BARK 13 by Spindogs

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR

Claire Swindell

SUB EDITOR

Laura Williams

DESIGN

Natasha Manns

SPECIAL THANKS

Steve Dalton

Sara Pepper

All content contained within this issue was correct at the time of publication in October 2024.

CLAIRE SWINDELL Client Engagement Director

RHYS ASHMAN Creative Manager

RHIANNON HEADLAM Project Management Manager

PATRICK DEWAR Designer

LAURA WILLIAMS Marketing & Comms Executive

GRACE HARRIS Product Owner

RYAN HARRIS Digital Marketing Team Lead

TEGAN MALE Senior Accessibility Specialist

AMANDA WILLIAMS Employee Experience Manager

WELCOME

Welcome to issue 13! We head in to autumn ready to launch our digital conference for senior marketers, BARK Live!, in Cardiff this month, following the success of our inaugural event in London in April. It was great to see so many of our clients in person, and share our passion for all things digital with so many like-minded and enthusiastic people. We are excited to launch in Cardiff and then return to London, further details can be found in the dates for your diary on page 48.

The theme for issue 13 is Brand, a theme close to our hearts as we celebrate our 20th birthday this year and reflect on the evolution of our own brand and community across the decades. Within this issue you will find out more about our collaborations with organisations across the UK, big and small, perhaps the most recognisable being the NHS, which you will find on page 20.

What all of the brands featured in this issue share is an uncompromising commitment to their core values, that they then disseminate through every area of their business, through their teams, processes and delivery. This unflinching commitment to brand values is perhaps most visible at Sony, and you can find out more in Claire’s interview with the former Managing Director of the Sony UK Technology Centre, Steve Dalton, on page 10.

As we head in to the colder months I invite you to grab a warm drink, get comfy, and be inspired and engaged by the content within this latest issue. Here’s to a great season for us all.

LIAM GILES Managing Director

CHAT

SUNRISE LEADERS LLP

STEVE DALTON

From Sony to Sunrise, how Steve Dalton is inspiring the next generation of leaders following 4 decades at the global tech giant.

Steve Dalton began his career at Sony in 1983, and over the next 39 years worked his way up the Sony corporate ladder through hard work, determination and the support of one of the most recognisable brands in the world, becoming Managing Director of the Sony UK Technology Centre in 2006.

Not only this, Steve was chair of the board of directors at the Football Association of Wales for 4 years and remains a consultant with the association, and was awarded an OBE for services to industry in the 2010 honours list.

Since 2022, Steve has been supporting other business leaders to fulfil their potential as founder of Sunrise Leaders LLP, helping them to underpin their strategy with the mindset of a global tech giant. I sat down with Steve to find out what we can all learn from the values and purpose of Sony, what he feels are the game-changers for any organisation and what those working with Sunrise Leaders can expect.

CLAIRE SWINDELL

C: DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY FOR US STEVE

S: The great thing about having more flexibility with my time now that I have left Sony is that no day is the same, for example, earlier this morning I was hosting a coaching group for ‘leaders of leaders’ now I am chatting with you, and then this afternoon I will deliver actions as part of my role as a board member of Penybont football club. I’m currently supporting them to rebuild their brand from the ground up – looking at it strategically in terms of governance, diversity, tables of authorities, sales, subcommittees etc, there is so much potential there.

And last week I was lecturing at the Sony University in Tokyo, which is a full circle moment having studied there myself over the course of my Sony career. Every week brings new opportunities.

C: WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE SONY AND IF WE HAD TO GUESS THEIR BRAND VALUES IT WOULD BE TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THEIR BRAND VALUES?

S: Innovation is certainly a key value, and one bred from the first founders in 1946. Alongside this is a “can-do spirit” and a commitment to each other to get the job done. Every meeting was focussed on ‘how do we…’ never ‘ I can’t..’ and so teamwork and trust were the other pillars that the culture was built on. It was extremely inspiring that your colleagues entered each situation with a determination to not only innovate but to complete – yes there were great ideas but we had to work together to get the job done and see those ideas become a reality.

Saying that, building a culture of innovation takes time and commitment, you have to recruit the right people – my own interview for a graduate technical engineer position in 1983 lasted 8 hours!

You then have to nurture that talent, within the optimum environment, and make sure that your values are in the company DNA, every single process at Sony, down to the smallest degree, had to have the same level of excellence and innovation, it was very inspiring!

C: WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGE OF WORKING WITH SUCH A LARGE BRAND?

S: There were many advantages, personally the travel and training opportunities afforded to me were much appreciated, and it is an honour to now be invited back to teach on a platform where I had previously been a student. I was first invited to Japan in 1989 to undertake technical training and education on the Sony way and was also fortunate to attend the Institute of Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, where Sony delivered its program for the next generation. Throughout my career the development of talent was a massive part of the company philosophy.

C: WHAT KEPT YOU LOYAL TO SONY FOR 39 YEARS?

S: I loved working at Sony, I loved being an engineer, I loved developing new manufacturing processes and systems, particularly during the move from analogue to digital, and I loved being Managing Director. I was honoured to lead an organisation with such a global reputation, and steering the company through very tough waters and seeing success

Steve at Sony 2014, source: Wales Online

“I encourage my clients to focus on the bigger picture, the inputs as enablers and drivers and not just the bottom line. ”

following was an amazing feeling, with an incredible talented team. I didn’t ever feel that I needed to leave in order to achieve a promotion, a new challenge or new project. I was there during a period of substantial growth and it was a very supportive environment, everyone got stuck in and was accountable to one another and I didn’t want to leave that, I did and still do believe in all that Sony stands for.

C: HOW HAS WORKING AT SONY FOR 39 YEARS INFLUENCED HOW YOU NOW WORK WITH OTHER LEADERS?

S: As I mentioned earlier, Sony believe in ensuring that your core values run through the DNA of the business, down to the smallest process and so I encourage my clients to start there.

I think pillars of good leadership are:

• Develop and promote a future of positivity

• Think creatively and look for efficiencies

• Invest in others

• Be honest

• Build resilience within your team

• Be realistic with your expectations

• Work at a speed that allows people to push creative boundaries and meet those expectations

Working at Sony gave me an appreciation for how much a culture can influence whether you will deliver your strategy. I encourage my clients to focus on the bigger picture, the inputs as enablers and drivers and not just the bottom line. The bottom line will then take care of itself.

C: WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU STEVE?

S: I’m enjoying working with my clients and seeing their businesses thrive and would love to continue meeting with more aspiring business leaders and entrepreneurs. Helping them develop their skills to become better successful leaders, leaving time for my passion for football.

I want to see Penybont FC as a local club fulfil its potential, we have an opportunity to do something special here, both for the club and the community and I’m thrilled to be a part of that.

You can find Steve on LinkedIn and find out more about how to support Penybont FC below.

Scan the QR code to find out more about Penybont FC. Alternatively, visit www.penybontfc.com

YOUR BRAND IS A STORY UNFOLDING ACROSS ALL CUSTOMER TOUCHPOINTS.

