SETTING THE SCENE
TABLE OF CONTENTS • TEAM STRUCTURE • SPLENDID NETWORK • SPLENDID WORK • SPLENDID STRATEGY • SPLENDID PLANNING PROCESS
“Splendid impressed me as my GB PR agency with their ability to cover a quite diverse portfolio of brands while seemingly managing to get 'inside' each of them - understanding a range of strategic challenges, brand personality and consumer need state. Highly recommended.”
CLARE FLEERACKERS, HEAD OF BRAND PR DIAGEO GB
“Marmite and Splendid have been working together for over five years now. As a brand, Marmite needs to be bold, innovative and polarising in its communication; without an agency partner that challenges us, this would be impossible.”
JOANNE O’RIADA, MARMITE BRAND MANAGER
PHILIP GLADMAN, WESTERN EUROPE CATEGORY DIRECTOR AT DIAGEO
“Splendid are anything but your traditional PR agency. They were the first agency to help us understand that we needed to build credibility back into the brand from the bottom up and they have been instrumental in helping us put participation at the heart of our brand.”
ALISON BONNY, HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS, SPOTIFY
“I just wanted to say how massively grateful, impressed and thankful we are to have had Splendid on our team ... we couldn’t have had a better, smoother, or less ruffled team on our side. Thank you SO much for dropping literally everything, getting on planes, and forgoing sleep, and turning this launch around in super quick time. You have done an absolutely AMAZING job! We are seeing and hearing so much great feedback from the media and can’t thank you enough for all your hard work and professionalism. THANK YOU! You are absolute stars, it’s hugely appreciated, and WELL DONE!”
SNR. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
BRAND TEAM 1
SOPHIE
SALLY SNR. ACCOUNT MANAGER
BRAND TEAM 2
SARAH ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
ELEANOR
ACCOUNT MANAGER
STRATEGY DIRECTOR
CEO
Consumer Insight: Andy Social Media Strategy: John Bar Trade Influencer Network: Niki
CROSS PORTFOLIO SPECIALISTS
TEAM STRUCTURE ALEC
ZOE
PRESS OFFICE
OLIVIA
SPECIALIST PROJECT EXPERTS
Project Management & Production: Mel & Jen Social Media Amplification: Alex C & Alex W
BAR: RIVINGTON BAR & GRILL, SHOREDITCH HOTEL: THE ACE, NEW YORK DESTINATION: SYDNEY
ALEC SAMWAYS
CEO, HEAD OF CLIENT SERVICES
Highly experienced in the alcohol industry having launched and run the Heineken Thirst music programme globally between 2002-4, led the Smirnoff account for nearly a decade, with leadership roles also on Miller Genuine Draft and Guinness. In that time I have built relationships with key bar chains, festival/event owners and talent businesses. My media contacts are now primarily editor level and beyond, particularly in glossy lifestyle – Dylan Jones, Ralph Moore, Greg Williams to name just a few. PR activations that work through the line, branded entertainment concepts and talent partnerships are built into my make-up. I am a middle-aged lager lad, maintaining a healthy obsession with dance music and an unhealthy desire to retain the DJ talent of my youth. I have enjoyed a cold Heineken in five different continents.
BAR: MEKONG, NEW YORK HOTEL: BABINGTON HOUSE, BATH DESTINATION: LARGO MAGGIORE
ANDY BELLASS
CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER
I’m a long time lover and creator of beer communication having created some of the most famous ads for Holsten Pils in the 90’s, global music platforms for Miller in the 00’s as well as Guiness and Frontier in the (whatever this decade is called) zees. I have expertly planned my way around the advertising industry for two decades at WCRS, GGT, TBWA and lastly spending eight years as Strategy Director at Mother. Other than building Splendid’s strategic capability in the real world my biggest loves are my wife, two daughters, three snowboards and five bikes.
