Corporate Vision Issue 7

CORPORATE VISION / Issue 7 2018 23 , Based in the heart of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, Big Cat Agency is a no-nonsense marketing communications agency. Taking time to provide us with an insight into Big Cat is Managing Director, Hannah Davies who highlights the exceptional work the firm provides to their clients. Creative Clarity Here at Big Cat Agency, we have a branding and creative team, a PR and social media team, a digital marketing & development and a strategy and planning team. Clients we work with can pick the individual services they need, or we develop their marketing strategy and deploy the most appropriate mix of services for their business. We use an approach we call Creative Clarity. Whether it’s advertising, design, PR or digital, we find that the most effective campaigns are the simplest. And the most effective way to get to the heart of a problem is being straight talking, honest and open. Creative Clarity has helped us create hugely effective communications in sectors such as hospitality, healthcare, leisure & destination, retail and charity. And it starts from the very moment we begin working together with our clients. From expectation setting, to briefing, research, creative ideas, and feedback on those ideas. If agencies can’t understand what is being asked of them, how can we expect consumers to? Our clients have helped to shape the spirit and identity of our agency by allowing us to become an extension of their team. All new projects, no matter how big or small, start with an immersion session where we literally unpick all there is to reveal about the organisation – from the culture and the people to the business goals and objectives. This has resulted in better insights, better work, and better results for our clients. Our longstanding 15-year partnership with YMCA Birmingham is a product of our ability to understand the company inside out and work together in partnership to achieve success. Our vision at Big Cat is to become one of the UK’s top five renowned (independent) marketing communications agencies. Every day we’re working towards succeeding this. Firstly, by being open to change. Our world is changing so fast and we have to evolve with it. And secondly, by applying our values to our creativity. In Birmingham the creative industry is growing at a fast pace and we’re seeing amazing talent from all across the UK opting for jobs in our thriving city. As the diverse talent pool grows, agencies have to step up their game if they want to attract the best candidates. We’re really proud of the team we have shaped at Big Cat. We have an exceptional senior team who have worked internationally at some of the world’s leading agencies and eager execs and account managers who are hungry to learn and provide fresh thinking to our portfolio. With our industry evolving so quickly in Birmingham it’s more important than ever before to keep ahead of emerging developments. Most recently, in an innovative and visionary collaboration, we have been working with academics from the University of Birmingham to explore the impact of figurative messages within advertising using state-of-the- art technologies. The benefits of such a partnership has meant we have been able to better assess and understand audiences’ responses, leading to the creation of more effective, impactful, and ethical communication and advertising strategies. These technologies are revolutionising our industry and the way we work, so we feel incredibly lucky to be at the forefront of such developments. A key driver to the success of any business is the culture. It sums up the internal health of a business and shaping a positive culture at Big Cat has been integral to our recent growth. We have placed a lot of emphasis on ensuring the team have a strong and solid understanding of our values and live and breathe them throughout their working day. Also, we’ve implemented effective communication plans and methods that create a transparent, collaborative workspace. Knowledge sharing is crucial to our business. We can’t all work on the same accounts but we can share our findings, encourage others through our learnings and most importantly, inspire everyone around us to strive to create the most meaningful and impactful communications. 1807CV21 The future for Big Cat, and indeed the marketing communications industry as a whole, is exciting and optimistic. Having celebrated our most successful year to date with a 25% sales growth in 2017, the agency has transformed. Investing heavily in attracting an amazing team of like- minded creative and strategic talent has firmly cemented our reputation across our key industry sectors and enabled us to expand and retain our impressive client roster. As the industry evolves we’re seeing a much larger demand for an integrated approach. Fewer brands are opting to engage the traditional single service agency model and increasingly more businesses are coming to us because of our holistic approach. Which means, more than ever before, we’re working with businesses who truly share Big Cat values and fully believe in the power of effective marketing communications. Contact: Hannah Davies Company: Big Cat Agency Telephone: 0121 200 0910 Web Address: www.bigcatagency.com