*no singing, they’ll leave that to Chris Martin and Richard Ashcroft*

May 1st saw Zircom launch the first of their bi-monthly marcomms workshops at Studio 2, Parr Street Studios; home to Coldplay’s first three albums . To the back drop of a few beers and butties, resident comms experts John-Paul Simpson and Clare Brown delivered an interactive seminar on all things Employee Engagement – sharing experiences and theory with a number of local Internal Comms Managers, with the opportunity to share suggestions and take questions from the floor.

The seminar itself was broken down into the 7cs that drive engagement and the tools any Comms professional can have at their disposal with the overarching aim of exploring:
- How to connect and engage with your staff.
- How to drive collaboration and multi-level contribution.
- How to ensure employee and company values alignment
- How to communicate change effectively through sustainable and relevant channels.

With excellent feedback and a fun night behind them, they’re now busy planning July’s session to be presented by Michael Marshall and John-Paul Simpson on all things Social Media. They’ll be sharing their hints and tips on how best to communicate and market your business as effectively as possible, whether you’re an SME or MNC.

Details for the next session:
Topic: Social Media – Communicating The Right Message
Venue: Studio 2, Parr Street Studios, Liverpool
Date: 5th July 2012
Time: 5.30pm for 6pm
Cost: Nothing

*they promise to pick up the tab and feed you!*

If you would like a placeholder for the next session then please get in touch:
carl@zircom.uk.com

The personal injury insurance market is as crowded and competitive as any. Recently commissioned to develop and launch a new “consumer brand”, Zircom created “Legal Heroes” and the visual identity for the new parent company “Equity and Action”.

In a crowded market place and with a tiny marketing budget compared to the well-established players in the industry, Zircom has created a “Legal Heroes” brand that has managed to gain acceptance and generate leads from consumers.

Using generic search and Google Adwords as the main traffic builders, the initial 60 days of low budget campaigning has been encouraging. Zircom not only developed the branding, but built the web site and set-up the fulfilment mechanisms in under 90 days. As Fergus Magennis, Senior Account Executive says “ it’s been fantastic to seethe project through from brand conception to implementation. It’s a tough market and we’re not there yet. We need to ensure that our solicitors can convert the qualified leads and help claimants through to a final settlement but consumers obviously trust the brand and in 60 days that’s some achievement.“

Once the model is established, Legal Heroes hope to be able to distribute leads to a wider network of solicitors.

Visit Legal Heroes website »

As a creative business, it’s important that we benchmark our design work against the best in the industry. The Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC), is the only professional institute in the UK dedicated to furthering internal communication knowledge and practice and promotes high professional standards within the sector.

Our internal communications practice, lead by Clare Brown, recently submitted a campaign in the 2012 Awards “Best use of Design in an Integrated Campaign” category. The 3D animation and related print material was used to bring the client’s long term strategy and vision alive for staff at key engagement events and on site.

Whilst we didn’t win the award – the judge’s comments gave us reason to be proud of the work.

“ The idea of a ‘real journey’ is portrayed well across the 3D animation and is very memorable. Love the end , where the film pans up to reveal the rooftops forming...”2015”

“detailed crafting is evident. It is a style that reaches out to all. Uncomplicated and immediate!

“ A good communication all round that presses all the right buttons” Clare and the design team were delighted with the marking and feedback that they received from the IoOc judges and as Clare says “ the feedback was great and we are spurred on to try again next year”.

A new lease of life for Bathgate

When Bathgate Leasing first approached Zircom they were looking to create a new website to help them better engage with their clients. They wanted to convey the personal approach they take to dealing with customers and financial arrangements. Bathgate wanted to step away from the traditional anonymous image of leasing companies by focusing on the company values, methods of doing business and the staff.

The design team at Zircom produced the architecture and templates of the site with the aim of keeping the it simple and easy to navigate. Zircom developed a unique illustrative style for the staff images and used striking photography from the local area to encapsulate who Bathgate are as a company. A Content Management System was used to enable the company's staff to update areas of the site that change regularly, such as their latest deals and case studies.

The cherry on the cake was to link the new site with their social media channels enabling engagement with an audience that previously wasn't possible.

Gary Laverick, Director at Bathgate summed up the outcome of the project by saying “We are really happy with the new website. It has brought our brand forward and we now have a focal point where clients are able to find our company and information about the types of businesses that we work with.

“Zircom have finally made it possible for us to be in control of our content. The site is now constantly updated to display the latest information about our business without any of the associated costs of having someone else do it for us.”

Please visit www.bathgateleasing.co.uk and see for yourself.

Severn Trent Services (STS) is a leading supplier of water and wastewater treatment solutions, providing clients with the latest technologies in disinfection, instrumentation and filtration contract operating services.

With 90 global locations and as part of Severn Trent PLC, managing two of the UK’s largest rivers, they have quickly become a key player in the water quality in Britain.

Read more on Severn Trent Services and Zircom »

Bibby Line Group's 'Giving Something Back' programme seeks to encourage fundraising and volunteering within the group. Developed by Zircom, their new website tells the stories of their volunteering and fundraising activities.

With initiatives happening all over the world - from darts tournaments to sponsored silences, from skydives to fun runs - Bibby Line Group needed a space to tell their stories, and to show the people behind them.

Working with the company's existing visual identity, Zircom were able to design a website with the space to put across the human side of the fundraising, using a strong photographic style to let the fantastic fundraising stories tell themselves.

