Air kicks off summer with major digital win.
Air Creative the Salford based agency has been appointed by City of Salford Community Stadium. Air Creative teamed up with Project Simply, a dynamic expert Digital Agency based in Manchester to deliver the project. This successful combination fought off rival pitches from several of the North West’s leading Digital Agencies to secure the business.
The scope of the project is substantial, encompassing complex external and internal booking systems, accounting integration and a host of on site functions. We analysed the best possible development platforms taking in to consideration security, ease of use, future proofing and scalability. Our solution was to use the Open Source CMS platform Wordpress which had the functionality and flexibility to get the job done on time and on budget.
The Stadium will be a leading leisure and community venue in the region, offering a wide range of facilities to ensure that it is a genuine hub for the community.
Construction of the stadium on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal at Barton began in December 2010. This new modern and dynamic venue will have a capacity of 12,000 and is scheduled to be open to the public in February 2012. The website will launch in September 2011.
The look and feel of the site is bold and dynamic but also very user friendly, which is essential for a project of this nature. This is currently under development and is expected to launch September 2011.
The stadium will be a great facility for the local community to make use of and will also be the future home of the city’s premier sports club, Salford City Reds Rugby League team.
For the community, there will be access to modern conferencing and outdoor facilities including:
A large flexible banqueting suite that can host functions catering for up to 750.
Meeting and office space for community, public sector and voluntary. organisations.
12 hospitality boxes.
Professional catering facilities.
One grass pitch and one all weather community pitch.
Multiple changing room facilities.
A large car park for over 600 cars, which can also be hired for outdoor events.
James Foley, Stadium Director, City of Salford Community Stadium, explains the attraction of working with Air Creative. “Their ability to translate the brief in static terms to a dynamic concept with great visualisations were very clearly backed up by an intelligent thought process on how the system would be utilised by both the end user and from a content management perspective.”
Paul Barnes, Managing Director of Air Creative, comments; “This is a significant win for the agency and our partner Project Simply. We both look forward to developing a truly World Class website that promotes the superb events and facilities that will be provided, whilst at the same time establishing local pride throughout the community and a sense of ownership for the stadium”.
Another foot forward for AIR
Continuing their run of new client wins, Salford’s AIR Creative has been appointed by the Bacup Shoe Company to create a new campaign for fashion footwear brand Redfoot - the original folding shoe.
Redfoot shoes can be worn as normal outdoor footwear. However, their unique puncture-proof folding sole allows them to be slipped easily into handbags, providing ladies with stylish relief from killer-heels, and a practical alternative for commuting and travel. A spokesman for AIR said, “We’re really excited about working with Redfoot. It’s not often you get to work on a fashion brand that has a genuinely unique selling point. This is a great product with a great deal of potential.”
The new campaign centres around the proposition “Join the fold”, and uses models selected from a competition held on Facebook. As well as creating advertising for Redfoot, AIR has also been tasked with developing point of sale and web design for the brand. View
AIR Creative grinning like Cheshire Cats
Salford-based agency AIR has been appointed by Cheshire-based pet food manufacturer Delamere Dairy, to launch their new range of TopLife brand cat food (see what we did with the headline there).
The new product follows on from the success of TopLife’s specially formulated milks for puppies and kittens. However, this is the brand’s first foray into the highly competitive wet pet foods market. With a high meat content and no artificial additives the new, superior cat food has been created to appeal to breeders and animal lovers alike. Delamere have also teamed up with Tetra Pak to create unique packaging for the new range.
A spokesman from AIR purred, “We’re delighted to have been appointed by Delamere Dairy. Launching any new product is always exciting, and it’s going to be great to see how a brand like this develops.”
The launch campaign which encompasses press, POS, and online, will support TopLife’s big push on to the shelves of Asda this summer. View
Air creates campaign to get Salford voting
Salford City Council has begun a campaign to promote voting to the people of Salford ahead of the forthcoming general and local election, created by Air Creative.
The ‘Make Your Mark’ campaign aims to encourage the whole city’s electorate to vote during the election, with a particular emphasis on young people and first-time voters.
Bluetooth and SMS texts will be used to target potential voters, alongside mailshots and a traveling exhibition, alongside posters of Salford residents preparing to use their vote.
