Our Blog
We are pleased to present the best and most relevant marketing information, which we hope you find helpful. You will find company news, branding tips and market research. Call The Brand Surgery® on 07909 693172 for further information.
How to rebrand your charity with the full support of donors
NPFSynergy conducted a survey where 69% of people perceived rebranding to be a waste of money. If your charity is changing direction and is reaching out to a new donor segment, you may need to rebrand, so how can you do this without being perceived to waste donor money?
We’re top of the LinkedIn Social Selling Index
There is an amazing tool in LinkedIn you may not be aware of. It’s called the Social Selling Index (SSI). It measures some powerful key performance indicators and is updated daily. The scoring is based on: Effectiveness of our professional brand Finding the right...
How to create an effective charity impact report
t is important for your charity to create an impact report to show funders and donors how their money is being spent. Impact reports can also be used as a promotional document for new funders. Charity impact reports should follow your corporate branding guidelines. There is a tried-and-tested method to writing a charity impact report. Here are some tips:
Packaging design, illustration and website shop – Costa's Liquid Gold Olive Oil
We are pleased to announce that this delicious organic olive oil is now available via Proto Restaurant Group website. The packaging design brief was to be as rustic as possible! We used a combination of Adobe Photoshop effects and hand-drawn illustration to achieve...
Marketing techniques to overcome barriers to charity fundraising
Charities and third sector had never had it so tough, yet the number of charities increased by 1015 in 2015 to 165,290. The Charities Commission has recently published the charity statistics up to 31/12/15. This means there is increased competition for both public and...
How brand development can help you to beat the recent UK GDP manufacturing growth forecast
A 2014 report by the Office for National Statistics called The Changing Shape of UK Manufacturing states that "Manufacturing productivity has grown by 2.8% on average per annum since 1948 – compared with 1.5% in the services industry."...
What have a chameleon and a firefighter got in common?
Two weeks ago my oven caught fire so I dialled 999. Within five minutes two fire units turned up and I had a house full of firefighters. I had a lucky escape as no-one was hurt and nothing was damaged. Since then, my mind keeps drifting back to those firefighters … but not for the reasons you may be thinking …
Our spectacular 999 emergency services are always ready and able to adapt their behaviour to suit all manner of situations: from cats stuck up trees, to huge fires and horrific road traffic accidents.
Imagine if we injected some of the emergency services’ mindset into organisations that struggle to adapt to change e.g. organisations in the public sector including education, third sector and some retailers etc.
Hooray! We are finalists in TWO categories of the Adur and Worthing Business Awards 2015
We are delighted to be finalists in the Adur and Worthing Business Awards in 2015 – under the Customer Service category. This is a huge pat on the back for us and recognises our continued commitment to our customers.
It's Thyroid Awareness Week!
As you know The Brand Surgery® is an ethical branding agency and we work hard to Create Shared Value as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility strategy.
This year, we have chosen Thyroid UK as our chosen charity, mainly because our MD suffers with an under-active thyroid (hypothyroidism) so this subject is close to her heart, or should we say her throat!
Become a super-strong brand by adopting a coaching culture
Our executive coaching services will develop your leadership skills helping you to create a dynamic 'Super Team'. The Brand Surgery® now offers a complete brand management package with the addition of Executive Coaching. We are proud to be the only brand management...
It’s all about connecting the dots
We were asked by Stagecoach North East to redesign its bus livery and branding for the launch of a new fleet of buses (and part of a £2.3 million investment).
In aligned the livery design to the Stagecoach Group’s corporate identity guidelines. We designed a new logo for ‘Connecting the Dots’ which used a font made up of dots. We designed simple black icons help customers to visualise the activities that are accessible by bus. The coloured lines connecting the dot symbols are the same colours as the corresponding routes on the route map.
Stunning and contemporary corporate identity and responsive website for Brooklyn Kitchens
We have created stunning and contemporary corporate identity and a responsive website for Brooklyn Kitchens is a new Scottish retail kitchen company. It is based in Livingston and is targeting aspirational customers who may have previously owned an Ikea or B&Q kitchen and now wish to reflect their successful lifestyle by opting for a designer kitchen.
