THE DS GROUP MAGAZINE ISSUE 05 SNEAK PEAK Inside our new offices PAGES 7 9 WHY ARE IMPORTANT?ACCREDITATIONSISO 8 reasons you should consider getting an ISO accreditation PAGES 12 & 13 NEW STARTERS We say hello to George and Tyler PAGES 18 & 26 PERSONALISEDQRCODES Why they’re a marketingcrucialtool PAGES 22 & 23 HOW WE CAN REDUCE POSTAGEYOURCOSTS Saving money is an essential aspect for all businesses PAGES 24 & 25 Say hello to our new look! YOUR TRUSTED PRINT AND MARKETING PARTNER
MARKETINGMEDIAPRINTDIRECTMAIL01255442799hello@thedsgroup.co.uk thedsgroup.co.uk LET’S GET CREATIVE CONTACT OUR TEAM TODAY! YOUR TRUSTEDPRINT & MARKETING PARTNER
Allistair ManagingHunterDirector
Welcome to the summer issue of our official magazine. As you may have noticed, our name has changed; we decided now (as it’s our 1st anniversary of the magazine) was a great time for a refresh and rebrand - I hope you like it! As we pass the first half of the year, our thoughts move towards the key summer season. This is one of the busiest times of the year for some of our clients, as the exhibition season is finally upon us. In this issue, we welcome some new team members who I’m sure will quickly make a lasting impression. It’s a pleasure to have them on the team.
Allistair allistair@thedsgroup.co.ukManagingHunterDirector
We also have a case study on the exhibition space we created for Dura Composites, as well as our work as the official print partners for Food & Drink Festivals UK. Plus, lots of information about postal discounts and further marketing advice for your business. We’re always keen to get your feedback on the magazine, so if there is anything that you would like to see in the next issue, please get in touch to let us know. I hope you enjoy this issue - happy reading.
3 WELCOME HELLO MARKETING SUMMER 2022 ISSUE
Hello Marketing is the magazine of The DS Group and is published four times a year: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. All enquiries to: The DS Group 7 Faraday Close Oakwood Industrial Estate E:T:CO15EssexClacton-on-Sea4TR01255221322hello@thedsgroup.co.uk We are The DS Group, a full-service print, marketing, direct mail and media company based in Essex. For over 20 years, we have helped companies, large and small, reach their customers and prospects. We deliver an in-house, integrated approach to get your sales, marketing and branding messages directly to your audience. From initial concept and design to print and the delivery straight into your customers’ hands. We offer a professional, friendly and go-getting service that provides you with the best value possible. And ensures you get the results your business truly deserves. Hello Marketing is the in-house magazine for our team and customers. All editorial, design, production, print and fulfilment has been carried out by our in-house team as a showcase of our services. We really hope you enjoy receiving your copy of Hello Marketing. If, however, you would prefer not to hear from us in this way, please contact us on 01255 221322 or by email at hello@thedsgroup.co.uk and we would be delighted to help you manage how we communicate with you. THEDSGROUP.CO.UK © The DS Group 2022
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4 THEDSGROUPHQTHEDSGROUPHQTHEDSGROUPHQ ABOUT HELLOHELLOMARKETINGMARKETING ISSUE 5
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5 CONTENTS Page 18 Page 26 Page 27 Pages 30 – 32 Page 33 INSIGHTFACTFEATURESFILE Team Q&A: George Dean Team Q&A: Tyler Chase Say “Hello” to our new look! Hello CelebratingTeam! business success in Essex Page 34 FINAL WORD Cool marketing campaign of the season CONTENTS Hello Colchester Our Clacton Roots Going the Extra Mile Elevate your marketing with targeted direct mail How we can reduce postage costs for your business The best festivals in… Colchester! Pages 7 - 9 Pages 10 & 11 Pages 14 & 15 Pages 19 – 21 Pages 24 & 25 Pages 28 & 29 Congratulations Colchester! Why are ISO accreditations important? Exhibition Recognition Marketing your business with QR Codes Page 6 Pages 12 & 13 Pages 16 & 17 Pages 22 & 23 HELLO MARKETING ISSUE 5
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This year, the DS Group is proud to congratulate Colchester as the UK’s newest city, which is a special privilege that has been awarded in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Often described as “Britain’s oldest recorded city”, Colchester has been around for some time, and was founded back in the 1st Century BC, although at the time, it was known instead as ColchesterCamulodunum.BoroughCouncil have been working for several years to raise Colchester’s profile enough to be awarded the coveted city status, and after unsuccessful bids for the position back in 1992, 2000, 2002 and 2012, they’re pleased that their work has finally paid off. The Council submitted the proposal to become a city in December of last year, mentioning the city’s history, its status as one of the UK’s fastest growing towns, and its strong royal and military links as valid reasons for Colchester to acquire city Backstatus.in2011, even though Essex was the 7th largest county in England, it had no cities whatsoever. However, Colchester’s new status is part of a trend of Essex towns getting elevated to cities, following Southend becoming a city in March of this year, and Chelmsford back in 2012 to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Colchester is one of 8 towns becoming cities to mark the 2022 Jubilee, bringing the UK’s total number of cities to 76. On the topic of Colchester’s new city status, The Mayor of Colchester, Councillor Robert Davidson, said: “On behalf of everyone in Colchester, I would like to thank Her Majesty for this wonderful honour in her Platinum Jubilee year.