BAR: CALOOH CALLAY, SHOREDITCH HOTEL: FOUR SEASONS, BEVERLY HILLS DESTINATION: FLORENCE
ELEANOR JONES
STRATEGY DIRECTOR
I have a wealth of consumer PR knowledge having worked on top consumer brands including Amazon, Samsung and Cadbury. I’ve enjoyed moving consumer perception of brands by moving their earned media coverage and social media communities into new editorial spaces. I’ve also worked in the drinks market doing just that for Smirnoff across Western Europe, Grolsch and Blue Moon in the UK. I have a great range of men’s media contacts thanks to years of gaming and consumer tech PR and love cake baking almost as much as glueing PR strategy to great creative thinking.
BAR: THE WENLOCK ARMS, N1 HOTEL: LOWER SLAUGHTER MANOR, COTSWOLDS DESTINATION: BALI
NIKI HUNTER
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
I have 15 year’s experience of working on communications campaigns for alcohol brands including Guinness, Windhoek, Bulleit Bourbon and Campari. The work on all these brands needed to play up their premium positioning. Food and drink is a passion of mine and many of my friends are bar owners or managers. I’m always seeking out new places to try; my current favourites are The Well and Bucket in Bethnal Green and The Merchant’s Tavern in Shoreditch.
BAR: THE RAILWAY, TULSE HILL HOTEL: FOUR SEASONS, SYDNEY DESTINATION: ICELAND
ZOE WEEDEN
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
I’m a big brand PR specialist and have worked with well-known consumer brands such as Marmite, Grant’s Whisky, Magnum (ice cream), Expedia.co.uk and Canon. Throughout my decade in PR I’ve developed a strong network of contacts including Pete Meikle (Head of News, ITV), Tom Hutchison (News Editor, The Star) and Alistair Hagger (News Editor, Daily Express).
BAR: ACES AND EIGHTS, KENTISH TOWN HOTEL: COSY NOOK, GOA DESTINATION: IBIZA
JOHN HOBSON
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
I’ve been lucky enough to work at the digital end of communications for over nine years. Since then, the platforms may have changed but the ambition hasn’t. Social media can be unforgiving however if you get your content and communications strategy right, social media can really be extraordinary for all the right reasons. I’ve led strategy and implementation with mobile brands Sony Ericsson and Three, fashion brands from Dr Martens to Hunter Boots and alcohol brands such as Stella Artois, Becks, Smirnoff and Blossom Hill. At a previous PR agency Brando (now called Citizen) I launched and led the Western Europe conversation reporting across five key InBev brands - Stella, Becks, Jupiler, Leffe and Budweiser - each with their own competitor sets. This was four years ago and felt quite groundbreaking at the time. Off the back of this success a real time one month monitoring programme was commissioned for the launch of Stella Cidre with overnight and daily updates around consumer and influencer reception to the new product - it proved central to brand communications and is now considered essential to all new product intros.
BAR: THE OLD QUEENS HEAD, ISLINGTON HOTEL: THE ARIA, LAS VEGAS DESTINATION: HVAR
SOPHIE HAYES
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
I have extensive consumer PR knowledge having worked on top consumer brands including Marmite, ASDA and Fox’s Biscuits. I have also worked on events for brands including Guinness (Arthur’s Day) and Sky (Skyride), plus numerous film premieres. I’m a news hound and have strong relationships with key national journalists securing coverage in outlets including The Sun, Daily Telegraph, The Times and Mail Online.
BAR: TRINITY, HARROW HOTEL: THE SOHO HOTEL, LONDON DESTINATION: NEW YORK
SARAH PHILLIPS
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER
I have five years of consumer PR experience, working across brands including eBay. co.uk, Sony Playstation, Vodafone, LinkedIn and Forever 21. I’ve also managed the UK consumer PR for BACARDI Rum, taking the brand beyond product placement pages, to message-rich, feature coverage about its heritage. Having worked across alcohol, travel, consumer tech and fashion brands, I have a wide breadth of media contacts across sectors, and am dedicated to maximising these relationships to deliver engaging and on-brand coverage for my clients.
