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Saturday 22 June 2013

How to Manage a Call Centre Workforce

With the current financial squeeze, companies, both big and small, are having to monitor their expenditure more closely than ever. One area where money can be saved is staffing, so it’s vital that companies manage to optimize their personnel resource.

Take call centres, for example. Here’s a prime example of a working environment in which you often see high staff turnover along with tens if not hundreds of different staff members on various shifts throughout a working day. Imperative to the success and profitability of a call centre is ensuring the right number of staff are in place to deliver on numerous tasks such as answering incoming calls, placing outbound calls and responding to emails. Employee scheduling is a difficult task, especially in a working environment of this nature, and getting the staffing balance right is essential. Overstaffing can result in a needless spending of budget whilst understaffing would also be detrimental to staff morale and, in turn, contribute towards a higher staff turnover.

Workforce management can be tricky for even the most experienced of managerial teams, but a workforce management software package can help with a whole host of issues. By using an online cloud-based system, it can help call centre managerial teams with all factors of staffing including scheduling, annual leave, staff information, along with individual and team productivity reports. Generally, call centres have now got increasingly complex scheduling environments, for example longer working days, increased volume of emails and more and more employees working part-time hours. Many hours of staff time are lost in most call centres due to excessive amounts of non-productive time. A workforce management software package provides historical and real-time scheduling information, reducing workforce shrinkage by an estimated 2-5% in most call centres.

Get Scheduled’s employee management software can be used for call centres of any size with the varying prices dependent on the number of users. This method of managing your workforce is far more cost-effective than employing a member of staff to overlook everything. The fact that the software can work for a variety of different budgets and team sizes means it is not inaccessible to anyone. Rather than estimate and rely on spreadsheets to predict how many employees are required for various shifts, this cloud-based system has the ability to create custom reports that, in turn, help increase productivity by providing up-to-date and detailed information on your workforce

How Well Does Your Website Reflect Your Sport’s Brand Image?

As with any other commercial activity, the consistency of your marketing message is vital in sport PR. Every marketing tool should reflect what your sport is essentially about and the image that you wish to project. This includes your website and social media profile, not just your printed material.

When creating and developing your online presence, bear in mind that the way your website and core message comes across is an integral part of the users’ experience. It will have a strong influence on the way they perceive and remember your sport.

 If you want your website to convey the right message to the end-user, there are several things you  need to bear in mind.

Content
Audiences today are very visual, so the first thing users will notice about your website is how your sport is represented through layout, colour and images and whether what you are presenting relates to them.
To attract the attention of a wider audience, your website should reflect the multiple and varied aspects of the sport, without forgetting what the sport is essentially about and what your core message is.
As with other forms of sports PR, choosing appropriate and unique content that helps your website reflect your sport’s brand image will go a long way towards generating interest among those who visit your website.

Photos and graphics
To avoid confusing your audience and diluting the brand message, any images and artwork you use on your website should be consistent with those used in your other marketing collateral and comply with your brand standards. This is a key principle in sport PR.
For instance, if your key message is that your sport is fun and suitable for everyone, your visual content should reflect a wide range of demographics. This means ensuring that people of all ages, genders, backgrounds and ethnic origins appear in the photos displayed on your website to reinforce the concept of inclusivity.

Social Media
Social media offers an unrivalled opportunity to introduce your sport to a wide audience and should be regarded as an integral part of any sports PR campaign. It’s the most effective way to get ordinary people to connect with your particular sport and see what it’s all about.

Adding a live Twitter feed, a Facebook “like” button and embedding YouTube videos on your website   provides a personalised experience. So use the tools provided by major social media sites to provide seamless integration between your social media profiles and your website.  

Thursday 13 June 2013

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Mark Shift in Strategy With Partnership-Focused Brand Promise

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles have launched a new brand promise to its market, and blowUP media are delighted to deliver the largest OOH advertising site in this significant campaign.

