There are several funding streams available to businesses to develop their leaders and managers as part of The Phoenix Way Group’s exceptional series which returns this autumn.

Since it’s inception in October 2009, the series has taken over 1000 regional leaders through management and leadership training programmes, with subjects ranging from motivational leadership to strategic finance skills.

Alison Bagnall, Leadership Director at Phoenix Way said: “Businesses in the North West have recognised the importance of continuing to invest in their leaders and managers. Creating a motivated and engaged workforce is high on the agenda at the moment. Leaders understand that tough economic conditions create huge opportunities.

“Notably, the North West still has a lot of funding available to help businesses develop the skills of their leaders and managers. Most of the people who have been through our programmes have tapped into this funding which in many cases has paid for the courses completely.”

Employee engagement is very much on the radar of most businesses – and rightly so.  Research conducted by Gallup indicated that only 19% of the UK workforce are actively engaged – leaving 81% as not engaged. The research also proves that increased engagement leads to increased productivity and profitability.

According to a recent ‘state of the region’ survey by The Business Desk and DLA Piper – businesses in the North West believe that in order to improve business culture in the region – better sharing of ideas amongst business leaders would prove to be the most beneficial.

Alison concluded: “Every one of our leadership programmes is designed to inspire the leaders not only with their world-leading trainers, but by bringing leaders together to share ideas and best practice.  We want to help all business leaders in the North West to be the best they can be so they can compete on a global scale.”

To find out more information on the courses and the funding, visit www.phoenixwaygroup.co.uk, call 0161 200 1670 or email ab@pw-g.co.uk

If you’re an existing PR account handler or a young graduate hungry for your first break in a fast moving environment we want to hear from you.

Simply email your CV with covering letter detailing what you can bring to Zeus PR, to info@zeuspr.co.uk and we will be in touch!

Note: No recruitment agencies please.

Let’s face facts; it’s tough out there. There can be very few industries that aren’t oversaturated with companies offering similar products or services to your own, so how do you differentiate yourself from the competition?

The importance of the quality of your offering and what you charge for it cannot be underestimated, but whilst your competitors are battling solely in these arenas, you could be getting the edge with a better brand.

Branding can be a complex process and one that everyone has an opinion on but few truly understand. Below you’ll find 10 points to consider when undertaking a branding (or rebranding) project.

1. Do your research
It’s tempting to think that the people who know your company best (directors, employees etc) are most qualified to make judgements on what your new brand should look like, sound like and feel like. Although their input is essential, it’s your potential customers who the brand must primarily appeal to. You must define your target audience and ask their opinion on what they want from a brand in your industry. After all, the market is never wrong.

2. Write a detailed brief
Define what you want the branding project to achieve. What (if any) is the problem with the current name, logo, marketing etc? The only reason to rebrand is if the current brand isn’t making the right impression on people, if it isn’t engaging with your target audiences. Know who your target audiences are, what your USP is and what you want to convey.

3. Set a budget, set a schedule
You should understand any restrictions you’re facing, regarding budget and schedule. Design agencies are the branding experts – strive for good value, rather than cheapness – branding projects can cost a fortune, but needn’t necessarily. Remember, truly effective branding and marketing will pay for itself many times over. Bear in mind that the cost of rebranding doesn’t just lie in creating the brand; costs of rolling it out across all forms of communications should also be considered.

4. Get designing
The design process should start with the logo, supporting graphics and imagery style. At this stage a positioning statement should also be considered. This is to convey the USP of the company or product, or the single most important thing you want to be known for. It is not a mission statement, but is there to quickly help sell and position what you do in the minds of your target audience and make it more memorable. If using a design agency, they should present how branding options work in context, i.e. on stationery, printed collateral, advertising, website etc.
5. Test
Once you have branding options that you’re happy fulfil the brief, test them on the same groups you did your initial research with and measure their response. Remember at all times, these are the people who will engage with your brand once it’s launched – and choose whether to buy from you or not – so it’s essential to find out what they think.

