AND THE FIRST WINNER IS....

As the annual Bluesoup Christmas Raffle gets underway our first winner is…..Charli.

Walking away with a chocolate selection pack she was heard saying how it was the best day of her life so far. Warms the heart heh?!

Other prizes yet to be drawn include a massive bar of dairy milk, wine, time off and even a booby prize.

A winner an hour for the whole day. Exciting or what?!

HIP HIP AWAY RESORTS

What better way to start the year than to win a shiny new client?!

Away Resorts have 3 holiday parks in the south & east of the country and were looking for a responsive, knowledgeable agency to take their campaign forwards. Step forward Team Bluesoup.

Activity is already planned across national, regional, specialist & digital media and we’re even helping drive efficiencies through tighter accountability measures.

What a start to the year.

MEGAN'S DINO BIRTHDAY!

Dinosaur mad, mac wielding designer Meg celebrated her birthday in style with a home made stegosaurus birthday cake, courtesy of Justine.

Needless to say it was a roaring success.

Other cakes are available to order – just email your request to Justine and she’ll be happy to quote.

WE'VE WON EDEN!!

We’re delighted to announce that after a 3-way pitch the Eden Project have appointed Bluesoup as their media agency from January 2014.

The combination of our in depth tourism knowledge, our understanding of the south west media market and our creativity in media planning secured the win.

“We’re delighted to be working with one of the most iconic tourism brands in the UK”, commented Ben Duhig, Bluesoup’s MD. “The opportunity for some really creative planning is an exciting one and something we’re looking forward to.”

BARRHEAD TRAVEL APPOINT BLUESOUP

We’re cock-a-hoop to announce that Barrhead Travel have appointed Bluesoup as their new design agency.

Barrhead Travel have been trading since 19xx and now have xx travel agencies throughout Scotland and Cumbria.

The appointment comes after a three way, competitive pitch and will see the work start with immediate effect. In addition to developing and managing a new look for press advertising, the brief also requires involvement in design and print work as well as a new TV campaign to break this Christmas.

IMAGINE IRELAND APPOINT BLUESOUP!

And so the tentacles of Bluesoup stretch overseas to the land of the Guinness!

We’re delighted to welcome Imagine Ireland to the fold and can guarantee them enhanced media value and client service to boot! Savings look to be mounting up already and we’re looking forward with interest to the full 2014 season!

And as they say in Ireland, “There are only two kinds of people in the world, the Irish and those who wish they were.”

SOUP OF THE MONTH: OCTOBER

What could be better than a smooth pumpkin soup for bonfire night….served in a pumpkin….with a dash of sherry?

Enjoy.

YOU MAY KISS THE BRIDE!

What more can you say…..an amazing day…heart warming speeches…a blushing bride….a debonair groom…a Hockings’ Ice Cream Van…and perhaps the best crackling anyone has ever tasted!

Beat that Wills & Kate!

A NEW WEBSITE FOR SELDONS

After a self confessed period languishing with an old, out dated and unhelpful website, we’re delighted to unveil the new site for Bideford based Seldons Solicitiors.

The brief was a fresh looking, professional and approachable site which celebrated the personality and caring nature of the practice. We had to make navigation simple and pain free and avoid straying into legalise for the uninitiated. So thanks to a clean design from Steve and the faultless pen of Tony we’ve cracked the challenge.

We’re happy with the results….and better still, so are the folk at Seldons.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH...HIRE A LORRY!

We pride ourselves on many things here at Bluesoup, but going the extra mile to make sure that the job gets done, and we have happy clients, is right up there.

So when we were faced with a potentially late delivery of the latest Lochs & Glens brochure because of paper issues at the printers, the only guaranteed way to ensure the brochures reached the Glasgow mailing house in time, was to hire a lorry and get them there ourselves. And so started the most epic of Bluesoup road trips….just shy of 1,000 miles, driven over 20 hours in a 7.5 tonne curtain sided Mercedes truck, limited to 56mph!