This is also an incredible opportunity for businesses in the area, with even those outside of Colchester being pleased with the decision. Andrew Hensman, Chairman of Braintree District Council, said: “This is positive news not only for the Borough, but the wider North Essex area and we look forward to seeing a new wave of investment in the area”, as the decision will likely boost tourism and business within the city.
I would also like to pay tribute to everyone who backed Colchester’s bid, including Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Essex, Mrs Jennifer Tolhurst, and all those who worked so hard to make city status a reality in this extraordinary year”.
COLCHESTER!CONGRATULATIONS
7HELLO MARKETING ISSUE 5 FEATURE COVER STORY
The new structure enables our production and warehouse teams to remain in Clacton-On-Sea, whilst the new Colchester DS Group location will be the home for our office team. The DS Group have been entirely based in Faraday Close since our inception, and the current premises provide us with the perfect warehousing facilities to ensure fulfilment of our customers’ orders are carried out. However, our office team has expanded, and in line with our five year plan it became apparent that we needed to look for new offices to aid the growth of the business. Our new office will give our administrative teams much more space to work in that what they have now, and will be a better workspace for the kind of work that they do. The new environment provides us with more greenery, magazine shelves, a flexible layout, and several break out areas. Our office team are incredibly excited to move to the new space! So how do they look? Let’s get into it.
COLCHESTER!
Over the past twenty years, the DS Group has undergone many changes! As we continue to grow, and as a natural step of that growth, we have realised we need more space. After months of preparation, we are pleased to announce that we are moving our sales, marketing and commercial teams to our new Colchester office from 1st of September 2022!
OFFICESMARKETINGANDSALESNEWOUR
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First, the main office space: called ‘The Ardleigh’, this contemporary furnished space gives our amazing team enough room for 10 people. The area comes with high-quality natural light levels, brand new Panasonic air conditioning and cutting edge technology to extract viruses (including covid-19) from air circulation! In order to ensure we have a versatile working space, we also have our premium offices, ‘The Lawford’ and ‘The Copford’. Both offices have a retro steampunkthemed space with 43” TVs, mini fridges, and handcrafted wood furniture. These offices are ideal for when you need a quiet area to work, for client meetings, or for zoom meetings.
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But more important than our office are the people who will make our new offices incredible and a joy to work at. We are a team with a singular shared goal: to make marketing for our clients easier. We consider our new office as the beginning of another chapter in our history. Thanks for being with us throughout this growth! If you are in the area, feel free to stop by and say hello!
Next, our WOW factor meeting pods! Everyone in the team is excited about these spaces as this is where we will hold our daily/weekly team meetings. The private booths ooze style and bring vibrance to the workspace, which helps to spark creativity, drive innovation, and boost performance. The icing on the cake for our incredibly busy team is our indoor cardio gym! In collaboration with Technogym, our new space incorporates the latest technology and premium equipment. The perfect way keep the motivation going within our sales team!
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Why our warehouse is the perfect production site Alongside our new offices in Colchester, we’re also still working out of the classic DS Group building in Clacton. Faraday Close has been our home since day one of the business, so our production and operations teams are staying in this location so we can ensure we’re able to provide our clients with the same quality level of service they’ve come to expect from We’reus.often inundated with print work, so our sizable production warehouse is still the perfect location for our talented staff to be producing our first-rate products.
Over the years, we’ve really made the Clacton office feel like home for our DS Group family. The whole warehouse space has our personal mark on it, from the break-out room that we’ve styled to look like a diner, our personalised decorative decals, and the pink and blue branded colour scheme that we’ve put in place around the whole Movingbuilding.oursales
ROOTSCLACTONOUR
and marketing division to Colchester is a great move for our Clacton office, because it means we’ll have more rooms to use as storage and meeting spaces. Our Clacton staff will be able to make even better use of our spacious branded office spaces, on-site parking, and fantastic location right in the heart of Clacton town, with easy access to the local shops and restaurants.
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It also means our talented production staff will be able to run our printing presses even more efficiently than ever, because the entire space will be dedicated specifically to their work. With our sales and marketing team together in our Colchester location, and our production and operations team continuing to work out of our Clacton site, we’re proud to say that our business is stronger than ever. We can’t wait to see what the next chapter of the DS Group’s history will look like!
