Headquartered in Aberdeen with offices in Dubai, Houston and Inverness, the company has won public relations contracts for INDEX, The Big 5 and The Office Exhibition.

INDEX, the leading trade interior design show, The Big 5, the principle international building and construction show and The Office Exhibition, the region’s premium showcase for high-end office products and services, are run by event organisers dmg world media. 

Fifth Ring will work closely with dmg world media to develop highly creative and visible campaigns leading up to, and during, the events to provide exhibitor support, drive footfall and showcase the full spectrum of what each exhibition has to offer throughout the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) communities and internationally.

Fifth Ring, which has been operating in the Middle East since 2004, specialises within the energy, property and construction, education, leisure and professional services sectors, and have been working with dmg on two of its international energy exhibitions: ADIPEC and Gastech, since 2008.

Ian Ord, business development director at Fifth Ring, said: “Fifth Ring and dmg world media have established a strong working relationship over the past two years working on international energy exhibitions, and we have constantly challenged and pushed the boundaries of what can be achieved on campaigns. It is through this work that dmg recommended us to other divisions of their company and we are delighted to have been successful in winning this work.

“The Big 5, INDEX and The Office Exhibition are well established and highly regarded trade shows within the region, and working with dmg’s internal marketing team, we have put together inspirational and memorable campaigns which will directly target exhibitors and trade visitors alike.”

Louise Bays, group marketing manager at dmg world media, said: “We are delighted to be working with Fifth Ring on INDEX, The Big 5 and The Office Exhibition. We were impressed with Fifth Ring’s creativity and passion for the events, which mirrored our own, and we are confident that we will have three very successful campaigns.

“Each of these events has a new focus – INDEX places doing business at its core, against a background of cutting edge design, whilst The Big 5 is taking steps to become the first carbon neutral exhibition in the region, and The Office Exhibition will have a strong technology focus. It is, therefore, appropriate that we also have a fresh approach to all our PR activities.”

Fifth Ring, which now employs 70 people across its Aberdeen, Inverness, Dubai and Houston offices, also offers services in advertising, design, and public relations, working with clients to develop and execute impactful strategic campaigns to maximise a company’s brand, regionally and internationally.

The guide lists dozens of the best venues to go for food, drinks and places of interest in Europe’s oil capital, which this year welcomes thousands of visitors to the oil and gas exhibition from September 8-11.

The Fifth Ring guide provides delegates with the opportunity to find out more about the Granite City, it features a variety of sections including: where to entertain clients, restaurants to visit, bars, places to visit and local delicacies including Aberdeen rowies, haggis and Cullen Skink.

Business development director, Ian Ord, said: “After the success of the Insider’s Guide to Houston we developed for OTC delegates, we thought it would be extremely helpful to have an online resource that can quickly direct people to places they may wish to go in and around Aberdeen during Offshore Europe.

“I have been visiting Offshore Europe and OTC for a number of years and people always ask where to go for good food and drinks away from the exhibition itself. We have created a specific website with an interactive map that gives visitors to Offshore Europe a comprehensive guide, based on the recommendations of Aberdonians.

“Offshore Europe is such an important event for the oil and gas industry and we have clients attending from the United States, Europe and Middle East, many of whom are attending for the first time. We are really excited to offer clients and delegates an insight to the best of Aberdeen.”

The guide has been written with support from Aberdeen’s Munro’s Travel Group, which is appointed by Offshore Europe to manage the accommodation requests for both the exhibitors and delegates attending Offshore Europe.

Munro’s senior partner Jack Burnett added: “This is a fantastic resource for delegates, giving those visiting Aberdeen something extra to consider when planning their time. The guide was well received in Houston for OTC as it not only informs new visitors of places to go, but it allows regular visitors options to try new venues and locations, whilst being confident of discovering something they will like. Offshore Europe is always a very busy time for all those involved and this gives attendees the opportunity to experience the best of Aberdeen.”

The website can be found at www.oeinsidersguide.com

William Binnie joins as service unit manager for digital media & marketing, whilst Denise Davies, who has joined from Fifth Ring’s Dubai office, has been appointed as senior relationship manager.

Bringing eight years of experience in the industry, William has provided technical solutions for a wide range of both local and international clients. With a distinction in MSc Information Technology and a first class BSc Architectural Technology, he will further develop and strengthen Fifth Ring’s digital media & marketing offering, which has grown significantly in the past year.

Commenting on his new appointment, William said: “It is an exciting time to be joining the company and I am looking forward to managing the team and working with a number of exciting clients. I am also looking forward to working for an international company and with Fifth Ring’s excellent client portfolio, I am excited to be playing a part in the company’s future.”

