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2022: A year in review

One Black Bear 2022

What a rollercoaster of a year it’s been. From a new office to new clients, new colleagues to new fun challenges.

Here’s a look back at just a few of the highlights. Big shout out to all the amazing clients, film makers, illustrators, photographers, animators, printers, influencers and media partners who helped to make the magic happen. Also a special mention to Vantage, our builders; Katherine, our interior designer and Studio Gotz, our architects.

Looking forward to even bigger and better adventures in the coming year.

 

As always, full screen it and sound on to the max!!!

The Mayor and the Bears

Andy Street visits One Black Bear

Well, today was quite something in the history of One Black Bear as we welcomed none other than West Midlands Metro Mayor, Andy Street to OBB towers.

Rounding off 2022 in style, we showed Andy around our newly refurbished offices on George Street, JQ. Andy chatted to every single bear present and even took the opportunity to critique some creative scamps adorning our walls. Our esteemed Chairman, Paul Bramwell, also received a special call out for his continued Create Central contribution so all in all, what a great afternoon.

Jon and I explained how we’d invested significantly to transform an unloved, old jewellery maker’s cottage into a highly finished space and how this has helped our quest to reconnect the OBB team again post COVID. Job creation and developing young talent really drove our passion on this refurb’ project with five new recruits added since we flung open the doors.

The Mayor was also interested in how we’d retained and repurposed age-old features and also vastly improved the building’s energy efficiency rating at the same time. He also kindly agreed to a photo in front of our break out bar (wall art by the brilliant Jim at Seven 9 Signs) but avoided a little tipple.

Thank you so much Andy and Tom for finding the time to come and see us in our new home – it meant an awful lot to us.

West Midlands Metro Mayor Andy Street visits One Black Bear

If you’d like to visit us to find out how we can help you improve the West Midlands, drop us a note saying:. ‘Public sector is my personal passion’ here.

Adding to the Christmas Spirit at One Black Bear

Spirit Healthcare

We’re in very good spirits as we announce another healthy bit of new business.

Long established service providers to the NHS, Spirit Health provides a range of services to make life easier for healthcare providers and patients alike. Spirit Health can help save the NHS millions every year and improve patient care by working with local NHS teams and reviewing their use of medicines. They do this by identifying areas where savings and improvements can be made and working with GPs and healthcare providers in implementing these suggested changes, supporting patients and providing training.

Speaking about the appointment, Creative Partner of One Black Bear, Jon Harrison commented: ‘Spirit offers up some really interesting creative opportunities. Being a complex and heavily regulated sector really does make you work harder and think differently to create something with cut-through. We’re already enjoying putting our OBB creative and strategic stamp on everything we do.’

Matt Jones, Head of Marketing at Spirit Health added: ‘Having worked with One Black Bear before, I know I’m getting a driven, energetic and creatively brilliant agency partner. Having their fresh perspective on things has already seen us produce some eye-catching campaigns and I’m looking forward to what else the team comes up with in the coming months.’

The agency will work across a broad range of briefs including advertising, DM and social as well as product branding development.

If you’d like to know how we can improve your brand health, drop us a note saying “I’d like a spoonful of sugar” here.

MedMin prescribes One Black Bear to treat launch campaign

MedMin appoints marketing agency.

Get Well Soon specialises in elective day case surgery and those conditions the NHS has been forced to postpone because of pressures in the system. The service is targeted at people whose conditions are limiting their ability to work or live a pain-free lives.

Bold plans are afoot to launch Get Well Soon across the UK with Birmingham and the West Midlands being the first to benefit from the service.

Speaking about the appointment, Keith Duddy, CEO of Medmin commented: ‘One Black Bear came highly recommended to us, and from the moment we started working with the team there, it was apparent they understood what we were trying to achieve as we looked to make much needed changes to the way patients could access private treatment. 

I am delighted with the way they have embraced the brief, producing some great creative across the board and we are excited to see how we can build on that momentum in the months ahead.’

Kate Hartshorn, Managing Partner of One Black Bear added; ‘Get Well Soon offers a real alternative for patients who desperately need treatment and can’t afford to wait. Any initiative that alleviates pressure on the NHS can only be welcomed in these incredibly challenging times.’