6. Make your choice
Based on the testing, you can choose your preferred brand option. When making your decision, keep in mind the brief and your objectives for the company/product. Don’t make decisions based on personal likes and dislikes, check that your chosen solution answers the brief and gained a good response from your target audience.
7. Ensure consistency
Brand guidelines should be created and distributed to all relevant parties, i.e. internally, to suppliers etc. The guidelines will help ‘police’ the brand and ensure the consistency that is essential for a strong brand. Get the buy-in of everyone who is connected with the company and distribute logos, templates, guidelines etc to anyone who needs them.

8. Roll it out
The brand must now be implemented across all forms of communications; stationery, printed materials, email signatures, website, advertising, signage etc. Remember, consistency is essential, every touching point of the brand should feel the same.

9. Tell the world
Rebranding is newsworthy. Create a press release about the launch of the new brand and get it out to as many contacts as possible. Your press release should be more than just ‘We’ve got a new logo’; it should also remind people what your company/product does and the benefits of buying from you. A launch event could be organised, in itself a good PR opportunity.

10. Keep measuring response
Brands are organic, they should grow and adapt over time. Consistency is essential in building a strong brand but as times change, you must be certain at all times that your brand is still fresh and achieving the desired levels of engagement.

Zeus PR has been commissioned by Pictures to Share to improve access to stimulating reading resources for people with dementia.

The agency has been tasked with creating a strong level of national awareness of the brand amongst target media and generating sustained awareness of the brand.

Helen Bate, MD of Pictures to Share comments: “We were impressed with the team at Zeus PR, who clearly understand how to position our range of high quality books and visual media for people with dementia.

“Zeus PR presented the perfect strategy to communicate how powerful images and suitable texts in an attractive and accessible format can help to improve the quality of life for this disadvantaged group.”

icelolly.com Beach Bodies Challenge 2010

icelolly.com has today launched a nationwide campaign to find the UK’s best bikini bodies.

icelolly.com will be awarding the ‘best female beach body’ and ‘best male beach body’, as voted for by icelolly.com fans!

They are urging people to send in a full length photo or video clip of themselves in swimwear, with the chance to win a fabulous holiday for two!

icelolly.com will then shortlist 12 finalists, judged by celebrity model Matt Peacock!

Please follow the link for your chance to enter http://www.icelolly.com/beachbodies

Leading retail training specialist Beyond The Box has won another major contract with leading major retail group DSG international plc (‘DSGi’) – parent of Currys, Currys Digital and PC World, to undertake a training programme for store colleagues for the six months up to November 2010.

Following on from the success of both Beyond The Box’s nine month programme for DSGi, a 6 week training programme in the run up to Christmas, and a further contract to Easter 2010, store colleagues will now undergo further intensive product knowledge and sales skills coaching.

Leading NW based full service Production Company with specialism’s in visual effects and live action filming, Carbon Digital, has unveiled its new project for Johnson & Johnson Baby Oil.

Working together with Lowe London, Carbon Digital was tasked with creating and producing the live action filming for the new TV commercial, aiming to promote Johnson & Johnson Baby Oil’s latest web campaign.

Carbon Digital has a blue chip client base, undertaking global projects for leading household names such as Domestos and other grocery brands, which sit within Unilever’s impressive portfolio.

Remember the old ‘Marathon’ (now-a-days Snickers) adverts? Who could resist a close up shot of those oozing layers   of  caramel upon perfectly arranged peanuts all topped off with thick, thick chocolate?! My mouth is watering just writing about it but those close up shots had me hook, line and sinker every time! But where could advertisers go from here? Then came the CGI.

When the power of using CGI and special effects became apparent every ambitious marketer and advertiser seemed to want to tap into it. Brand managers for products such as laundry detergents, toothpaste or effervescent drinks saw how CGI could really being their products to life.  The key features of their products could be brought into sharp focus, in extreme close up, creating an almost immersive experience and drawing the consumer in .. just like those early chocolate ads!