NOT OUR WORDS, BUT THE WORDS OF JONAH SACHS.

CENTRE FOR THE CREATIVE ECONOMY

SARA PEPPER

A force for creative good – from humble beginnings to international recognition, how Sara Pepper has put Cardiff on the map on behalf of every local creative.

CLAIRE SWINDELL

A self-professed ‘intrapreneur,’ Sara Pepper has worked tirelessly over the past 10 years to develop and nurture the brand, delivery, and reputation of Cardiff’s creative economy. In 2014, when Sara was recruited, the fledgling project had initial start-up funding from Cardiff University, a 3 year horizon and zero members or stakeholders. Fast forward to today, and the project has evolved into Cardiff University’s Centre for Creative Economy – which has delivered groundbreaking projects, won multiple grant bids to further its work, and has engaged with thousands of creative individuals and organisations across Wales.

This exceptional performance did not happen overnight and depends entirely on the network recognising the value in the support the Centre and its projects provide. So, what is the secret to their success? I sat down with Sara to discuss how the Centre for Creative Economy is able to balance the wants and needs of their various stakeholders, alongside continually innovating in their space. I am not the only one who has asked these questions, as Sara and her colleagues are regularly sought after to share their insights globally, which has been crucial in building their reputation both at home and abroad.

So, what does the Centre for Creative Economy do? Over the last 10 years, the Centre has come to be recognised globally as a pioneer for research, engagement and innovation. It has delivered high-profile interdisciplinary projects (over £65m value) that underscore the unique contribution that the creative industries make to support, promote, and invest in all aspects of Cardiff and the region’s creative economy. This includes fostering partnerships, facilitating recruitment and development, providing opportunities for growth within the sector, and supporting the sector’s recovery following the pandemic. In addition, it’s about fostering a culture of collaboration as a high percentage of the workforce in the region are sole traders. We can all appreciate that having a wider network to guide and support you through the ups and downs of running your own business can be pivotal.

“Creative Cardiff began with a broad vision informed by what we knew about creative cities. We knew that most successful creative cities have strong networks. We knew that collaboration can inspire new forms of creativity. We knew that a city needs to be able to understand its own strengths and weaknesses to inform its future. And we knew we had to resist old divisions between the (generally subsidised) cultural sector and the (more commercially oriented) creative industries.”

Professor Justin Lewis, Founder, Centre for the Creative Economy

“Creative Cardiff has rapidly become part of the ecosystem that is South Wales’ Creative Economy. One that, for example, explains why Cardiff is identified as a Creative Challenger cluster in Nesta’s Creative Nation mapping: clusters which have experienced rapid growth in recent years and are on track to become central nodes within the UK’s creative geography.”

Hasan Bakhshi, Director for the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC)

What quickly became clear in our conversation is Sara’s strong belief that the organisation’s success should always be recognised and attributed to a team effort. There are no lone rangers or egos here; it’s very much a collective and collaborative commitment to fulfilling their professional obligations to the sector, with Sara as their fearless leader. Sara was the ideal candidate to lead the Centre and its operations over the past decade, having over 25 years’ experience delivering roles in the creative and cultural industries, including in her current role the establishment of the Centre, including the creative city network Creative Cardiff, Clwstwr, a £9 million R&D project promoting innovation in the Welsh economy, and Media Cymru, a £50 million UK Research & Innovation Strength in Places funded programme.

“Our work has evolved alongside the partnerships and collaborations that we have grown locally, regionally, across Wales and UK and internationally. We work with colleagues in government, industry and academia on a daily basis and these relationships are absolutely key to everything we do. We value all of these touchpoints as well as the experience and skills of our very capable team. I am endlessly grateful for our teams commitment to the work and to the community we work with.”

It may come as no surprise that the core brand values of the Centre are enabling innovation, strengthening knowledge and engaging industry. Underneath these values are a firm commitment to working with their team and stakeholders to enable sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the Welsh media and creative sectors. They recruit individuals aligned with their vision and motivated to make a difference to the sector. By combining these values with the support of national institutions and financial backing,

it becomes clear how the team has been able to grow the organisation so substantially in a relatively short amount of time. The team has been able to leverage the stability of Cardiff University, with the influence they hold as the voice of the sector, representing a sizeable network, to make a tangible difference. To put this in financial context, an impact report on one of their funded programmes, Clwstwr, an R&D-led programme to build and sustain the emerging screen industry in Wales, confirmed that the funded projects (Clwstwr) contributed over £20 million in additional turnover and created more than 400 jobs in the creative industries.

With so many stakeholders involved, how do you cater to such differing needs and wants, including those within Government, organisations such as the BBC and individual business owners? The Centre has successfully attuned to the shared passions and objectives of their stakeholders, enabling a range of partnerships and influencing long-lasting change. They have also engaged with notable international organisations and clusters to further expand their network enabling additional opportunities for businesses and individuals to grow their ambitions. This has included a programme of residencies by international “Innovators in Residence” who spend time in Cardiff engaging with the creative businesses here. “The knowledge sharing and inspiration of our innovators in residence activities is invaluable. By bringing cutting edge thinkers, makers and innovators we hope to raise the ambitions of our cluster in a global media marketplace.”

Having been a fundamental part of the growth of the sector in South Wales for the last 10 years, I have to ask what’s planned for the next 10?

“Alongside ongoing support for innovation, I imagine the next 5 years will see us delve deeper into the spillover of the creative economy into other sectors, such as health, education and transport. Ongoing digital disruption and evolution are creating seemingly unlimited possibilities both within and without the sector. We will also continue our international work including ambitions to support the Welsh Government’s Wales in Japan campaign in 2025 and other policy related activity. Building on the strong foundations and significant impacts of the last 10 years I am confident we are going to effect and support further change within the sector. On a closer horizon we will be celebrating Creative Cardiff’s 10th birthday in October 2025. We have exciting plans in development for the future of the network which we’ll look forward to sharing.”

Having utilised the services of Creative Cardiff ourselves over the last 10 years, not least their recruitment platform to meet some of our brilliant team members, I highly recommend you use the QR code below to find out more about Creative Cardiff.

Scan the QR code to learn more about Creative Cardiff. Alternatively, visit www.creativecardiff.org.uk

THE VELINDRE ONCOLOGY ACADEMY

WORK

ENABLING NHS PATIENTS TO SELF-SERVE ONLINE WITH A STANDARDISED GP WEBSITE

With the population growing, people living longer and patient volumes increasing, local GP surgeries are facing an uphill battle to manage communications and ensure patients are treated effectively and efficiently. To help ease the burden, NHS England is aiming for 25% of all appointments to be booked online. Encouraging patients to channel shift - where appropriate - away from the traditional methods of calling or heading into the GP surgeries is crucial to meeting these objectives and, as a result, the NHS South West Region Digital Transformation team commissioned Spindogs to deliver a new, standardised GP website solution as part of a pilot digital transformation scheme, aimed to boost the use of digital channels, encourage patients to utilise self-service where possible and alleviate pressure on GP practices and their staff.