WHY ARE IMPORTANT?ACCREDITATIONSISO
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An ISO accreditation is a fantastic way to show your customers that you can meet your business obligations in terms of everything from legal regulations to positive management culture. Although it can be a lot of work to have an independent organisation conduct an audit on your business to award the accreditation, it’s one of the best decisions you can make to show that you’re a professional business. However, did you know that there are other benefits to an ISO accreditation beyond just impressing your customers? Here are 8 reasons you should consider getting an ISO Itaccreditation:willincrease your customer trust and brand loyalty When you have an ISO accreditation, customers won’t have to do compliance research on your company. They’ll know at a glance that your business is conforming to certain standards, which will make it easier for you to do business with them. Your business will become organised Preparing for and undergoing the audit necessary for receiving an ISO accreditation requires an incredibly organised business to make the process as smooth as possible. This can help you overcome problems down the line by organising your business so you can avoid administrative problems in the future. Prove you have a healthy work culture ISOs aren’t just awarded for the standards of products and services. Some accreditations prove that your business is organised effectively, appropriately valuing your employees, and constantly improving. Quicker access to new markets and business opportunities
ISO standards are in place in over 170 countries. Being accredited means you can easily start doing business abroad if you want to increase your business outreach oversees, and can build instant trust with unfamiliar customers in new markets.
It can make a smaller business appear professional If you’re a newer company without much customer loyalty yet, acquiring an ISO accreditation could be a fantastic strategy to build trust with prospective customers before they’ve even seen your products. They can help you reduce environmental impact Some ISO accreditations are focused on an organisation’s environmental impact (Like The DS Group’s newly acquired ISO 14001!), and aren’t attainable unless they meet certain environmental standards. Preparing to be audited for one could be a great way to rethink some aspects of your business’s environmental impact, and potentially make your customers pleased in the process! Show that you’re evolving Receiving a new ISO accreditation is a sign of a healthy company. Being awarded an accreditation is a fantastic way to let your existing customers know that you’re aware of current market concerns, and still meeting the business standards that they expect of you.
13HELLO MARKETING ISSUE 5 FACT FILE ACCREDITATION BENEFITS
It can show that your business is performing well to shareholders or investors Along with increased sales figures or healthy profit projections, receiving an ISO accreditation is a fantastic indicator that your business is healthy and running well. Investors might view a lack of an accreditation as a red flag when deciding whether to involve themselves in your business.
THERE ARE OVER 22,000 ACCREDITATIONSISO CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO BUSINESSES
FEATURE CASE STUDY 14
When Dura Composites came to us with this project, we knew we’d be able to meet their expectations One of our most exciting and unique challenges this season has been to create an exhibition stand for Dura Composites to showcase at Seawork 2022. The brief we were given was simple: To design and supply an exhibition stand for use at various events, but it had to be easy to transport and construct, whilst also being eye-catching and noticeable. The DS Group came up with a frame idea that could be modified to various sizes subject to the space at the exhibition. This meant the frame could be as large or as compact as necessary, whilst retaining the same functionality and branded marketing. The fabric finish to the graphics ensured that it was lightweight, and more importantly, had the impact that Dura required. Fabric is also more durable than paper, and not as susceptible to damage when being transported between exhibitions. It was important to the client that the finished stand looked consistent. With that in mind, Dura also incorporated black flooring to give the exhibition a cohesive finished look.
GOING THE EXTRA MILE
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Allistair Hunter - Managing Director - The DS Group
Having worked closely with Dura for many years, we understand what they want to achieve from their marketing, so the planning of this stand was a positive challenge for us to get involved with.
In the pictures here, the stand was transported to the 2022 SeaWork show in Southampton, and constructed in a single day, ready for use at the three-day long show. As part of our service, assembly of the structure was included, and we also provided a TV and literature stand. Seawork is the largest commercial marine exhibition in Europe, and was held at the prestigious Mayflower Park venue. It’s widelyconsidered to be a one-stop shop for buyers, providing them access to the commercial marine and workboat markets. Now in its 23rd year, Seawork offers a unique combination of undercover exhibition space, such as the exhibition stand we created, as well as open air demonstrations and floating specificationsMeetingdisplays.thesedesignwasan interesting challenge, and we’re very proud of the finished product. If you need materials supplied for any upcoming trade shows or exhibitions, please get in touch!
At the DS Group, we offer many marketing services, and stand build and design is just one of the areas we can assist with. This project was fun and we’re happy with the end result!
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I personally love getting involved in projects of this nature.
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In a world where it can sometimes feel difficult to get your company’s message out there, trade shows are a fantastic opportunity to market your business in a way that’s totally different to direct mail or online marketing! Trade fairs exist for virtually every industry, such as farming exhibitions or car shows, so whatever business you’re involved in, it’s a great idea to sign yourself up and exhibit your products. It’s relatively easy: all you need to do is set-up an attractive exhibition stand and make sure you’ve got enough marketing materials to hand out to the attendees. You’ll find that the engagement you get from a trade show is much more personalised, and it’s a fantastic way to market your business and make an impression on people in a way that other marketing techniques simply don’t allow for. Still not convinced? Here are some of our top reasons to exhibit at a trade show: They’re fantastic marketing opportunities Having a stand at a trade show is one of the smartest marketing decisions you can make. You can make sure that your brand is front and centre to grab people’s attention as they walk around the exhibition, and you can employ some visual marketing strategies that you wouldn’t normally get a chance to use. Imagine how good your company logo could look on an exhibition stand or poster board instead of just on leaflets! Once you’ve caught their eye, you can have a face-to-face discussion about your business and products.
