working relationship."

Would Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daley approve? See what you think.

On reflection, it was clear to see that the industry is still keen to push the capabilities of 3D this year with the latest 'pin sharp' Samsung 3D TV and various games being the most breath-taking examples.

It'd be a fair prediction to say that these probably won't be the only cases of 3D in our lives within the next few years, with the possiblity of 3D websites surely looming? Gadgets are constantly changing the way we work and play, let us know what other tech you've spotted that could be changing our lives this year.

Similar to the award winning Lowcostholidays website that Preview designed in 2008, the new easyJet Holidays site needed an e-commerce site that is user friendly, efficient, uncluttered and provide users with an instinctive, no fuss booking process.

After designing a series of page templates and a production style guide the easyJet Holidays website launched in March 2011. Why not take a look at the full easyJet Holidays case study or judge the user experience for yourself at http://holidays.easyjet.com.

Bisset Moffatt Hill are a team of qualified Chartered Surveyors that are regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Preview have supported BMH since 1999 and in that time have delivered a new brand identity, website, brochures, direct mail campaigns, regular newsletters and stationery. Our relationship with the Bisset Moffatt Hill partners is testament that a successful continuing relationship between client and supplier boasts a far greater return on investment than a one-off marketing blitz promoted by agencies that may not fully understand your business and sector.

The article on Engadget caught our eye by including phrases such as 'horrible, out-dated web browser'. We were particularly interested to see the global user statistics, with 3.5% of users in the UK still using Internet Explorer 6. Compared with more modern browsers this is significantly low. According to statistics online, the current world leader with 29% penetration is Internet Explorer (IE) version 8, Firefox version 3 with 27% is second and IE v7 is in third place with 13%. IE6 falls short, globally, with only 7% of the share.

The advantage of making sure your browser is up-to-date is, first and foremost, security. Browsers do get updated for a reason - it's not just to annoy you with update requests just as you want to do something urgently! Using out-dated browser versions may have serious security flaws that allow malicious websites to read your files, damage your files, steal your passwords or infect your computer with viruses. Old browsers are prone to having bugs and limitations that may create problems when using modern websites. New browsers, on the other hand, are much faster and the creators are all continuing to improve the user experience. Some sites are only compatible with new browsers, especially technology heavy websites with video, movement or interaction.

In developing websites we aim to ensure that the site content is compatible and accessible by any browser; but there will often be certain modern techniques and functionality that aren't compatible with older browsers. Web technology is a fast moving industry and is always striving to be one step ahead. The older the browser used, the more limited or even basic the user's experience of the web will be.

For security and usability reasons we would encourage everyone to upgrade to the latest version of the browser you use. Your experience on the web will be significantly improved.

Have a read of the Engadget article and let us know what you're using.

It is worth noting that this applies not only to your own website(s) but also to other on-line space under your control (ranging from banner adverts to copy you have provided to go on other peoples' sites about your business) AND to your organisation's Social Networking sites - Facebook, Twitter LinkedIn etc.

If you have not reviewed your site recently now may be a good time for a quick bit of housekeeping, making sure that all the copy and messages are up-to-date and taking down any out-dated material.

Some further free advice is available at the ASA's http://www.copyadvice.org.uk website.

Given the new rules we will do our best to prioritise any changes clients need to make to sites before March 1st. Please call Wes or email wes@preview.co.uk as soon as possible if you require any assistance.

Full details can be found at
http://www.cim.co.uk/Events/EventDetail.aspx?ObjectID=37640

We have designed the logo and produced guidelines for usage, defining the primary, complimentary and secondary brand colours, typeface and use of imagery. We have also developed an extensive guide that includes stationery designs, merchandise and a classroom decorating guide. 

The end result is a consistent brand image and feel that will extend from Frances King's website right into the classroom experience of their students.

This week the Principal of Frances King will be presenting the new identity to staff and students with aid of some A2 brand posters. We took delivery of these today and you can see some photos on our Flickr! account.

We've all decided to donate our faces (and Julie's legs) to raising awareness about prostate cancer, as one man dies every hour in the UK from the disease. From the 1st of Movember (formerly known as November) the guys in the office will be growing their chosen style of moustaches and the girls will be letting their leg hair grow wild! We're asking colleagues, friends and family to donate to the worthy cause.

If you'd like to sponsor us or keep up to date with our progress then just follow the link to our team page.