THE NEED FOR DIGITAL CONFIDENCE

A lack of confidence in the current digital offering of GP practices is cyclical, causing patients to bypass GP websites entirely, as well as preventing GPs from having the confidence to signpost patients to digital channels. This is reinforcing a drive to favour traditional communication channels - telephone conversation and onsite visits - further adding to the workload of GP practices. It is evident there is a need for realignment of expectations and behaviours to give both patients and GPs confidence in their websites, in the form of recognised and familiar design, easily accessible information and self-service opportunities.

A PATIENT-FIRST APPROACH

Over a 3-month period a comprehensive Discovery process was conducted to ensure our solution delivered against our patient-first objectives. This enabled us to establish a clear project framework, define technical requirements and create a considered sitemap for the standardised GP website.

GRACE HARRIS

RHIANNON HEADLAM

The website Discovery process was aided by prior NHS research, consulting with GPs, end patient user groups and stakeholders to provide a data-led report on existing solutions and common user frustrations. Following a session with the NHS research team, we applied our Discovery methodology, incorporating Insights, Exploration, and Definition phases to develop a considered and actionable solution.

Working with the NHS South West Region Digital Transformation team and pilot participants we agreed simplifying and encouraging the online completion of the following user tasks as the focus of our solution:

• Make, change, or cancel an appointment

• Obtain a fit note (formerly sick note) for work

• Request a repeat prescription

• Access test results

• Register with/join a practice

• Find practice hours, phone number, and address

Stakeholder engagement throughout the process revealed common issues such as information overload, inconsistent visual frameworks, accessibility issues, content discrepancies, too much inward facing / technical terminology and varying levels of editing capability and analytics understanding among GPs. The structure of the GPs also varied, with some being individual practices and others part of Primary Care Networks (PCNs). Whilst we aimed for a single standardised solution, it was clear that further consideration to tailor options for group level would be required.

We proposed a solution that was accessible and inclusive, adhering to NHS Digital Services Manual systems and principles to increase patient trust

and produce a simple and clean user and editor experience, with a ‘patientfirst’ approach to content that would empower patients to shift to online self-service.

AN ACCESSIBLE EXPERIENCE FOR ALL

Accessibility was at the forefront of our thinking when it came to developing the GP website designs. To ensure compliance with WCAG AA accessibility standards, the website designs were evaluated and subsequently praised by Tetralogical, a third-party accessibility compliance specialist. We also conducted several user testing sessions with patients with a range of different accessibility needs, gaining valuable insights into their requirements for navigating the website and ensuring we designed and developed a website that prioritised their needs and provides an accessible experience for all.

This patient-first approach, combined with meeting AA standards, made the adoption of the NHS visual framework for the creative solution a no-brainer, enabling us to deliver a consistent, familiar, and trusted visual experience to patients. We approached the creative solution mobile-first to ensure that usability was foremost, with the vast majority of patients accessing their GP website on mobile. We designed a series of page templates and customisable content blocks that adapted perfectly for mobile, providing a fast, compliant, and accessible experience across all devices. Additionally, we introduced the option for GPs to incorporate a controlled element of branding, such as a logo and hero image, allowing them to showcase their personality and increase recognition amongst patients.

PROMOTING DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT

To help GP practices promote their websites and empower them to maximise their digital engagement, we also created a suite of marketing materials to be used across digital channels and within the surgery environment. These included a series of social media posts, newsletters and printed materials that GPs could choose to promote the website, and to start shifting patient behaviour.

“Beyond the functional outcomes of a project such as this, we are also grateful for the trust placed in us by the NHS South West Region Digital Transformation team. The Spindogs team has benefitted hugely from our involvement in the pilot. From the personal pride in making a genuine realworld difference, to the professional growth experienced by our exposure to NHS frameworks, accessibility experts and the patient groups, we are a better business for it.” - Daniel Lewis, Strategy Director, Spindogs

EMPOWERING GPS WITH AN INTUITIVE CMS

AA standards don’t end with the design, and the implementation of compliant code was key to making the website reading experience truly inclusive. Our frontend code was similarly tested by Tetralogical to ensure compliance, and our CMS solution ensured an accessible experience for editors as well. Designing and developing with an accessible remit helped to ensure that UX was streamlined, and the reduced weight of the visual brand ensured that the standardised solution is incredibly fast loading. Allied to server-level compression and a dedicated hosting solution, the standardised sites ensure the swiftest experience, regardless of device.

A SIMPLIFIED EDITING EXPERIENCE

With often limited in-house digital maturity and a chronic lack of resources, it was imperative that GPs had an intuitive editing experience to minimise time spent maintaining their website once live. We delivered semi-rigid templates for brand consistency and accessibility, along with flexible

Bridge View Medical

page-building tools including a host of component parts, from accordions to forms. These tools allowed GPs to manage their website without compromising the visual framework, maintaining control to structure pages to suit their objectives.

INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE CONTENT

To further support accessibility, we created a detailed exemplar content pack with standardised copy for all web pages defined in the sitemap. Ensuring the content was inclusive, we aimed at a reading age of 10 to include non-native English speakers and those with challenges reading online content. This provided GPs with a baseline for their content and guidance on adapting their own copy to meet practice needs while mirroring the NHS language framework.

To ensure GPs were confident in managing their website, we provided comprehensive training and provided detailed training packs to guide GPs on maintaining and updating their websites, including best practice guides for writing online content, accessibility standards, and SEO tips. They also have access to training resources and continued access to Spindogs’ Support team post-launch, to continue to help them feel empowered in using and maintaining their website.

“Staff find it easy to maintain and like to have more forms come through electronically. Patients

In the first 3 months:

197k+ active users 3k new patient registrations

INSTILLING CONFIDENCE WITH DATA

67k appointments initiated online

All sites involved in the pilot now have access to and ownership of their website analytics. The implemented data management strategy used the Google marketing suite: GA4, Google Tag Manager (GTM) and Google Search Console (GSC). GPs have direct access to individual analytics accounts, and individual reporting dashboards that offer a highlevel overview of key data and measurements, showing patient engagement across all websites by region. The dashboards present key metrics including:

• Key site measurements such as active users, new users, engagement rate

• Key user journeys such as appointments, register, prescription, fit note requests

• Popular pages

• Broken pages

The new analytics suite allows PCNs, GPs, the NHS digital transformation team and project management teams to more quickly understand if the standardised GP website is increasing online appointments and reducing workflow pressures on GPs, specifically when used in conjunction with other metrics such as phone system data.

DRIVING LASTING CHANGE

The standardised GP website solution has delivered genuine digital transformation, with measurable improvements to the experiences of both patient and practitioner, intent on driving lasting change to patient ownership of their mental and physical wellbeing. Since the launch of 17 sites as part of the pilot, early results have been positive and the viability of a patient-first, standardised solution has been established. With over 197k active users, 67k appointments initiated online and 3k new patient registrations in the first 3 months since launch.