Initially, ‘fancy effects’ were brought under scrutiny for being used just for the sake of and only detracting from real story-telling techniques but the technology and application of it has gone from strength to strength. Creatives with a passion for creating engaging product communication have become enthralled with the power at their fingertips. The ability to create otherwise impossible scenes such as tablets fizzing through veins or a beauty cream sinking into layers of skin.  We always get a real kick from putting before our clients eyes exactly what they want to communicate about their product. We were once charged with the task of showing how a toilet cleaner fizzed underwater and showing how the product removed limescale from the sloping sides of a toilet! Without effects this visual would be impossible as you just aren’t able to get a camera and entire light set inside a toilet to start with! The epitome of job satisfaction for us digital artists is to give our clients these otherwise un-feasible requests. Not only that, but the physical properties of a products selling points, such as a conditioner which smoothes hair cuticles can be enhanced. For example, it is possible to show a micro-scopic view of an uplifted hair cuticle being smoothed into place. The techniques used are simply a way to accurately and effectively describe your key points in an extremely dynamic and engaging way.

I don’t want to give away my age here but my thesis at Uni was about the emerging technology of virtual reality! People were amazed to place on a clunky headset and become immersed in a 360 environment. This technology seems like a million years ago now and has been followed by the unveiling of special effects, 3D animation, augmented reality and 3D TV in our own homes. The ever increasing capability of hardware has driven the need for more and more amazing software. We are always amazed by new versions of our array of software, like children in a sweet shop as we try out the increasingly powerful  and wide ranging tools available. Our minds are always racing with, ‘what could we do with this technique or tool’. Adverts such as the Toyota cars being pulled into a piece of ‘fabric’ to unveil another model underneath is an amazing example. A concept such as this could never have become a reality without the availability of the software and the expertise of digital artists who know how to achieve such amazing end results.

I guess we take the use of such effects for granted sometimes and it is occasionally satisfying when effects go unnoticed and are taken as real. So how can we best communicate with clients what is possible? Just listening to what our clients want is by far the most important factor. Great communication of ideas at the planning stage is the second, allowing us to show, without having anything to actually show, what the finished piece could look like, what pace will it have, what emotions it may evoke etc. Only then can we delve into the toolbox and start to create a convincing and dynamic piece of work.

Another benefit of CGI it that the pipeline to create a piece can be extremely clever. Sometimes, an effect can be taken back to any point in the pipeline to edit an element. For example, a CG fluid could be made thicker and move slower. The post production tools have also become equally sophisticated allowing multiple layers of changes to the finished visuals giving clients the flexibility to fine tune the end results.

At the end of the day, the goal of successful advertising remains the same, to sell. For us, this process is all the more exciting with the use of CGI and we are always excited when a new project comes along where we can put the techniques into action and wow our clients. For clients, the possibilities are now endless and the ability to best communicate a product is key. Creating a great piece of work, whether it be cg, live footage or a combination, for a product which may have been in development for quite sometime is an exciting challenge. It is always so exciting to unveil a project to clients and see their reactions. Even better again, to get feedback of what results the ads may have achieved.

It has been interesting to look back at where we have come from over the past ten years but even more exciting is to imagine what the next ten may bring us.

Blue Bell BMW in Wilmslow attended a packed event at Oulton Park on 5 – 6 June at the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTTC).

Over thirty thousand people visited the event over the weekend, which held a packed programme of championship races, along with family entertainment including air demonstrations, an RAF parachute display and the chance to explore the BTCC pit lane.

With the championship reaching such a crucial stage, Blue Bell knew this would be the perfect platform to display a range of BMW cars available including the X5, Z4 and the M3 Coupe.

icelolly.com, the leading holiday price comparison website,  has appointed Zeus PR in the run up to its key trading period.

Zeus PR will work with the national travel brand to consolidate awareness of icelolly.com as ‘the first stop’ for anyone wishing to book a sun holiday from its extensive range of deals.