Registered Expert (business coach) with the Business Growth Service
The Brand Surgery® is a Registered Expert for the Business Growth Service which means you can enjoy highly subsidised effective business coaching. The Business Growth Service is a Government-backed service offering support to businesses with the potential to improve and grow. You may know it as GrowthAccelerator.
Do you multi-task when listening to podcasts or taking part in webinars?
We are conducting an online poll and would be grateful for less than one minute of your time.
Do you ever listen to podcasts or take part in webinars? Do you multi-task when listening to podcasts. What would make you listen more carefully?
Please take part in our quick online poll. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TQhtHxMp3DoEv_O1S0z6hvVP_PLY3ufusV9Z7DrcmlA/viewform?usp=send_form
Worthing Wifi brochure design
Brochure design and window sticker design We have recently completed this exciting project for Worthing Town Centre Initiative. We were given a photographic to make 'sunny'! We created window stickers and the cover to a Worthing Wi-Fi map Worthing boasts over 400...
Brand building tips for business success
"A brand by itself can do nothing – it must integrate with elements of your business" (Kapferer 2012). We have previously identified that there is much more to brand building than logo design and here are a few...
Good news! More business funding from Enterprise Vouchers
We are pleased to announced that Enterprise Vouchers are soon available. What advice can be accessed as part of Enterprise Vouchers? The Enterprise Vouchers programme will help small businesses access strategic business advice within the following categories: Going...
Marketing your value proposition: How to make your customers truly happy
Is your value proposition the same as it was five years ago? Are you effectively communicating your value proposition? Chances are that your customers' expectations have increased since when your business was first established. Some businesses try to keep one step...
Retail branding and signage – The Coffee House, Worthing
We have been working with The Coffee House since 2003 and are pleased to have recently designed their outdoor seating partition to compliment the recent rebrand. We have also designed some more window graphics and signage to promote their amazing take-away coffee and cheap drink refills. The Coffee House also serves delicious food and caters for people with food intolerances by offering dairy and wheat-free range of foods.
Are your website and e-newsletter mobile friendly?
To ensure your website is found on a mobile device it must be mobile-friendly. Call us for a competitive quote to convert your website to mobile-friendly.
How Growth Vouchers helped The Sage Guys
As a result of the changes suggested by The Brand Surgery through the Growth Voucher programme, SoftServ immediately started to receive a much better response to their email marketing. The Growth Voucher programme has allowed SoftServ to fulfil its marketing potential and to make positive changes towards its business.
Do a Madonna – The Secret to Successful Branding
In 2010 I published my first business marketing book called Do A Madonna: The Secret to Successful Branding. Do a Madonna is aimed at new businesses with a gap in marketing knowledge and is written in a light-hearted and humorous tone. The book is currently being edited and rebranded and due to be launched in 2016. However, it is still available in digital format and in light of Madonna’s amazing performance and go-get attitude last night at The Brits, I felt this was an ideal opportunity to relaunch it before the rebrand.
Website, logo and menu design for Proto Restaurant Group
Government Growth Voucher case study – The Sage Guys Ltd
Steve said: “We selected The Brand Surgery because, even at the initial meeting, they wanted to understand our business and began suggesting ways to improve our marketing and profile. As a result of the changes suggested by The Brand Surgery through the Growth Voucher programme, SoftServ immediately started to receive a much better response to its email marketing campaigns. The Growth Voucher programme has allowed SoftServ to fulfil its marketing potential and to make positive changes towards its business.”
Why we need a more disruptive culture in education
I felt inspired to write this article after researching Disruptive Marketing and Learning Organisations: Boy! What an interesting subject choice. It ties in neatly with an interesting talk I listened to by Sir Ken Robinson (Ted Talks) called “How Schools Kill...
Happy Christmas! We look forward to seeing you in 2015.
Happy Christmas to our clients, suppliers, associates and friends. We look forward to seeing you in 2015.
Please help us to promote this Christmas single to raise money for "Cures for the Big 4" Research campaign
Please help us to promote this Christmas single to raise money for “Cures for the Big 4” Research campaign. A Christmas Single has been recorded to raise money for research into “Cures for the Big 4” killers that affect so many of us – cancer, diabetes, heart and neuropsychiatric disease including Dementia and Alzheimer’s.