The subsequent post-pilot Phase 1 rollout indicates a strong appetite for adoption from upwards of 50 surgeries in the South-West region and, with a further national rollout anticipated in time, the impact of the solution will be felt strongly and broadly for many years to come.

“The overriding feeling is that together we have achieved a result of which we can all be proud. We have proved that a standardised GP website solution is viable, and we have demonstrated that an accessible patient-first experience can be delivered by all GPs regardless of their existing technology stack.”

Daniel Lewis, Strategy Director

YOUR

BRAND IS

WHAT

OTHER

PEOPLE SAY ABOUT

YOU WHEN YOU’RE NOT IN THE ROOM.

NOT OUR WORDS, BUT THE WORDS OF JEFF BEZOS.

phs - THE UNDERCOVER BRAND

Brand. At its core it’s about personal connections and human emotions. Thinking hard about how you want your customers to feel when they’re interacting with your brand and focussing your marketing efforts on achieving that feeling. But what do you do when your brand is so intrinsically ingrained in most people’s everyday lives that they aren’t aware of your brand? You focus on the buyer, rather than the consumer of your brand.

phs is a prime example of a brand that features in most of our day-today interactions. From hospital sanitising stations to public washrooms, entrance mats in shops to spectacular foliage in offices, phs are world leaders in delivering outstanding hygiene and specialist services across the UK, Ireland and Spain without the public being overtly aware of their offering. phs’ key consumers are the industries that require their products; hospitality services including bars, restaurants and hotels to education providers and more, their target market is the buyer of these industries, rather than the end consumer, the public who interact with their products. With buyers at the forefront of their marketing strategy, phs sought to revamp a number of their sites to further entice their customers and expand their hold on the hygiene market.

“phs Group’s purpose is putting people at the heart of its products and services. We are a trusted partner in workplace hygiene, committed to delivering innovative, sustainable, and reliable solutions. By focusing on health, safety, and environmental responsibility, we strive to create positive impacts in businesses and communities, ensuring every space we serve is clean, efficient, and welcoming.

We believe that caring for our customers means more than just delivering excellent service—it means helping them protect the planet too. By offering sustainable solutions and supporting eco-friendly practices, we empower our customers to make a positive impact on the environment, for example we are the only national provider who make a sustained effort across the UK to divert waste from landfill into energy from waste plants; up to 95% of our waste to be exact – and that is exactly what we want our brand to represent.” - Kelly Greenaway, Head of Marketing, phs

GRACE HARRIS

phs is what we call a ‘group estate’. A core brand with strong values across the group which doesn’t focus on a single business entity, but instead is a business which has multiple sub-companies under the phs umbrella. With each of their branches of their brand delivering different products and services, little do most consumers know that phs covers nine sub divisions within the Group. From phs Direct offering consumables such as cleaning chemicals and paper dispensers, to phs Teacrate providing commercial crate rental for home moves and the food industry, and even phs Interclean with specialist cleaning services, their offering is vast. The question is, how do they align their brand consistently across the wider Group, whilst portraying their individual services and offerings? By undertaking a roadmap to align the wider estate and starting the journey towards making a coherent whole rather than individual divisions.

Q: HOW DO YOU CONSISTENTLY MANAGE DIFFERENT BRANDS AND SUB BRANDS AND STILL CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN CONSISTENCY?

“At phs Group, we ensure consistency across our brands and sub-brands by upholding the values of ownership, integrity, teamwork, innovation, expertise, and performance. Every brand aligns with these core principles, enabling us to deliver reliable, high-quality solutions. By fostering collaboration and embracing innovation, we maintain a unified approach that drives excellence across all sectors, ensuring that our customers receive consistent service and value, no matter which part of the phs family they interact with.” - Kelly Greenaway, Head of Marketing, phs

Following the onboarding of their wider digital estate, phs approached Spindogs to undertake a discovery process to inform the specification of a multisite solution for three of their sites; phs Group (their main group site portraying the brand and services across the entire estate as well as being the shop window for the hygiene division of the brand), phs Ireland (their Irish arm offering hygiene and pest control services) and phs Serkonten (their Spanish arm of the group). A multisite solution was intended as the beginning of the journey to aligning the brand divisions and ensuring continuity across the wider estate.

Guided by phs’ primary mission statement for the site to become “the industry leader with inspiring practices and sustainable solutions that promotes meaningful engagement with customers”, the discovery process focussed on creating the phs.co.uk website as a foundation for grouplevel content and to signpost to other phs brands. The initial intention of the Group site was to be a shop window for the hygiene products of the business, it subsequently became the baseline for replication across other sites and is intended to be used as the basis for other phs brand sites moving forward.

The Discovery process aimed to identify and inform the functionality requirements of the new site, considering technology and integrations, such as inventory management and marketing automation, intended user journeys and user experience, and how to creatively represent the phs brand. The editing experience, and required composition and management tools were also prioritised by the phs team.

“The Discovery process is always enjoyable and challenging in equal measure, with no two Discoveries resulting in the same solution, and phs was no different. While we were able to interrogate the technical requirements in great detail - ultimately leading to an effective and efficient use of technology on the new website - my favourite outcome was how the brand estate was handled.

Through a comprehensive sitemapping and wireframing process we were able to propose and develop a solution that integrated onward journeys into the wider phs Group offering without compromising the hygiene service experience. This has laid the foundations for the individual brands to become more integrated both online and offline, internally and externally.” - Daniel Lewis, Strategy Director, Spindogs

The discovery process resulted in a report with key recommendations to bring phs’ vision to reality and the Spindogs team undertook the design, build and launch of the multisite to fruition in April 2024. The result of the Group site, Irish site and Serkonten allows users to explore the wider brand offering of phs, whilst maintaining the individuality of the divisions and not detracting from the brand. It creates a coherent user experience for the user and allows them to explore the wider estate.

Whilst focussing on the buyer is a key part of their marketing and brand strategy, phs don’t shy away from the end consumer. They hold a vested interest in the end consumer and ensuring that their products and services

meet the expectations of the public. In fact, phs are the only company who has a national agreement in place to divert sanitary waste from landfill into energy from waste plants, as well as being the original champions of Period Equality. phs are fighting the environmental matters that strike the hearts of the public and expanding their waste remit to vouch for these changes.

The key driver for phs’ ethical actions comes from their core values;

• Accountable by setting high standards and taking responsibility

• Teamwork by behaving as one team

• Integrity in doing the right thing to build trusting relationships

These values form the foundation of how phs’ brand interacts not only within their internal teams but also how they present the business to the public. Rather than being regulatory-led actions, phs actively take an interest in key social and ethical actions that impact their industry and act with front-footed solutions to change and influence the public’s perception of their industry.

In 2017, phs launched the industry leading phs LifeCycle Strategy. The strategy ensures that up to 95% of hygiene waste collected by phs is diverted away from landfill and sent to energy from waste facilities, where it is turned into renewable energy for the national grid. In 2023, 92% of waste collected was diverted from landfill whilst their depots in London and the Midlands have been zero to landfill for over 3 years.