Media plans are currently being finalised but are set to include outdoor, TV, and radio.

MedMin appoints marketing agency.

If you’re looking for a brand health check, drop us a note saying “I need to see a medical professional” here.

F. Hinds rings the changes with appointment of One Black Bear

F.Hinds rings the changes.

Still a proud, family business to this day and boasting 128 stores in the UK, F.Hinds are looking to differentiate themselves from competitors and push their message across key gifting periods such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.

Following a competitive pitch involving five agencies, the two Birmingham outfits will now get to work on launching a new brand platform along with tactical activity for the brand.

Speaking about the appointment, Natasha House, Head of Marketing at F.Hinds said “This is something I have been working on internally for the past two years and I am glad that, after a long and very detailed process, we have finally found the perfect agencies to work with. Their experiences and expertise combined will lead us through what is a very new (but exciting) space for F.Hinds. We are looking forward to working with these two Birmingham based gems and I can’t wait to see what work we can do together”

Kate Hartshorn of One Black Bear & Emma Baxter of BBJ&K added, “We’re delighted to be appointed by such a leading, High Street retailer like F.Hinds. It’s great that two Birmingham based outfits won the day and we’re really looking forward to getting started. Thanks to still being a family run business, they have many virtues we can make the most of in a competitive marketplace.”

F.Hinds rings the changes.

If you’d like a shiny, glittering new agency to revamp your retail business, drop us a note saying “I do” here.

Ticking away the moments

Creative thinking time.

But today, time is ignored. We don’t want things to take time. And we don’t want to take our time. Fast fashion, speedy diet plans. Order some food and it’ll be with you in 37 seconds or your money back. And for goodness sake, that email has been in your inbox for over four minutes!!

*ahem*

Generally we associate speed with positive outcomes. Being ‘fast’ is perceived as good; being ‘slow’ is perceived as bad. I’m just writing this blog to confirm that this generalisation is, in fact, total bollocks.

The need for speed can remove the chance to think, devote attention, refine, check, care, reflect, improve. There’s a reason Baristas don’t serve Nescafé.

Daniel Kahneman’s theory of fast and slow thinking suggests thought comes in two forms – “System 1  is fast, instinctive and emotional; System 2 is slower, deliberative, and more logical.” While they don’t work independently from each other, this theory is cited in many areas, including marketing. Sometimes the best answers to creative problems come from taking the time to work through them properly. Pondering is power. (Wow, that’s deep).

Some things come quickly – a problem is easily solved, an idea speedily honed. Losing My Religion was written in ten minutes – I do get this. But all too often we want speedy turnarounds, instant results and quick wins. The time we have to deliver amazing ideas and beautiful work is getting shorter – the time it takes to deliver properly, isn’t. And the void between the two is growing. Rushing a job that shouldn’t be rushed can jeopardise the delivery of a great output. Yup, this is a one-woman-winge to ask for longer than 48 hours to fill in an RFI. More than 96 minutes for your D96.

Some things can be done quickly, some things shouldn’t be. Wanting time to deliver great work isn’t Fault. It’s Fierce.

Enjoy your Cup-a-soup. I’ve got six minutes of yoga to fit in before my next Zoom.

#BeFierce

Creative thinking time

Don’t put all your eggs in one agency.

Agency collaboration.

To be clear – this doesn’t mean a creative agency should be briefed first. To get the best results, media and creative should be briefed together. The point is that after this, it’s the creative that should be in the driving seat, with the media as navigator, advising the best routes to take.

If you’ve worked in the ad industry for more than six minutes, you’ll probably have an opinion on this, too. And I wholly appreciate the merits of meticulous media planning. But hey, as long as you understand your audience, you can start to form an idea. The KPIs, VTRs, Segmentation, Profiling and Optimisations can follow.

Trust.

Let’s not forget – the number one driver of trust when it comes to advertising is the creative. Effective advertising is achieved by expertly combining a concept, narrative and expertly crafted, beautifully produced assets with an audience that relate to it. An audience based on behaviour and choice. Not postcodes.

