McOwen+Banks news

Latest project in Sussex

2011-08-13T11:49:00.004+01:00

I am really excited to be working on this project, a grade II listed flint manor house in the heart of Sussex.

Latest work: Hosspitality Cornwall, Lewinnick Lodge and The Plume of Feathers site launched

2011-08-12T12:38:00.002+01:00

http://www.hospitalitycornwall.com/

http://www.hospitalitycornwall.com/lewinnicklodge

http://www.hospitalitycornwall.com/theplumeoffeathers

Hospitality Cornwall website now live!

2011-08-09T19:01:00.001+01:00

We have launched the fabulous Hospitality Cornwall group website!

As the culminating piece in a brand evaluation and development exercise we are all very excited to see it up and running. The project began as a brand investigation for my other company Approach Agency with client Dan Trotter (Faronpark Ltd) and draws to a close utilising my McOwen+Banks design skills to create a fitting website for the new brand.

Creating an overarching brand ethos and rolling that out across the name, identity and all communication (including staff training) has been a great project to be involved in. The final element of the website creation, design and implementation was made possible working with our fab friends at Web Footed designs and results in a swathe of work we can all be proud of.

Read the brief write up in the news section: here
Or if you're in the Newquay area and fancy a fabulous meal head to the website to find out about their restaurants and rooms.

Coast to coast creatives - now in East Sussex!

2011-08-09T18:51:00.001+01:00

We've recently followed the work flow back up to the South East - couldn't quite release the sea though so have set our stall out in the beautiful town of Rye.
Still retained by clients in Cornwall we get to pop back every so often which gives us the best of both worlds. Looking forward to finding new opportunities and friends in Sussex.
Pete has already started work on a fabulous, Grade 2 listed flint house just outside Brighton and I've been setting creative minds a buzz with work for Suzuki as well as doing great things for The Bay and Hotel Penzance. So we're truly a coast-to-coast creative offering!

PR Latest - Great article in County to sea magazine this month

2011-03-16T13:50:00.001Z

[click on pic for larger version]

Latest article in Cornish press - the lovely Sarah Lillicrap, editor of County to sea did a fab job.
Thanks Sarah!

Our latest clients - Hall for Cornwall

2011-03-03T11:51:00.001Z

We were recently asked to help out the Hall for Cornwall (theatre in Truro, and main live venue for West Cornwall) with ideas for giving the interiors a spruce up. Fabulously they liked Peter's proposals and the work is underway.
Here's one of the boards from the presentation:

When others Zig - Zag' Latest repost on citysumers from Trendwatching

2011-02-02T09:35:00.001Z

Seems we may have reversed trend on this one - leaving the city for the coast.

Back to actual CITYSUMERS. Consumption-wise, the fast pace and ever changing nature of urban life guarantees CITYSUMERS an endless number of new and fleeting social connections, experiences and (commercial) temptations. All of which means that CITYSUMERS are addicted to the here-and-now, experiences, choice and freedom, flexibility and rawness, unrestricted opportunity, and yes, the hunt for the Next Big Thing if not the Next Big Story. In fact, urban culture is the culture these days*.
Here are some quick indicators of urbanites' spending power and behavior:

The average Manhattanite household spends 59% of their USD 13,079 food budget on dining out, compared to the average American household that spends only 42% of their USD 6,514 food budget on dining out. (Source: Bundle, May 2010.)
Even four years ago, Harris identified 'Urban Hustlers' (who comprise 21% of US consumers aged 12-34), spend close to USD 9 billion (10% of their annual spending), on recreational activities. Urban Hustlers are spending, on average, over USD 100 more than the non-urban population monthly, with their overall discretionary spending reaches USD 383 per month. (Source: Harris Interactive, June 2007.)
The lifestyle of urban Chinese consumers has changed from a “survive” mentality to an “enjoy life” one, with 54% now pursuing a more fun lifestyle. (Source: GfK Roper, 2010.)
Only 17% of Chinese urban dwellers say they are 'reluctant to spend money'. (Source: Economist Intelligence Unit, August 2010.)