The multi-channel execution launched this week with the message – We never forget the most important name on our vans. Yours. The creative copy shows real-life examples of business partnerships in action with VW and includes customers telling their story alongside the iconic Transporter model as the ‘hero’ vehicle. The campaign is running across OOH, print, radio, point-of-sale, digital and social media. blowUP media’s involvement has been across three Giant Poster sites in London and Birmingham including the iconic 486sqm Alfa Laval M4 Outbound which is regarded as a flagship OOH location as part of the overall campaign.

blowUP media MD, Katrin Robertson explained: ‘Volkswagen has chosen three small businesses to feature in its campaign. Our Giant Posters provide an unprecedented platform for such companies, which are displayed on sites associated with the world’s leading brands. The Alfa Laval M4 site alone will expose them to an estimated 125,000 people every day. It‘s a fantastic way of demonstrating Volkswagen’s new brand promise.'


For more information please contact Angharad Evans at ENS on 020 7934 9030 / Angharad@ensltd.com

Editor’s Note:   blowUP media, a Ströer Group company, specialises in large-scale outdoor advertising that ranges in size from 100 to 17,300 square meters. Its advertising spaces ensure that company statements and messages reach their target groups at prime locations in important European cities. Whether it is Berlin, London or Madrid, large-scale posters are an effective means of generating attention, and they have an unrivalled impact on the urban landscape. blowUP media manages approximately 300 locations, giving it the largest network of Giant Posters in Europe. The company has offices in 12 European towns and cities and is a competent business partner for advertisers and local authorities. Time and again, blowUP media’s award-winning projects set the standards for designing public spaces – one of our projects, The Longest Love-Letter In The World, has even made it into the Guinness Book of Records. More information is available at www.blowup-media.co.uk

Monday 10 June 2013

Nike’s England Kit Campaign Leverages Manchester’s New Giant Poster Site


On Monday (20th May 2013) blowUP media  launched the largest poster site outside London in Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens. The unveiling was especially poignant as it was part of Nike’s new England team kit launch campaign, modeled by local star player, Danny Welbeck, who plays for England and Manchester Utd.

Another accolade for blowUP media’s Manchester site is that the 508 square metre site was the only OOH of any kind to be used in the England sponsor’s campaign.

Katrin A. Robertson, Managing Director of blowUP media explained ‘By sponsoring something as cherished as the England football team, a big brand like Nike is looking to make a huge statement, using a Giant Poster allows them to do this – especially as there are few bigger than our new site in Manchester. Delivering big campaigns like this shows that Giant Posters can be both nimble and impactful.’

For more information please contact Angharad Evans at ENS on 020 7934 9030 / Angharad@ensltd.com

Thursday 6 June 2013

How to Appeal to a Mass Audience Through Advertising


When creating an advertising campaign for a big brand, an advertising agency will always strive for one thing – mass appeal. The greater the appeal, the greater the result. There are a few key strategies by which advertising agencies should abide in order to ensure they produce the right advertising campaign for their brand.

Design - You should always seek to capture people’s imaginations and strive for innovative, creative designs within your campaign – never settle for second best or something people feel they’ve seen before. Whether it’s down to typography, the images used or the general concept of the ad, always think out of the box and bear in mind that you need to build a brand that’s memorable and captures people’s imagination.

Multi-Platform – Traditionally, a number of different channels are incorporated into an advertising campaign in order to reach the largest audience possible. A combination of traditional and contemporary advertising strategies can be combined to create impactful campaigns. The more conventional methods of print, radio and broadcast out of home are still extremely popular and can be teamed with more bespoke impact locations and modern digital out of home advertising platforms. By encompassing fully-integrated advertising campaigns, brands ensure that they reach a mass audience. Urbanites can be targeted through multi touch points including billboard advertising, digital screen advertising and building wraps, for example, while people in more rural areas can be targeted through the more traditional advertising methods. You should also ensure that you take advantage of social media and make the most of websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest. Millions of people use these sites daily and their power as advertising platforms cannot be underestimated.

Interactive – Advertising campaigns are becoming increasingly interactive. Brands want to engage with their audiences, especially gadget-obsessed younger ones. An advertising campaign comes alive by devising things such as apps and online games that are in line with your advertising campaign.  A recent example of this is HTC’s UK-wide campaign where members of the general public were invited to create poster designs for the launch of the new HTC One smartphone. The winning designs were then exhibited on giant posters in seven different cities throughout the UK. This campaign, run in conjunction with blowUP media, is a classic example of a brand wanting to engage its audience and integrate consumers within their advertising campaign.

Advertising agencies now recognize that they need to reach the largest possible audience in order to maximize exposure for a product. In doing so, this mass marketing should result in higher sales and greater results. 