BAR: THE DUKES, MAYFAIR HOTEL: THE DORCHESTER, LONDON DESTINATION: PARIS
OLIVIA GIBSON
ACCOUNT MANAGER
I have an array of media knowledge thanks to working on some great consumer campaigns. I have a great relationship with a number of journalists across the media space and feel passionate about getting brands to front of minds and to the people that matter. My skills in consumer brand PR have been developed thanks to the opportunity to work on brands like Lucozade and Marmite to name a few and I enjoy working on integrated communications that include a fast moving press office and social media activation.
BAR: THE CROWN AND SHUTTLE, SHOREDITCH HOTEL: THE OBSERVATORY HOTEL, SYDNEY DESTINATION: CROATIA
SALLY HEYDON
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
I have been lucky enough to work across an outstanding portfolio of international consumer brands including LEGO, IKEA, Warner Bros, and DIAGEO. In the drinks space, I have played a key role in a number of dynamic campaigns including the launches of Bulleit Whiskey, Rochdale Cider and the European bartending competition, Show Your Spirit. I am a confident and results driven publicist with a strong grasp of all the skills required to work in a busy, fast-paced and successful PR agency.
BAR: NIGHTJAR, SHOREDITCH HOTEL: OLD FIRE STATION, BOSTON DESTINATION: BERLIN
ALEX CLOUGH
DIGITAL ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
I’m an experienced creative communications expert, that’s built integrated, digital and social strategies for a wide range household brands, from Smirnoff to Jeremiah Weed Cider Brews, Pret a Manger to Pot Noodle. I’m always striving for genuinely creative ideas that live online, offline and all places in between. I love mobile, live for social, and hang out mostly local. I play records from time to time around London, have a love for Weissbier and a cold, crisp lager - but with 30 on the horizon I feel obligated to start drinking and liking ales as well because it’s what people that age do. My network is embedded in music and nightlife influencers, such as Mixmag, Defected Records and a number of DJs & producers. I’m also a contributor for the website SickChirpse.com.
BAR: ZIGFRID VON UNDERBELLY, SHOREDITCH HOTEL: MARINA BAY SANDS, SINGAPORE DESTINATION: THAILAND
ALEX WELLS
JUNIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
As a Junior Account Exec on the digital team, managing the Social Media communities for the likes of Marmite, Pot Noodle, Stork Margarine and Jeremiah Weed is a testament to the breadth of my experience and brand engagement. Twitter is my thing and I love nothing more than harbouring engaging, fun and exciting online environments for my brands and their fans.
BAR: HAPPINESS FORGETS, SHOREDITCH HOTEL: THE ACE, NEW YORK DESTINATION: NEW YORK
MELANIE YUDIBRATA
SENIOR PRODUCTION MANAGER
Delving into a brands world and bringing the tone of voice to life through strategic and creative executions is something that I not only love but also thrive off. I have six years experience of essentially ‘making things happen’ for brands including Jeremiah Weed, Smirnoff, Lucozade and Fuller’s. My supplier, venue and sponsorship network is vast and comprehensive and I always crave an ice-cold beer after a long day’s work - I’m Aussie so it’s in my blood.
