Bossing It: Richard Elwell and Jon Harrison Were Raised by Wolves.

Bossing it.

This article was first published on Little Black Book on 18/3/24 here.

Jon Harrison and Rich Elwell are creative directors of One Black Bear and also co-own the business. They have been a creative partnership since 1991 and set up One Black Bear in 2003. The theory goes (unverified) that they’re now the longest creative team partnership in the UK – if not the world. Just the 33 years and counting. Get less for murder as the adage goes.

They oversee all the creative output of the agency and are highly experienced in developing creative strategies that deliver impressive ROIs for clients as well as win awards. They were reared on a very simple, focused diet – namely, it’s all about standout creative with a sound strategic backbone.

They have worked with numerous travel brands most notably National Express Coach, Eurolines, National Express Bus, Touromo, West Midlands Network and Transport for West Midlands. Their campaigns for National Express have been multi award winning across disciplines from OOH to TV, social to radio and in programmes from The Travel Marketing Awards to Roses and Lurzers.

As well as the plethora of travel experience, Jon and Rich have worked across everything from automotive to beer (famously once convincing Roger Moore to appear on TV for a Wolverhampton Brewery) and from High Street Jewellers to international sports brands. As well as global megastars of the silver screen, the pair have also worked with sporting heroes and up and coming comedians. Active and enthusiastic contributors to client meetings / ongoing client development, Rich and Jon pride themselves on being involved and not just residing in the background as owners.

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?
Rich> Becoming head of the carpet cutting department at a B&Q. I presided over several other fellow Saturday lads who were students. I was very proud.

LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be – or what kind of leader you didn’t want to be?
Rich> To be honest, we didn’t. We were raised by wolves. During those formative years at our first agency, we observed all kinds of leadership. Think bombastic, micro management, pure fear, the friendly sort, having enough rope to hang yourself… you name it, we witnessed it. We settled on trying to be nice, laid back and trusting. But we have been guilty of overdoing the soft touch. Every day a school day as they say.

LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?
Rich> When I suggested to my old MD that this business is basically just ‘rock & roll’, he quickly fired back a brusque: ‘But it’s not though’. Jon and I still wind each other up with it to this day. And while we’d never use the cliché of rockstars we do try and make sure people enjoy spending their time together in the agency.

LBB> Did you know you always wanted to take on a leadership role? If so how did you work towards it and if not, when did you start realising that you had it in you?
Jon and Rich> We knew early on in our careers that we’d like to run our own place. But I think that was more about being in total control of creative output rather than an out and out desire to lead. I think creative folks should aim to be inspirational to those that they lead and then get out of their way to let them do what they do best.

LBB> When it comes to ‘leadership’ as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, how much can be taught and learned?
Jon and Rich> Personally, I’d hope we lead by example rather than by preaching from a management textbook. We try to instil a high level of self initiative, self discipline and team ethic that seeks to help others, muck in whenever needed and to always strive to do the best work possible.

LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?
Jon and Rich> When someone isn’t naturally driven like us. Sounds weird, but we aren’t particularly good at cattle prodding those who haven’t ‘got it’ in the first place.

LBB> Have you ever felt like you’ve failed whilst in charge? How did you address the issue and what did you learn from it?
Jon and Rich> Often. Imposter syndrome looms large as a creative person anyway. Add leadership responsibilities to the mix and… wow, it takes any morsel of self doubt to another level. However, I think (or hope!) that we’ve always been fair, balanced and patient as leaders. I can’t think of many instances, if any, where we haven’t tried to be. We also gave shares to people we shouldn’t have and that wasn’t very clever from a leadership perspective. You live and learn though eh.

LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what’s your approach there? Do you think it’s important to be as transparent as possible in the service of being authentic? Or is there a value in being careful and considered?
Jon and Rich> I think there’s a very high level of transparency because it ultimately breeds trust and loyalty. We celebrate the good times and support each other during the bad. Yes, we often soak up some of the bad patches and worry ourselves rather than burdening the team – it’s that old football manager approach I guess.