The new features include a new dashboard that has key information close at hand, a live feed of your account activity and improved Excel compatibility that allows you to copy and paste lists.

For more information about Cluster visit our website and to read about the new features and interface read our quick guide.

Zebedee's Lunch Box is a privately owned contract catering company, specialising in the supply of healthy, nutritious meals to schools and nurseries. Their nutritionally analysed hot lunches & desserts are prepared daily to ensure quality and freshness. Transported in temperature controlled containers, their meals stay hot until ready to serve.

With the new corporate site now live, development continues on Phase 2. Upon completion clients will be able to confirm orders for the following weeks lunches and include details of any special dietary requirements as well as view some of Zebedee's recipes.

The presentation broke into two parts. A fellow sponsor spoke on the basic how to's and some more technical aspects of SEO and linking in with Social Media. Following that a major UK media group explained how they use their news and feature content to build the brand on-line through SEO and links with social sites. It was fascinating, although I'm sure every marketer in the room envied our presenter the richness of the content he had to work with ... not to mention his budgets!

The general impression from guests afterwards was along the lines of that looks a great opportunity ... I just wish I could do more. Having done a lot of technical search engine optimisation for clients, as well as a good deal of writing and content generation, the event got us thinking. What's the biggest barrier to business's exploiting search engine marketing and social networks more? Not feeling you've got the technical know-how? .... or not having enough content you think is strong enough to grab people's attention? ... not having the budget? .... or simply not having the time?

Let us have your views.

This week the highly anticipated Creative Barcode website was launched. We are pleased to have assisted with the technical development of the project and encourage everyone to find out more about how this new initiative lets agencies like Preview protect creative and business concepts. Downloading the app’ lets users start produce their own unique barcodes to uniquely identify creative work.

In the words of the founders “Creative Barcode™ protects written proposals, visual ideas and design projects with unique digital barcodes that identify the professional creator. It communicates concept ownership and denotes agencies and their clients’ ethical trading policies.”

Matt brings with him an enthusiasm for typography, branding and an eye for detail plus his love of cycling and cakes means the office is now adorned with a multitude of deliveries of cycling equipment and afternoon treats.

The new brand, which is focussed on selling ethically manufactured surf clothing and leisure wear, went live in early December with a big PR and marketing launch planned for the new year. Keep an eye out for them and support another local business.

"It's the moment when design becomes absolutely critical to survival, growth and success - and it's great to see that there’s a growing recognition of this within the business community" says David Kester, Chief Executive of The Design Council.

[more]

Why bother with a brand?
With the recent recession driving more holiday makers to British tourist spots, now is a perfect opportunity for Brighton to address its identity crisis. Over the past twenty years Brighton & Hove has undergone a massive cultural change. Development work and local communities have grown exponentially since it achieved city status in 2000. Tourism is still massive part of the local economy and with more than 8 million tourists visiting each year, it's vital that the city is able to compete with other seaside destinations.

Brighton’s identity crisis
Brighton represents a melting pot of history and youth. You will find a blend of social and economic groups mixing together happily. However focus on the city's nightlife has damaged its reputation in recent years. From its middle class cafe culture, to its architectural flamboyance. From booming digital businesses to exuberant nightlife. There are many different sides to Brighton, but it strikes us that there is no powerful symbol that can unite these different aspects.
  
There are existing logos used by Brighton & Hove City Council, that have different amounts of success and recognition. However Brighton deserves an icon that can become internationally synonymous with the city. Something infectious, something worn with pride by the people of Brighton, something that visitors are drawn to.

What a brand can do for Brighton
If you want to see a city using branding to its full potential, then take a look at how the 'I heart NY' icon created an inspirational worldwide icon. By building a brand that people believe in, you can promote Brighton to businesses, domestic and international students, tourists and investors. All of which brings money in to the city council, which can be re-invested.

Engaging the people of Brighton
Here at Preview we are excited by the power that the web can give communities. By connecting with Brighton's digital culture there is an opportunity to let anyone in Brighton have a say in how their home is portrayed. We would like to use the deep pool of digital specialists to develop a system for residents to rate, share, comment, discuss, record and respond to the city's culture. A shared brand that everyone has a stake in.

Creating the brand
Creating a brand for Brighton is a unique challenge and it would take a unique process to be successful. It's the task of a branding agency to get as close to clients and their audience, as possible. This is where we exploit our experience of working with public sector organisations. Our clients like to think of us as part of their company, including us in their board meetings and seeking our advice on their strategies. Our studio acts as an outsourced brand department, allowing us to submerge ourselves in the task. Working in partnership with clients, from ideas and planning, through to design, production and presentation.