* Not just because of mass urbanization, but also because widespread online access enables remote rural audiences to participate in urban culture.
Constantly exposed to a wide variety of alternative lifestyles and experiences, CITYSUMERS tend to be more open-minded. Just one telling nugget: In August 2010, a Voice of India poll showed that almost a third of Indians in Bangalore and Mumbai support same-sex partnerships, a figure that would have been unheard of only a few years ago**.
All of this means that a large URBANE audience is up for brands that challenge, thrill, titillate, or even shock (just as long as it's done in the best possible taste ;-). At the very least, brands need to show some personality, loosen up and embrace urban culture, in all its gritty glory. Risky? Yes. But not as risky as being bland.
** No, we're not suggesting that every CITYSUMER is enthusiastically and overwhelmingly liberal, but as we saw in MATURIALISM, the clear (if gradual) global social trends are towards more tolerant attitudes towards abortion, euthanasia, casual sex, homosexuality, drug use, women's rights etc. More diverse living arrangements and the removal of many of the traditional social structures in cities is a big part of this.

Thanks Trendwatching for the heads up. For more from them go to the full article here.

What's next for apps, search, display gaming and privacy in 2011 - trends from Millward Brown released

2011-01-20T09:25:00.000Z

Popped up on my radar courtesy of the chaps at Contagious.

Millward Brown's Futures Group's global innovation director identifies the hottest digital trends for 2011

1 / Brands will juggle their presence in the Splinternet.

The internet will continue to splinter into a public open web and semi-walled gardens, as surfing the web is often replaced by running apps or viewing pages on Facebook. Applications and fan pages are popular because they allow marketers to control and simplify consumer interactions. However, brands will increasingly need to tend multiple 'gardens', often building different applications for specific platforms to ensure they are both relevant and present everywhere their consumers want to encounter them.

2 / Evolution of online shopping as augmented reality technologies bridge intangibility gap.

Despite some remaining fears around disclosure of personal information, online shopping will continue to grow strongly. Many countries will follow the US in their enthusiastic uptake of collective buying services like Groupon. Fuelled by their love of a bargain, there are currently more than 500 of these sites in China, though many are expected to fade into obscurity. In the UK, mobile shopping apps will be particularly popular, while in India we expect to see growth in online travel ticket purchasing that helps consumers bypass long queues at stations. Globally we also expect brands to use innovative new technologies, including augmented reality, to help bridge the 'intangibility gap' that exists because consumers can't touch and feel a product they purchase online.

3 / Online display explodes out of its box.

Marketers will increasingly attempt to deliver immersive and engaging branding messages within the ad itself, using expandable formats and interactive features which often replicate part of the experience of a microsite or social media page. In line with this, display formats are constantly transforming and many new formats are growing in popularity including: double-teaming, where planners combine multiple formats on the same page; social titbits where banners include a taste of live social activity such as a Twitter feed; and slide-up formats, which use small but intriguing imagery to capture attention, and then expand to take over larger portions of the screen.

4 / Viral video is no longer an afterthought.

Viral potential is now an increasingly important element of digital campaign planning. More readily available viral measurements - such as Millward Brown's viral potential pre-test and Kantar Video's in-market tracking - allow marketers to better plan, monitor and adjust accordingly. However, as each new viral hit raises the bar of consumer expectation, advertisers may need to be more distinctive than ever. To counter this, more advertisers will promote their ads in a viral environment, particularly since our recent YouTube research shows that paid online promotion generates a 'free' incremental viral bonus over and above the paid views.

5 / More 'made for web' video content.

With online video advertising spend in a high growth phase, marketers globally are likely to invest more effort optimising their online video creative in 2011. Dynamic Logic research has shown that repurposed TV ads can effectively generate awareness, but made-for-web video tends to be better at driving persuasion.

6 / More mobile eyeballs.

The improved performance capabilities of mobile devices mean that more people are online, more of the time (there is almost a 'presumption of connectedness'). Marketers will seize this opportunity, particularly since newer devices enable better mobile ad experiences. Mobile advertising budgets will increase significantly over 2010 and the brand impact achieved from mobile will continue to out-perform online through 2011.

7 / Brands find their places with geo-location.