The single is dedicated to the memory of the song’s lyricist and co-writer, Jonny Walker from East Preston in West Sussex – a talented musician and fun loving 21-year-old, whose battle with bowel cancer ended just a few weeks ago. His premature death, which came before he was able to hear the completed recording, has been a powerful catalyst for all those involved in making the song a reality.
Bus livery design and logo design: The Zone, Stagecoach North East
Initial project scope for The Zone Three Stagecoach North East bus routes had been updated with free WiFi and more frequent routes. Stagecoach North East commissioned The Brand Surgery to create an exciting fleet of bus livery for the Teesside area. We were advised...
Brochure design: Impact report for Coastal West Sussex Mind
We have recently designed this brochure style impact report for Coastal West Sussex Mind. In previous years, the impact report was A4 size, however, this year we decided to change it to A5 to make it easier for people to keep. Government cuts has also put pressure on charity marketing budgets, so the A5 16pp A5 is far more economical than A4. And of course it is more planet friendly.
Small Business Marketing Guide: Why the Heck does bsize matter so much?
In this blog, our Chartered Marketer, Vicky Vaughan, asks the question: Is it better for small businesses to look larger than they are? Or like Heck Sausages, should small businesses promote themselves as a small, family run business?
Get £2000 to spend with The Brand Surgery on Marketing Consultancy in the Government Growth Voucher Scheme
The Brand Surgery® is now an official government growth voucher scheme service provider for marketing consultancy. This means that you can get £2000 towards an offline or online marketing, branding or marketing communications strategy developed by our in-house chartered marketing consultant.
The Brand Surgery® sponsors Chippingdale Cricket Club Twenty10ty
The Brand Surgery® enjoyed a fabulous, sunny and incredibly blustery, Sunday afternoon at Chippingdale Cricket Club. The Brand Surgery® has sponsored Chippingdale Cricket Club’ Twenty10ty league this year. The Brand Surgery® is an ethical design and marketing agency and as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, we volunteer our time and selected services for a number of charities and communities in and around Worthing including Durrington High School and Go Youth Activities.
Paula Rosa Manhattan requires kitchen fitters across the UK – Recruitment campaign 2014
Are you an experienced kitchen fitter? Are you self-employed and looking to work with the UK’s fastest growing and best provider of kitchen solutions into the contract market?
Paula Rosa Manhattan has been established for over 60 years. We are proud of our accreditations including our Royal Warrant which demonstrates our commitment to providing the highest level of quality in products and service.
Earn 14 CPD Hours on this entry level marketing course – Worthing College: Market your way to success
The course has been created for business owners, people looking at setting up a business and for those who are considering a career in the exciting world of marketing. The 10 week course is run by Vicky Vaughan, DipM MCIM, a Chartered Marketer who has run an award-winning creative design and marketing agency for eleven years. Vicky has 24 years of combined design and marketing expertise which is a powerful combination.
Stagecoach South Pulse bus livery refresh
We created the concept for these bus livery graphics which you may have seen on a road near you recently! Our brief was to refresh the Pulse bus rears, while matching the existing Pulse branding on the sides of the buses. For this project we applied our Chartered Marketer expertise and focused on the benefits of bus travel over driving.
The Brand Surgery at The Worthing and Adur Business Showcase 2014 Exhibition
Yesterday, The Brand Surgery® exhibited at the Adur and Worthing Chamber Business Showcase and wowed visitors with its branding, corporate identity and marketing expertise. Brand management and marketing consultancy Many visitors stopped by our stand for free brand...
The Defamation Act 2013: What does it mean for your business?
Online freedom of expression benefits: The Defamation Act 2013 is good news for website owners because from now, you are not liable for defamatory remarks posted by external users, or where the author of the defamatory remark is sufficiently identifiable, or the website complies enables the complainant to make contact with the author. So does this mean you will allow comments on your blog from now on?
Prankvertising – How far would you go to advertise your brand?
Prankvertising is when a brand uses a prank for its marketing on unsuspecting consumers: the trend seems to be to scare and shock people – social media is prankvertising’s best friend. Do you think it is marketing gone one step too far or do you think it is a good idea? The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) advertising codes state that ads must not cause fear or distress without justifiable reason; if it can be justified, the fear or distress should not be excessive and marketers must not use a shocking claim or image merely to attract attention. Personally, we think the LG prankvert above is unethical given the constant threat of terrorist activities.