Just like trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole, retrofitting a big idea into a pre-planned media space is far from ideal. It’ll be efficient enough to output some healthy stats and graphs, but ultimately – it could be working harder. ‘Efficient enough’ isn’t really what we’re about. Furthermore, it could stifle creativity, with the idea, concept or even just line, being given boundaries before it’s even had a chance.

And it’s not just the channel selection or ad size. I’d argue there are discussions to be had regarding budget sharing. More frequently media and creative budgets seem to be pre-assigned before either party is briefed. In instances where I’ve worked with a media partner to share a central pot of money, there’s not only been more opportunity for creative to take a lead, but more importantly, a platform for both parties to work better together towards a clearly defined objective from the outset.

Wouldn’t it be great for 2% less people to see an ad they ACTUALLY REMEMBERED?!

Remember the fundamentals.

And I know, I know – times are changing. Budgets are being squeezed as expectations sky-rocket. But that’s surely all the more reason for creative to take more of the lead as the industry shifts focus away from short-term performance to long-term brand building.

I’m not saying the creative should be finished before the media is even briefed – far from it. But I am making the argument for a bit of a heads up.

I once read that media is an investment against your strategy, while creativity is an expression of it. Both are only useful if they connect with consumers. And they’ll connect with consumers if they work well together.  

I couldn’t agree more. So this is my little call to stop the silo and start collaborating in a more collaborative way.

We’ll always need to make beautiful work fit into teeny, tiny spaces. But give us a chance to do some big thinking first, please?

#BeFierce

Agency collaboration.

If you’re looking for an agency that plays nicely with others, drop us a note saying ‘I’d like to share the love’ here.

You gotta have space-a space-a space-aaaaa

Less is more in advertising

There comes a time when we all just want a bit of space. Some time away from all the stuff and things you need to register, process, and react to to get you through the day.

It’s human nature. An area of study in the late 60s when environmental psychologists began to study how humans interact with their surroundings, and the effects different environments have on both experiences and behaviour. The space we’re in really does have an effect on how we think, feel and act.

Environmental psychology has been applied to everything from prison design, to museum layout, to understanding territorial behaviour. And interest in the area has spiked since people began working from home. Studies show people generate more ideas for novel and useful solutions to creative problems when they’re at home than in any other single environment. This is thanks to a link between physical expanse and creativity. 

It’s believed our physical space (as it actually exists or is perceived) stands in direct proportion to our mental space. This allows us to be more open to new ideas. Space and perception are connected. And allows our very impressionable minds to respond to things as much for what they imply, as much for what they literally are.

So, how does this apply to advertising?

Well, it’s a way of me trying to make the point that: Space. Is. Good. Something I’ve noticed is really difficult to explain when it comes to advertising. If physical space and mental space are so closely linked (so say the scientists), then this angle has to be worth a shot.

I’ve watched so much beautiful creative get shot down because it’s too ‘empty’. Add a strapline, a flash, some smallprint, some more copy, another image, a bigger headline! It almost feels like a race to see who can colour the gaps in quickest. And, it’s a natural reaction, particularly with ads becoming smaller and competition getting bigger. We want to say so much in tiny spaces. But as I’ve mentioned in past blogs, this isn’t something our brains always appreciate, and busy, literal ads risk being ignored altogether.

Doubters

Please can I assure all the doubters now that space – white, negative, whatever you want to call it does not appear in ads because we can’t think of anything to fill it. It’s there, and works, if creative is good enough to capitalise on it.

Good, effective ads have a narrative, and use images and words to lead people to the information they need. Overlaying a good, effective use of space can help to guide them to the focal point of an ad. It helps them build their own ideas, and ultimately interpret and retain messaging in a better way. This can take a couple of seconds, but that’s all you need.

This is one of a series of superb ads from Lego that beautifully communicates the sentiment of freedom and imagination with no faff. Your only focus is all you need to focus on. 

A different approach, but same principle, where space is used to add meaning without adding too many extra elements to the design.

All these ads tell a story, aided by the use of space that gives our brains a chance to focus on and interpret the desired message. They have focal points that have room to breathe. 