Needless to say there was a selection of coffees, Yorkies, Red Bulls and even a peppermint tea consumed on the trip. But most importantly of all, the brochures reached the mailing house on schedule.

And as we say here, “Job Done”.

PEAK COTTAGES APPOINT BLUESOUP!

We’re delighted to announce that Peak Cottages have appointed Bluesoup as their new advertising agency after a competitive pitch.

Our knowledge and understanding of the UK Travel market, the cottage sector, and our ability to work seamlessly across online and offline media were the deciding factors.

Peak Cottages will be making use of our media buying skills, but also looking to Bluesoup to take a more strategic role in optimising activity in the light of ongoing changes to customer behaviour.

And in the meantime we get an excuse to visit a beautiful part of the country! What’s not to like?

TRES BIEN BLEUSOUPE

Alors que ce n’est pas la plus grande réussite dans le monde, nous sommes assez impressionnée que 24h de traduire le compte PPC Cobell en français-they’ve ont eu leur première enquête. Mange tout!

(Whilst it’s not the biggest achievement in the world, we’re pretty chuffed that within 24hrs of translating the Cobell PPC account into French-they’ve had their first enquiry. Mange tout!)

HAYES PARSONS SITE GOES LIVE!

We’re delighted to announce that the shiny new Hayes Parsons website is now live.

With contemporary design and newly commissioned photography the site sets new standards for the insurance industry in Bristol and beyond…as per the brief.

Check out the site below or by clicking here.

HOTEL PICCADILLY JOIN THE BLUESOUP PARTY

We’re delighted to welcome the Hotel Piccadilly to Bluesoup.

The 3star Bournemouth Hotel have a wide offering for guests but needed some more focused online and offline advice and support….and so turned to the South Coast Oracle that is Steve Sanger! Although it’s early days the client is already impressed with the volume of work undertaken and our “can do” attitude and actions.

G'DAY. BLUESOUP GOES INTERNATIONAL!!

How excited are we?! We’ve just won our first international client.

ThousandFish are an innovative, forward looking bunch of Australians who are setting up an online professional network for anyone working in the property sector. Bluesoup have been appointed to help bring more strategic direction to the campaign and to drive registrations to the site. We’ll be working in the UK and Australia to begin with, but who knows where next. The work includes design, copywriting, online marketing and response generation.

Sadly no need for international travel at this stage but I have been looking to maybe bolster the car pool with something a little more suitable.

PWR+ SOCIAL HITS 300 FOLLOWERS....#SUCCESS

After months of painstaking work, we’ve built a loyal and engaged bunch of followers for PWR+. Amongst the clan are Olympians, Paralympians, Professional rubgy players, cyclists, triathletes, weekend runners and many many more. We’ve chatted to England players before crucial 6-nations matches, we’ve received unprompted product testimonials and even sold some of the red liquid!

#Goodwork!

BLUESOUP HELPS OUT SCOTTY'S LITTLE SOLDIERS

Every now and then we stumble across a cause which we can’t refuse. And Scotty’s Little Soldiers is just one of those.

Scotty’s is a charity set up to support the children of servicemen and women killed in action whilst serving for the armed forces. As parents, and with partners of serving soldiers in Bluesoup we were only too pleased to help design a booklet for their fundraisers.

To find out more about Scotty’s, go to www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk.

Keep up the good work guys…

A LEGENDARY NIGHT

We’d love to be able to post images from a recent Bluesoup Night Out. However we broke all records – with all folk tucked up in bed by midnight – not because we’re boring – more because we were perhaps over excited.

Lessons learned include:

• eat when we go out
• avoid shots before 11pm
• don’t go to quiet, sophisticated bars
• never play any games which include “roulette” in the title

PWR+ TWITTER FOLLOWERS PASS 200 MARK.....

OK – so we’ll come clean – we’re the ones behind the tweets for PWR+. And we’re proud to say we’ve managed to grow the account from just over 30 followers to 200+!!

But as with all things social, it’s not just the followers – it’s what you do with them. So do interactions with an Olympic Silver Medalist, 2 of England’s 6 Nations players, a pro boxer as well as a host of other athletes sound good enough? The word of beetroot is spreading. It’s a beautiful thing.