Today, geo-location is all about 'checking in', but 2011 will provide a more rewarding experience once the user has checked in, and we also expect to see a development in "check out" features (e.g. suggestions of where to go next). We also expect to see growth in apps such as Shopkick that automatically award points/promotions upon entering a store. The arrival of Facebook Places alongside services such as Foursquare means that more brands will use location as an app feature, as a communication platform, a fan page feature or as the key to a deal, possibly tied in with loyalty card data. Brands which don't have locations of their own will seek out appropriate tie-ups.

8 / Search: increasing personal, mobile and impactful.

Consumers will trade privacy for relevance. Links with social media profiles, search history and behavioural segmentation will allow greater search relevance for users prepared to share this information with search engine providers. Mobile search will make further gains as developers take full advantage of the unprecedented breadth of information available and consumers realise the benefit of searching via applications such as Google Maps. Search results will also become more visually impactful, increasing the need for marketers to understand the brand impact of search.

9 / Gaming on the move.

The recent launches of Sony's Move and Microsoft's Kinect have breathed new life into the Playstation and Xbox consoles, and will drive further innovation in game design during 2011. Meanwhile, casual gaming, driven strongly by the capabilities of Apple's iphone and ipod touch, is likely to grow further as these gamers continue to feed their app-snacking habits, and developers take full advantage of the larger ipad interface. Growth in the use of social games is also likely assuming developers such as Zynga can build on the success of FarmVille and Mafia Wars. Research from Dynamic Logic has revealed that brands can benefit from in-game branding where it's seen to be relevant, and we predict this to be a growth area in 2011.

10 / Social graphs will make targeting more relevant.

Relevant social integration can delight consumers. Consumers will remain active in the biggest social network (Facebook) because so many contacts are there, but they may increasingly be more engaged in other niche networks that play to their particular interests. Facebook's scale provides excellent targeting opportunities for brands, but to really be effective, sophisticated algorithms are needed to make sense of the complex relationships between people.

11 / The battle for online privacy will intensify.

Marketers will make progress on the development of online transparency frameworks as consumers are increasingly empowered to look under the hood. They will avoid regulatory measures to protect online privacy by enabling users to manage their own profiles and by being clearer about their data models. Despite these efforts however, the battle will continue between regulators and the industry about the scope of personal information which forms the building blocks of online identity.

http://www.contagiousmagazine.com/2011/01/11_digital_predictions_for_2011.php

Back to school?

2011-01-14T17:17:00.001Z

Whilst Pete's been brushing up on his design programme skills, Becky heard she passed her Web design course with flying colours.

So, if you're in need of a qualified web designer, look no further or drop us a line.

Courses provided by DPN in Penzance - with thanks to Anita and Sioban.

15 minutes of fame

2011-01-04T12:39:00.004Z

We're in the January edition of Cornwall today - hurrah! Let's hope it get's those bells ringing.

Many thanks to the lovely Liz and photographer Charles - what a lovely story. Email us if you fancy the full readable version!

Take a look at our site on www.mcowenandbanks.co.uk

Lewinnick Lodge - Adding some cosy comfort for winter

2010-12-17T11:39:00.002Z

Our lovely clients over at The Lewinnick Lodge needed a hand adding a cosy seating area in front of their open fire. Peter was on hand to create some bespoke-made leather sofas and stools for them.

A classic shape sofa made to Contract level standards (so they are robust enough to cope with the wear and tear the bar gets). Marshmallow occasional stools were also created to make the most of the space and allow flexibility of seating. All designed and delivered in under 6 weeks.

Why not pop over and enjoy a beer in front of the fire and comfy seat!

Emerging trends for 2011

2010-12-14T09:39:00.001Z

Sorry, meant to post this last week when it popped in my inbox - better late than never!
Trendwatching's one of the great trend prediction and cultural monitoring sites - always worth having on your radar. Here's their top 11 for 2011:

1. RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
In 2011, expect companies to monitor consumers' public moods and act upon them with random acts of kindness...marketing may never be the same.
There’s no better way for a brand in 2011 to put its money where its mouth (or heart) is than engaging in Random Acts of Kindness (R.A.K.). Consumers' cravings for realness, for the human touch, ensure that everything from brands randomly picking up the tab to sending a surprise gift will be one of the most effective ways to connect with (potential) customers in 2011 - especially beleaguered consumers in North America, Europe and Japan.