Grace Harris, Product Owner, Spindogs

Q: HOW DO YOU ENSURE THAT YOUR CONTENT REMAINS AUTHENTIC AND TRUE TO YOUR VALUES WHILE COLLABORATING WITH YOUR WIDER ESTATE?

“We foster open communication and collaboration across our organisation. By aligning every piece of content with our core values—ownership, integrity, teamwork, innovation, expertise, and performance—we maintain a consistent and genuine voice. This approach allows us to consistently deliver content that reflects our genuine dedication to creating positive environmental and social impacts, while staying true to who we are as a business.” - Kelly Greenaway, Head of Marketing, phs

Brand consistency is at the heart of phs’ wider marketing strategy. Ensuring that the quality of their products is paramount to the consumer’s experience resulting in buyer confidence in their suite of offerings, regardless of the sub brand delivering the service. With passion, consistency and a drive for change within the industry it’s surprising that phs are so humble with their brand, forgoing the ‘shouty’ brand campaigns that make the public aware of their services, but instead working with their loyal buyers, word of mouth and confidence in the product to drive their strategy forward.

So, next time you’re drying your hands in the next hit restaurant or admiring the plant assortment in the waiting room, take notice of phs, our favourite undercover brand.

“We are the only national provider who make a sustained effort across the UK to divert waste from landfill into energy from waste plants; up to 95% of our waste to be exact – and that is exactly what we want our brand to represent.”

Kelly Greenaway, Head of Marketing, phs

BRAND

VELINDRE ONCOLOGY ACADEMY

PATRICK DEWAR

It feels to me that the majority of people living in South Wales have been directly affected by cancer or know someone who has, and the majority of them are familiar with the first-class care provided by the Velindre Cancer Centre. Known as the ‘Hospital of Hope’ since its inception, Velindre has provided specialist cancer services to over 1.5 million people in South East Wales and afar, however, now, beyond the Cancer Centre, Velindre is expanding with a focus on how their specialist medical practitioners can influence oncology care education through the formation of the new Velindre Oncology Academy.

It was a privilege for us at Spindogs to be invited to work with Velindre to create a new brand identity for the Velindre Oncology Academy. At the project inception it was important to establish the role this new identity would undertake in representing the organisation’s values and goals. Through an initial workshop phase, we determined that although this new arm of the Velindre family would need to align with the existing values of the cancer centre, it would also need to establish it’s own unique identity. Although exceptional oncology treatment would remain central to the academy’s ethos, the main focus was on the practitioners themselves and the educational community within the organisation.

Our discussions with Velindre led us to identify five key values that the visual identity needed to embody. “Excellence” was the first, meaning the identity needed to visually reflect the nature of the practitioners involved. “World-leading” was another value, guiding us to create an identity that conveyed prestige and would help attract new practitioners to the academy.

“Innovation” was imperative to communicate the evolving nature of oncology as a practice. When considering stylistic values, we emphasised “consistency,” meaning we would avoid unnecessary styled elements. The fifth and final value was “flexibility,” which was strategically important in developing the design system. The identity needed to be adaptable across all touchpoints, whether in physical forms like print and wayfinding or within the digital landscape, while still having a sense of cohesion bonded by the brand elements.

With the direction of the project established, we entered an initial research phase that included multiple avenues to inform our design decisions. One avenue involved examining the identities of organisations that we believed shared the same values outlined in our brand workshop, these included global brands such as like NASA, MIT, and Nike. Each of these organisations presents itself visually in very different ways, which allows us to understand the scope and variation we could consider when establishing a visual language suited to the ethos of the Oncology Academy.

“I am very grateful for this opportunity and equally thankful that Velindre trusted our ideas and creativity. That level of trust is just as important as the work we create.”

Patrick Dewar, Designer, Spindogs

>

We also approached our research from a heritage angle, looking into Velindre as a location to see if we could draw visual cues from specific landmarks. We discovered that the town of Velindre is well known for its old water mills, noting this as an interesting avenue for visual research.

The science of cancer and oncology itself was another visual theme we wanted to explore, which presented an abundance of visual cues. We looked into the visualisation of cancer cells, DNA mutations, through medical diagrams. It was important to us not to highlight the negative connotations often associated with cancer. This guided our research to focus more on the visualisation of oncology as it could be perceived as more solution based.

Our research phase heavily informed the updated brand for the Oncology Academy. The logo’s circular form is reminiscent of the Velindre water mill, subtly nodding to the heritage of the place where the organisation was formed. The individual spindle-like forms repeated around the interior circumference of the icon draw inspiration from microscopic monoclonal antibodies used in oncology care to target cancer cells. We wanted the styling of this identity to be as minimal as possible to emphasise the important theme of ‘consistency’ outlined in our initial brand workshop. The result ties the heritage of the surrounding community to the science of oncology.

With the logo form established, it was important to consider the further identity. Additional visual elements needed exploration, and as we did so, the design team felt that these elements should be conceptually rooted. While generating visual ideas, we began constructing a series of shapes adapted from the negative space in the logo. These shapes were similar in form but each had unique features. They all started to adopt the same visual language.

Monoclonal antibodies

The shapes represent the concept of ‘change’ in the sense that cancer is a disease of mutation and is constantly changing. However, oncology and the battle against cancer also require change and innovation. When considering the notion of ‘flexibility,’ the shapes serve as building blocks, symbolically representing different topics or sub-themes related to the Oncology Academy. Combined, these shapes can also be used decoratively to help establish brand presence.

The success of the shape system is significantly influenced by the use of colour within the design system. Velindre advised us to retain the original green and blue from the cancer centre’s identity. To breathe new life into these colours, we expanded the palette by finding complementary colours. These additional colours act as part of the shape system, injecting new brand recognition while providing a contemporary look.

A revised type system that both enhanced the new aesthetic of the brand and considered legibility was imperative for all communication pieces. We selected the font family DM Sans. As a sans-serif typeface, it is ideal for communicating complex medical information. Its soft, curved edges also provide a sense of approachability and friendliness, which we felt complemented the other characteristics established within the brand system. When designing brands, we always consider how they will transfer to digital landscapes, such as websites and apps. DM Sans is provided by the Google Font Foundry, ensuring ease of licensing and setup for future digital products created under the Oncology Academy.

Overall, the new brand for Velindre has set a visual standard for oncology academies across the UK. It now boasts the most sophisticated and well-considered identity among its peers. Most importantly, this new identity reflects the level of service and expertise that Velindre provides. The feedback we have received from Velindre has been overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic about their new brand.

On a personal note, this project provided immense satisfaction and pleasure as a designer. It is extremely rewarding to work with organisations like Velindre, knowing that the outcome of our work will aid the positive impact they have on individual lives. The project was made even more special by the creative freedom allowed within the brief, enabling us to fully showcase our capabilities as designers. I am very grateful for this opportunity and equally thankful that Velindre trusted our ideas and creativity. That level of trust is just as important as the work we create.

Scan the QR code to make a donation to Velindre. To find out more about fundraising, visit www.velindrefundraising.com

PPC BRAND CAMPAIGNS - ARE THEY WORTH IT?