BEN SMASHES THE 10K CHALLENGE....

The gauntlet was laid down by PWR – do a 10k Concept2 row in under 39mins 24 secs. The first attempt missed by 2.8 seconds, but fuelled by a banana, bottle of PWR and a bacon buttie – well let’s just say the results speak for themselves.

Next target – sub 39?!

COBELL AT THE IFE

Great to see one of our clients, Cobell at the recent International Food & Drink Exhibition at ExCel. Fantastic stand as well as an invite to their infamous drinks party! And even better – a show where they encourage you to try free food & drink as you wander around. What’s not to like?!

NATIONAL MARINE AQUARIUM SEEK AN AUDIT....

Having developed the brand identity for the National Marine Aquarium in 2010 we had a happy call the other day to ask us to look at merchandise, signage, uniforms and everything in between. An extensive job when you consider we’re looking at everything from hand cream to tabbards to posters to rubbers – but a challenge we’re more than happy to step up to. So here goes….

HAYES PARSONS APPOINT BLUESOUP

Hayes Parsons Insurance Brokers have appointed Bluesoup to develop a new brand identity and websites for its businesses. Bluesoup were selected based on their experience, insight and innovative approach. Watch this space for the developments…….

BEN CONQUERS THE BATH HALF

The temperature on the start line was a brisk -2 as I set off for 2 laps of Bath at the beginning of March amongst 12,000 other runners. As well as the usual candidates in sporting attire, there was Elvis, Scooby Doo, 200 “Hooters” for Coppafeel, Sponge Bob….and so on!

Target time was about 2hrs…and I did it in 2hrs 16secs much to the hilarity of others.

Need to sign up for another now to knock those critical seconds off!

BLUESOUP SUPPORTS EDUKID

Having offered design work to Edukid for the past few years, we’re delighted to announce that we’ve now decided to support the charity financially as well.

Edukid provides vocational training, school and university scholarships for children affected by war and poverty. They support former abductees (child soldiers), orphans and child led families, those with disability or illness (HIV/AIDS), those unable to support themselves or their families as a result of war. They work especially in Uganda and Cambodia.

If you want to find out more about their incredible work visit their website, http://www.edukid.org.uk

OUR BIGGEST MONTH EVER...!

Well what can you say – an amazing start to the year. As well as designing websites, packaging & brochures, we have also sent more ads than any month before. In fact we have designed, artworked and sent more ads in January than October-December combined! How many ads…..?

In excess of 1,000 separate ads, each a different size and each with different content. No two ads are the same. Amazing work from the Bluesoupers – from the designers who designed their hearts out, to the account managers who made sure we hit every single deadline without a bead of sweat dripping down their unwrinkled brows!

BEN PROVES HE KNOWS HIS CTR FROM CPC

The trouble with being Google Adwords qualified is that exams only last a limited time before you have to re-qualify. And so it was that on 26th January, Ben faced an exam to remain current.

So – to test his metal – and with no prior revision or preparation the exam was taken. And the result……a whopping 94%!

Happy days – and most importantly – bragging rights in the office!

BLUESOUP CHOOSE 4COM...4COM CHOOSE BLUESOUP!

We needed to upgrade our phone system and 4com happened to call us…and during the initial meeting it transpired that 4com were potentially looking for a design & advertising agency themselves. And so began the start of something beautiful!

We have a shiny phone system that does things we didn’t know phones could do (apparently they still can’t make the tea though!) and 4com have an enthusiastic new agency. Can’t say much more than that at the moment – but as well as the standard day to day stuff for print, press ads and online campaigns, there’s some pretty exciting stuff in the pipeline. Watch this space.

And in the meantime if you need any help with your telecoms we can’t recommend 4com highly enough!

SOUP OF THE MONTH:JANUARY

Looking around the office after the Christmas break and perhaps there’s only one option to get us off the ground this year…..a detox soup. This little number, a Carrot & Ginger soup sounds like a nice little number! And relax……