The Brand Surgery - Branding Agency, Graphic Design and Website Design in Worthing, West Sussex

Official Diamond Jubilee logo

2012 is going to be a monumental year for the UK as far as events go … It’s the year of the Diamond Jubilee AND the 2012 Olympics. And we should all be celebrating, arranging themed events, boogying-on-down at a record number of street parties to spread happiness, love and joy … Yes, it’s time for BIG SOCIETY to get even BIGGER.

There is one snag though … One of these international events is branded so far up its own you-know-what, that it won’t allow UK citizens to promote Olympic related events using the word ‘Olympic’! Yes it’s brand-awareness gone bonkers. The Olympic Committee’s ‘brand protection document states: “The information provided is intended to help people stay within the law and LOCOG expects it to be used in good faith. In areas of doubt, please respect the spirit of the law and do not undertake any activity which is contrary to LOCOG’s aims and objectives.”

The document includes a flowchart of controlled representations:

The Olympic Symbol (ie the five interlocking rings)
The Olympic Motto
(‘Citius Altius Fortius’ / ‘Faster Higher Stronger’)
the words:
“Olympic(s)”
“Olympiad(s)”
“Olympian(s)”
(or anything similar to them, or translations of them)
The Paralympic Symbol (ie the three “agitos”)
The Paralympic Motto
(Spirit in Motion)
the words:
“Paralympic(s)”
“Paralympiad(s)”
“Paralympian(s)”
(or anything similar to them, or translations of them)

We do consider that it is in rather poor taste to be so over-protective and to not ’share’ in times of economic melt down. You can download the full document by clicking here. We strongly suggest that you do read the ambiguous document if you are thinking of designing a poster to advertise your ‘OxxxxxC’ event!

Diamond Jubilee Celebrations are for everyone!

On the plus side, the Diamond Jubilee organisers have included a useful page on their website dedicated to event branding. Organisers of Diamond Jubilee Events will find links to the official emblem (above) so one can download and include official emblems for their event promotions.  You can find this page by clicking here.

In contrast to the Olympic brand guidelines, the Diamond Jubilee guidelines advise: “The official emblem is available, free of charge, for download from this website. It is available for use for activities associated with the Diamond Jubilee celebrations including community and national events, publications, retail and merchandising. View guidelines for use. It is intended that the emblem be used widely by individuals, organisations, companies and charities for celebrations to mark the Diamond Jubilee. This includes use for commercial purposes and advertising.

How can two major event committees send out such contrasting brand messages?

At The Brand Surgery, we publish a variety of magazines and promotional material and already we have been asked to promote a number of events (after our Wow Factor success back in November 2011). One of our clients is so concerned with the misleading Olympic brand guidelines that they have decided to pull out of promoting any Olympic themed events within their customer information magazine. We don’t blame them as the olympic guidelines suggest that promoting community events with the olympics logo maybe construed as ‘passing off’ of as an official Olympics event.

A message to all of you at Olympics head office. Please get off your high horse – you are not more important than the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and you should take a leaf out from the Official Diamond Jubilee organiser’s book and share your ’symbols’ so everyone can promote this amazing event!

We appreciate that your sponsors pay £millions to use the dreadful 2012 olympics logo – we don’t particularly want ‘that’ logo. However, how did the five interlocking rings symbol created by Pierre De Coubertin in 1914 come to be copyrighted by the International Olympic Committee?

The five interlocking rings have a meaning: “These five rings represent the five parts of the world which now are won over to Olympism and willing to accept healthy competition.” (from Wikipedia so must be true!). Perhaps the Olympics Committee is concerned about a little healthy competition from community events – hardly surprising really. I’m surprised the Olympic Committee sold any tickets with their backward system.

We salute the Diamond Jubilee Committee for getting it so right. We ask that the Olympics Committee consider sharing.

If you would like advice on how to use the Diamond Jubilee emblem on your marketing material and website, please give us a call on 01903 324229 or email vicky@thebrandsurgery.co.uk. We also design exceedingly successful logos which we encourage you to share!

The Brand Surgery, marketing and website agency serving Sussex.