2. URBANOMICS
Are you ready for hundreds of millions of more daring, more experienced consumers? Oh, and that's just one side effect of rapid global urbanization...
How will this change the consumer arena in 2011 and beyond? Firstly, urban consumers tend to be more daring, more liberal, more tolerant, more experienced, more prone to trying out new products and services. In emerging markets, these effects tend to be even more pronounced, with new arrivals finding themselves distanced from traditional social and familial structures, while constantly exposed to a wider range of alternatives.

3. PRICING PANDEMONIUM
Flash sales, group buying, GPS-driven deals: in 2011 pricing will never be the same...

4. MADE FOR CHINA (IF NOT BRIC)
In 2011, expect an increasing number of 'Western' brands to launch new products or even new brands dedicated (if not paying proper respect) to consumers in emerging markets

5. ONLINE STATUS SYMBOLS
In 2011, you can’t go wrong supplying your (online-loving) customers with any kind of symbol, virtual or 'real world', that helps them display to peers their online contributions, creations or popularity...

6. WELLTHY
As good health is now as important to some consumers as having the biggest, newest or shiniest status symbols, growing numbers of consumers will expect health products and services in 2011 to prevent misery (if not improve their quality of life), rather than merely treating illnesses and ailments...

7. SOCIAL-LITES AND TWINSUMERS
Expect even more consumers to become curators: broadcasting, compiling, commenting, sharing and recommending content, products, purchases, and experiences to both their friends and wider audiences...

8. EMERGING GENEROSITY
In 2011, brands and wealthy individuals from emerging markets (yes, especially China) will increasingly be expected to give, donate, care and sympathize versus just sell and take. And not just in their home countries, but on a global scale...

9. PLANNED SPONTANEITY
With lifestyles having become fragmented, with dense urban environments offering consumers any number of instantly available options, and with cell/smartphones having created a generation who have little experience of making (or sticking to) rigid plans, 2011 will see full-on PLANNED SPONTANEITY...

10. ECO SUPERIOR
When it comes to 'green consumption' in 2011, expect a rise in ECO-SUPERIOR products: products that are not only eco-friendly, but superior to polluting incumbents in every possible way...

11. OWNER-LESS
2011 could be the year when sharing and renting really tips into mainstream c*nsumer consciousness as big brands and governments put their weight behind this cultural shift...

full briefing at trendwatching.com/briefing/

Winner! DMA Gold Award for best use of Direct Response TV

2010-12-09T13:08:00.001Z

Another award for my Direct Line work (for my old agency Geronimo).

Alongside my creative team, Pete Williams and Chris Day, we managed to produce another ad in this highly effective (and highly efficient, modular format) TV campaign for Direct Line for Business.

Pity they swapped my name for the new Creative Director (who wasn't even there when the ads were made or aired!) But congratulations all round, well done Geronimo.

Link to see the ad here (on my YouTube channel)

Link to the DMA Awards website

Currently on in McO+B studio

2010-12-07T09:19:00.002Z

December music Picks

Courtesy of Audio Sushi - lovely sounds to fill your ears.
Enjoy.

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NEW - Showcard ready for Peter and McOwen+Banks

2010-11-29T09:45:00.004Z

In order to better show off Peter's talents and provide some collareral for his client meetings McOwen+Banks designed, wrote and produced this fab showcard. A 6pp A5 full colour format allows the images and roomsets to shine beautifully.
Drop us an email to hello@mcowenandbanks.co.uk or through our contact page on the website if you'd like us to send you a copy. Or have a delve through Peter's portfolio online for more insight into his interior design work.

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New site launched for sister company - Approach

2010-11-24T13:37:00.002Z

Our sister venture Approach agency has it's shiny new website up and running today!

The site (designed and produced by McOwen+Banks) provides an introduction to the company and it's capabilities.

We'll be doing updates and amends after this first week of testing so please, have a look around and let us know any recommendations or glitches.