Paul Barnes, MD of Air, explained, “By using real-life people in real-life situations we wanted to convey the idea of individual people being empowered to make individual choices. Photographers Shaw & Shaw were used to give the ads a natural, ‘documentary’ feel. "Whilst we needed audiences to instantly recognize the message, we also needed the ads to have an authenticity about them, without being gritty or downbeat. Apathetic voters need to understand that elections are a positive, inclusive, and straightforward process.”
Sue Hill, Salford City Council’s corporate marketing manager described the brief behind the campaign: “We wanted a campaign that used a simple message with a strong image. Air responded to the brief brilliantly and we’ve already seen good results with a definite increase in the numbers of people calling us to find out how to register their vote.” View
Air take legal brief to put Camps on TV.
Air Creative has been appointed by Camps Solicitors. Camps are a very successful and well established firm on The Wirral/Merseyside with a strong background in RTA & PI claims. They are looking to reduce their average claim cost by going direct to the consumer rather than buying all their cases from third party CMC's.
The new 40" TV campaign will feature 3D animation and Motion Graphics and will feature the voice of Richard Briers (The Good Life). Animation is done through PSA films and is currently underway and due for completion by the end of October 2009.
Creative & Media strategy will focus around TV, ONLINE, PPC & SEO with media buying being handled by Steve Evans at TCS Media North.
Air complete craftscotland 60" Cinema Advert.
'The C Word' was shot on location over 2 days in Leith & Edinburgh featuring makers and their craft this sexy and cool film certainly does fulfil the clients' brief to challenge and hopefully change people's perception of craft as being hobbicraft! The campaign had it's first AIRing last week and is due to break nationally across all Pearl & Dean cinemas this month. The film was directed by David Boni and produced by James Jefferies of Onward Films and creative direction was done by our very own Jason Bennett. To see this exciting film follow this link. View
Air ride with the Devil.
Air Creative the Salford based agency has been appointed by BikeDevil.net the webs one stop shop for bikers. The overall aim of the site is to encompass all aspects of motorcycling with Insurance being the primary driver and product. It includes the latest news from the industry, up to date race reports, news from the leading championships and road safety advice and support for motorcyclists.
There are also a number of interactive sections, which enable visitors to have a strong input into the site’s contents; users are able to submit their own bike and tour reviews, vote for biker-friendly accommodation and enter regular competitions. Website visitors can also search the free classifieds section for bikes and accessories or list their motorcycle for sale completely free of charge.
Bike Devil also provide support information for their users in the form of insurance needs, motorcycle accidents, legal support and rider training. Leading charities and campaigns are also highlighted for the benefit of the motorcycle industry.
This year Bike Devil has run the official website for the Hydrex Honda team supporting Karl Harris and Stuart Easton. They have also done this for 2 times TT2009 winner Ian Hutchinson this year. Last year, they were joint title sponsor of the Shaun Muir (SMR) run team, Hydrex BikeAnimal Honda with riders James Ellison and Guy Martin. In 2007 they backed the Honda Racing’s satellite team with Leon Camier in the British Superbike Championship and Ian Hutchinson in the Supersport support class.
Air has been tasked to overhaul the bikedevil.net and bikedevilinsurance.co.uk websites in line with the new ‘sexier’ image that has been proposed. The campaign due to launch in the 4th quarter of this year will run both on and offline and in Trade and Consumer press. There are plans for a TV and viral campaign for 2010.
Paul Barnes, Managing Director of Air Creative, comments; this is a great win for the agency and we are all looking forward to working on this exciting and progressive brand. The ideas we put forward were ‘risque’ but relevant and reflect the Bike Devil brand values and uniqueness in the market place.
Robert Williams, Managing Director of Bike Devil, explains the attraction of working with Air: “The first time I spoke with one of the team I just knew we were going to get something very special and very different. They immediately understood what we were looking for and presented several creative routes which all had merit”.
Robert also points to Air’s policy of direct contact with the creative team as an important factor in building a strong working relationship in a relatively short space of time. “There isn’t the typical account management barrier at Air, I’m able to talk to the people actually doing the work, and I can feel their passion for the project – which is very refreshing.”
craftscotland arrives in Salford
Air Creative the Salford based agency has been appointed by craftscotland the national agency for the promotion and development of Scottish craft. Air has been tasked to deliver a National Cinema and Print campaign to challenge the public’s perception of craft. The campaign will be used virally and on some inbound flights into Scotland’s Airports. The Cinema campaign will initially be launched across Scotland, London and Greater Manchester.