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FACT FILE EXHIBITIONS 16 RECOGNITIONEXHIBITION
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Carry your momentum online Alternatively, exhibiting your business at a trade show can also have marketing benefits both before and after the event. If the trade show is particularly well-known, announcing your attendance in advance via social media will build interest in your brand. Alternatively, if you effectively make use of print media to design a unique and strikinglooking booth, you’ll have a lot of chances to take photographs to use on your social media platforms later on. There may be a lot of people who weren’t able to go to the trade show in person, but sharing highlights after the event has finished means you can reach an even wider audience.
It’s a great chance to do some networking Exhibiting at a trade show isn’t just a great chance to get your own message out there, because you also have the chance to meet with other business-owners in your field. This gives you a unique opportunity to form connections, but also to take note of what your competitors are doing right (or in some cases, what you’re doing better). Also, because trade fairs are usually industry-wide, you’ll likely meet more than just other businesses doing what you do. It’s a great chance to get in touch with others such as suppliers and marketers, to potentially further your business’s goals. Live interactive marketing opportunities You can make use of the in-person nature of a trade show in ways that are impossible with other forms of marketing. You could schedule a new product announcement to be revealed exclusively at a trade expo, forcing potential customers to visit your stand to learn more about it. Having a physical stand also allows you to do things like live product demonstrations that would be much more effective than simply describing your products through a leaflet or advert. You can even hand out branded merchandise such as bottles or accessories to ensure that your brand message will have a lasting effect on the attendees after they’ve left the expo.
MEET GEORGE
Meet George, our new Publishing Assistant here at the DS Group, who has joined our publishing team to help with proofreading, editing, content research and writing. We asked George some questions about his time with us so far, as well as his life outside of work.
What is your secret to making progress each day? It might sound a bit silly, but I feel like the single most important thing you can do to make progress is to actually make a start on something. Every time I’m finding a task really hard to plan out, or it seems daunting, once I’ve actually gotten started the work never seems to take as long as I thought it would. Even if I’ve only got a single word written down on a page, one thing always leads to another, and I can always come back and fix things up down the line. What things do you enjoy out of work? For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved reading! My favourites are probably books by Agatha Christie or Stephen King, but I read a good mix of everything, really. I make a point of reading at least 70 books a year, but I usually surpass that number by the time the year ends.
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Tell us one thing that people don’t know about you When I was at primary school in Billericay, I actually went to the same school as Ashley Banjo, head of the dance group Diversity and a judge on Britain’s Got Talent. One year when the school was putting on a talent showcase, we were both performing on the same stage!
What has your career path looked like? When I first started my career a few years ago, I was actually in a totally different industry and working for a reinsurance corporation, but I don’t think I was necessarily a very good fit for that kind of numericallyminded work. I did a lot of thinking about what I actually want to do for the rest of my life, and I resolved to change careers so I could make use of all the editing and writing experience I got whilst studying English at university. It’s definitely work that I’m much better-suited to, and as a bonus, I really enjoy doing it too. What makes The DS Group different from other places you’ve worked? One of the things I love most about working at the DS Group is how small and friendly the team is here. I think it can be easy for bigger companies to feel impersonal because of the sheer number of employees, and it can make the working atmosphere feel a bit hostile and prone to office politics. I feel like people genuinely work together here and help each other out, and I like seeing my efforts pay off whenever my work gets published. It’s very rewarding!
DIRECTWITHMARKETINGYOURATARGETEDMAILSTRATEGY!
19HELLO MARKETING ISSUE 5 FEATURE PERSONALISED DIRECT MAIL
ELEVATE
Even though the DS group is always evolving, handling direct mail is still at the heart of our business, with over 20 years of experience. When planning a direct mail marketing campaign, one of the most effective strategies you can employ is using targeted or personalised direct mail to ensure your campaign reaches specific Targetedaudiences.direct mail works by making use of your database to isolate specific demographics of your customers, and then ensuring they only receive branded marketing that is going to appeal to them specifically. For example, if you owned a travel company and wanted to take advantage of advertising flights during the school summer holiday period, you could tailor a marketing campaign that would only target parents of school-aged children. The data that businesses use can be varied and unique, such as age, gender, occupation, income, or hobbies, just to name a few.
FEATURE PERSONALISED DIRECT MAIL 20
35%mailImaginehowsuccessfulpersonaliseddirectmailcouldbeconsideringhowmanypeopleyourcampaigncanbetargeting!
