The innovative platform is the result of a working collaboration between Brand inc, Gullan and Gullan, Tag8 and Nashua. “When we were strategising the concept two years ago, we recognised that business professionals were looking for engaging content to help improve the efficiency of their businesses. And who better to deliver solutions-driven content than Nashua,” says Brand inc creative director, Nicky Clarivette.

Inspired integrated communications strategy

With the blog at its core, The Solutions Lab is an integrated communications campaign incorporating social media, PR, email marketing and display advertising. The platform features content from experts based on trends in ICT, tech and business and inspired by innovations within Nashua’s business.

In partnership with Primedia, a podcast series called Face2Face with Success was created which is also housed on the blog featuring intriguing bite-sized podcasts from prominent, successful and sometimes controversial South Africans. The podcast series was nominated in the Radio Innovation Category in the 2017 Liberty Radio Awards.

“The Solutions Lab has evolved to become a really big resource for business professionals. In a world of information overload, Nashua is driving the business solutions conversation by providing relevant, cutting-edge content,” adds Clarivette.

Hitting the target audience

The campaign has effectively engaged the target audience since inception and the website has received over 100,000 visitors to-date. On social, the Nashua Facebook community has grown by 45%, reaching over one million users with an active engagement rate of more than 6%. On Twitter, Nashua also saw impressive growth of 44% during the campaign, with over 500,000 impressions. While LinkedIn has had over 600,000 impressions and Nashua’s page has grown by 13%. PR value stands at over R12 million with a ROI of 244:1.

The Solutions Lab won four awards in its first year

This year was the fifth annual New Generation Social and Digital Media Awards and the event attracts and recognises the best talents and minds in South Africa’s digital media landscape, while applauding leading brands for the work they do. Last year, The Solutions lab was also the overall winner in the Online Strategy of the Year, plus walked away with another two Golds for Digital Brand of the Year and Blogging Excellence, and a Bronze for Excellence in Content Marketing.

“I am ecstatic that The Solutions Lab has won gold again!” says Brand inc MD, Chris Heaton. “It is very rewarding to see that all the strategic thinking and hard work is paying off for the client, as well as being recognised in the industry. I am immensely proud of the whole team that has worked on this for the last couple of years and made it the success that it is.”

The Solutions Lab is an industry disrupter

The Solutions Lab is a true disruptor in its sector, successfully positioning Nashua with an intelligent and bold voice in the conversation around ICT and business solutions, while adding value to readers by providing deep and thought-provoking insights into the future of South African business.

See for yourself: www.thesolutionslab.co.za

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Brand inc initially pitched the campaign idea to Nashua who is in a three year Currie Cup sponsorship agreement with SA Rugby. The office solutions provider saw the potential and together with proud partner, DirectAxis Financial Services, and SA Rugby, created the shared sponsorship content.

“The Currie Cup harbours the best of young rugby talent in South Africa,” says Brand inc MD, Chris Heaton. “We are telling the stories that have made the players who they are today, revealing the lengths they go to, to be able to play the game that they love.

“We wanted to show these very real, inspirational characters in creative ways, allowing them to make a strong emotional connection with the fans,” he says.

The Brand inc production team travelled the country and spent three days with each team, shooting one-on-ones and team trick-shots, with a total of 28 Currie Cup Clips being produced. These are currently being released across the partners’ digital and social media channels, as well as being flighted on SuperSport.

“We were always aware of the social nature of the content we were creating and the clips are designed to be fun, engaging, unexpected and shareable,” says Brand inc Creative Director, Nicky Clarivette.

“These young guns are under a lot of pressure and all dream of rising to the top of the game. Besides their talent, they have lives outside of the sport and we wanted to get to know this side of them in a way that fans could relate to. We asked them everyday questions about their favourite foods, series, what they do off-field, how they cope with injuries or challenges, as well as what drives them,” continues Clarivette.

“With the team trick-shots we wanted to show the players relaxed, having fun with the ball while showcasing what they can do. Hitting a target or trying to make a challenging trick shot is something universal that most people, especially rugby fans, can relate to.”

The clips have been received well by fans and DHL Western Province EW Viljoen’s clip soared to 12,000 organic views in the first 24 hours with a genuine but funny piece where he mentions his favourite band.

“Lifestyle and entertainment orientated content can ensure that fan engagement is high by the time the season actually starts,” says Heaton. “Sports properties need to activate their whole range of assets to maximise the fan experience, and build up interest and excitement well in advance to the first whistle being blown.”