Vicky Vaughan passes Professional Diploma in Marketing

As you may know, Vicky Vaughan, managing director of The Brand Surgery is in the middle of studying towards a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) “Professional Diploma in Marketing“.

Fantastic news! Vicky has passed her first unit which means she is quarter of the way to becoming a Chartered Marketer.

The unit brief (Managing Marketing) was to introduce a performance measurement standard into a non-profit organisation. Vicky had to research the full range of  performance measurement standards including ISO 9001, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma, Total Quality Management (TQM) and The Balanced Scorecard (BSC).

With the research done, Vicky matched her case study’s organisational objectives with the most appropriate performance measurement standard which in this case turned out to be The Balanced Scorecard.

The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is becoming more popular as a performance measurement standard, although originally it was designed as a strategic planning tool by Kaplin and Norton in the early 90s. It is a fantastic tool because it looks at four perspectives of your business, instead of focusing too much on one perspective at the expense of another. For example, without the BSC you may be so focused on improving your bottom line that you forget about your customer care KPIs.

You can’t do that with BSC: The four perspectives are Finance, Internal Processes and systems, Training and Customers/Stakeholders. And when this system is used, all the departments within an organisation will have a positive cause-and-effect relationship upon each other.

Introducing a performance measurement standard (PMS) into your company will give you a huge competitive advantage, as when you tender for projects, you can list the accreditations. Also, performance measurement standards systemise your company and help to make it ‘lean’ and help you to prioritise your corporate objectives.

The Brand Surgery are planning on introducing The Balanced Scorecard once Vicky has completed the whole course. She has just submitted the second unit which is The Marketing Planning Process. The third unit which she has started is Developing Customer Value through Marketing and Vicky is studying product and brand management for this. The final assignment is Project Management in Marketing which starts in December where one lucky organisation who entered the prize draw has won a free report (they will be the case study).  Then Vicky will be a Chartered Marketer next year.

What other branding agency in Sussex has in-house Chartered Marketeer expertise? When we design websites, we have the strategic marketing knowledge which will keep you one step ahead of your competitors.

Call Vicky on 01903 824229 if you would like to discuss your marketing needs, whether you need a marketing plan or are thinking of introducing a performance measurement standard.

August 2011. The month British thugs rioted, looted, destroyed communities and shamed Britain’s brand in just a few days.

Social media is being blamed for the rapid spread of the riots throughout London and the UK. Social media is a powerful tool but does have it’s pros and cons. The beauty of social media is that most messages are traceable and can help police to track down these thugs.

Saddest moments (so far) from the UK riots

There are hundreds of sad tales from these riots. For me, the saddest moment was seeing a poor injured man being tricked into thinking he was being helped, while thugs raided his rucksack.

Another tragic tale: Having been born in Croydon, the tale of the House of Reeves, a family owned furniture store which has stood up to two World Wars and a recession, was burned to the ground in just a few hours on Monday night. I feel sorry, yet proud of the Reeves family, who have been so brave.

As for the many independent businesses that have been destroyed – there will be weeks of lost trade which will cause unrepairable damage to their livelihoods and families.

Contingency plans

All businesses should have contingency plans written into their business plans, but how many would include riots? Luckily, Nick Starling from the Association of British Insurers says insurance policies will cover most of the damage and the losses felt by businesses. The only problem is that as most of the businesses are being treated as crime scenes, it will take a time for the loss adjusters to do their work. This will be the time when insurance companies will have to practice what they preach. Will insurance companies deliver on their brand promise? Only time will tell!

Brands riding on the back of the Riots

We found an excellent blog in Marketing Week by Lara O’Reilly who is Marketing Week’s digital and telecoms specialist. Lara said: “Let’s place our bets on how long it will be before a home improvement store or garden centre donates some brooms or a supermarket offers their cleaning products to help with the efforts”.

Lara also noted that El Paso Foods had said on its Facebook page this week: “In these trying times I think we could all benefit from a bit of comfort food, and there are few things more tasty and reassuring than baked enchiladas, full of spicy chicken and topped with lots of bubbling cheese”. You can read more amusing stories by reading Lara’s blog.

Can something good come out of something so bad?