Craft is commonly confused with hobbicraft and knick-knacks and as a result has a bad image. The brief requires us to position craft and craftscotland as desirable, edgy and contemporary, whilst at the same time destroying these stereotypes. The new campaign which will be branded ‘The C Word’ will showcase a selection of craftscotland’s makers and their work in a cool and contemporary way, whilst the CTA is to drive people to www.craftscotland.org
“Originally a Scottish Arts Council project, craftscotland became such a dynamic centre for information on Scottish craft that in September 2008 it became an independent organisation. ‘The C Word’ is the first audience development campaign to promote the innovation and diversity of Scottish craft across the UK in an accessible way. There is a new found energy in the Scottish craft sector and The C Word is set to mark a new way of thinking about and buying craft.”
Their maker directory, which can be seen at www.craftscotland.org currently, boasts over 1100 individuals or companies and the outlet database hosts 250 places selling craft across Scotland.
Emma Walker, Chief Executive at craftscotland, explains the attraction of working with Air: “The first time I spoke with one of the team I just knew we were going to get something very special and very different. craftscotland has huge ambition for ‘The C Word’ and Air not only share this with us, but they actively encourage us to think in new and exciting ways. They immediately understood what we were looking for and I know I can trust them which is hugely important being based in Scotland.”
Paul Barnes, Managing Director of Air Creative, comments; this is a significant win for the agency and is particularly satisfying as very little business comes South of the border. We are looking forward to developing ground breaking creative that will fulfil the client’s objectives and generate real value for their makers.
Heritage Bathrooms
Air Creative has been appointed by Heritage Bathrooms the Bristol based manufacturer of modern & traditional bathroom solutions. Air has been commissioned to design, produce and print Heritage’s new 220-page product brochure. The brochure is the main sales tool for the business and is distributed to over 2500 Independent retailers both in the UK and Northern Ireland. To support the launch of the new brochure Air have also been commissioned to integrate the new concept across the Web, POS and Consumer Press Advertising with a substantial budget. Photography will be undertaken by Bryan Winstanley.
Nick Rowland, Product and Marketing Manager at Heritage Bathrooms, explains the attraction of working with Air: “Paul and his team very quickly demonstrated that they understood the Heritage core brand values and what’s more didn’t just come back with a creative solution, they came back with ideas based on sound industry research”.
Nick also points to Air’s policy of direct contact with the creative team as an important factor in building a strong working relationship in a relatively short space of time. “There isn’t that account management barrier at Air, I’m able to talk to the people actually doing the work, and I can feel their passion for the project – that’s very refreshing.” View
Chip Shop Awards 2008
We like a good chippy (mushie peas please) and this year Air picked up a golden brown Chip at the Chip Shop Awards in Edinburgh. The ‘Chippies’ are all about ideas and strong creative thinking and are open to any concept, for any client, whether you work for them or not. The awards allow creatives from all over the UK and Europe to submit their very best concepts and have them judged by some of the sharpest creative minds in Britain. This year’s judging panel included Michal Wolff (Michal Wolf & Co.), Dean Webb (Red Brick Road), Sarah Roberts (Lewis Mobery), Gary Blackburn (Rose), Nick Finney (NB Studio) and John Jessup (Leo Burnett). With the entire Air team developing concepts for the 2008 Chippies there was a lot of love in the room when our poster concept ‘Absolut Binge’ won a coveted Chip for drinkaware.co.uk View
NCP
Air has attracted the attention of NCP Manchester and has been working closely with Marketing Director Martin Lewtas on a comprehensive campaign to encourage customers to hide their valuables and make life difficult for potential thieves. This has resulted in 3 campaigns to be rolled out over Christmas 2008 and into the New Year, starting with a seasonal campaign called ‘No Gift’. A key part of each campaign will be to use the ample media space NCP own across their 50 city car parks. Print and ambient media will communicate to NCP customers while they move to and from their cars. Both companies are excited about the opportunity to work together with NCP enjoying their involvement in the creative development and Air looking forward to seeing some progressive executions go live in an environment that is traditionally bare of advertising messages. View
Spa Medica
In another new business win, Air has been commissioned to create a brand identity for new cosmetic surgery brand, Spa Medica. The company will be opening a boutique clinic in Castlefield in 2008 before expanding the brand in 2009 into a complete beauty and transformation centre offering treatments, products and surgery. Spa Medica’s vision of expansion is an exciting one and Air has created a beautiful inspirational brand identity suitable for a business specialising in the science of beauty.