In her new role, Denise, who is the first Fifth Ring employee to make an inter-office move, will support both business development and brand and strategy development, where she will play an important role actively managing client accounts. Joining at a time where Fifth Ring has recently made a number of new contract wins, Denise hopes to build on the company’s success. 

Denise said: “Having worked for Fifth Ring for three years in Dubai, I feel I have gained a lot of experience and knowledge and I look forward to the new challenges ahead. Fifth Ring’s dedication and ambition to push the boundaries of integrated corporate communication on an international basis is one of the main reasons I enjoy working here.”

Ian Ord, business development director at Fifth Ring, said: “I am delighted to welcome William to Fifth Ring and Denise to our Aberdeen office. William’s appointment is important for the business and I am confident that he will bring a wealth of expertise and impetus to this part of the service offering. I would like to welcome Denise back to her home city, this is the first inter-office move and it has worked very well.”

Fifth Ring, which now employs 70 people across its Aberdeen, Inverness, Dubai and Houston offices, also offers services in advertising, design, and public relations.

The firm, which also has offices in Aberdeen, Inverness and Dubai, further broadened its international reach 12 months ago when it created a Houston office in partnership with established award winning branding, advertising and marketing communications firm Pennebaker, launching Pennebaker-Fifth Ring on August, 2008

In the past 12 months, Pennebaker-Fifth Ring has secured contracts with significant businesses including oil and gas majors and international service companies. To date, the Houston office has generated almost $500,000 of revenue and has made an operating profit in its first year.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing for the communications specialists; one of the most destructive and most violent storms in recent history, Hurricane Ike, caused havoc in Houston and the fallout from the credit crunch saw the business opening in the teeth of the worst global recession in nearly a century.

Ian Ord, business development director of Fifth Ring in Aberdeen, said: “Opening in Houston was another milestone towards accomplishing our vision to build a truly international company within the major energy hubs of the world. We have been delighted with our new venture and it has achieved our objective of achieving increased market share. With a strong increase in commercial links between Houston and the Middle East and the UK, our clients are already benefiting from our international offering.”

“I’m particularly pleased we have succeeded despite being hit by Hurricane Ike last September, less than a month after we opened. Houston had seen nothing like it. The office had no power and no water and the city centre was a no-go area because of the amount of broken glass. We had to close for nearly three weeks and staff worked from home. For a new venture in its formative stages, it was a difficult time.

“No sooner had we dusted ourselves down than the entire world was hit by an economic recession in 2008 that has had severe repercussions dented the confidence of the entire business community. To have posted a profit by the end of the first quarter of 2009 was all the more gratifying because of that and is testament to the efforts of everyone in the Houston office,” added Ian Ord.

Fifth Ring’s director of public relations in Houston Brad Leone and account manager Ivana Beveridge operate closely with the Pennebaker team and offers expert public relations advice in addition to a range of marketing communications services, such as strategic marketing and research, corporate identity development, marketing collateral production, advertising, packaging, web design, multimedia and motion graphics.

Ward Pennebaker, principal of Pennebaker, said: “Our clients always appreciated what we could do for them from our Houston base, but they have been impressed and delighted with our ability to have a presence close to their operations in Europe and the Middle East. We have now developed and demonstrated a value-added, seamless services around the world.”

“With the growing cross pollination between Aberdeen, Dubai and Houston we found ourselves very much in a position where we could truly work with clients on their international strategy, but at the same time deliver powerful - and localised - marketing communication messages.”

US based company RecycleBank has appointed BBN UK to handle the launch of the UK’s first domestic recycling incentive scheme. In a bid to increase recycling and reduce landfill, RecycleBank awards points to householders which can be redeemed at retailers, restaurants, leisure facilities and charities.

BBN UK is developing the UK branding and design for RecycleBank, as well as devising the PR strategy and implementation for the launch.

Rob Morrice, Managing Director at BBN UK said “We’ve developed a branding strategy and PR campaign that will propel RecycleBank’s scheme around the country and make sure every local authority and household in the UK is queuing up to get involved.”

With offices in New York and London, RecycleBank was recently honoured as a 2009 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and has been named as a 2009 Champion of the Earth by the United Nations.

Based in Viernheim and Munich, BBN Germany received two Profi Awards at a ceremony in Dusseldorf. Campaigns for ebm-papst and Messe Bau won Gold awards whilst four additional entries received recognition including Mercedes-Benz Busses & Coaches, Heraeus Kulzer, Logwin and WEG. Judging criteria was based on strategy as well as its implementation, and results.

Kurt Klein, Executive and co-owner of BBN Germany commented,

“In Germany the GWA Profi Award is the most important honour in BtoB communications. The standard of entries is very high, and the jury is well known for being scrupulous. So this makes our success even more important to us and our performance confirms that we are on track with aiming at the pole position for BtoB brand communication.”