Yes. We were watching the riot news updates last night and saw the terrible damage that rioters did to Miss Selfridge in Manchester. The Miss Selfridge logo appeared on our TV screens for hours, on a BBC channel. How much would Miss Selfridge normally have to pay for this kind of exposure? Luckily for this fashion store, they are part of the Arcadia Group which also owns Dorothy Perkins, Top Shop, Top Man and many more fashion retailers, so this damage could be a blessing in disguise for Miss Selfridge (in the grand scheme of things).

Also more good news … a local artist, Dan Thompson, has made national news by setting up a Twitter hashtag: #riotcleanup. Well done Dan for your quick thinking – ironic how something like this can give you more column inches than your art!

Finally, it’s British disaster aftermaths which showcase the generosity, solidarity and community spirit of the majority of the British public. Although the minority (thugs) have caused millions of pounds worth of damage – the way in which most of us pull together in times of hardship still makes me proud to be British.

Excellent branding - The Fiat 500

We’ve been looking back over 2010 for the most memorable re-brands. The one that sticks in our mind is the new Fiat 500. Two of our funky friends rushed out to purchase the all-new-singing-and-dancing Fiat 500 last summer – exactly 50 years after the first Fiat 500 was born – and they were not disappointed. A great brand always delivers on brand promise.

The new Fiat 500 car has kept the Cinquecento-silhouette features, fused with a distinctive retro-look just like the Volkswagen New Beetle and Mini but is more competitively priced.

Now, we’re not trying to steal Jeremy Clarkson’s job here …  Instead, we are simply using this re-brand as an excellent case study. If you think back a few years, the Fiat Cinquecento was just another small, economical city car. It didn’t really stand out from the crowd, plus the brand name ‘Cinquecento’ is not only difficult to spell. It is also impossible to pronounce unless you have some knowledge of the Italian language.

The book, Do A Madonna focuses on company names and slogans, and the importance of choosing a name for your business or product which is easy to pronounce and spell. Could you imagine having to spell ‘Cinquecento’ every time someone wanted to visit your website? Sometimes, being too clever can defeat the point of the object. The original name, ‘Fiat 500′ rolls nicely off the tongue.

We think the Fiat 500 rebrand is a massive success. What is your favourite rebrand of 2010?

Is 2011 the year when you should think about re-branding your business or products? We help businesses of all sizes to re-brand. If your business has reached the magic five year mile-stone, why not give it another push in the right direction? It may simply need a tweak. If you look at the history of the Shell logo – it has remained a shell in 100 years – the fonts and colours have simply been modified to keep up with trends.

Give us a call on 01903 824229 for an informal discuss about where you want your business to head in 2011.

Happy new year from The Brand Surgery – the number one branding agency in Sussex.

History of the shell logo

Carabao Thai Restaurant and Steak House was officially opened last Wednesday evening by His Excellency, Mr Kitti Wasinondh (Thailand’s Ambassador to the UK).The night was a fantastic success with Kitti and his wife attending as well as Worthing’s Mayor and Deputy Mayor Ann Sayers and Ann Barlow respectively.

The food was absolutely delicious, as the photographs below show, and the atmosphere was fantastic. All at Carabao Steak House would like to thank everybody that turned up and made it such a special evening.

We have been working with Carabao Thai Restaurant and Steak House for the past six months and have designed and developed The Pan Asia logo and brand,  website, menus and marketing material. We also created the brand identity for The Pan Asia Group. You can read about this story by clicking here.

The Pan Asia group have a new addition to their restaurant chain – Mr Toy’s Flying Wok. We are currently in the process of designing and developing the website for this fantastic new eatery too. Mr Toy’s Flying Wok is actually open and you can find it opposite Worthing Pier.

If you fancy a night out at Carabao Thai Restaurant in Worthing, West Sussex, please call us on 01903 207727 to book a table over the festive period, we look forward to seeing you.

Thanks to David Sawyer ‘The Photographer‘ for all the photos.

Shark-El-Sheik E-shot design by The Brand Surgery

Shark El Sheikh rebranded by The Brand Surgery, and once known as Sharm El Sheikh, once had the international reputation as one of the world’s most fabulous diving destinations in the Red Sea, Egypt. Then the shark attacks happened.