Check it out here or paste www.approachagency.co.uk in your browser

If you'd like to see any of the other web stuff McOwen+Banks has produced take a look at the portfolio section of our site here.

Screenshot of the site

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McOwen+Banks on the road2: This week back to old London town

2010-11-21T16:05:00.003Z

This week it's Peter's turn to gad about town. He's off to London to meet up with some clients (read that as a couple of business meetings and a lot of catching up with friends!)

Completing work on a refit and restyle of a Chelsea Harbour apartment as well as the possibility of getting a fabulous project of a Grade Two listed, 14 bedroomed, Flint house just outside Brighton. Fingers crossed! The commute may be a belter but it would be worth it.
To see the work we did for the client previously take a look on our website here.

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McOwen+Banks on the road1: Last week New York...

2010-11-21T15:54:00.000Z

Becky popped over the pond for a spot of Autumn sunshine and inspiration - to get those creative juices flowing.

Google going for more of the marketing pound

2010-11-17T14:05:00.002Z

Just been reading up on the latest experiment from Google - using it's 'Goggles' project/app it's applied the visual recognition technology to adverts for a few test brands.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/offline-meet-online-marketing.html

The user sees an ad - photographs it (in the Goggles app) and this then links with a relevant (pre-designated) page on the brands website. Cool you might think - and yes it is. But it's been done before - it's just this time it's the behemoth Google getting in on the action.

QR codes do exactly the same thing - without the joy of using the ad itself as the code but this level of visual recognition technology has been possibly for a while.

I suggested it to one of my old clients; to have a part of their billboards and print as visually recognised direct link to the website. In this case the campaign was all about focussing in on the extras the car came with so a perfect link to the idea of photographing certain elements of it. (So if you were into alloys, you could take a shot of the alloys and the image would be recognised and link you to the section online where all that lovely alloy details lay.) The idea never ran, as ever it got buried in the more pressing needs of the campaign - but it shows that this sort of thinking has been about for a while.

So, one possibly good outcome from Google claiming the floor is that what would once have been an innovative tool for a brave marketer, can now be pulled into the safe domain of 'approved Google offerings'. Which may mean some cute campaigns actually get run rather than put into the 'too hard' basket.

We did manage to do lots of nice stuff with SEAT though - if you fancy taking a look just click here and you'll be linked to my portfolio page on the website. Enjoy!

(If the seamless technology is less-than seamless, you could just copy and paste this url into your browser http://www.mcowenandbanks.co.uk/becky/seat.shtml - or send me a letter and I could write to you about my work!)

'Moving story' - Cornwall Today team coming over this week

2010-11-07T13:28:00.001Z

We've got the guys from Cornwall Today magazine heading over this week - we're going to be featured in January's issue.

Will update with any photos etc

The more PR the better! Hurrah.

PR - Article from The Cornishman 28 Oct

2010-10-29T12:53:00.002+01:00

Read article online - at www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/news/round-skills-key-couple/article-2805748-detail/article.html

Becky offered lecturing post at University College Falmouth

2010-10-27T10:54:00.001+01:00

Becky McOwen-Banks has been asked to become a lecturer for the BA (Hons) Graphic Design course at University College Falmouth.

Having appeared at the Uni on a few occasions previously as a visiting lecturer I got to know the team and the ambitions of the course. It's a great honour to be adding to their skills on a regular basis - starting with one day a week. The position will not only keep me fresh but makes great use of my recent knowledge of all aspects of the Advertising industry - a subject I feel passionate about.

PR latest - Appearing in the Cornishman Business section this week

2010-10-27T10:42:00.000+01:00

We have been asked to feature in this weeks edition of the main local paper, The Cornishman. We'll be featured as a new business story within the Business section.

Copy of article will follow.

McOwen and Banks - dodgy PR shot!

2010-10-27T10:40:00.000+01:00

Hmmm - note to self to never take own PR shots again possibly!

McOwen and Banks - Success story on Invest in Cornwall

2010-10-27T10:36:00.001+01:00

McOwen+Banks appear as Success Story

Read full article on Invest in Cornwall