BBN Executive Director Andrew Higgins commented on the success of BBN Germany, “External recognition of our members is a true validation of their ability to deliver first-class services to their clients. I would like to congratulate BBN Germany on their achievements and know that with our membership moving from strength to strength, BBN is set for a future of continued success at awards ceremonies.”

How important is marketing for oil and gas companies working in the industry today?
Extremely important. Because this is an international business, and wherever you are in the supply chain, whether a technology company, a local service business or a global contractor, the buyers are increasingly sophisticated and have greater awareness of your international competitors, whether you know them or not.

To show your competitive advantage, you have to be able to articulate your differences. What’s more, if you really do believe that you bring added value, then you have to be able to show how, and this starts with how you manage your brand and your messages. Who you know still matters; but perhaps more than ever, it’s who you don’t know, and who doesn’t know you that is of greatest importance.

And don’t just think about customers.

Other critical stakeholder groups include recruitment and suppler/alliance. If you can’t build relationships with new recruits or potential partners, because they are not aware of who you are and what you do, then your growth ambitions will be restricted. This is especially true of the oil and gas industry, with its highly mobile and truly international workforce.

How does the Middle East differ from other regions when it comes to marketing an oil and gas company?

The major differences from say, Europe or North America are not necessarily cultural as you might imagine, but rather more to do with the nature of the market. Europeans and Americans, whether they are buyers or sellers in the oil and gas supply chain, are used to international contracts and international sourcing. Yes, there are the major players at operator and contractor level, but even the smallest technology companies or specialist service businesses will be used to dealing overseas.

For the Middle East, as a generalisation, there is less history in this respect. However, two things are happening: firstly there is a growing awareness globally of the national oil companies, as opposed to the international oil companies as being the key target clients.

International businesses who have been courting them have indeed actually moved HQs as well as setting up local offices in the Middle East to be closer to the NOCs. This means that international competition is now right on the doorstep of the indigenous local players, who traditionally might have had pretty solid relationships with the NOCs. As a result, higher levels of sophistication are required when it comes to messaging and brand management.

The second key factor is that these Middle Eastern companies are now realising that their market opportunities now extend globally, and through a mix of strategies, including acquisition, they are now competing on the home turf of the Europeans and Americans. Of course, to do this successfully, all elements of the marketing mix must be handled with the right levels of sophistication. Strategic longer-term thinking has now come to marketing, where traditionally satisfying tactical needs was sufficient.

How is the market for the companies you represent at the moment?

Things have changed in the last few weeks. Nobody is saying that the recession is over, but with a combination of rising oil price, some opening of bankers’ wallets and a return to longer term thinking and planning, things are on the up.

Enquiries are increasing; decision-making times are reducing. There is still a need for the quick and the low cost, but things are improving.

Have you seen a drop in business due to the current slowdown?

We did see a drop in business, primarily amongst those clients who see marketing communication expenditure as discretionary. For those that see it as a vital investment in terms of brand and business value creation, then although budgets were reduced, spend and intent was still there.

When times are tight, it’s the move of market share that matters, and to make this happen, targeted marketing communication aligned with business development is essential.

Any success stories?

Many. One specific client recently went from being an unknown regional player to having a global presence in less than 18 months, to such an extent that it was sold for 5 times its original value in that time.

The company, which has offices in Aberdeen, Dubai and Houston, won two website categories at the 23rd Annual Houston American Marketing Association’s Crystal Awards. Fifth Ring collected the awards for business-to-consumer and business-to-business work for Metro Marketing and Sales’ The Sage website and Inventure’s website.

Winning the Crystal Awards was the culmination of a busy time for Fifth Ring in Houston, with OTC taking place when the company welcomed Aberdeen Lord Provost Peter Stephen to its offices. Fifth Ring also launched a successful Insider’s Guide providing OTC delegates with online resources of all that is best to see and do in whilst visiting Houston.

The competition received entries from companies across Texas and Jeff McKay, the firm’s creative director in Houston, was very pleased with the results: “It’s wonderful to see that others recognise everything that goes into our work. Seamless design is important, but the strategy that goes behind it is even more essential.”

Fifth Ring’s business development director, Ian Ord, said: “It is gratifying to see the team’s efforts recognised so soon after launching in Houston in August 2008. Houston was a key part of our vision to build a truly international company within the major energy hubs of the world. To have our expertise recognised by the American Marketing Association is a real feather in the cap and illustrates that our values of acting in our clients’ interests translate seamlessly around the world.”

Entitled “The Power to Change”, and held in the Bishop’s Palace, Eden Court, the thought leadership event, organised by Fifth Ring Integrated Corporate Communications, heard fears that the Easter Ross fabrication yard was falling off the political agenda as the long running-debate over its future continued. The yard ceased production several years ago, followed by protracted negotiations over its future ownership.