Website design – refresh your existing website for a snippet
We think the new website looks much punchier and modern, and is still easy to navigate. If your business is on a tight budget, then a website refresher is ideal because you don’t have to pay for more copywriting. If you’ve invested heavily in SEO, we can simply update the website design so your page rankings are not affected. And if you have tried-and-tested website functionality you don’t want to lose, a website refresh will help you achieve this.
Six Spectacular Limited Spring Saver Offers from The Brand Surgery
If you have trouble viewing this prezi, please click here. We have also created a YouTube movie of the presentation which you can see by clicking here. Logo design offer: Let us give your logo some loving! • From only £495 until 1st April 2014 - we will design six...
The wonders and blunders of social media
Jonny Benjamin tried to take his own life six years ago by attempting to jump off the edge of London’s Waterloo Bridge after having been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Luckily a stranger talked him out of it. Six years later Jonny, in a better place, felt compelled to find the stranger and thank him for saving his life. So Jonny launched his story via social media with the help of Rethink Mental Illness. #FindMike trended on Twitter in UK, Canada, South Africa and Australia. Eventually Neil Laybourn aka #FindMike, came forward after his girlfriend had recognised the appeal on Facebook. Jonny and Neil met and described the meeting as ‘incredible’ and are hoping to keep in touch. You can hear this amazing story in full by clicking here.
Corporate identity and logo design for Local Government Consultancy
We are currently working on the Praxis website copy and design and look forward to showing you these in due course. If you would like a logo for your business, give The Brand Surgery, No 1 Design and Marketing Agency in Sussex on 01903 824229.
A Christmas Prezi from The Brand Surgery
Happy Christmas! We’ve been working hard training on Prezi, new presentation software. It’s amazing. Take a look at this example – you will be prompted to download the FREE Prezi app before you can see it. If you don’t have time to download Prezie – we’ve shared it on YouTube and you can see it by clicking here.
A short Prezi explaining how CSR can help to grow your business
The Brand Surgery is qualified to train businesses in the strategic use of CSR strategies. Our CSR strategies have been proven to improve your corporate reputation and competitive advantage which in turn will grow your business.
This short presentation has been designed by The Brand Surgery, branding agency in West Sussex. If you would like a Prezi presentation like this, call Vicky on 01903 824229 or email vicky@thebrandsurgery.co.uk.
Is online marketing or offline marketing more effective?
ff Recently I received an enquiry from a company who we will name "CHP" for this blog: "How would The Brand Surgery, with limited budget, work to get new corporate hospitality events into the market and increase the number of hits to CHP's website as there are not...
Logo design and corporate identity for Maternity & Nannies
Logo design for B2C business Logo design We have recently completed the logo design and visual identity for Maternity and Nannies which is an international childcare agency based in the UK. The objective of the rebrand was to grow the business by engaging mothers in...
Managing Corporate Reputation – Converting corporate identity into competitive advantage
Five facts about corporate identity and corporate reputation
FACT 1: Managing your corporate reputation increases your competitive advantage because if your business is pitching for project and your fees are the same or close to your competitor, the business with the best reputation will win.
See more facts …
Event management and marketing: Manhattan at the Coronation Festival
We have just returned from the Coronation Festival which took place in the gardens of Buckingham Palace 11th-14th July 2013. The event was a corporate hospitality day and also the launchpad for our new Planet2050® kitchen specification which was extremely well received by all who attended.
Website design and development project: The Springboard Project
o The Springboard Project is a community based charity that provides safe, inclusive, recreational play and leisure opportunities together with information and support to parents or carers. Springboard House is open as a drop-in centre for any family to bring their...
Logo design and corporate identity: ICT Refurbishment – Promoting a circular economy
We have been working with ICTR for a few months now and have recently finished the logo design part of the rebrand. We are currently working on the new website which will be launched in July 2013. We are particularly pleased to be working with a business that shares the same ethics as our own – mainly sustainability. Steve Coates, CEO of ICTR was recently awarded Entrepreneur of the Year at the Government’s Improvement and Efficiency awards in Westminster, for his innovative ideas to help companies dispose of IT assets in the most responsible and safest way. Steve introduced The Brand Surgery to the concept of The Circular Economy.