A brand new you, courtesy of UpStage

Lots of our work involves live communication – yet it isn’t always possible to be face to face. But we’re just as much at home working on projects where our creative muscles are flexed even when there is no “live” element. Whether we were producing an invitation in English and Mandarin for the China-Britain Business Council or recreating The Italian Job for Towergate – we’re always bringing communications to life!

The emergence of China as a global economic power has created unprecedented opportunities for mutual trade. To promote its Partners in Sustainability Conference – a high-profile event that was a highlight of 2008’s China Now celebrations – CBBC needed to develop a brand identity that appealed to both Chinese and British businesses. We developed a marketing campaign that used an iconic image from both cultures: the lion. These iconic images – lion doorknockers from British and Chinese cultures – communicated a common image from both cultures, with the underlying theme of “opening doors” – a perfect fit for CBBC. Our imagery informed the invitations, website, e-mail correspondence and advertisements. In addition we created an opening sequence for the main plenary session that set the scene for this landmark event.

Closer to home, and following a series of mergers, insurance company Towergate chose UpStage to bring its new brand to life for employees. It was important to have a ‘simulcast’ message, but it was impractical to gather all employees in one place at one time, and so a ‘launch-in-a-box’ solution was developed to ensure that all employees had exactly the same experience whilst receiving the important messages. Creating a spoof of The Italian Job, we created a DVD that used senior staff and some “unusual” locations – Milton Keynes for Turin, anyone? The end result was funny, creative and very effective - a real boost for company morale at a difficult transition period.

Abroad again! With a brand new facility in Bangalore, India, Ernst & Young is able to offer its clients the many benefits of a shared service location. Proud of this facility, EY wanted to to show its clients and staff how it improves EY’s offering and selected UpStage to produce the DVD. It always helps when the story is worth telling – and the friendly, helpful staff were more than pleased to share their insights and experiences of the SSL’s success. Shaping the stories into a compelling narrative allowed us to showcase how EY continues to offer the best quality services for its clients. Smart, effective and warm: a video that reflects the skills on offer at the Bangalore SSL.

We’ll ask you some challenging questions about what you really want to achieve with any communications activity. We’ll bring an open mind but a raft of ideas to any creative session. Most of all, our team can offer you smart, innovative and cost-effective solutions that will bring your brand to life on-line, in print and face-to-face.