Guest speaker at the “The Power To Change”, Jeremy Cresswell, journalist and chairman of Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG), told the gathering that Nigg could play a major part in the UK’s renewables future which had tremendous potential.

“Under most scenarios, the scale of opportunity is enormous, easily matching and perhaps exceeding the scale of the UK Continental Shelf oil and gas industry. But to grasp the opportunity fully will demand a systematic approach to creating large-scale construction and installation capacity, plus an appropriately structured supply chain,” he said.

“Scarily, wind turbine supply remains a critical item as no wind turbine suppliers are headquartered in the UK and no offshore wind turbines are assembled in Scotland.

“The clear implication is that appropriately resourced UK fabrication yards, of which Nigg has to be a prime contender, could secure long term work spanning one to two decades at least, based on UK offshore wind alone.”

Mr Cresswell compared the situation at Nigg to the development of the Luneort wind turbine manufacturing facility in Germany where 1,200 jobs will be created in the next three years.

“Surely this is possible in Scotland - and not just for wind but wave and tidal power too – given time and a great deal of joined up effort with seedcorn funding from government and its agencies,” he added.

The Fifth Ring event followed a survey by the company of more than 300 leading energy figures in the Highlands and Islands and the North-east on their perception of the renewables industry and whether enough was being done to enable progress to be made.

The majority of survey respondents said the industry needed more investment – whether from Westminster, Holyrood or the private sector, but more than 75% believed that renewables could lift Scotland out of the economic downturn. The same percentage of respondents also believed the country could be totally dependent on renewable energy by 2050.

Aberdeen, backed by the Highlands and Islands, had the potential to become the marine renewable energy capital of Europe, according to two-thirds of those surveyed, but some respondents believed other countries were better placed to achieve this.

Nimbyism (Not In My Back Yard) was identified as creating a serious delay in the development of the onshore and offshore renewables sectors and two-thirds of respondents said the former fabrication yard at Nigg should become a base for the renewables industry.

Fifth Ring’s business development director Ian Ord, said: “A very clear message emerged from our thought leadership debate. It is clear that Nigg represents a golden opportunity for the Highlands and for Scotland’s renewable industry as a whole, and there is an urgency of need in terms of the benefits a fully operational Nigg could bring to the economy and employment.

“Those who attended ‘The Power to Change’ demonstrated a collective ambition and a call for action on the future of the yard. The challenge now is to ensure the plight and the potential of Nigg is heard at the very highest levels.”

Mr Stephen and Mrs Dean have been meeting Aberdeen-based businesses that also have offices in Houston, Texas, and benefit from links between the energy hubs. Mr Stephen presented Pennebaker-Fifth Ring with an Aberdeen City plaque on Thursday (May 7). The duo also visited energy industry investment specialists Simmons & Co.

Pennebaker-Fifth Ring’s principal, Ward Pennebaker, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Lord Provost and Kate Dean to our office and further strengthen our links with Aberdeen. Having joined with Fifth Ring last year, it has helped us accommodate our clients’ growing needs, as well as providing seamless branding, public relations, advertising, design and multimedia services around the world.”

Fifth Ring, which opened its Houston office in August 2008, has grown rapidly since its formation in Aberdeen in 1991 and also has offices in Dubai and Inverness. Fifth Ring, which provides clients with an international strategy combined with local delivery, boasts an impressive list of clients across a number of industry sectors and is widely recognised as energy industry specialists.

Lord Provost Peter Stephen, said: “It is greatly encouraging to see strong links between Aberdeen and Houston, underpinning the city’s connection to rest of the world. As Europe’s energy capital, it is important for the future of the city that we establish strong relationships with wider communities on an international basis. It has been a great opportunity to visit Pennebaker-Fifth Ring’s office and meet the Houston team of a company which is very well-known in Aberdeen and in the energy business in particular.”

Councillor Kate Dean, said: “With such a strong Grampian Houston connection, it is great to meet with companies, such as Pennebaker-Fifth Ring, which has expanded out of Aberdeen as we can learn from their experiences, helping us sustain business in the north-east and maintaining the strong bond between Aberdeen city and shire and the business community here in Texas.”

Fifth Ring’s business development director, Ian Ord, said: “Since establishing ourselves in Houston last August we have managed to attract substantial new business and offer our existing clients an international integrated service across our three key geographies of the United States, UK and the Middle East.

“Houston was a key part of Fifth Ring’s vision to build a truly international company within the major energy hubs of the world. We are delighted to welcome the Lord Provost and Kate Dean to our office and provide them with an understanding of the continuing strong link between Aberdeen and Houston that has flourished and is now into a fourth decade,” Mr Ord added.