RYAN HARRIS

Having been deep in the trenches of PPC management for several years I’ve seen first-hand the transformative power that brand campaigns can have. It’s a strategy that, in my opinion, is absolutely essential to any comprehensive PPC approach in the correct circumstances.

Think of it this way: branded campaigns are like a fortress around your brand. They protect your territory from competitive encroachment, ensuring that when potential customers search for your brand, they find you, not your rivals. It’s a fundamental aspect of brand protection in the digital age, especially when the requirements for your competitors to advertise on your branded terms are low.

Beyond this defensive role, branded campaigns are also a potent offensive strategy. They can significantly boost the visibility of your brand and allow you to implement compelling ad copy and send online users to persuasive landing pages. This is a significant advantage that branded PPC ads have over organic SEO listings as with your organic listings, search engines can decide what pages and URLs rank as well as the titles and descriptions. With branded PPC ads, on the other hand, you are in full control of the ad copy and the page that users are sent to.

When it comes to the data also, it is clear that users are more likely to click on an ad that directly matches their search query (around a third of all users (Clutch.co., 2022)). This translates to higher click-through rates and Quality Scores which ultimately, provide a greater return on investment with improved campaign performances.

Branded PPC campaigns aren’t for everyone though. One of our clients has long advertised on Google and at one point in time was very anti-brand because they did not agree with the idea of paying for traffic or clicks that would end up coming through to their website anyway, as a result of their organic listings. However, as time passed and our client became a bigger player within their industry and the market that we were advertising in, more and more competitors started to bid and target their brand keywords. This meant that even though online users were searching for our client’s brand name (with or without the intention of going to their website), a host of competitor ads were appearing, which meant potential customers were pivoting and clicking through to their website instead. This was easily demonstrated through a simple online search which meant a brand campaign had to become part of our PPC strategy and ever since launch, it has been the highest revenue driver within the account and ensures our client’s brand awareness is constant, minimising the impact of the competitor ads.

It’s also crucial to dispel the myth that branded campaigns are only for large businesses with big budgets. Even small businesses can benefit immensely from this strategy, as branded terms are typically extremely cheap to target, as long as they are not too generic or broad in nature. With careful keyword selection and targeting options, you can achieve impressive results without breaking the bank.

While there may be instances where budget constraints force tough decisions, neglecting branded campaigns is often a short-sighted approach. The long-term benefits in terms of brand protection, increased visibility, and revenue generation far outweigh the short-term cost savings.

To summarise, branded PPC campaigns, given the correct circumstances, can be a cornerstone of a successful PPC strategy. They offer a powerful combination of defensive and offensive capabilities, helping businesses protect their brand, increase visibility, and drive revenue. It’s time for marketers and business owners to recognise the immense value that these campaigns can bring and to integrate them into their overall PPC plans if necessary.

“Branded campaigns are like a fortress around your brand. They protect your territory from competitive encroachment, ensuring that when potential customers search for your brand, they find you, not your rivals.”

ADVANTAGES OF IMPLEMENTING BRAND CAMPAIGNS

1. Increased visibility and click-through rates (CTR):

Branded campaigns typically enjoy higher CTRs because users searching for a brand are likelier to click on an ad that directly matches their query. This increased visibility ensures that the brand remains top-of-mind for consumers.

2. Cost-effectiveness:

Since branded keywords often have lower competition, the cost per click (CPC) tends to be lower compared to non-branded keywords. This makes branded campaigns a cost-effective way to secure valuable real estate on search engine results pages (SERPs).

3. Enhanced conversion rates:

Users searching for a specific brand are usually further down the purchasing funnel. As a result, branded campaigns often yield higher conversion rates, leading to better return on investment (ROI).

4. Protection against competitors:

By bidding on your branded terms, you can prevent competitors from stealing your traffic. This defensive strategy ensures that your potential customers find and land on your site rather than a competitor’s.

5. Improved quality scores:

Branded keywords often have higher relevance, which contributes to better Quality Scores in Google Ads. Higher Quality Scores can lead to lower CPCs, better ad placements and improved overall campaign performance.

HOW WEB ACCESSIBILITY CAN ELEVATE YOUR BRAND’S REPUTATION

TEGAN MALE

You need to buy a gift, it’s your best friend’s birthday soon and you want to get them something special. On your lunch break, you head into town where there are two shops to choose from, Michael’s Miscellany and Bits and Bob’s.

You go to Michael’s Miscellany first. As you approach, you trip up the steep steps at the entrance. After fumbling to your feet, you struggle to open the heavy door. Inside, the music is loud and there are flashing whirligigs all over the shop; everything is jumbled together without labelling or categorisation, making it impossible to find anything. Frustrated and overwhelmed, you leave without buying a gift.

Next, you head to Bits and Bob’s. This shop is a delight to visit. The door opens automatically as you approach, and the aisles are clearly labelled with overhead signs. The shelves are perfectly categorised, and the atmosphere is calm and welcoming. A friendly staff member at the till is ready to help, and you quickly find the perfect gift, pay, and leave in time to get back to work.

Later, during a catch-up with your boss, you mention your terrible experience at Michael’s Miscellany and how you won’t be going back. Your boss decides that next time they need to buy a gift, they’ll go straight to Bits and Bob’s.

These two very different experiences highlight the importance of accessibility. One shop is accessible and user-friendly, while the other is not. This analogy applies to web accessibility as well. Just as a physical space can be welcoming or frustrating, the same principles apply online. Ensuring that your front door is open to everyone, regardless of their abilities, is not just a legal obligation, but a golden opportunity to enhance your brand’s reputation and reach. Web accessibility means designing and developing your website so that people with disabilities can perceive, operate and understand it effectively.

DON’T LIMIT YOUR CUSTOMER BASE

Approximately 16% of the global population, or 1 in 6 individuals, lives with some form of disability, totalling at around 1.3 billion people. And that figure doesn’t include people that are temporarily disabled from injury, circumstance or environment. By making your website accessible, your brand is able to reach a wider audience, which can help engage more customers and boost sales.

ENHANCE THE USER EXPERIENCE FOR ALL

Designing for accessibility often makes the experience better for everyone, not just people with disabilities. Features like high-contrast text, clear and simple navigation as well as common and consistent landmarks benefit all users, making your website more user-friendly and enjoyable to use.

IMPROVED SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION (SEO)

Many principles of web accessibility also align with the best practices for SEO. For example, using a proper heading hierarchy ensures that your website content is well-organised and easily navigable for both users and search engines. This means structuring your content with clear and logical headings (e.g., H1 for main page titles, H2 for subtitles, H3 for sub-subtitle etc.) which helps screen readers interpret the page structure and assist visually impaired users in navigating your site.

Writing concise and accurate alternative text for images provides meaning and context for screen reader users whilst also helping search engines understand the content of images, which can improve your website’s relevance and ranking in search results, although it is important to point out not to abuse this by keyword-stuffing.