BAR: HOXTON HOTEL HOTEL: THE CORINTHIA, LONDON DESTINATION: MEXICO
JEN CORDINGLEY
PRODUCTION MANAGER
My experience lies within experiential activations; organising, planning & managing events of all shapes and sizes. My work includes a European competition for Diageo’s reserve brands World Class, a Global product launch for Nivea, a Smirnoff & D*Face collaboration and a two year UK wide experiential sampling campaign to name but a few. I like to think I have superwoman logistical powers. Having organised various events for a range of brands, logistics is definitely my forte. From the big things to the little - I’ve got it covered (before you’ve even thought of it). I have a healthy bank of contacts in the festival field, from sponsorship, to AV & sound to artists
FULLERS FRONTIER JEREMIAH WEED REDCHURCH BREWERY
BRANDS LAUNCHED BY SPLENDID HOBO
WIND HOEK
REKORDERLIG
IN THE HEART OF SCOTT COLLINS -
OWNER OF MEAT LIQUOR GROUP
CAMMIE HOBBY-LIMON BIG FISH
OWNER OF THE CHARLES LAMB
RESTAURANTS
BLUEPEG JOHN WILLY -
MANAGER AT BEDFORD & STRAND
GET IN BED
ERIC YU -
OWNER OF BREAKFAST GROUP (SALVADOR & AMANDA, THE SOCIAL, OPIUM)
EVENT OWNERS MAMA GROUP AEG LIVE
GET INVOLVED
VISION NINE
WILL BECKETT -
OWNER OF HAWKSMOOR GROUP
CARGO
ANDY PENGELLY -
BAR MANAGER OF NOVIKOV
EAST VILLAGE
CLUBS
HEATH BALL -
OWNER OF THE RED LION & SUN AND THE WENLOCK ARMS
BAR INFLUENCERS
ANTHONY LYON -
BAR MANAGER AT HIX IN SOHO
OLIVER WILLIAMSON -
FABRIC
PLAN B
MANAGER OF THE LIGHT BAR
DANCE TUNNEL GILES LOOKER -
OWNER OF SOUL SHAKER BAR CONSULTANCY
T OF SHOREDITCH
ALICE LASCALLES -
SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE DRINKS WRITER
TOM SANDHAM -
P
JENNY MCIVOR -
THINKING DRINKERS
EDITOR OF TESCO MAGAZINE
BEN MCFARLAND -
TATIANA MERCER -
GUILD OF BEER WRITERS AND BEER WRITER OF THE YEAR
BAR CHIC
MEDIA INFLUENCERS
PETE BROWN -
FREELANCE BEER WRITER
SIMON WEBSTER BAR LIFE UK
SIMON DIFFORD -
CLASS MAGAZINE
CLINTON CAWOOD IMBIBLE MAGAZINE
WE PURIFIED THE THAMES TO DRAMATISE SMIRNOFF’S QUALITY CREDENTIALS
WE CHALLENGED UK PROMOTERS TO CREATE ORIGINAL NIGHTLIFE FOR SMIRNOFF
WE GOT THE WORLD TO SWAP NIGHTS FOR SMIRNOFF
WE LAUNCHED ARTHUR’S DAY TO CELEBRATE 250 YEARS OF GUINNESS
WE CREATED A THREE DAY MUSIC FESTIVAL IN MIAMI FOR MILLER GENUINE DRAFT
WE WORKED WITH BARTENDERS FROM AROUND WESTERN EUROPE TO COMPETE TO CREATE A NEW SPIRIT TO SIT WITHIN THE LUXURY RESERVE BRANDS PORTFOLIO
WE CREATED A SERIES OF SUMMER FESTIVAL EVENTS FOR JEREMIAH WEED
WE HANDLED THE LAUNCH OF THE FIRST CRAFT BEER FOR FULLER’S
SPLENDID STRATEGY At a strategic level we believe we are second to none. Andy Bellass is the former Strategic Director of the advertising agency Mother and in his day has taken the lead strategic role on a wide range of clients from Coca-Cola, NatWest, Egg, and SuperNoodles. Unlikely to admit it, he was also once voted in the top 10 strategic minds in the country. Alec Samways was a board director at Datamonitor and led the consumer practice of this global research consultancy. While he’d prefer to be known as the coolest dad in the country – or at least in his own household - he also has a sharp eye for a statistic. We play a core strategic communications role for most of our clients, usually contributing as part of a small core of agency partners. It’s worth noting that we are very strong collaborators. In fact, after organic growth, recommendation from other agencies is our biggest source of new business. We play a strategic communications role for most of our clients, usually contributing as part of a small core of agency partners. It’s worth noting that we are very strong collaborators. In fact, after organic growth, recommendation from other agencies is our biggest source of new business.
SPLENDID REAL WORLD PLANNING PROCESS 1. Understand the brand’s fundamental purpose / role
2. Define our relevant consumer world that we can play in relation to our brand purpose
3. Define the credible role we can play in that world as related to our brand purpose
4. Real world messaging strategy
5. Content and creative editorial development based around these messages
6. Monthly analysis and calibration: The Splendid Wall of Truth