“This campaign has been a great collaboration between Nashua, Direct Axis, SA Rugby as well as the Currie Cup teams that participated. Brand inc partnered with Director Jas Miszewski and Producer Roland Reed from Undiscovered Media and Jacques Nel from What’s Cutting Post to bring the vision to life. The talented and hardworking creative and production teams were coolheaded under pressure and tackled every challenge with style and grace.

“Currie Cup Clips is enjoyable, light hearted, engaging content that brings the player closer to the fan,” concludes Heaton. “The Currie Cup is our most loved and iconic tournament, and it has been a fantastic team effort to work on the tournament while supporting our young players and the future of the game.”

Watch the Currie Cup clips:

• DHL Western Province’s EW Viljoen chats about pizza, gaming, his role model and favourite band: https://www.facebook.com/BrandincCG/posts/10155622892227490

• The Toyota Cheetahs skills challenge with Ox Nché, Sergeal Petersen, Niel Marais and Rosko Specman where it’s Ox’s turn to handle the raw eggs: https://www.facebook.com/BrandincCG/posts/10155616172322490

• Xerox Golden Lions Shout Out with Jano Venter, Madosh Tambwe, Ryan Kankowski & Hacjivah Dayimani who have a special message for their fans: https://www.facebook.com/BrandincCG/posts/10155626715157490

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“The client wanted us to help launch Placecol into 2017 and beyond,” says Brand inc client services director, Maude Crookes. “We were asked to design key visuals with a new look and then also to show how this could roll out into their in-store environment.”

Placecol brand has a proud heritage

Placecol is a proudly South African skin care range that has been around for 36 years. The award-winning brand was started by beauty industry legend, Elma Mckenzie, in 1980 and forms part of Imbalie Beauty, a beauty and wellness franchise group. In the past, the products were only available through Placecol’s skin care clinics but in recent years, the brand has become more accessible through selected retail stores and pharmacies.

“In line with the heritage of the brand and the focus on the natural, pure ingredients inside the products, the client wanted the new look to have a vintage feel that incorporated fresh foods and a stamp of goodness. So we came up with the tagline ‘Food for your Face’ and the visuals are very delicious and playful,” continues Crookes.

“We presented our concept to client and they absolutely loved it first time round. The franchises bought in to the whole concept and it has been rolled out to their stores and collaterals.”

New designs reflect Earth-friendly, fun ethos

Placecol is positioned as an innovative South African brand that is Earth-friendly and uses technology to create a product range for all skin problems. The new look and feel is beautiful, fun and a reflection of the brand’s mission.

“We love our beautiful new artwork,” says Placecol Brand Manager, Gisela Booysen. “Our in-store roll-out has been successful and customers have been responding very positively to our new look.”

Brand inc is currently busy with further design and payoff lines for Placecol. “Our creative team loves working with this award-winning brand,” concludes Crookes. “In-store customer feedback has been great and we are looking forward to working with Placecol further.”

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“Nashua asked us to come up with an idea or find them a sponsorship property that would assist their franchises to build relationships with schools and communities in their areas,” says Brand inc MD, Chris Heaton. “The ideal fit would be something that all the franchises could buy into, would tie in with the bigger brand strategy, and drive business.”

ShadowBall changes the game

Enter ShadowBall, an amazing revelation in rugby skills training. This unique rugby training ball is designed to rebound off any wall and come spiralling right back to the passer. For the first time ever, ShadowBall enables rugby players to train solo passing and catching. And in partnership, the Nashua Rugby Skills Project was born.

“ShadowBall’s sole mission is to increase the level of passing and catching accuracy,” says ShadowBall inventor, Gary Crookes. “It is the rugby equivalent of the practice wall for tennis players and the driving range for golfers.”

Endorsed by the Centre for Human Performance Sciences at Stellenbosch University, Golden Lions, Deaf Bok Team as well as several of the Top 100 Schools, ShadowBall has been scientifically proven to increase passing accuracy by as much as 266% in just four weeks.

Unique sponsorship with strong development and business strategy

“The Rugby Skills Project is a great fit for Nashua,” continues Heaton. “The property is innovative, proudly South African, incorporates a CSI element and has a very strong business strategy behind it.”

The NRSP began its roll-out on 30th January and brings the ShadowBall Academy to approximately 2,500 Grade 8 pupils at 72 schools, with half of these schools being from developing areas. On the day, Nashua staff from the local franchise get involved, and coaches and players are trained.  To add to the excitement, each event is attended by one of four ex-Springboks, Gcobani Bobo, Dean Hall, Sino Ganto or Morgan Newman.