There are other benefits to personalised mail campaigns too!
One upside is that even though it may be more work to analyse your market in preparation for a targeted mail campaign, it can be much cheaper and more costeffective to only target the specific demographics that are likely to engage positively. Another bonus of targeting your audience is that by sending out less mail than in a generic marketing campaign, you’re reducing your business’s negative environmental impact by creating less waste to potentially be thrown away instead of recycled.
It can take time to organically accrue information about your business’s customer base and preferences, but once you’re in a position to use that data effectively, you’ll see that executing a marketing campaign using personalised direct mail is a much more successful strategy than marketing to all of your customers with the same message. At the DS Group, we think that targeted and personalised direct mail is a really exciting way for a business to refine their outreach, especially when combined with an original and creative marketing strategy!
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Personalising your direct mail approach is often seen as much more effective than an unfocused catch-all marketing campaign. With generic marketing, businesses have to look at consumer trends as a whole, and have to rely on all of their customers having similar preferences or purchase patterns, which is rarely the case. However, due to their nature, targeted ads are smaller campaigns, and often have much higher success rates because they can be more focused on individual customers with a history of responding positively to certain product Personalisedtypes.mail is more likely to drive an actual purchase than general
21 FEATURE PERSONALISED DIRECT MAIL How can I plan a personalised direct mail campaign? Spend time gathering information about your customers or recipients. Analyse the information in your database, and decide what demographics you’re going to use to target. Come up with a personalised and specific marketing plan. Use a company like the DS Group to handle the mailing of your personalised direct mail. 5 Reasons to use Targeted and Personalised Direct Mail You can establish relationships with clients. If all of your direct mail marketing begins with their name, they’ll feel much more included because they’re getting addressed directly. It Increases brand loyalty and trust among your customers, especially if they feel like your brand cares about them personally enough to know their preferences. You can achieve much higher levels of Physicalfeedback.mail stays in someone’s physical space until they dispose of it, ensuring your message can have 70%longevity.ofpeople said that physical mail, instead of email, makes them feel valued as a recipient. HELLO MARKETING ISSUE 5
FACT FILE CUSTOM QR CODES 22 MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS TO OTHERS HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER!
Clara Deeks - Publishing Director
QR (Quick Response) Codes are a great tool that businesses can use to make it even easier for their customers to access their products or services. They’re essentially scannable barcodes that can be designed to link to a company’s website or service pages, making it even easier for customers to connect with businesses. One fantastic point about QR codes is that almost anyone can use them without needing to download any other apps, as long as you’ve got a smartphone with a camera. On both Apple and Android phones, QR code support comes built-in, so all you have to do is open your device’s camera and point it at the code you want to scan. As a business-owner, you have total control over what your QR codes can link to. Maybe you want to make it easier for customers to find your website, or maybe you’re hosting an event and it’s cheaper to email the attendees a QR code ticket instead of a physical one?
- The DS Group HELLO MARKETING ISSUE 5
2022 seems to have been the turning point for customers including personalised QR codes within their marketing campaigns. Most of the campaigns we work on feature QR codes, and they have become an integral part of our customer’s marketing strategy. The benefit of including the code is to get a direct visit to your website and you can even track where the visitor has come from by using a custom code. Feedback from our customers, is that these trackable codes give them increased links and a greater understanding of the types of visitors to their sites.
Great marketing uses for custom QR codes: Create a QR code to put in your email signatures or stationary that’s quicker for your customers to use than manually searching the internet for your website. Use a QR code that connects directly with your business’s phone line. Have a customer scan a QR code to instantly add a reminder/date to their device’s calendar if you’re promoting an event. include a QR code in your marketing that links directly to your company’s social media. Print a QR code on your product packaging to promote your other Scanningproducts.aQRcode can instantly show your customers how to locate your business without them having to manually find you on a map. Consider including a QR code on your business card, to keep the design simple and uncluttered by not having to include all of your contact information.
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Now, QR codes have become an essential marketing tool. With over 6.67 billion smartphone users globally, and 90% of the population having high-speed internet access in 2022, QR codes are a fantastic way for businesses to connect with their customers like never before. Businesses are able to use them to track metrics such as number of times a QR code is scanned, amount scans over a specific period of time, or even things such as mapping where users were when they scanned their QR codes. They’re helping to make interactions quicker, simpler, and even convincing customers to look at products or services that they might have otherwise ignored.
