Author archive for ‘Oli Richards’
He has won 19 major trophies, captained his country, married a Spice Girl, amassed a £165 million fortune and seen his super-sized, naked, tattoo-covered torso plastered across billboards for an underwear campaign – so what’s next for David Beckham after his retirement? Tim Crow offers his opinion in The Times and Financial Times.
By Oli Richards on May 17th, 2013
Tags: Press Clipping
Sports Business Daily Global Journal reports on Standard Life Investments’ groundbreaking new Ryder Cup Worldwide Partnership, on which Synergy advised Standard Life Investments.
Click here for the report.
By Oli Richards on February 26th, 2013
Tags: Press Clipping
Director of Consulting Carsten Thode talks to the Financial Times’ ‘Ignites Europe’ about BNY Mellon’s sponsorship of Katherine Granger and the University Boat Race. See the full article here.
By Oli Richards on February 15th, 2013
Tags: Press Clipping
Marketing is moving fast. Everything is changing – virtually in front of our eyes – with new rules written even before the ink has dried on the old ones.
A perfect storm of factors are converging to drive this pace of change. Social media is having a profound effect on what consumers expect from brands and how they want to interact with them.
New devices, unlimited bandwidth and the ability to be constantly connected all combine to give brands a range of new opportunities to engage with their audiences. This is leading to the convergence of the real and the digital worlds and a deep interconnection between all marketing channels and touchpoints.
But even when everything else is changing, the things that people love stay the same. That’s why sponsorship, as a route into people’s passions, is more important than ever.
As 2013 moves into full swing, we are delighted to share our perspective on the big trends that will be driving the sponsorship industry – we hope that you find them interesting and thought-provoking. Most importantly, we hope that you will use them to help create brilliant sponsorship campaigns.
By Oli Richards on February 1st, 2013
Tags: Athletics, Blogging, BMW, Brand marketing, Branded content, Brazil 2014, Broadcast sponsorship, Commonwealth Games, Communications, Consultancy, Content, Cricket, Digital marketing, Engine, Football, Football Sponsorship, Glasgow 2014, grass roots sport, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, Manchester United, Olympic sponsorship, Olympics, PR, Public relations, RBS 6 Nations, Rugby, Rugby World Cup, Ryder Cup, Sponsorship, Synergy
The news of HMV going into administration this week probably comes as no surprise to many of us. The music giant had been struggling for a while in a world where consumers want their music / film / TV instantly, downloaded by the track / episode and from the comfort of their own homes. Staunch critics will argue that HMV didn’t move with the times and deserve their fate and I think many of us would struggle to disagree. For me though, the news this week is sad – HMV represented the last of the big record shops. Something very British and something many of us have fond memories of.
Sometimes, it feels like the music industry is stuck in a better time. A time where consumers would walk to the record shop on a Saturday, pop on the headphones at the listening station and decide which album to buy. A time where you’d run home, put the album on repeat and record it onto tape so you could listen to it on your walkman. Just me circa 1992? Thought so…
I’d be surprised if anyone under the age of 21 has memories similar to the above – quite simply, HMV broke one of the fundamental rules of sales – LISTEN to your consumer. If the people buying your products and service want to buy it in a different way / different form – you react… Imagine working in a business that doesn’t use email, clings to the memo, keeps their filing cabinets in good order and loves to send a fax. In their minds, everyone loves the written word, it’s retro, everyone has used it before – why not continue? What if this business started losing clients as a result? Would it continue? The analogy is a ridiculous one and exaggerated intentionally to prove the point.
What can we learn from HMV then aside from listening to consumers? I think the above point illustrates a fundamental problem with the way traditional music retailers operate – they’ve just not moved with the times. From taking legal action against their own consumers for downloading music illegally to investing in failing live music venues, the opportunity to reach large audiences in the “Social Era” has been largely ignored. A similar pattern can be seen in film through Blockbuster’s demise (announced yesterday). The demand for music has only grown; the thing that has changed is the way we want to consume it. Online retailers and streaming services like iTunes, Amazon and Spotify have embraced newer platforms and are reaping the rewards.
Music has always been a universally shared passion, so demand for it is never going to change. However, we’re not at home watching Top of the Pops on a Friday evening anymore – we’re consuming music in a whole host of different ways with more opportunities to see hear / new artists than ever before and that should be embraced.
Selling music should be easy, just let it sell itself!
By Oli Richards on January 17th, 2013
Tags: Downloads, Mobile, Music, Online communities
Tim Crow features in Marketing after the ECB recently dismissed some sponsors within football as ‘not appropriate’ for English cricket.
Read the feature here
By Oli Richards on November 9th, 2012
Tags: Press Clipping
What happened
Remember that shop where you bought your school shoes? The place where you’d patiently sit and have your feet measured at the beginning of each school term? The smell of leather, the nostalgia…
Clarks are turning that perception on its head: ‘that little shoe brand’ has launched a new range, Clarks Originals and is looking to tap into a more fashion savvy teen audience. In its latest campaign, OriginalsLIVE, the brand aims to connect to its new demographic by tapping into the latest new music and giving fans money-can’t-buy experiences.
OriginalsLIVE is Clarks’ platform to showcase their connections, collaborations and very own creations in music and music culture. Every year they champion new ventures, providing unique content and experiences fans won’t find anywhere else.
The 2012 live gig series sees Joy Formidable (currently supporting the Foo Fighters on their US tour) playing unusual locations in Bristol, Manchester and London, with the actual venue not being revealed until 48 hours before. Tickets are all released via Twitter, Facebook and the brand’s own webpage.
Locations like the Victoria Baths in Manchester, Factory 7 in London and Bridewell Police Station in Bristol have been used on the current tour. The use of unconventional venues further added to the surprise and delight element of the campaign – generating extra buzz in the host cities and online.
Exclusive content from the gigs is all available online along with regular updates from the artists themselves through video blogs and post-gig content.
Why we love it
Changing perceptions about a brand is no mean feat, especially for one that is surrounded by so much nostalgia. Tie-ups with one of London’s last independent record stores, Rough Trade East, and well known up-and-coming artists like Joy Formidable and Trojan Sound System, have added a sense of real credibility to a brand that is seen as reliable and even quaint to many of us.
The results speak for themselves: the brand has over 15,000 followers online and a constant dialogue with their audience through daily updates on Facebook – largely through tapping into Joy Formidable’s existing fan base. The gigs to date have been a resounding success with sell-out shows in Manchester, Bristol and London.
Perceptions don’t change overnight, though, and what’s interesting about Clarks’ approach is that it’s long-term; the campaign is now in year three, with plans already in the pipeline for late 2012 and 2013. This, paired with their collaborative approach with artists – rather than simply ‘badging’ existing gigs – only reinforces a reason for the brand to be there – they are the curator, not the sponsor.
By Oli Richards on March 20th, 2012
Tags: Default, Experiential marketing, Music
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