“I wish I had a ShadowBall when I was a player,” says NRSP ambassador, former Springbok Rugby player and SuperSport presenter, Gcobani Bobo. “The skill set of passing and catching is the most important part of the game.”

Nashua has always been involved in rugby support at school level and its recent sponsorship of the Currie Cup highlights the brands level of commitment to all tiers of the game.

After the first round of training, the project leaves every school with 22 Nashua-branded ShadowBalls, a coach’s manual and a set of Google cardboards with instructional footage for the coaches and kids. Schools and players are further incentivised with prizes for the most improved.

NRSP revisits the school for round two after six weeks and the same tests are performed to collect improvement data. Previous assessments at numerous Jo’burg-based schools have shown an average team performance increase of 20% in a mere four weeks.

Franchises making in-roads with target market

From the business perspective, the partnership has allowed the brand to make in-roads with a crucial target market. The local Nashua franchise gives the participating schools a comprehensive, free office assessment to evaluate where and how they can save time and money, and the investment is already paying off.

Nashua Kopano’s Head of Solution Sales, Navesh Naidoo attended the NRSP roll-out at PLG School in Johannesburg with Nooitgedacht scholars also in attendance. “It’s a very good initiative with a strong development point of view, and it was great to see the kids having so much fun and improving their rugby skills,” he says.

“It has really helped us to build a relationship with the schools and after the office assessment, identify ways that they can minimise costs and boost productivity. It has already opened various business opportunities for us,” Naidoo adds.

“The NRSP is a fantastic programme and we are very passionate about it,” concludes Brand inc MD, Chris Heaton. “It is fresh and exciting with a feel-good factor, a cost-effective sponsorship model that does the business.”

Check out this great video about the NRSP in action visiting Pietermaritzburg:

The post Sponsorship win-win: Nashua’s Rugby Skills Project brings innovation to schools and SA rugby appeared first on Brandinc.

Brand inc revamps the PSL’s Telkom Knockout designs.

No stranger to working with South Africa’s sporting giants, Brand inc’s most recent collaboration with South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) should come as no surprise. Over the past six months, the agency has partnered with the PSL to create top-end design for their major competitions.

Alongside the Absa Premiership Division and the National First Division, the PSL administers three local cup competitions: the Top 8 (MTN 8), League Knockout Cup (Telkom Knockout) and the South African (FA-type) Cup (Nedbank Cup). Founded 20 years ago by soccer legends Dr. Irvin Khoza, Kaizer Motaung and Jomo Sono, the PSL is synonymous with sporting glory.

Inspired design

The national sports association wanted a fresh design for their three major competitions, the MTN 8, Telkom Knockout and Nedbank Cup, and approached Brand inc for a new look and feel for various collateral that would also satisfy the numerous sponsors and clubs.

“Our designs are more visually appealing and we represented the different sponsors really well,” says Brand inc senior account manager, Munzhedzi Makhuvha. “The client is an absolute pleasure to work with and is very happy with our work.

“We have just completed the designs for the Telkom Knockout Cup and then we will focus on the Nedbank Cup in January,” she says.

So far the agency has completely revitalised the MTN 8’s accreditation passes, parking tickets, match tickets and aide memoires, as well as Telkom Knockout’s match tickets and print ads.

Turnkey sponsorship and creative collaboration

Inside the sporting industry, Brand inc has also been creatively involved with other sporting greats such as the Orlando Pirates Football Club, Nashua Titans, SuperSport United and the Springboks.

The agency’s turnkey sponsorship division has helped to commercialise the happiest 5k on the planet, The Color Run, which is South Africa’s biggest mass participation event with twelve races in multiple cities and 80,000 colour runners.

Fresh design for the PSL Telkom Knockout tickets.

“We have been very keen for a long time to get our creative hands on some of the PSL work,” says Brand inc MD Chris Heaton.

“Now we have our chance to show what we can do and my design team has not failed to deliver beautifully crafted artwork for the collateral of some of the biggest soccer tournaments in South Africa.”

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The result of a working collaboration between Brand inc, G&G, Tag 8 and Nashua, The Solutions Lab was the overall winner in the Online Strategy of the Year and Digital Brand of the Year categories, as well as being awarded Gold for Blogging Excellence and Bronze for Excellence in Content Marketing.

Platform born out of business objectives

The Solutions Lab was born out of the desire to position Nashua as a thought leader, B2B trailblazer and industry driver. As Nashua’s marketing partner for over a decade, Brand inc conceptualised and strategised the idea for a content marketing platform to drive brand image and engagement. Nashua bought into the idea and utilised its digital agency, G&G, for implementation and Tag 8 for media planning.