23 FACT FILE CUSTOM QR CODES
TRY IT OUT
HOW WE CAN REDUCE POSTAGE COSTS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
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Postage is an essential aspect of most businesses, whether that’s print marketing, or actually sending your products out to clients. However, postage can be one of the most costly aspects to your business, too. Fortunately, there are a lot of costsaving techniques you can use to reduce the amount you’d need to spend. Here at the DS Group, we’re a well-established company that specialises in presenting our clients with cheaper printing and postage options than they’d find elsewhere, without having to compromise on the quality of their service. We’re fully equipped to handle every step of the postage process thanks to our state-of-the-art printers, data software, packaging solutions, and long-standing business relationships with delivery companies. Read on to hear about some of the ways we can help you reduce postage costs for your business: Our Printing Presses In house, our printing presses handle huge volumes of printing every single day. We’re responsible for producing a wide variety of products for our clients, such as leaflets, business cards, letters, postcards, brochures, catalogues, welcome packs, membership mailings, product samples and more. One way we can reduce costs for you as a business are through discounts on bulk orders. Setting-up a printing machine to run can be quite time-consuming and costly, so we’re pleased to be able to offer these reduced rates to clients that place larger orders. This means you’ll have more printed materials, for cheaper than you’d find elsewhere.
Once the finished product has been sorted based on postcode and area, we can also prepare the order to be picked up by something called a “downstream access company”. These are services like Whistle and Citigroup that charge a smaller fee than traditional postage services, but they enable us to send bulk postage orders to specific local sorting offices around the country. This bypasses most stages of Royal Mail’s expensive sorting process, but still means that your postage can still reach its destination quickly. The vast majority of client postage is for delivery within the UK, but we’re also proud to offer worldwide shipping on marketing materials and products. With over 20 years of experience, you can be confident that the DS Group are not only adept at the services we provide, but also that we can be the most cost-effective options for our clients. If you’re in need of a reasonably-priced mailing service for your printing, then get in touch!
Downstream Access Providers
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Data and sorting Aside from the price of printing, the other high-cost area of postage is the actual mail sorting that needs to occur to ensure your mail gets to the right destination. Some of our clients are small local businesses who need things mailed to the surrounding areas, and others are household brands that need to service the whole country, but they all need to have their postage sorted if it’s going to get where it needs to go. Once your print has been produced, our talented data team are responsible for checking that all of your postage items are correctly labelled. Our machines are capable of highly accurate printing, so we’re able to directly stamp our postage with Royal Mail’s Mailmark, to save you further costs. The data team also manually sort the postage items internally using our own software, to save the national postage services having to do this themselves. In fact, by pre-sorting the postage before we pass it on to Royal Mail, we can cut up to 30% from their handling rates, and even more off the price of a stamp. Traditionally, when you send a postage item, it goes to your local Royal Mail sorting office, then it’s sorted by their workers and dispatched via their trucks to another sorting office near its target location, only to be sorted again ready for a local delivery driver to take it to its destination. We’re able to simplify this entire process for our clients, and enable them to save a considerable sum of money.
By using The DS Group, you won’t have to set aside a dedicated “post room” to handle all of your postage admin, and you can rest assured that the job will be done efficiently and swiftly thanks to our 20+ years of experience with print mail.
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What has your career path looked like? After leaving college I went straight to work within the housing industry. I enjoyed where and who I worked with but felt like I wasn’t exercising my creativity. Therefore, I decided to begin a Level 3 apprenticeship in Digital Marketing. I worked for a small, family-run digital marketing agency, where I was working with clients from a diverse range of industries on national and international campaigns. Before I knew it, I was account managing some of the business’s most prestigious and affluent clientele, alongside being solely responsible for entire departments such as Copywriting and Optimisation, Social Media Marketing and Paid Ads. What things do you enjoy out of work? Outside of work I like to go to festivals and gigs! I often go on long walks, to the cinema or out for a meal, and like everybody, I like going to the pub and on holiday. Tell us one thing that people don’t know about you? At the start of lockdown I broke my back falling out of a tree! What advice would you give to your younger self? Don’t climb trees. You can pick one… so, what’s your all-time favourite song? Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers.
26 INSIGHT COMPANY Q&A MEET TYLER Meet Tyler, our new Senior Marketing Executive. Bringing a wealth of marketing experience and an agency background to the team, she looks after the social media platforms for all our brands as well as running all marketing campaigns for the group. We asked Tyler about what she finds rewarding, as well as what her career path has looked like so far.
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You might have noticed that this issue of our magazine looks a bit different! Whilst planning our latest issue, we decided that this was a fantastic time for us to give our magazine a fresh new look. Since launching last summer, the DS Group magazine has always been called “Vision”, but we’ve now rebranded ourselves as the (much snappier) “Hello Marketing”, which is a friendlier title that reflects who we are and what we do. We’ve been brainstorming ideas for our new name without much inspiration, but once Hello Marketing was suggested, everyone loved the idea! Given that this summer is the anniversary of our first issue, it seems like an ideal time to rebrand.
The majority of our redesign was handled by Ben Emmerson, our in-house graphic designer, who has taken it upon himself to re-design every aspect of the existing magazine into the finished product you’re holding right now. Just like with our magazine, we pride ourselves on being able to rebrand our clients’ marketing upon request, or even help them design their own logos and marketing for them. If your business marketing is in need of a refresh, the DS Group can help!