The art of using space is something that really does take an expert eye. Even more so today when ad space seems to be sold by the pixel rather than the inch.

Still not convinced?

That’s ok. But just remember next time you head to a fine dining restaurant. You’ll be paying a lot more for the delicate portion in the middle of a vast white plate than you would have done nipping down your local for steak and chips. And there’s a reason for that 😉

So when it comes to space being bad, I’d urge you to reconsider this foolish notion.

Less is more in advertising

If you’d like to give us a little space in your diary for a chat, drop us a note saying: ‘                         ‘ here.

Celebrated creative team join One Black Bear

Celebrated creative team join Midlands creative agency

Having met through professional dating website LinkedIn back in 2017, Jenny and Tristan have gone on to form one of the most celebrated boy-girl professional partnerships in the West Midlands since Rosie and Jim.

Their combined awards shelf holds two D&AD New Blood Pencils. Two spots on the Cannes Young Lions Shortlist. 11 Drum Roses Awards. And a Campaign Magazine front cover. Career highlights so far include making singalong TV ads with Aardman for Whitworths. Refreshing Britain’s biggest bike brands with Halfords. Harnessing the lyrics of So Solid Crew for Crucials Sauces. And helping the RNIB create the first braille Christmas cards for people with sight loss.

They’re very much looking forward to working with, and learning from, the longest standing creative team in Birmingham, if not the UK and maybe the world (over 30 years). Oh, and as their careers’ progress, they’re getting better and better at this writing in the third person thing.

See more of their genius by clicking here.

Celebrated creative team join Midlands creative agency

If you’d like to see what amazing ideas they can have to transform your brand, drop a note saying: ‘I want some Jenny and Tristan magic dust sprinkling on my briefs’ here.

One Black Bear grabs a pizza the action.

Dodo pizza appoints UK creative agency

Dodo, the international gourmet pizza chain has appointed One Black Bear to help push its continued expansion within the UK.
Already based in 15 countries, Dodo has bold ambitions to be the equivalent of Dominos with outlets right across the world. A truly tech’ led fast food business, Dodo currently has a handful of UK stores with plans for many more.

With its more artisan, gourmet approach to pizza. Ranging from its signature Roman-style dough and topped with local, British toppings including lobster & mango. To the most colourful and amazing salad bowls. One Black Bear will look to bolster awareness and propel the brand both tactically and strategically.

Speaking about the appointment, Kate Hartshorn, Managing Partner at One Black Bear said:. “This is a really exciting one for us. A pizza brand that’s looking to shake up a very crowded marketplace thanks to a fantastic product and a huge dollop of creativity. It’s our aim to grow with Dodo as they gain a foothold in the UK market and position them firmly in the mind of UK pizza fans.”

Misha Chernyshev of Dodo Pizza added:. “We have exciting ambitions for our brand and One Black Bear are a great fit to help us meet those ambitions. They have provided clever tech’ solutions to meet our marketing targets. Plus some completely crazy leftfield stuff to grab attention and create noise for our brand.”

Dodo pizza appoints UK creative agency

If you’d like to have a chat with us on how we can top that with your brand. Drop us a note saying: ‘Easy on the chilli on mine’ here.

You gonna meet my friend, Pain!

Personification in advertising

Most recently, a banana I was pissed off with because it went straight from green to brown. With no consideration for me or my potassium requirements. It had just sat in the fruit bowl for a week, rent free, being an absolute bastard. And I told it so.

A slightly different approach; my friend Rachel has taken to sticking googly eyes on things in her office to give them a more human feel.

The words danced along to the next paragraph

You might consider personification odd, but it’s actually completely natural. Drawing on the concept of anthropomorphism, when we personify, human attributes can be applied to anything – nature, animals, inanimate objects. Or something completely abstract, through applying stories about their social roles, emotions or intentions (we all know Comic Sans has an evil streak).

Personification reveals a lot about social cognition and how we might understand the world. And we accept it because it’s slipped into everyday language. ‘This house has seen a lot’ – unless Rachel has been there with her stickers, I can guarantee it has no eyes to see anything. ‘She does 54mpg’. ‘Today just keeps on giving’. ‘That piece of cake is calling my name’. A guy helping me learn to swim recently told me ‘water is lazy’.

