All smiles at The Message

A big thanks to Ellie, who spent the last couple of weeks with The Message on work experience. She managed to get involved in all sorts of stuff - from creating Top Gear themed mood boards to designing her own range of legwear (well, she designed the packs for them at least).

When she said her goodbyes on Friday, Ellie handed us this wonderful sketch as a farewell gift. If you know a few of here, you probably won't have too much trouble picking out who's who.

Havaianas plinth is anything but a flop

Our friends over at Havaianas UK threw this challenge at us a couple of weeks back - building a plinth to be used in Schuch's Oxford Street store to help the customising of people's Havaianas footwear. We even threw in a few colour-changing LED lights for a bit of added drama.

Needless to say that both Havaianas and Schuch's were delighted, with pair after pair of their spruced-up flip flops flying off the shelves.

Promotional video for Chartwell

Having entered and won our 'Win a free video' competition back in December, here's the 90-second promo we recently produced for Chartwell Prestige Accident Repair, based on Pride Park in Derby.

Ice Ice Baby

Convincing toddlers to learn to ice-skate is easy! Well, it is if you’ve got a beautifully-designed ‘look what I can do’ postcard for them to record their on-the-ice progress. Another creative brief done and dusted by The Message, this time for the National Ice Centre over in Nottingham.

Social Not Working?

We couldn't help but smile at this 'Daily Dilbert' that was doing the rounds yesterday - it seems to perfectly sum up the approach of many companies to the ever-growing possibilities of social networking. The heart says yes, the head says no.

The Message offers a wide range of services to assist you in embracing the power of Social Media, and develop Social Media Marketing solutions to your exact requirements, ensuring that we effectively reach and communicate with your ideal audience demographic.

Using the likes of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn, we'll help you generate exposure for your company, improving brand awareness, audience engagement and interaction.

If you want to know more or have a chat about the possibilities, feel free to give us a call on 01332 299001.

Win a FREE Promotional Video

Throughout September, and until Friday, 8th October, we're giving one company the chance to make a promotional video, absolutely FREE of charge.

To enter the competition, just fill out your details here.

If you'd like to know more about The Message, you can visit our website here. Or, for a quick look at the video work we've done recently, take a look at our latest showreel.

Terms and conditions of this promotion are as follows:

1. To qualify for this prize draw, all questions must be completed on this entry form by Friday, 8th October, 2010.

2. Only one entry per person. Incorrect information will automatically disqualify the entrant.


3. The entrant must be a representative of a company, enterprise or initiative of 5 people or more.


4. Anybody may take part except employees of The Message and their family members.


5. The prize is not transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash.


6. The Message cannot take any responsibility for lost entry forms or any damage, losses or injuries related to the competition.


7. Winners must be prepared to be videod, photographed and such content may possibly be used in our future marketing material.


8. Closing date for entry is Friday, 8th October, 2010. Winners will be notified via e-mail and telephone before Friday, 15th October, 2010.


9. The prize of a free promotional video must be collected before Friday, 28th January, 2011.


10. By entering the competition and supplying your information, you consent to receive relevant promotional material via e-mail from The Message.


11. The judges decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.


12. For the purposes of this promotion, any reference to 'free promotional video' relates to a prize of one day's filming (one cameraman) and one day's editing (8 hours), resulting in a final edit of no longer than 10 minutes in length.

13. Prize does not include additional costs resulting from travel outside a 100 mile radius of Derby.

14. The video that we deem to be adding the most value to your company, brand or product proposition will walk away with the prize.

15. The judge's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winners will be contacted personally.

Killing the Radio Star

Here at The Message, we've been producing all sorts of professional video content for our clients over the last couple of years, giving them a firm footing on YouTube and Vimeo, as well as offering them a different, often more engaging, way of communicating with their staff and customers.

So, with that in mind, we thought it made sense to spend a bit of time pulling together something of a video 'showreel', to showcase the work we've done over the last year or so. As you'll see, we've been busy filming, editing and art-directing video for the likes of the University of Derby, Nationwide Building Society, Pretty Polly, Gossard and Weleda (and a few others to boot).

If you're interested in using video to help communicate a specific area of your business's proposition, think it might add a little zip to your company offsites, or simply want to sell your company's vision with one click of a mouse, feel free to get in touch for a chat and a cuppa.

Coming to America

The Message has recently been helping Midlands-based, hosiery and leg-wear brand Pretty Polly launch their iconic brand over in The States - a wonderfully exciting project which has seen us getting busy shooting and editing a short movie, designing and printing DVD sleeves and finding the best way to pitch their products to an American audience.

This has included gathering together footage of old Pretty Polly TV ads, shooting new footage over at Coco Tang in Nottingham, pulling together previous trade ads and wrapping it all up in a DVD that's now winging its way across the Atlantic.

Up there

We couldn't resist sharing this - such a beautifully constructed piece of movie-making. 'Up There' tells the story of the few remaining New York advertising painters, who are struggling to keep this promotional method alive.

UP THERE from The Ritual Project on Vimeo.

Malvern Spring Gardening Show 2010

A short video we made made for Weleda at the Malvern Spring Gardening Show 2010.

Pretty Polly and Coco Tang

A few shots here of the recent video shoot we did for Pretty Polly at Coco Tang nightclub in Nottingham. Keep your eyes peeled for a final edit of the video further down the line...