Clear and concise language not only helps users with cognitive disabilities but also improves the readability and user experience for all customers. Readability is also a factor search engines consider when ranking pages. Therefore, by improving the accessibility of your website, you are simultaneously boosting your SEO chances, making you rank higher in search results, attracting more visitors, and strengthening your brand’s reputation.

“Approximately 16% of the global population, or 1 in 6 individuals, lives with some form of disability, totalling at around 1.3 billion people.”

“ Customers appreciate businesses that make an effort to cater to everyone, regardless of their abilities”

INCLUSIVITY PROMOTES A POSITIVE BRAND IMAGE

When a company prioritises web accessibility, it demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity. Your customers are more likely to trust your brand, product and services if you demonstrate empathy and consideration. By making your website accessible, you send a clear message about your brand values to your customers. That you value everyone. Showing that you are socially aware and responsible, and care about the diversity of needs that your audience has, significantly enhances your brand image. Customers appreciate businesses that make an effort to cater to everyone, regardless of their abilities. It gives people a sense of fairness and respect, which resonates positively with customers who value equality and social responsibility.

United Welsh are a housing association, and have committed to making their brand more accessible. They have already overhauled their colour palette and style guide of their non-digital collateral, and plan to do the same to their website to improve colour contrast after a recent accessibility assessment. United Welsh are not obliged to make their website accessible, but by adopting and promoting web accessibility, they will position their brand as a pioneer of accessibility in their sector. This leadership not only sets them apart from competitors but also attracts customers who value initiative and innovation, and, more importantly, they don’t exclude anyone.

LEGAL COMPLIANCE

In September of 2018, the UK’s accessibility regulations came into force for public sector bodies, and since then, The Government Digital Service has been monitoring compliance by reviewing a sample of public sector websites and mobile apps every year.

In other regions, there are legal requirements mandating web accessibility, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States and the European Accessibility Act in the European Union, which impacts EU countries and anyone wanting to trade in those areas. Non-compliance can lead to lawsuits, which can severely damage your brand’s reputation and financial standing. By proactively making your website accessible, you can avoid legal repercussions and present your brand as law-abiding and proactive.

Conclusion

Investing in web accessibility is not just about compliance or doing the right thing—it’s a strategic move that can significantly enhance your brand’s reputation. By creating an inclusive, user-friendly online space, you can expand your customer base, improve SEO performance, and foster loyalty.

NOT OUR WORDS, BUT THE WORDS OF STEVE FORBES.

MAKING YOUR BRAND YOUR SUPERPOWER

WHAT IS A BRAND REALLY?

Your brand is the promise you make to your customers, users, and employees. This promise is often communicated subtly, based on years of conditioning and people pick up on these cues to form assumptions about the kind of product or service they can expect from your business. Take restaurant menus, for example, if a menu is cluttered with low-resolution pictures, a chaotic colour scheme, and printed on laminated paper, you’ll likely assume the prices are low and the food quality might not be the best. On the other hand, a menu with lots of white space, a monochrome colour scheme, and printed on thick, textured paper will likely make you think the restaurant is high-end, even expensive. The food quality could be the same, but the communication has already happened in an instant. This is why branding is important—you often have a split second, over many interaction points, to communicate a message, and you don’t always get to speak directly to your audience.

How you look, sound, and act all need to align to ensure trust. If your visual identity is young and hip, but your tone of voice is formal and dry, and your actions are quirky and fun, you end up with a sort of Frankenstein’s monster of a brand. Whether trustworthy or not, Frankenstein’s monster scared everyone. Align all three areas of your brand to communicate a consistent message, and you’ll foster trust with your audience—they’ll know what to expect from the get-go.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY BRAND IS WORKING?

To understand this, you need to take a few steps back. Your brand should align with the goals of your business, only then can you measure whether it is working or not. The corporate strategy should inform the business strategy, which in turn informs the brand strategy. This allows you to decide the direction your brand should go and properly measure if the brand is serving the business. Without the overall picture, you cannot decide if the brand is operating as expected.

Brand strategy should be broken down into building blocks, you need purpose, values, and mission to form the foundation of your brand strategy. Then define what you want to say and how you want to say it. The tone of voice should define the visuals, not the other way around. Once these are in place, you can think about

RHYS ASHMAN

Before tackling this

positioning. Where do you currently sit in the market? Where do you want to sit? What does the landscape look like? Once all of these elements are in place, you can get into the fun stuff and figure out what you’re going to look like. A common mistake is starting at the top of this pyramid and working backwards. It’s much harder to retrofit things like tone of voice, mission, vision, and values if you already have a visual identity in place. Start with the foundations. If you don’t have them already, your brand strategy probably isn’t working.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR OWN BRAND

To properly understand your own brand, you need to objectively figure out who you are. There are a few exercises you can do to understand this internally. Mapping your brand on an emotive matrix will give you a good indicator of how you should be pitching your business. Doing this with internal stakeholders can be surprising to see how your internal team understands the brand’s personality. Doing this with customers is the best way to see how your brand is really understood and will give you the best results for making changes to align with the business strategy.

Understanding how you are perceived currently will give you the data required to measure yourselves against competitors in the market, define where you currently sit, and ultimately give you the tools to change your position as needed.

To communicate clearly to your audience, you need to be able to explain your business. This may sound obvious, and 99% of people understand what their business does, but being able to succinctly get this across in its simplest terms can be challenging. A good way to boil this down is with a challenge: could you explain your business to a child? If you can manage this, you probably have a pretty good grasp of what your organisation does. This simple explanation is your baseline. You can work up the complexity from here, depending on your audience.

SUPERBRANDS ARE PRODUCTS OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT

You read the title, so we’re going to use a superhero metaphor (stick with me). Spider-Man is a very successful superhero because he is a product of his environment. Spider-Man lives, works, and fights crime in New

York City, a massive metropolitan landscape full of densely crowded tall buildings. His superpowers reflect this. The ability to traverse quickly around skyscrapers via web-swinging makes him fast and nimble. He’s sticky and can climb tall buildings in an instant, which is essential in New York’s vertical landscape. He has Spidey-sense, the ability to sense danger, which is crucial in a dangerous place like New York. Now, if you take Spider-Man out of his fictional New York setting and put him somewhere like the suburbs, he’s not nearly as effective. No tall buildings to swing from, and relatively low elevation means no need to climb. Even his Spidey-sense would be less effective. Spider-Man’s values are driven by his experiences, derived from his Aunt and Uncle: “With great power comes great responsibility.” He’s driven by a purpose he picked up from the people around him. Brands should do the same.