LBB> As you developed your leadership skills did you have a mentor, if so who were/are they and what have you learned? And on the flip side, do you mentor any aspiring leaders and how do you approach that relationship?
Jon and Rich> As we said, raised by wolves. Much of it is self taught and relies on the desire to be exceptional at what you do – and be nice while doing it.Our old college tutor, Steve Dixon was a very analytical, clever guy who was very good at letting you know that your so called, best ever work was actually only lukewarm – but with a smile on his face. I also like the David Abbott example of red penning the junior’s copy without getting all hot and heavy and throwing mobile phones around. Why? Because when the junior writer eventually left DA’s office with his copy free of red pen he was walking on air.

Exceptional leadership right there.

LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?
Jon and Rich> Keep doing it and keep going. What other way is there? We are pretty cautious as a business and don’t make rash decisions. We have a duty to look after what we’ve created and the people we carefully recruit. Long may it prosper – come what may.

LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce?
Jon and Rich> Now two middle aged blokes running an agency, we nurture youth, we celebrate experience and strive to have as many points of view within the place as possible. The agency management team is predominantly female and we try to always hire from mixed backgrounds and experiences.

If you’d like to grill Jon and Rich about their countless years experience at the creative coalface or chat to any of the rest of the team about something less boring, then drop us a note saying “Haven’t they aged well” here.

Say hello to Eurocell

Eurocell appoints creative agency.

We’re proud to announce that we’ve flung open our door to say hello to Eurocell, the leading recycler, manufacturer and distributor of sustainable building products, into the One Black Bear fold.

After a competitive pitch, One Black Bear are proud to announce they have been appointed as part of a roster of agencies to deliver strategic creative communications. We’ll be working hard to help elevate the brand among the trade and open up exciting new opportunities directly with consumers.

Established 50 years ago back in 1974, Eurocell has over 200 branches nationwide and we’ll be delivering an ambitious creative strategy to aid with their equally ambitious growth plans over the next few years.

Kate Hartshorn, One Black Bear managing partner said: “It’s great to be working with a client that has so much enthusiasm for making an impact in the sector. We’re extremely pleased to have been invited in to help them at this critical time in their plans. The building industry is something the team has a wealth of experience in and we’re very excited to get our teeth and claws stuck into one of the biggest names in the game.”

Beth Boulton, Eurocell Marketing Director added “The Bears have the perfect balance of experience, creative specialism and pragmatism to support us in developing our brand and strengthening our leadership position. I am very much looking forward to seeing what we can create together.”

If you’re a brand, marketing or sales manager / director in the trades space, we’d love to talk to you about how we can help raise your brand profile.
We can help make you famous or simply solve some critical business problems with the power of strategic thinking.
Just drop us a note saying “I want to trade up my agency” here.

A new familarity with circularity

Sustainabilty pioneers Circular&Co appoint creative agency.

We’re cock-a-hoop with joy to announce that Circular&Co have appointed us. We’ll be developing overarching strategic and creative work across its sustainable product range.

Based in Cornwall, and founded on the mantra ‘Made from waste to end waste’, Circular&Co derives its name from the ambition to create a ‘circular economy’ or ‘circularity’ for short.
In other words, to make new products from waste products that are then fully recyclable – or circular.

The big ambition, through education and awareness, is to put an end to single use cup usage by consumers and coffee shops alike through the use of reusable and returnable cups.

Commenting on the appointment, Tina Simpson, Marketing Manager at Circular&Co said:
“One Black Bear showed us a wide range of strategic and creative thinking that really pushed us. It’s our quest to get people everywhere binning their single use cups – for good – and we’re really looking forward to working with them.”

Kate Hartshorn, Managing Partner at One Black Bear added:
“It’s so great to be working with a brand so genuinely rooted in the principles of sustainability and reducing waste. We hope to help Circular&Co become the leading voice in the circular economy space through their fantastic ethos and product range.”

Now, all together…

Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel.
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel.
As the images unwind, like the circles that you find.
In the windmills of your mind.

Tired of your current agency recycling tired old ideas and would like some fresh thinking to reinvigorate your brand? Or if you’d simply just like to have a coffee (in a Circular reusable cup of course) and a chat, then drop us a note saying: “Get the kettle on, I’ll be round in five” here.