In my book, Do A Madonna, I advise business owners to perform a SWOT and PEST analysis of their business branding. I wonder if the Egyptian tourist board ever forecasted a shark attack and how this may of affected their business branding? When you think of Egypt – do you think of the pyramids or the shark attacks? We all know that a brand is a memory. Click here to read more on this subject.

Another subject I mention in my book is making the most of events and seasonal branding. We all know that the VAT rate rises to 20% in January. Most business start-up owners we meet are not VAT registered and therefore can’t claim this back. Therefore we are offering non-VAT businesses a special incentive.

Shark-El-Sheikh Offer 1: Book your logo design before Christmas and we will knock £100 off our business start up rate. Our normal start-up rate for business branding (logo design) is £595.Special offer £495. This includes our unique research methods which you won’t find elsewhere. Not only will you save £100 – you will benefit for the lower VAT rate.

For all those VAT registered  businesses – we guessed VAT won’t affect you, so we have another offer …

Shark-El-Sheikh Offer 2: As an introductory offer, we are offering our Facebook business page branding for 50% of our normal price. To see an example of this, click here. A page like this, including the presentation would cost £1100. You can have a page like this for £550. Call us for further information.

We hope you enjoyed reading our Shark-El-Sheik offer. For more inspiring ideas from Sussex’s No 1 award-winning Branding agency, call 01903 824229.

DO A MADONNA website designed by The Brand Surgery

At long last, the original brand doctor, Vicky Vaughan’s book, ‘DO A MADONNA!‘ is complete. DO A MADONNA! is being printed right now!

DO A MADONNA! has had it’s first review.

“Everything in DO A MADONNA! is so true! I’ve read many other branding books, but DO A MADONNA! looks at branding in an entirely different way and it is so easy to digest. I work as part of the sales team for the Shropshire Star and I shall be recommending this book to all of my sales colleagues.” Debbie Marks-Rumble, Shropshire Star.

DO A MADONNA! focuses on keeping your brand alive. Vicky says: “It takes much more than plonking a new logo on a new brochure or website. You are your business and this ten-step book will help you on your way to business success. DO A MADONNA! is a handy-sized book which will help you discover the ten secrets of successful branding.

When you buy my book, you will also have access to the DO A MADONNA! toolbox which contains tips on colour psychology, plus much more! You will learn that even well known companies make branding blunders. DO A MADONNA! will teach you how to learn from their mistakes.

It’s time to get your business Into the Groove and Express Yourself! Once you’ve read the book and discovered the secret to branding, your business will be good enough to grace the cover of Vogue! Buy my book and let your journey to WORLD DOMINATION begin.”

DO A MADONNA! is very reasonably priced at JUST £9 and 5% of all book profits go towards Madonna’s charity: http://www.raisingmalawi.org

Go to www.doamadonna.com to pre-order your book. There will shortly be an e-book version of DO A MADONNA!

If you would like to have some personal branding advice, call Vicky Vaughan at The Brand Surgery, branding agency in West Sussex on 01903 824229.

Get your branding in tip-top shape

Three beauty treatments for your brand, from The Brand Surgery, branding agency based in Worthing, West Sussex

Lite branding package: Non-surgical treatment package!

This package is ideal for smaller businesses who may simply want to ‘freshen’ up their logo. What is included: Our award-winning designers will refresh your existing logo and bring it up-to-date through a secret blend of font and shape evolvement. No research is included. Only £585 incl. VAT. Upgrade to Lite Design & Print Package: lite logo design, roll-up banner, stationery, flyer design and print, all for only £2350 incl. VAT

Rejuvenation programme: Heavy detox!

Our award-winning designers will give your business a complete re-brand which will include five logo designs and web-based research on your competitors and target market. This package includes two set of client amendments. We currently have very good discounts on brochures and leaflets to complement your logo. Phone 01903 824229 for further details. This package starts from £1200 incl. VAT.

Intensive care package: Stretch marks and scar removal!