The DS Group is always growing and evolving, and we feel that our rebrand is a reflection of our willingness to adapt. Along with the One of my favourite parts of my role at the DS Group is to work on rebranding projects. I love it when a client gives us the go-ahead to completely refresh their marketing! To work on the redesign of our own magazine was incredibly exciting and I’m personally very pleased with the result! I hope you like too!”
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Ben Emmerson - Graphic Designer - The DS Group magazine rebrand and move to our new offices, we’re also expanding our staff, and have created new marketing and publishing roles within the team so we can take on even more work for our valued clients.
HELLO MARKETING ISSUE 5
NEWTOSAYOURLOOK!
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Supporting local events is important to the DS Group. This year we are proud print partners of Food & Drink Festivals UK. For 2022, Castle Park in Colchester is home to three events run and managed by Colchester-based events company (and local legend) Don Quinn. Colchester Castle Park is situated to the north-east of Colchester Town Centre and is divided into the Upper Park and Lower Park by the Roman Wall that crosses through it from east to west. The park spans an area of 11 hectares and is listed Grade II in the English Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Importance. The Lower Park is adjacent to the cricket ground and expands downwards to the River Colne. The park is blessed with many benches. That means you are never far away of being able to find somewhere to sit down, enjoy the view, and people watch. Lower Castle Park is the ideal venue for local festivals. For the second year running we have partnered with the organisers of three exciting events.
FEATURE COLCHESTER EVENTS The best festivals in …. COLCHESTER!
HELLOwww.foodanddrinkfestivalsuk.co.ukMARKETING
As events partners, the DS Group published the event programmes for all three of these festivals. As part of our full-service publishing offering, we sold advertising within the programmes, collated the editorial, and designed the layouts (including production and advert design). We also printed the guides and delivered them to Castle Park the day before each event. We are proud to support our local events. If you would like to discuss our contract publishing services or supportive partnerships please contact us.
Colchester Roman Festival
Colchester Medieval Festival 4th June & 5th June 2022
FEATURE COLCHESTER EVENTS
Colchester Food & Drink Festival 25th June & 26th June 2022
Staged as a full medieval fair, this festival is complete with activities that the 15th and 16th centuries would have offered. Visitors can encounter archers, traders, musicians and all manner of trades. There are medieval stalls selling all sorts of wonderful historic crafts, along with exhibiting entertainers from the period. Approximately 5,000 visitors make their way to Colchester’s Medieval Fayre annually, so the festival has become a tradition, and is now a major public event in the Eastern Counties.
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The festival takes place yards from Colchester’s historic castle, the site of a Roman Temple. World-famous Roman re-enactors ‘Britannia’ show Rome’s military might and pomp. ‘Vicus’ will create an encampment which includes authentic cooking and craft. There will be stalls and lots of things to buy and see, as well as Ales and wines (including honey wine) on sale, and some wonderful food to please everyone.
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Each year the festival includes lots of old favourites, and for 2022, there were some new and exciting stalls and products to tempt visitors. Featuring lots of different stalls with local and international food and drink, there is always so much to see and try. Visitors can relax in the wonderful atmosphere of this much-loved festival and spend time having a picnic, listening to the music, and strolling around the stalls, whilst trying some of the artisan produced local goodies.
30th July & 31st July 2022
THE TEAM
Christopher Corke Financial Director Clara Deeks Commercial/Publishing Director With a career of proven commercial success across media, print, events and publishing, Clara is responsible for developing and implementing commercial strategies to increase profit.
Chris controls the company’s annual operating budget to ensure that all financial targets are met, as well as providing financial guidance.
Ben Emmerson Graphic Designer Having joined us back in 2016 as an apprentice, Ben is now responsible for keeping our customers happy with his talented graphic design skills!
Tracy Mead Operations Director Working at DS for over 13 years, Tracy runs both the Production and Operations Teams like clockwork, as well as looking after our customers and offering expert advice.
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Allistair Hunter Managing Director Running the DS Group for over 20 years, Allistair is still involved in the day to day running of the business and is still loving every minute of it!
Our people are the bedrock of our business and ensure that we deliver outstanding, effective marketing campaigns for our clients. In the offices, our team of professional marketers, editors, publishers, and designers have a wide range of experience and skills that allow us to offer our customers a truly integrated marketing approach. In our production facility and warehouse, our team of print finishers and warehouse assistants ensure that our customers’ orders are fulfilled with the expertise and care they deserve.
Chantell Keston Media Sales Executive Chantell is responsible for increasing advertising sales across our contract magazines. She boasts a 20-year career within magazine advertising sales and is a great addition to the sales team.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dave Wallace Sponsorship and Partnerships Manager Dave heads up the sponsorship and partnership sales across our annual designer Awards event and our weekly design podcasts. He also manages the advertising across our contract magazines.
Damien Grothier Warehouse & Production Assistant Damian is keen to give a hand to any task and runs our direct mail machinery.