“Our big task was to turn the content marketing into something real that the market uses and then delivers lead generation and sales,” says Brand inc creative director, Nicky Clarivette. “The Solutions Lab brings some exciting content into a space not traditionally offering up engaging content.”

Part of Nashua’s Real People, Real Solutions campaign, The Solutions Lab operates as a hub for all stakeholders, customers, potential customers and people in the industry to engage with insightful and impactful content from prominent South Africans, and in the process positions Nashua as a thought leader in business solutions.

Content marketing about building relationships

“The Solutions Lab is an innovative space that is not without its challenges,” adds Clarivette. “Sometimes it can feel like there is a disconnect between presenting content and how it converts into sales, especially in the sales driven environment that Nashua lives in. Plus any content platform has to work hard to stay fresh and relevant.

“However, in our spoilt-for-choice digital age, great content marketing is very significant to a brand. It is a long-term vision of building relationships with the public and generating leads that can turn into sales. Nashua is to be applauded for bringing the whole company into this pioneering space and staying so close to the process.”

Podcasts reach 80-million in first thirteen weeks

To further bring in a human appeal to typically emotionless business content, Nashua partnered with Primedia to create Face To Face with Success. These bite-sized podcast interviews with interesting South Africans give direct examples of engagement with innovation, all living within the Solutions Lab platform.

“These podcasts unpack how individuals, including the likes of Thuli Madonsela, overcame obstacles in their lives and careers to reach success,” says Tag 8 media strategist, Marguerite du Preez. A fresh interview is loaded weekly and publicised across KFM, CapeTalk, 947 and 702, driving listeners to The Solutions Lab website.

The first thirteen weeks of the campaign received close to 80-million impressions across all media channels.

“We wanted to achieve an integrated campaign with social, digital and radio all driving traffic to The Solutions Lab where users were prompted to provide their email addresses, creating further opportunity to engage with them,” Du Preez continues. “We saw exceptional engagement on our digital media, especially from the native advertising side proving that meaningful content generates results.”

Primedia Cape Town general manager, Karl Gostner adds:  “Primedia Broadcasting has made substantial investments in its capacity to create and distribute compelling digital content. It has been a privilege to partner with a client like Nashua who is equally committed to innovation in digital media and marketing.

“These awards are a just recognition of the leadership that Nashua is taking in the digital space.”

Nashua gets recognition for exceptional industry contribution

The New Generation Awards attracts some of the brightest and boldest in the industry and gives South Africa’s leading and much loved brands recognition for the work they do.

“It gives us great joy to know that The Solutions Lab is creating so much traction and has been recognised for its outstanding industry contribution,” says Nashua brand marketing manager, Jessica Midlane. “Seeing three great agencies work together towards a common goal was very refreshing and Nashua is thrilled with the outcome.”

The Solutions Lab’s content marketing strategy contributes to Nashua fulfilling its objectives of owning its status as a thought leader in its industry. “The strategy has helped to take the brand to the next level and we are proud to have been part of the marketing team,” concludes Clarivette.

The post Nashua’s Solutions Lab wins at the New Generation Social and Digital Media Awards appeared first on Brandinc.

Brand inc is continually evolving and has become the go-to agency for creative integrated communications. Fontera is at the forefront of their game in the digital space and delivers end-to-end eCommerce solutions. United, they offer more expertise alongside turnkey digital and creative solutions.

“We have been working with Fontera on various digital projects for about a year now and there has always been a good energy and synergy between our two businesses,” says Brand inc MD, Chris Heaton.

“This alliance puts us on another level with regards to our digital capabilities. We have always excelled at big creative idea generation and now we will be able to develop and manage those digital ideas in-house.”

Fontera lives and breathes eCommerce and its mission is to develop fun, cutting edge web, mobile and social apps that users find engaging and enjoyable. “Our businesses are a good fit and we are looking forward to seeing the benefits the merger will bring,” says Fontera co-founder, Simon Leps.

The digital developers and the creative gurus are integrated and effectively operating out of Fontera’s offices at the Primedia building, Somerset Square, Green Point from 1 November 2016.

Expect new and innovative projects to be developed from this new marketing force.

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Founded in Cape Town in 1935 when trolleybuses were public transport and before St. George’s Cathedral was built, Abrahams and Gross is a well-established South African institution with a track record of more than eighty years. The firm offers legal services and expertise in many areas of law ranging from corporate and commercial law, to estate planning, conveyancing and family, divorce and matrimonial law, to mention a few areas they specialise in.

“The legal sector is a highly competitive market that poses various challenges and we recognised the need to partner with a marketing expert, so we approached Brand inc,” says Abrahams and Gross Director, Henno Bothma.