Visit Bibby Line Group 'Giving Something Back' website »

It's all change here at Zircom, with the team growing to take on a host of new talent, as well as saying goodbye to one of our most popular faces. After 3 years of dedicatedly working for our clients, Account Manager Chris Mosley hangs up his mouse and keyboard and jets off for foreign climes. Chris has flown the coop to travel around The Americas, and we wish him well in his continental exploits - he'll be missed.

Fortunately, however, his chair has barely had time to stop spinning before we've filled it with a more than capable replacement in the shape of new Account Manager Clare Brown. Clare joins us with a tremendous amount of experience, and will be a worthy successor to Mr Mosley - in the short time she's been here, she's already made more cups of tea for the team than Chris ever did, so perhaps it's a change for the better!

Clare's not the only addition to the Zircom fold of late, with a further four new faces to meet...

Zircom achieves ISO 9001 accreditation – Recognised for outstanding commitment to quality and customer focus.

Delivering quality and outstanding customer satisfaction to all our clients has always been at the core of Zircom’s approach to business and the good news is that ISO 9001 agree too, formally certifying our values with the internationally recognised standard for the quality management of businesses. Deciding to pitch for our accreditation was a logical step in communicating our longstanding mantra of continual improvement and investment, ensuring that our clients are guaranteed they have an agency that is always looking to build on success and deliver even more.

In order to achieve ISO 9001:2008 certification, companies must meet eight quality management principles: customer focus, leadership, involvement of the organization’s people, process approach, system approach to management, continual improvement, factual approach to decision making and mutually beneficial supplier relationships. Meeting these objectives required us to establish quality objectives which formed the documentation of our Quality Policy – engaging all staff and driving commitments towards quality, customers and a willingness to work towards improving efficiency.

If you’d like to find out how our commitments to excellence can benefit your marketing and communications objectives then drop us a line, we’re ready to listen...

When not delivering our clients outstanding marketing and communications pieces, we at Zircom like nothing more than a challenge. Earlier in the year, we all made a pledge to become more proactive in charitable work - or at least raise money for causes both worthwhile and close to our heart.

Of course this year’s focus was Movember Foundation. Set up in 2004, these guys focus on raising money and awareness for men’s health issues, namely prostate cancer and depression. It was only right that we ourselves took on the challenge of ‘growing the Mo’ (even the girls) for the 30 days of November. Cue panic, client meeting paranoia and the scramble to secure the Director’s charitable donation... who I might add has yet to start. Tut tut.

Well, we’re a week in and the growth is coming along albeit with mixed results. David, our resident designer who is hairier than Robin Williams’ knuckles, has discovered a distinct ginger hue to his facial furniture, whilst Account Mangers Chris and Michael are showing signs of fluff, which come November end should look donation worthy. Our leader however is surely Andrew – our resident IT boffin who is streaking ahead and God only knows what Day 30 has in store for us all.

Here he is on Day 1 and Day 7:

As for me (Carl), well it’s a tough one. Being told I look like a camp Frenchman is water off a duck’s back after seven days, but I’m yet to come to terms with the accusation that I look like the lovechild of Adolf Hitler and Marcus Mumford. Somehow, I feel things are going to get a lot worse before they get better. Anyway, we’re doing well - taking the flak and raising money which is the main thing. Plus I know one or two of us like stroking them when nobody’s looking.

We’d love you to get involved and support our cause and if the inclination takes you, please visit our team page and make a pledge. Support our shame and a truly noble cause.

Thanks guys and grow that mo!

In July, Shell ran a best intranet site amongst the many internal communications teams who manage its many intranet sites. The award was to go to the site which was most effectively managed.

When the winners were announced, Zircom had real cause for celebration - the Number 1 site amongst the 500 entries was their own Shell Sulphur Solutions website. Whats more, Contracting and Procurement and Shell Bitumen claimed the second and third spots - both of which are Zircom-managed sites!

To take the top three spots in an internal communications competition run by such a prestigious company as Shell is a real feather in our cap.

When Shells Commercial Fuels business resolved to develop their online presence, they turned to Zircom to transform their ideas into a reality.

Pushing the oil giants visual identity to the limit, the newly-launched site combines a simple-to-navigate structure with a sleek and professional style, allowing the strengths of the business to shine through and engage the visitor on their own merit. With its impactful visuals and interactive, engaging approach, the website presents a welcome addition to the Shell online fraternity, and another feather in the cap for Zircom.

» Shell Commercial Fuels

Generally the handling and storage of bitumen does not cause issues with odour. Nevertheless, there is nothing like the issue of smell to move people.

Anyone who works within a local community will already know that sometimes unpleasant smells from bitumen manufacturing plants, asphalt mixing areas and laying operations can lead to strong reactions from fellow workers and local residents who are quick to communicate with facility managers and regulatory agencies. With this in mind Shell Bitumen has been working on ways to help our customers improve the ambient air quality around asphalt operations.

The innovative formulation of Shell Bitufresh neutralises the substances that cause odour to be released from the bitumen. This effective mechanism is fundamentally different from other bitumen additives, which work by masking the smell.

Shell Bitufresh has proven to be effective in both laboratory and field trials and a patent application for this technology has been filed.

Working with the brand and communications team, Zircom managed the internal and external online rollout for staff and customers.

» Discover Shell Bitufresh