Creatives that launch
Lawton Communications’ vision is to build a valuable, sustainable and independent group of businesses. That includes Five by Five, a launch marketing agency. Sue Hughes met managing director Jo White and business development director Gareth Evans
When everyone is ’integrated’ in marketing communications nowadays, how do you stand out? One way is to establish a top-flight reputation for a specific skill set, which is precisely what the Five by Five team has done.
Parent company Lawton Communications Group was an early adopter of digital in 1994. Managing director Jo White, who joined in 2001, explained that as clients’ requirements changed it made sense to blend and develop a mix which comprised advertising, marketing, PR and digital: “Five by Five emerged as an integrated agency which provides a broad gamut of creative business services.“
“There are 17,000 agencies in the UK, so we spent some time doing what we do for clients – we looked at the marketplace for our own brand and what place we occupied compared to other agencies,“ added business development director Gareth Evans.
With a strong launch and gaming industry pedigree – Five by Five has launched everything from Call of Duty to toasters and TV shows – it recognised that its expertise was key to the future direction.
A launch is like a wedding – stressful, requiring exemplary planning, the chivvying of a large cast who may have different opinions, and everything has to run without a hitch on the big day, not forgetting the bride centre
Lawton Communications headquarters
to explore something new and personal to them which the entire team can learn about.
Gareth Evans
stage who is enjoying the biggest day of her life. That is where Five by Five comes in, to hold a client’s hand throughout the launch journey, make sure it’s perfect and that it gets people talking.
“We help our clients stand out in a cluttered marketplace,“ White continued. “On the whole they value us for our insight, strategic rigour, collaboration, fresh and disruptive creative thinking – as well as being a safe pair of hands when it comes to delivery. They don’t just see us as their organisational ninja; that’s just one part of being a trusted launch marketing partner.“
With 75% of Five by Five’s work comprising launches it is crucial the launch keeps customers loyal to the brand. It may involve B2B engagement, seeing early signs of success via pre-orders for a product, building an advertising campaign across different
Jo White
platforms, a ’rocket launch’ or a softer approach.
New business acquisition and growth targets for 2015 mean Five by Five is actively recruiting to boost the 50-strong team based in Southampton, but it has additional offices in London and California. International work is growing, across Europe, especially Germany, and via the Los Angeles office headed by Matt Lawton, the son of founder Mike Lawton, whose other son Nick runs the UK operation.
The company has strong links with higher education and engages with Southampton Solent University’s marketing students through its Pitch Programme; because production and creative staff are in Southampton it is an excellent opportunity for students to work on a brief they can then add to their CVs.
“Wherever we work we retain the focus on innovation. It’s important to look around the second corner for the client,“ said Evans. That commitment to innovation is developed through ’lab time’, whereby staff take the opportunity
SPONSORS
This led to an original interactive project for the University of Southampton. A member of the development team wanted to explore new potential uses for the Google maps API (application- programming interface), and incorporated its style and manner of interaction using internal panoramic shots to move around a building. As people are aware of how to navigate Google maps, it has allowed the University to offer a ’virtual open day’. Prospective students and staff can see around it, inside and out, from all over the world at any time (Five by Five is currently updating it).
“You become very involved with the launch process. A launch is led by strategic thinking, but it is driven by a commercial objective, and equally won’t succeed without strong creative ideas to bring it to life. It’s important that creatives can immerse themselves in creative time and work with our strategy team to bring their ideas to life,“ said Evans.
Measurement and return on investment using key performance indicators are built into what is undertaken, providing a reference point for the client, and although Five by Five has yet to do more than a soft launch of its own launch proposition, clients are increasingly discovering its strengths.
White concluded: “This is a very exciting time for us internally. We have amazing clients and enjoy tremendously positive and fruitful collaborations with them.“
To hark back to that wedding analogy, Five by Five is key to many successful partnerships, celebrated in style, with a sprinkling of give and take – and they are usually for keeps.
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – DECEMBER 14/JANUARY 15
www.businessmag.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48