Sustainabilty pioneers Circular&Co appoint creative agency.

Are you tech’in the p*ss?

Artificial Intelligence is a very real threat.

Think I’ve figured out what AI really stands for: Abject Indifference.

I’m talking, of course, about the rather strange gathering of monied Bond villains held (ironically) within the splendour of ‘Camp Clandestine’. AKA Bletchley Park.

What a strange (and strained) bunch of meets and greets that was.

Amid the lashings of tech’ infused social awkwardness and abundant black Amex cards, some truly weird things were said.

See, according to the world’s richest person, it’s all just a matter of simple choice: ‘AI will do everything. So, you can have a job  but only if you want one. Y’know, if you need a bit of purpose and meaning. But don’t feel compelled’.

Oh ok, thanks for that. Earn a living to support you and your loved ones – but don’t stress if you can’t be arsed, just let the computer do it.

I mean, forget for a minute that we don’t raise anywhere near enough in tax revenues to fund our beleaguered, cash strapped public services as it is.

Merely an inconvenient truth that.

No, let’s go even further and suggest that our much patronised, ‘hard working families’ don’t bother doing a stroke of work for the treasury at all anymore.

And best of all, this oh so bold comment met with awkward amusement by our very own economics grandmaster. Oh, and former Chancellor. Oh, and current PM. And latterly, chief courter of tech’ titans. And, oh yeah, did I mention fellow billionaire? (Btw, that last tag doesn’t half help in times of ‘enforced retirement’.)

Go fund that one then Rishi. An entire workforce doing nowt. Sounds like a bit of a bigger bill than furlough. And forever too.

In a feeding frenzy of all things artificial, we don’t half need some side orders of real world, common sense too.

And not from someone who doesn’t need to work either.
Computer says….doss.

If you’d like to speak with a human about the real power of original, tangential and creative thinking, then drop us a note saying “I am not a robot” here.

Artificial Intelligence is a very real threat.

Are you sitting comfortably?

If you fancy having a sit down with us to chat about more than just rearranging the cushions and changing the colour on the walls of your marketing strategy, then drop us a note saying “Have you seen the remote?” here.

AI Came, AI Saw, AI Conquered?

AI came AI saw AI counquered?

School and university heads are wondering how to assess their undergraduates now that anyone can get the AI to spit out a passable five page essay in response to every question under the sun.

Solicitors are starting to get twitchy now the AI can digest the salient points of legal papers in a few seconds and write a decent contract in minutes.

Junior developers are looking nervously over their shoulders now that what looks like pages of working code can be generated from a few sentences of instruction.

Marketing agencies, of a certain ilk, are weighing the pros and cons of being able to churn out endless content without the need to employ countless content writers. Not us, we’d like to note. That kind of stuff is not our bag. Perhaps we might harness the AI to write infinite complaint letters to our broadband supplier – but that’s another story.

Anyway, all this leaves creators of original stuff in a legal pickle. In Creative Review, the illustrator Christoph Niemann summarises it like this: “(An AI tool) doesn’t invent work it goes historically back and, in a very sophisticated way, rips it off. AI is done in a way that traditional copyright laws don’t apply, but for me it’s more of a deepfake of artists’ work.” There will certainly be legal test cases to find the legal boundaries of this very soon.

The long term consequences of AI are impossible to determine. Right now, it feels like it will be a long time before a computer can calculate the creativity we like: the stuff wonderfully works its way into millions of human hearts and minds. But who knows? Maybe that will come in the next update. So we thought we’d leave the last words on this to the mainframe itself…

Prompt: Why AI won’t take over marketing.

Marketing is all about relationships.

AI technology has certainly revolutionised the marketing world but that doesn’t mean it can completely take over the responsibility of a marketer. AI can certainly make things easier, faster, and more efficient. However, it cannot replace the relationship-building aspect of marketing which is so integral to its success.

Marketing is a very human-centric activity. It requires understanding the psychology of the customer and building relationships with them based on that understanding. AI may be able to provide insights into consumer behaviour and preferences but it will never be able to understand or build meaningful relationships with customers in the same way as humans can.