Your brand should reflect your community, and your community is subject to change. I don’t mean your geographical location, but the community of people using your products and services. A great example is Stanley, the drinks bottle company. Stanley started out as a very male-oriented business, making water bottles for fighter pilots in WWII and marketing to men. Building sites, fishing trips, father-son activities, that kind of thing. Women barely featured in Stanley’s plans for almost 100 years. In 2017, three mums who run a shopping blog called The Buy Guide changed everything for Stanley. They discovered the product, loved it, and posted about it. The Buy Guide’s audience was 98% women between 35 and 40 years old. That demographic started buying Stanley cups. Spotting this opportunity, Stanley leaned into their new market. They invested in advertising geared towards women, made new product lines with brighter

colours, and started talking directly with this new consumer set. They capitalised on a TikTok video where a woman’s car caught fire with a Stanley cup inside, and when inspected, the water still had ice in it. Stanley bought the woman a new car, and the story went viral, further cementing them as a must-have accessory for women. As a result, Stanley went from a £75 million business in 2017 to a £750 million business in 2023. Engage the audience you have, not the one you think you need.

SO YOU’VE DECIDED YOUR BRAND NEEDS SOME WORK

Rebranding doesn’t always mean overt change. Did you know that in 2019, IKEA redesigned their logo? The change is almost imperceptible, so why bother? IKEA’s business strategy has always been making quality products accessible to everyone, and their brand strategy reflects that. Adjusting the optical size of the typeface, changing the kerning between letters, and tweaking the serifs all work towards improving the legibility of the logo at small sizes. Muting the colours used in the logo makes for easier, more consistent reproduction across a huge range of platforms. The IKEA logo gets printed a lot, so making the printed and digital versions of the logo consistent is crucial. The ® icon in the logo has been brought inside the shape to make it a natural rectangle, avoiding cropping and making it an easier shape to use in print and digital applications. Some of these changes make a difference to the end-user experience, some to internal stakeholders, and others have a genuine financial impact on the business. Small changes can have a big impact when done for the right reasons.

Iteration is key to success. Your brand should be a reflection of the best version of yourself. Think of you on a good day or after a really good

haircut. It’s clearly authentic and still objectively you, but at your best. That’s what your brand should be. If you update or change your brand, what is presented back should never be a shock. It should be rooted in what you already know but aren’t necessarily communicating.

PICK YOUR PARTNERS CAREFULLY

It’s essential to pick an agency that is comfortable challenging you. The best brands are born out of collaboration and honesty; everyone has a part to play. The process should be a dance, not a wrestling match. Know when to lead and when to follow. When going through a visual update, remember designers are not artists; they are chefs. Designers need ingredients to work with, not a blank canvas. It’s your job to provide the good stuff. The key ingredients for a great brand are a clear brief and objectives, honest relevant background info, business strategy and data, inspiration and ideas, user research, and a good understanding of what currently works. You can get by without a couple of these, but a good chef makes do with what they’ve got. You will always get out what you put in.

BRAND GUIDELINES, NOT BRAND BIBLES

Brand guidelines should be a platform, not a railroad. They provide people with the tools to make something better, not to keep them boxed in. Brands should grow and change while sticking to a central DNA. That’s what great brand guidelines do. There’s no need to overcomplicate your brand guidelines. If you pack them with fluff, people are less likely to read the important bits. Stick to the key elements: colour, type, application, a little bit of theory, and most importantly, examples. Show, don’t tell. It’s actually easier to show people what they shouldn’t do rather than what

you want them to do. Don’t be afraid of putting bad examples in your guidelines. It might make the document look a little less slick, but it will work much harder for you in the long run.

SUMMARY

Do the leg work first

A brand without a foundation is always going to crumble under pressure.

You get out what you put in

A blank canvas is good to nobody, get stuck into the process, you might enjoy it.

Change is not just good, it is necessary

You have to become comfortable with adapting. You don’t need to get in Tiktok, you do need to understand if your audience is using it.

Pick your partners carefully

More often than not, chemistry and trust is more important than industry experience.

Authenticity is how you win

Be true to yourselves, be honest about your products and keep your promises.

Standing out isn’t the ultimate goal, communication is

You don’t need to be the loudest in the room, you need to be the one making the most sense and resonating with the audience.

Do this

Not this

DATES

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

6th, 7th, 8th November 2024

SOCIAL HOUSING STRATEGY FORUM

The event provides pioneering views on the existing and forthcoming challenges in the housing sector, with discussions focused on solutions to these development areas.

8th November 2024

Join our team of experts in London for the launch of BARK 13 our in-house magazine for senior marketers at the Spindogs digital marketing conference at The Hoxton Hotel, Shoreditch on Thursday 8th November.

12th November 2024

BARK LIVE CARDIFF

Join our team of experts in Cardiff for another edition of BARK Live, but this time in our own backyard at Spindogs HQ on Tuesday 12th November 2024.

13th November 2024

AUTOMOTIVE MANAGEMENT LIVE

Automotive Management Live welcomes motor retail managers from across the UK to shape the future of the industry and network with peers and suppliers.

14th November 2024

MEMBERSHIP EXCELLENCE

Membership Excellence (2024) is the largest membership focused national conference for the association and membership sector in the UK, which is focused on driving member retention and growth.

3-4th December 2024

HOUSING ASSOCIATION PARTNERSHIP NETWORK

The Housing Association Partnership Network (HAPN) is a unique networking and shared learning event, bringing together 100+ senior leaders and transformational suppliers in housing associations to connect, collaborate and discuss innovative solutions.

WE’RE HIRING

Looking to take the next step in your digital career? We’re hiring across departments and would love to hear from you, more details can be found on our careers page www.spindogs.com/careers. Alternatively, scan the QR code below.

PROUD TO RETAIN THE FOLLOWING CERTIFICATIONS

G-CLOUD SUPPLIER

As a G-Cloud supplier, we have been approved to provide IT and software services throughout the UK to public sector customers within the UK government’s G-Cloud framework.

MICROSOFT ADVERTISING PARTNER

Being a Microsoft Advertising partner gives Spindogs opportunities to nurture and grow our intelligent search and digital business, access to the Microsoft community and technical experts, and recognition for our work with Microsoft Advertising.

UMBRACO PLATINUM PARTNER

We are proud to be one of 21 official Umbraco Platinum Partners in the UK. This certification cements our position as an industry leading provider of Umbraco solutions.

CYBER ESSENTIALS

Cyber Essentials is a Governmentbacked scheme that helps to protect against a whole range of the most common cyber-attacks. Certification gives you peace of mind that your defences will protect you against the vast majority of common cyber-attacks.

MEMBERWISE RECOGNISED SUPPLIER

We are a Memberwise Recognised Supplier. We have also taken part in the Memberwise Digital Excellence (2023) Research Project and have become digital excellence champions.

GOOGLE PARTNER

Google Partners is a marketing programme for agencies that manage Google Ads accounts on behalf of businesses. Achieving Partner status means that we have demonstrated Google Ads skills and expertise, delivered client revenue growth and sustained and grown its client base.

DIGITAL IS AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO

For two decades we’ve evolved alongside the latest technologies to create bespoke digital solutions for a variety of sectors. This includes building new websites, developing intuitive systems and taking established businesses to the next level with transformational rebrands.

We work with global clients in housing, education, automotive, professional services, membership and transport – to name a few!

We care about the same things our clients do – brand visibility, lead pipeline and the bottom line. In essence, realising client success is what gets us out of bed in the morning – your success is our success.