17th June | Anouska Leon back

Richmond & Towers adds a touch of sparkle to Ocean Spray Launch

Ocean Spray Appoints Richmond & Towers

Brand communications agency Richmond & Towers has been appointed by cranberry juice brand Ocean Spray to unveil its brand-new on-the-go cranberry drink, Sparkling Pink – in a bid to crack the fast-growing ‘naturally sparkling’ soft drinks market in the UK. The announcement follows hot off the heels of a string of wins for R&T which has bolstered its food & drink division after recent appointments from Masons of Yorkshire, Rombouts and Lily O’ Brien’s.  R&T’s answer to Ocean Spray’s London-centric brief includes a high-impact print and online media partnership with Time Out London, as well as a targeted consumer media relations programme. All activity will fall under the banner ‘Bubbles with benefits’, designed to encourage 35-54-year-old health & wellness shoppers to discover the new low-calorie sparkling proposition which has the added benefit of vitamin C.

R&T’s CEO Nikki Thomson explains: “We’re delighted to be given the opportunity to work with Ocean Spray and help the brand to launch such an exciting new proposition into the UK market. We have a history of handling successful brand launches, particularly in the wellbeing space, and with this sector well and truly thriving at the moment we’re confident that our campaign will strike a chord with new shoppers and drive rate of sale. We can’t wait to get started!”

Ocean Spray Europe’s Marketing Director, Ken Dolan adds: “We were impressed by Richmond & Towers’ strategic and creative solution to our brief. The ‘naturally sparkling’ soft drinks market is new territory for us, but R&T demonstrated a solid understanding of the sector as well as our target consumer. That said, we’re confident that we’ve picked the right partner with the right know-how and expertise to deliver a hugely successful launch for Ocean Spray Sparkling Pink.”

The account will be handled by R&T’s wellbeing division.

23rd November | Anna Berry back

Joining R&T during Covid-19 – some hints & tips from our newest addition

Come and join us during Covid, they said. It’ll be fine, they said.

And well, actually, they were right. Two months down the line from starting my new role at Richmond & Towers and I can confirm there are worse things than meeting an entire agency via Teams.

So, as I’m not the first and definitely won’t be the last to experience this, I thought I’d share some learnings for those who may be in this position over the coming months.

Firstly, starting a new job remotely is humbling. You suddenly start to feel – despite years of being told (and telling others) that there’s no such thing as a stupid question – as though every question is a stupid question and they’re all swirling around in your head! When every trivial query becomes an email or a call and you can’t just roll over to your friendliest looking desk mate to check a minor detail on a brief, get a read on how scary that scary sounding client email actually is or find where anything is on the server, it can quickly spiral into analysis paralysis and loops of ‘I should KNOW this’.

My advice, is to get over this as quickly as you can. There’s a limited window when you’re the new kid and it’s normal to have questions, so get comfortable with what you don’t know, identify the best people to help, go harder than you might usually do on the ? in your emails.  And remember those who went out of their way to welcome you at the start, because you owe them a drink whenever that heavenly time of IRL knock-off socialising re-enters our lives.

Next, we turn our attention to the video call and how to make friends online. If you’re to believe what we’re told about millennials (of which I am one), it’s that we’ve been doing it all our young adult lives so, no problemo, right? But making real and lasting connections with new colleagues despite a half second delay whilst surrounded by housemates also working from home is not entirely undaunting.

Again, my advice is simple. Take a breath and go with the flow. It’s not your job to fill every silence. Give it a few months and you’ll soon become fluent in the team in-jokes that are currently flying over your head. And if, like me, whilst waiting for a video call to commence a new co-worker overhears you asking an off-camera housemate the correct use of ‘mare’* in preparation to tell said new co-worker you’ve been having one, then pray it comes off as endearing.

My final piece of advice is to persevere safe in the knowledge that this won’t be forever.  One day, hopefully soon, you’ll know everyone’s Pret order, that tray 2 on the printer is dodgy and, crucially, which mugs are off limits. On this occasion and amidst ‘these uncertain times’, I’m fortunate to have joined a team with personality aplenty, and whose kindness cup is full to the brim, for whom no question is too stupid and always answered with a smile.

And, as it happens, we’re currently on the lookout for a new Social Account Manager so if you’d like to be the next R&T new kid on the block, contact sayhello@rtc.london

*As an Australian, navigating British slang is an ongoing journey

4th November | Beth Sprules back

Why it’s time to take Gen Z seriously

We need to talk Gen Z. Sometimes negatively described as ‘tech obsessed’, ‘expecting too much’ and even ‘extreme activists’ … in the words of Greta Thunberg, how dare you?

What is often overlooked is how Gen Z – the current generation of young adults born from 1996 onwards – are arguably changing consumerism for the better during an increasingly challenging time for businesses and brands.

We watched the Kantar Talks webinar titled Future Consumers – how Gen Z is shaping the new cultural zeitgeist in a post COVID world and believe there is a lot to be learned and practiced from this highly engaged group.

Among the many interesting points delivered in the webinar, here are the top points that we think brands should keep at the forefront of their minds for a successful future relationship with this key audience:

Cut the BS

Gen Z want change, and they are prepared to make it happen themselves. There are no expectations that revolutions will be established on their behalf, and they know what they want. In particular, they want companies and brands to engage with them on a human level, and they want to know how the product/service will truly benefit them. As a result, brands should use straightforward language, showcase transparent business practices and use ‘people first’ narratives.

No more empty promises

More than two thirds of consumers apparently want brands to be vocal about social issues, so if they want to attract Gen Z-ers then they must play a public role in society and involve themselves in causes which are credible to the business. They should also deliver on their witness statements if they want to inspire consumers to become advocates.

Nike gained traction with this early on, with the Emmy winning advert titled Dream Crazy in 2018 – featuring NFL player Colin Kaepernick and the quote, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything. Just do it”, after his career was cut short for peacefully protesting against racial injustice in America.

Diversity

Inclusivity and diversity need to be taken seriously. Long gone are the days of seeing perfectly symmetrical, tiny white models representing clothing or products destined to be worn or bought by normal sized, normal people. Brands need to be accessible to everyone if they want to reach a wider audience and emphasis must be placed on a positive directive. Diversity and inclusivity also allow for Gen Z’s most popular type of advertiser – influencers and micro influencers. These people have niche and specialist knowledge of the products and services they advertise on social media, without having the pressure to look or act a certain way.

If you want to find out more about how you can future proof your brand – get in touch