An open invitation
We love to talk branding. We also love working with clients who challenge us. So this is an open invitation to Brighton & Hove CIty Council, to talk to us about Brighton's future and how we can help to make it better.

There was also a special guest appearance on stage by Preview's office dalek. However, it was completely overshadowed by the life-sized version Hal and his team had built, which eventually had it's head blown off!

For more information on Dr Hal visit www.drhal.co.uk where you can sign up to his newsletter and receive updates on future shows and his range of educational science games.

We’d like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all of those who came to the party and helped to make it a very special night. The most respectable of the photos taken, can be seen on our Flickr feed (the rest will be held to ransom).

It’s great to look back at our achievements, but we are far more excited about the future. So we’ve decided to create a virtual time capsule of predictions for the next 15 years. We’ve already started the collection off by making our predictions for the next fifteen years, so now we’d like to hear from you.

Taking part is very simple. All you have to do post your prediction on Twitter, tagged with #preview15

www.preview.co.uk/future

More and more marketing plans are incorporating environmental policies. The need for printed marketing material is being questioned at every stage, to reduce costs and the impact on the environment. But we are asking are these reductions in print limiting how companies market themselves or is it the inevitable shift to fully digital brands?

A teaser campaign has already been rolled out and the new site is live. Interest in this year's awards has already topped the previous event and tickets are almost sold out. So get in there quickly!

You can see our work as it progresses on our Flickr feed
And you can follow updates on the awards at the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards Twitter feed

Surprisingly most SME's, education institutes and public sector organisations are still hesitant about making social media part of their overall strategy.

So we'd like to find out if you are making social media part of your strategy...

Lawrence Hunt, Director at lowcostholidays.com says:
"Well done, you have worked so hard during the last 12 months in building our fantastic web site, thank you for your commitment and dedication you've done a fantastic job and you should be proud of our site"

Yay us.

At this exciting joint event, co-hosted by CIM Sussex and CIMA, you’ll hear views and insight from experts in both marketing and finance. You’ll then have a unique opportunity to thrash out and  solve a scenario around your table in a discussion hosted by representatives from CIM, CIMA, ICAEW, PWC and DMA.

Come along to understand what makes the suits in finance tick and the open-necked shirts in marketing buzz, and whether working closer together makes for a profitable future and peaceful co-existence.

Venue:
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Langley Drive, Crawley, West Sussex, RH11 7SX

Prices:
£30 non-member, £25 member, £15 studying member

Time:
18:00 Registration and buffet, 18:30 programme starts

Booking Tickets:
Call +44 (0)1628 427340 or book online

We asked ourselves; ‘how do we find creative new ways of delivering one of our country’s most recognisable and well-established brands?’[more]

We worked directly with Concordia Healthcare, an independent organisation who manage a network of health centres across London. They approached us to help them brand and launch each new centre. Concordia’s health centres are focussed on patient’s needs, rather than doctor’s schedules. This unique service offering provided us with the keystone in our campaign work.

We set about our challenge with our usual vigour and took the time to get to grips with the NHS’ robust set of guidelines, ensuring that we had a thorough understanding of the brand’s design principles.
 
Following the design and installation of each centre's signage the digital locations were created using a centrally managed series of websites; each one meeting the most stringent accessibility standards and focussing on delivering content as concisely as possible.

Finally we designed a selection of posters and direct mail pieces to launch each of the centres across the region and drive patients registrations.

So far the work has been so successful that another four centres are being planned within London, with further print and digital work to follow.

The website was created in conjunction with our lovely friends at Leapfrogg and will have some nice new content and functionality additions soon.

To find out more about CIM head over to their site.

To send Nick a (digital) pat on the back head over to our contact page.

We'll see you there next year.

Click here to see some photos of the event.

You can see a taster of the work on the new Dr Hal website. We are all very proud of the work produced so far and are eagerly looking forward to the other brand material currently in the pipeline.

We've begun work on devising a campaign strategy and creating a schedule of marketing communications. Work is also underway on developing the Vine identity and printed material. The first fruits of our labour will be seen in the coming months with lot's more brand goodness appearing later.

We hope you enjoy reading it and we hope to see you all in there next year.

Click here to download the 2008 Preview Yearbook (2.5mb pdf)