Some view it as an unsophisticated form of communication. If it’s not logical and scientific, it’s wrong. But actually, it can open up a more imaginative and creative route of conversation.

Time flies when you’re writing

When it comes to personification in ads – there’s a mixed approach. For example, Mr Energizer, the M&M Chocolates, the Michelin Man. They all act as spokescharacters for a brand or product. Love them or hate them, they do what they need to do and make a brand recognisable.

But for me where it gets nice is the use of visual metaphors used to confuse the brain, and trigger an anthropomorphic response. Remember, the brain is super lazy. Yes, even yours. And it won’t even bother to look up from it’s holiday read unless it’s going to get rewarded with something to challenge and surprise it. Below are some examples of ads that demonstrate what a product does by giving it a related human characteristic.

 

If you’ve attended any training around brand personality or storytelling, you’ll no doubt have discussed the merits of the genius personification in Epuron’s Mr Wind. It’s in this kind of territory where personification really flaunts its stuff in advertising – when it’s providing a personality to something you can’t actually see.

A super example is the recent Love that feeling? campaign from the AA. Aside from ticking so many other boxes (great use of colour, sound, no product, no proof points), the ad captures a feeling of happiness (one of the six core human emotions) by applying personification to a rag dog (dogification?) Whatever. You get the idea. What’s more, it’s making your brain tune in and take notice, asking ‘what’s this dog up to, then?’ as it waits for a surprise reveal at the end.

At the other end of the emotional scale, BT’s The Hate that ran during The Euros saw the title emotion personified as an elusive phantasm, terrorising victims of online abuse. Sadness, anger, fear and disgust are four of the six core human emotions, captured in this one ad. As with ‘Mr Wind’, people are aware of the effects of unseen things, but capturing them in a visual form helps elicit a more emotional connection with the audience; the best way to get attention and encourage action.

The blog was yelling for a conclusion

So, in conclusion. I assume Mr. T doesn’t really have a friend called Pain, am almost certain cars don’t have lady bits, and know in my heart of hearts that banana didn’t have it in for me. But, hey ho – surrounding myself with human characteristics in the absence of real humans for a few more months isn’t so bad. At least they don’t talk back. Right, I’m off to say Aloha Vera to the aloe vera – spiky, silent bitch that she is.

Personification in advertising

If you’d like to talk to us about your friend the brief, drop us a note saying ‘How do I put googly eyes on an email?👀’ here.

One Black Bear is proud to announce membership of the IPA.

One Black Bear is proud to announce membership of the IPA

 

 

There are lots of great reasons to feel honoured to join the IPA (Institute for the Practitioners in Advertising) and we’re looking forward to everything being a full member agency offers.
The training, the seminars, the fantastic insight resources on offer to name but a few.

It’s more than just a badge. It’s a catalyst for us to look at the business as a whole if we’re honest. Belonging to such a revered organisation makes you want to get the rest of your house in order.

It’s all part of coming back better if you like.

Fifteen months plus into a pandemic means you have time to take stock. Look at areas you want to improve and generally assess how we could make OBB even better and stronger. Both for our clients and our people. We’ve talked about becoming members on and off for some time – and for one reason or another, it never quite happened. Too busy, too much other expense, too…..many excuses basically.

Now felt like the right time and we’re so very glad we’ve done it.

So that’s why the IPA logo will, following an extensive refurb’, hang pride of place in our new home in a new part of town… more on that in the coming weeks.
Next to our own new logo.
And above the desks of new staff. Very, very talented staff too (and that’s all we’re saying, for now).

So new affiliations, new home, new agency ID and new staff. Basically a new beginning.

Thanks go to the IPA for allowing us in, because the process of joining made us think about how and where we belong generally.
After 18 years, we feel and indeed are established – but still yearn to come back from the most bizarre of times feeling re-energised.
The hunger is still very much there. Who fancies an agency style lunch to celebrate?

If you’d like to talk to us about the importance of your agency being in the IPA, drop us a note saying:. ‘I need a serious agency that takes its responsibilities seriously’ here.

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