31HELLO MARKETING ISSUE 5 INSIGHT OUR TEAM
Dominic Littler Creative Marketing Manager Specialist in creative marketing campaigns, video content creation, photography, social media management, digital design, SEO, web development and so much more!
Martin Allen-Smith Editor With over 20 years’ experience working as a journalist, Martin has been the Editor of our in-house magazine, Designer for over 13 years!
Jonathan Gees Warehouse Assistant Ensuring that all of the warehouses are in order and every box is in its set place is Jonathan’s role. He also assists on the production machines and is a whizz on the forklift.
Jake joins the DS Group to compliment the production team and handles work on various machines to ensure our clients’ direct mail gets out on time.
Jake George Machine Operator
Marion Rotchell Production Assistant Marion is our longest serving employee working for the DS Group for over 16 years! Her wealth of proficiency and wisdom is unprecedented and she is an asset to the team.
George Dean Publishing Assistant Bringing editorial experience to the team, George assists with all of our publishing work, and his role includes researching, proofreading and writing our content.
Donna is the data guru for the company and is adept in her field. She also assists with production and has recently turned her hand to working on the polywrap machine!
Lewis Smith Warehouse Assistant Assisting with direct mail campaigns, Lewis runs a variety of machines and ensures that clients mailings go out the door and hit door steps when required.
Debbie Taylor Regional Sales Executive Media, Print & Direct Mail Following a 20-year career working within newspapers for local businesses in Essex, Debbie has experience working across advertising sales and local business knowledge.
Mark Edwards Production and Warehouse Manager Making sure that all direct mail campaigns are fulfilled and on time is Mark’s pivotal role within the production team. He also brings cheekiness and fun to the team.
Donna Fennell Production & Data Technician
Steve Brogan Assistant Print Finisher Steve works within the Digital Print team and his finishing skills are second to none. He also maintains and runs various printers and finishing machines, including large format.
Will Cook Warehouse Manager Will’s heads up the warehouse team and the day to day running of production. He is responsible for running various machinery including the poly-wrap machine and the envelope inserter.
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Stuart Sinclair Brand Manager Having worked within media since 2004, Stuart has worked on newspapers, community magazines, as well as market leading magazines, and events.
GREAT THINGS IN BUSINESS ARE NEVER DONE BY ONE
Sean Killen Print Finisher Sean continuously develops the Print Operations at the DS Group. He is an expert in his field and brings years of valuable knowledge and experience to his role.
Russell Mead Customer Care Advisor Russell prides himself on handling your job with care, from taking the initial order right through to delivery - ensuring you receive the quality and hands-on care we are known for!
Tyler Chase Senior Marketing Executive Bringing a wealth of marketing experience and an agency background to the team, Tyler looks after our social media platforms for all brands as well as running all marketing campaigns for the group. PERSON
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Attended by our Commercial Director, Clara Deeks and our Regional Sales Executive, Debbie Taylor, our dream team networked to their hearts content and made full use of the opportunities on the day! We love supporting local businesses and networking groups. Local is at the heart of what we do at DS and we are proud to work with many local companies as our core client base (many of whom have worked with us for over 15 Comeyears!). and visit us at Essex Chambers Basildon Business Expo on Wednesday 28th September. The event is being held at Basildon Sporting Village from 10am-3pm www.essexchambers.co.uk
As proud members of Essex Chambers of Commerce, exhibiting at the recent Festival of Business at the picturesque Hylands House in Chelmsford was the ideal event to strengthen our ties across the Essex business community. As official print partners for the festival, the DS Group printed the festival brochure as well as the large outdoor banners. Our stand at the Festival proved to be successful, with a bustling and steady stream of visitors throughout the day. This provided us with an ideal opportunity to meet with existing clients and also to meet potential new clients too.
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BUSINESS
CELEBRATING SUCCESS IN ESSEX
Each issue, we bring to your attention a cool advertising campaign that has caught our eye! Right now, we’re loving this campaign by Netflix to advertise their newly-released 4th series of Stranger ImpressivelyThings.merging print advertising with a branded physical space, this campaign features billboards with fictional advertisements from the 1980s-themed world of Stranger Things. In the middle of the board is an impossible-to-miss door themed to look like a portal to the Upside Down dimension from the show, complete with tentacles and an ominous red glow. Once inside the “portal”, visitors will find a themed pizza restaurant where they can try a limited-edition slice of “Demogorgon pizza”, and take pictures surrounded by the iconic dark and spooky environmental aesthetic from the show. The pop-up feature has appeared in Shoreditch in London, but similar advertising campaigns have been launched worldwide. Netflix have installed similarly-themed portals in 14 countries, including Bondi Beach in Australia, Wawel Castle in Poland, and have even projected a giant animated portal onto the Empire State Building in New York City. POP-UP
FINAL WORD COOL MARKETING CAMPAIGN
34 HELLO MARKETING ISSUE 5 STRANGER THINGS’ PIZZA
Linking lifestyles across Essex and Suffolk Things to do, fun facts, days out and much more