Tonality is also an important part of marketing. Good marketers know how to use language that resonates with their target audience, something AI still hasn’t mastered. AI-driven content maybe informative and factual but it won’t have any persuasive power because it lacks emotion. AI has yet to be capable of replicating nuances like storytelling, humour, and other persuasive tactics that are essential for successful marketing campaigns.

In conclusion, while AI technology can help marketers save time and resources, it cannot completely take over marketing activities due to its inability to build relationships with customers or create tonality in its messaging that resonates with an audience. As AI becomes more and more advanced, we’re starting to see it used in marketing and advertising more and more. But while AI can be a powerful tool, it won’t ever be able to replace the human element of marketing.

Does it know what it’s talking about? Who knows.

If you’re looking for an agency that does more than just generate the generic, drop us a note saying “I’d like to chat not gpt” here.

AI came AI saw AI counquered?

Invest Now. Profit Later.

Advertising in a recession.

It’s 2008, and I’m at Disneyland queuing for the Tower of Terror. When I joined the line an hour ago I was buzzing. Excited, chatty, and confident this was the ride for me. Now I’m on the final approach, and I haven’t spoken to my boyfriend for ten minutes. I’ve morphed into a nervous nelly. And when this happens, I don’t speak. My brain is far too busy pawing through all its anxious thoughts while my eyes dart between watching what everyone else is doing, and pin-pointing an escape route.

We’re psychologically programmed during periods of uncertainty to take a bit of a ‘chin down’ approach. Paralysed by the unknown, we pause to maintain self-preservation. Fear of the unknown can be crippling. But I’d been there before – terrified of Space Mountain and then went round three times in a row. So why the hell wasn’t I learning from the past. Can you see where I’m going with this?

Hold onto your hats and glasses

There are four P’s your brand has to generate value; Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. In nervous times, the last P is often the first for the chop. But unless you’re saving cash to simply survive, or because you can no longer provide your service, cutting ad budget relative to your competitors is an extremely high risk strategy and opens you up to losing sales and, crucially, market share. In a recession, as with so many things in life, it’s important to ensure you’re P-ing properly.

A shift in consumer behaviour results in a diminishing role for short-term sales activation. But it’s dangerous to assume that should lead directly to ceasing promotion. There’s a plethora of research that’s screaming at us to maintain or increase ad spend to ensure recovery and continued growth. It’s the age-old smackdown between short-term tactical and longer-term strategic actions. And as the majority of ad spend tends to be tied up in multi-year activity; cutting it off isn’t just affecting your brand now – it’s exposing it to long term damage.

You should have thought about this when you joined the queue

So that paragraph’s convinced you to pick up your advertising again. Super news. The only downside is this is something you should have done months ago. The issue with a recession is that they’re usually identified and acted on retrospectively. Fail to prepare and all that.

If you want to take full advantage of a future recovery, you need to invest well before it arrives. The IPA cites it’s typically six months before increased sales or share can be attributed to brand building activity. Which just happens to be the exact same amount of time declining GDP needs to be published before we can officially use the ‘R’ word. Decisions we make right now on marketing investment don’t just affect us today, but will have big consequences through 2023 and beyond. Make the right one.

A quick reminder though – this isn’t just about shouting louder, it’s about shouting the right things, too. In a recession your brand is scared. So are the humans you rely on to stay in business, so a demonstration of humanity, understanding, and generosity in your advertising can go a long way. Be helpful. Be aware. Be Fierce.

Exit through the gift shop

I went on the Tower of Terror, and was terrified. But if I hadn’t done it, everyone else in the queue would have experienced that unique, adrenaline-soaked high, while I stood holding their coats. Clamming up and watching everyone else thrive wasn’t really for me, it turned out.

I even picked up a souvenir keyring on my way out. Something to remember that day. Turns out it can be helpful to look back 15 years and learn from experience. Don’t you think?

If you’d like to know more about Advertising in a recession and to tap into our wealth of knowledge (we’ve experienced as few in our time) then drop us a note saying “I ain’t scared of no ghost” here.

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.