Brand inc’s strategy incorporates blog posts, online media, branded social posts and the best tools for each social media platform. The focus is on building the brand profile and that of its attorneys by becoming a resource on legal news and advice that will be valuable to customers and the general public.

“We wanted to help Abrahams and Gross update all their digital collateral, modernise their image and make their brand more approachable,” says Brand inc MD, Chris Heaton. “We are creating monthly content that adds genuine value while positioning the firm as thought leaders on legal matters in South Africa. The content builds a loyal community, grows the brand and ultimately acquires new leads and clients.

“Brand inc is very happy to be partnering with Abrahams and Gross and being able to showcase our marketing expertise in the legal world,” adds Heaton.

“By outsourcing our marketing needs, we can now focus on our core function of providing expert legal services,” concludes Bothma. “We are excited by the partnership and look forward to seeing the growth across our online channels.”

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Integrated communications signal an end to the segregation of campaigns and offers a seamless experience across your business. It merges all aspects of marketing communications – advertising, digital, social media, sponsorship, public relations – into a unified force centred on the customer.

The end goal is to break through the clutter and rise above your competitors with a memorable message driving brand recognition.

Creative consistency strengthens campaign themes

The average Joe Public is living a multi-channel life with every touch point being important. And in the age of digital, it’s not just what you say that’s important, it’s how you say it.

Delivering a consistent message with the same look and feel, enables a brand to become firmly entrenched in the consumer’s mind and leads to better brand affinity – that elusive emotional connection that we subconsciously feel for our favourite brands. An all-encompassing strategy can also save on costs and time while reaching customers in the format they prefer.

Encouraging a conversation with your brand

At the core of integrated marketing communications is a two-way conversation. Without it, a brand is merely back-pedalling to the bygone era of the traditional who-can-shout-the-loudest marketing. Customer-centric communications put the (potential) customer first. They listen, engage, innovate and go the extra mile, using customer feedback and reviews to improve.

The age of social has opened up a Pandora’s box for brands where control has transferred to the customer. While a negative trending hashtag or online review can create immense fall out, the converse is also true. A brand that is authentically listening to its customers can work with any bad press and use it to their advantage.

Integrated communications incorporates both the old and the new

At the same time, old school marketing methods should never be abandoned. Although Millennials are digitally au fait to the point of becoming saturated, competitions, coupons, in-store signage and training of shop staff, for example, should be equally utilised and enhanced to ensure conversion right at the end of the marketing funnel.

Even though marketers and companies are tending to shift from more traditional media such as newspaper and television over to digital marketing channels, it doesn’t make the former redundant. Each channel has its own audience and in turn, their own way they want to be engaged with. Armed with data, brands can utilise the most relevant channels to communicate with consumers across multiple touch points.

A powerful holistic strategy…

A synergistic, integrated marketing communications strategy gives clarity and consistency while reinforcing your message in the consumer’s mind. The power of a holistic strategy should never be underestimated. Done well, it can increase profits, brand loyalty and lower company spend.

Brand inc Creative Group is an integrated communications agency focused on developing strategies that build brands, grow audiences and maximise ROI across relevant media channels. Please get in touch if you have any marketing needs. Go to www.brandinc.co.za or email [email protected].

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Approached by PCCW, a global communications company, the agency was tasked with developing a name, brand and strategy for the company that would operate along the same lines as the largest pay-TV operator in Hong Kong, NowTV.

“This was a big deal for us, as we were being given the opportunity to birth what will no doubt become a household name in the near future,” says Brand inc MD, Chris Heaton.

After conducting a comprehensive audit of local and global competitors, a dynamic strategy was developed that defined the brand DNA, generated name options, designed the identity and positioned the new company as the next best thing when it comes to unlimited digital entertainment.

“It was critical that we found the sweet spot between relevance, authority and differentiation to make this brand standout,” adds Heaton. “This took us on quite a journey, but ultimately to the pinnacle of our strategy which was that this new company was going to supply epic entertainment, anytime, anywhere – and so OntapTV.com was born.”

Registered in multiple countries around the world, OntapTV is to be a global service that will be marketed internationally. Offering “a la carte VoD” in the country, the company includes a free service for users to try out, containing several movies and first episodes of TV shows. South Africans are currently enjoying an explosion of VoD services including ShowMax and soon to be launched Netflix.

“OntapTV has its work cut out for it over the next few months due to the explosion of competitors in the market, but we are confident that it will become one of the go to suppliers of digital content to the African continent and other countries around the world,” says Heaton.

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