Ideal for established businesses who have brochures so old that the moths fly out! Our award-winning team will look at your entire business image. This package includes branding consultation including focus group advice, research, logo design. Corporate branding toolbox add-ons available. Call 01903 824229 for further information. Prices start from £2500 incl. VAT.

The Brand Surgery meets Todd Carty

Todd Carty is a good example of how one can adapt oneself to attract a particular target audience. From a heart throb in “Grange Hill”, to a 13-year stint as Mark Fowler in “EastEnders”, to a dodgy copper PC Gabriel Kent in ITV’s “The Bill”, to ice skating spectacular in “Dancing on Ice”. In between, Todd Carty has worked on radio, stage and has been directing and producing programmes such as “Doctors” and “The Perfect Burger”.

Does your company branding appeal to both ends of the spectrum?

Is your company branding as flexible as Todd Carty? Depending on your company’s services and products, it may need to appeal to a wide range of demographics. Take a theatre producing its bi-annual theatre programme or website: The design would need to appeal to customers wanting to see a Shakespeare performance through to the latest comedy – perhaps Eddie Izzard. Some people may want to see both! How do you know what design and wording appeals to your customers? Simple. It’s called research.

If you don’t have time to do the research, then leave it to us. Before our brand doctors and nurses even start on writing copy, designing brochures or corporate identity – we spend time looking at your competition and studying your target market, so you know that your marketing collateral will tick the boxes, and achieve sales.

If you would like to find out more about your target market and competitor research, call us on 01903  824229.

To get in the mood for Christmas, we have launched our new marketing bundles of joy! There is something for everyone: retail, start-ups, exhibitions and flyer bundles. All our bundles include BESPOKE design and print.

If you would like to add something to your marketing bundle which is not listed – no problem – call us on 01903 824229 and we can quote separately. Don’t forget, we can also help you with:

• Websites (from simple 3 page websites to complex CMS and ecommerce)
• Copywriting
• Blog writing
• Enewsletters
• Printed newsletters and magazines

The bundles are listed below, or you can click on the image above. Please note that all bundle prices exclude VAT and delivery. Our usual design terms and conditions apply which will be supplied upon request.

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Retail Bundle (ONLY £950 including design & print)

retail bundle

• 2 x A1 posters (200gsm silk, Single sided print. Add one more poster. Add £25 to bundle cost)
• Eco flex pavement stand (aluminium panel, double sided print)
• 500 business cards (400gsm matt laminated, double sided print)
• 1000 A6 flyers (300gsm silk, double sided print)
• ADD LOGO DESIGN! Only £495 extra
• Call us on 01903 824229

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Startup Bundle (ONLY £1350 including design & print and logo design)

Startup bundle

• BESPOKE LOGO DESIGN included
• 500 A6 flyers (300gsm silk, Double sided print, Go 1000. Add £50 to bundle price)
• 500 A4 lettterheads (120gsm bond, single sided print, go 1000 + £30 to bundle price)
• 500 business cards (400gsm matt laminated, double sided print)
• 500 DL compslips (120gsm bond, single sided print. Go 1000 + £30 to bundle price)
• Luxury roll-up banner (850 x 2000mm Add light for £40 extra on bundle price)
• Call us on 01903 824229

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Exhibition Bundle (ONLY £900 including design & print)

Exhibition bundle

• Roll-up banner – standard (EuroStand 850 x 2000mm, Sandtex graphic. Go delux add £75 to bundle price)
• 1000 business cards (400gsm matt laminated, double sided print)
• 1000 A6 flyers (300gsm silk, double sided print. Go to 5000, add £50 to bundle price)
• Call us on 01903 824229

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Flyer Bundle (ONLY £795 including design and print)

Flyer bundle

• 1000 A6 flyers (120gsm bond, single sided print. Go A5. Only £85 extra)
• 50 A3 posters (170gsm silk, single sided print Go 100, add  £45 extra)
• 500 Business cards (400gsm matt laminated, double sided. 2nd set only £55 extra)
• ADD LOGO DESIGN (Add £495 to bundle price)
• Call us on 01903 824229

Call us on 01903 824229 BEFORE Thursday December 17th to order your amazing marketing bundle of joy!