Advertising for Mass Audience Appeal

When creating an advertising campaign for a big brand, an advertising agency will always strive for one thing – mass appeal. The greater the appeal, the greater the result. There are a few key strategies by which advertising agencies should abide in order to ensure they produce the right advertising campaign for their brand.

Design - You should always seek to capture people’s imaginations and strive for innovative, creative designs within your campaign – never settle for second best or something people feel they’ve seen before. Whether it’s down to typography, the images used or the general concept of the ad, always think out of the box and bear in mind that you need to build a brand that’s memorable and captures people’s imagination.

Multi-Platform – Traditionally, a number of different channels are incorporated into an advertising campaign in order to reach the largest audience possible. A combination of traditional and contemporary advertising strategies can be combined to create impactful campaigns. The more conventional methods of print, radio and broadcast out of home are still extremely popular and can be teamed with more bespoke impact locations and modern digital out of home advertising platforms. By encompassing fully-integrated advertising campaigns, brands ensure that they reach a mass audience. Urbanites can be targeted through multi touch points including billboard advertising, digital screen advertising and building wraps, for example, while people in more rural areas can be targeted through the more traditional advertising methods. You should also ensure that you take advantage of social media and make the most of websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest. Millions of people use these sites daily and their power as advertising platforms cannot be underestimated.

Interactive – Advertising campaigns are becoming increasingly interactive. Brands want to engage with their audiences, especially gadget-obsessed younger ones. An advertising campaign comes alive by devising things such as apps and online games that are in line with your advertising campaign.  A recent example of this is HTC’s UK-wide campaign where members of the general public were invited to create poster designs for the launch of the new HTC One smartphone. The winning designs were then exhibited on giant posters in seven different cities throughout the UK. This campaign, run in conjunction with blowUP media, is a classic example of a brand wanting to engage its audience and integrate consumers within their advertising campaign.


Advertising agencies now recognize that they need to reach the largest possible audience in order to maximize exposure for a product. In doing so, this mass marketing should result in higher sales and greater results.  

City Advertising

Engaging with an urban audience is key in modern-day advertising. Out of home advertising is now recognized as a powerful and cost-effective tool of conveying a brand’s message to thousands, if not millions, of potential consumers. But what does appeal to trendy urbanites living fast-paced lives and who are constantly on the go?
It can be tricky to get the right balance when it comes to urban audience engagement. To get an advertisement just right requires a thorough understanding of your target audience and an experienced team behind you. 

Location is key when it comes to out of home advertising - big advertising requires big spaces. However, choose an area that’s too busy and congested and your ad will get lost in its surroundings, choose a quiet, suburban area and your ad will look isolated and out of place. Top advertising agencies have identified that and recognized that there are pockets of hot spot advertising locations in every city worldwide.

Take London, for example. The past decade or so has seen a huge rise in East London’s popularity. It’s now home to the trendiest of urbanites who can be seen bargain hunting on Brick Lane and socialising in Shoreditch. This up-and-coming area which is now home to geek chic and vintage fashion is also a prime location for advertising campaigns. Unlike Central London which is cramped with shops and offices that go on as far as the eye can see, East London still has vast open spaces and many disused buildings and warehouses; many of which are perfect to use as advertising spaces. Anything and everything goes in East London and the same can be said for advertising in the area. From huge building wraps to traditional poster advertising, nothing looks out of place. With its growing reputation as one of the most creative hubs within the UK, if not the world, brands would be foolish not to take advantage of this and create engaging advertising campaigns that target the coolest of urban audiences.
And many brands have already done so. Microsoft’s painted buildings, Absolut’s ‘blank canvas’ bottles at Old Street station and Wreck-it Ralph’s pixelated street at Truman Brewery on London's Brick Lane are all testament to the growing popularity of creative advertising in these areas. blowUP media’s giant poster campaign for Daft Punk on a particularly prominent building in the area was also a huge success, connecting with the local audience who went on to bring others into the conversation through social media.


The great thing about advertising in an up-and-coming area full of creative people is that the advertisements placed in that area can fully reflect their surroundings, providing much scope for creativity when creating your ad. This format of advertising is effectively an extension to the ‘Banksy’ feel or the area - the catchier the slogan and edgier the look, the greater the results in urban spaces. If you get it right, advertising in these urban areas can go a long way to help you build a brand successfully.