We are 16, going on 17…

Yep, in the latter months of 2009, The Message turned the ripe old age of 16. We can now play the lottery, marry another agency (with our parent's written consent of course) and, ahem, even get up to a bit of naughty stuff.

Back in 1993 - when the pen was mightier than the pixel - we set up with one phone, a borrowed fax machine and amazingly, not one single Apple Macintosh. We had jotter pads, so what was the point?!

We squatted with an architect’s practice in Irongate and our first job was for 'Ian’s Dad’s best mate' who owned a company that made sewage tanks...it was glamorous stuff, not as glamorous as our second job (which we got because Ian’s wife’s dad called in a favour with the MD of John Smedley) and we launched their Autumn 1994 collection with a shoot that echoed the hottest movie at the time, Pulp Fiction. Pride Park was still Chaddesden railway sidings.

Since then we have survived thick and thin, and have grown to around 10 people, working out of a brand new studio on Pride Park and having produced wonderful work in virtually every sector; from fashion and financial services through to charity, retail and health and beauty.

We promise everyone a big party when we're 21!

The Message Gives Gossard a Boost

In the first of a number of marketing initiatives to promote the UK's favourite lingerie brand, The Message has teamed up with Gossard to create a striking billboard campaign that has stopped traffic and passers-by alike in their tracks.

The posters feature sexy, oversized shots of model Elle Liberachi wearing Gossard’s new 'Superboost' lingerie with the taglines "good buy girls" and "OMG", and can be seen at key billboard sites around London.

In particular, the ‘good buy girls’ creative tips its hat to the look and feel of Gossard’s memorable advertising campaign of the 1990s; the iconic Wonderbra “Hello Boys” posters – but their underlying message has been updated to appeal to women of today.

Gossard Managing Director, Tony Jarvis, said, “Gossard is a brand with great recognition, but we realised that we needed to make the brand and its products more relevant to the upcoming generation of sassy, sexy women. The launch of our new Superboost range, that beautifully accentuates women’s curves, is the perfect vehicle for the campaign as the range offers ‘traffic stopping’ style and fantastic quality, yet is also priced for everyday, not just special occasion, wear."

The campaign is part of a major development of the Gossard brand through new and existing products and related marketing activity, all of which will be produced by The Message.

Knot again!

See our previous blog post for the fun we had creating this wonderful piece of knotting, Staffordshire style.

Here's the knot getting all the glory at the launch of Staffordshire County Council's new corporate identity a few weeks back.

Rumour has it that the knot has now gone in to hibernation for the winter, but will back when the weather's better so as not to get too frayed.

Knot your average job

We're often praised for "doing the things that other marketing agencies can't", which we guess includes sourcing large pieces of rope and tying it in knots. Staffordshire knots to be precise.

As part of Staffordshire County Council's new corporate identity launch, we were asked to recreate a physical replica of the Staffordshire knot for a publicity shot or two.

We're still awaiting the final PR shots, but have our own pictures of Robin and Nick unpacking said rope to keep us amused in the meantime.

Candid CAMRA

Our very own Mr. Chappell recently spent a day of 'client liaison' at the opening of Bakewell's new Thornbridge Brewery, which happened to involve sampling a pint or two of their finest ales. A tough job, but someone had to do it.

Unbeknown to Ian (at the time at least), he was captured on camera by East Midlands Today, offering a connoisseurial look at one of Thornbridge's finest brews.

You can watch his 2.73 seconds of fame here on BBC's news website.

Of course, the rest of the office were mightily relieved that they weren't asked along to what was clearly a very exhausting day of local business networking.

Maps "R" us

We're a bit tucked away on Pride Park. Just a few twists and turns away from the stadium, but tucked away nonetheless. So if you're coming to see us, we've thrown together a map to help you along the way.*

* Also available on our website at www.the-message.co.uk

Caffeine fuelled

One thing we're well accustomed to here is getting our creative hands dirty. That's done in a metaphorical sense of course, so as to keep our fingernails nice and clean.

Having produced Pretty Polly's eye-catching ‘Caution Hot Tights’ packaging (in the shape of takeout coffee cups no less), it's been all hands on deck to get the tights packed and shipped off in time for this week's celebrity launch at Selfridges.

The new legware collection has been designed in conjunction with in-vogue London fashionista Henry Holland, one of London's hottest designers.

Without Charlotte’s 'more chocolate than biscuit' Bahlsen biscuits, we might not have got through the day.

Busy at Birchover

A corporate re-brand, brochure design, copywriting, website development, promotional posters, photography...and even a spot of toilet humour.

It's been a busy couple of weeks for The Message, and for Birchover Hotel Apartments. With a little help from us, they've just launched their new brand identity and shiny new website - www.birchover.com.

We also think they're on to a good thing, as they're the only hotel apartments in Derby...and with over 70 one and two-bedroom apartments in Darley Abbey and Allestree, they offer a pretty cool alternative to the usual boring hotel room.

If you want to see the new ads we've done for Birchover, take a look in the, ahem, 'washrooms' next time you're at Pride Park.

Behind the scenes with Gossard

Here's a behind the scenes look at our latest shoot for Gossard.

Filmed, edited and produced by The Message (using Apple's very nifty Final Cut Express), this snippet features Brazilian-born model Fernada Ferrari and 2009 UK Covergirl of the Year Elle Liberachi showcasing Gossard's 2010 Spring / Summer range.

If you're interested in producing a video to promote your business, you can find full contact details for The Message on our main website.