HIGHLIGHTS 2010

It's been a fantastic year at ICG and the whole team has worked with new and existing clients throughout 2010 to uncover creative ways to be seen and heard!

To mark some of the milestones, we have produced the fourth edition of our Highlights of the Year brochure – a snapshot of activity for 2010 which is available to download at www.icgonline.co.uk.

January sets the scene for long standing client Yorkshire Copper Tube and its 60th anniversary celebrations. From branded lolly pops to interactive CD Roms and an eye-catching new exhibition stand, we worked hard to make the company shine.

February saw the launch of ICG’s new website and social media profiles on Twitter, Flickr, Issuu and Facebook.

A month later, we ‘March-ed’ ahead after Central Training tasked ICG to develop all its marketing and PR activities before having the first and last laugh on April Fool’s Day when GMTV filmed Blackpool Zoo’s spoof recruitment drive!

May was a busy month for our digital team as they worked on a number of electronic publishing briefs and June saw chic Twelve Restaurant & Lounge Bar ‘book’ in with our PR team to generate media coverage.

The new football season kicked off with a fresh design for League Football Education’s suite of literature and in August we were delighted to learn that our work had been featured in two internationally respected design books, including a six-page case study in ‘Portfolio Matters’.

Another new client win was confirmed in September as Freightlink appointed us to create new branding for its website as well as launch an inaugural newsletter in both English and Polish.

The newsletter theme carried on into October as we created a raft of print and digital designs for clients.

In November we created a new visual identity for client Enterprise, which included the production of in-depth branding guidelines.

We rounded off the year with a festive feast of Christmas cards and calendars and said a great big thank you to our customers with a pair of striped ICG gloves in our spicy corporate colours.

We would love you to be one of our 2011 highlights. For more information please call Peter or Denise on 01772 679 383.

TANGERINE DREAM or CHRISTMAS PUDDING?

That’s the dilemma facing diners at Twelve Restaurant & Lounge Bar this Christmas…

We’re delighted to report that ICG has been working with the Marsh Mill based restaurant for more than six months and the story behind the Tangerine Dream dessert – created to celebrate Blackpool FC’s promotion to the Premiership - was the first to hit the headlines.

Twelve has been featured regularly on GMTV, Radio Lancashire, Rock FM, Granada TV as well as The Blackpool Gazette, online forums and eating guides.

We’ve also been busy keeping Twelve's social media content updated with blogs and tweets, talking about everything from the Fisherman’s Friend Pina Colada to the opening of the new Twelve Corner Shop.

With 2011 just around the corner, there’s lots more foodie treats in store!

Sunshine on the Horizon!

ICG has been spreading a little sunshine in the winter edition of Horizons magazine from Blackpool International Airport.

Designed and produced by our creative team, the latest instalment is packed with information about where to go and what to see departing from Lancashire and the Lake District’s local, hassle-free airport.

From terrific Tenerife to magnificent Malaga and brilliant Belfast, there is a destination to suit everyone’s budget and itinerary.

Information about Blackpool’s new Airport Aviation and Operations Centre, which provides great facilities for both general and corporate aviation, can also be found in the magazine.

CARDS & CALENDARS…

It wouldn’t be December without ICG helping clients pen their Christmas greetings!

This year, we’ve created some eye-catching yuletide designs that might inspire you to put ICG on your wish list next year!

We’ve produced corporate Christmas cards and 2011 calendars for BAE Systems, Corderoy International, Yorkshire Copper Tube, Enterprise and Blackpool International Airport.

PUPIL AND PARENT FRIENDLY

CREATING a pupil and parent-friendly website was among the main aims of Avenue House School when it commissioned ICG to rejuvenate its online presence.

To meet the brief, ICG focused on using bright colours to provide easy navigation combined with specially commissioned photography to capture the West London school's unique 'family' atmosphere.

Testimonials from parents were highlighted in large type and the 2010 report by the Independent Schools Inspectorate was also available as a download on the majority of web pages.

The website was designed with a clearly identifiable Parents' Zone equipped with 'sign in' facilities to access the latest school bulletins, meetings and policies.

It was also built with content managed capabilities to enable regular updates - from posting information about Year 3's art project to uploading the latest news and extra-curriculum activities.

Feedback from pupils, parents, teachers and governors has been very positive. To see our work in action visit www.avenuehouse.org.

ICG G'LOVES GREAT IDEAS

Drum roll please...we are delighted to reveal ICG's festive winter warmers for 2010 - a pair of sensational stripy gloves!

In the last few years, we've treated our clients to some unique gifts as a special thank you, and this year is no exception.

They're the perfect match to our stripy socks (Christmas 2009), stripy hats (Christmas 2008), and our original stripy gift, the scarves (Christmas 2007)

ICG g'loves great ideas and we hope you do too, especially in these icy temperatures!

They'll be winging their way to clients in the next few days....so keep an eye out for what will probably be the most useful Christmas present you'll receive this year!

SPEAKING YOUR LANGUAGE

THE new 2011 annual prospectus for Language Studies International (LSI) - a network of schools around the world - is setting students on the path to learning!

To promote language courses worldwide, LSI tasked ICG to produce their key selling tool in multiple formats, dependent on each country’s requirements, and typeset in eight different languages, from Spanish to Russian.

LSI has an extensive network of schools in cities across the world offering students excellent learning facilities and a unique insight into the social and cultural fabric of their host country.

ICG’s design team worked closely with the client to ensure the project ran smoothly and on schedule and so far, feedback has been great, with LSI already reporting a significant rise in bookings!

Can you guess what it is yet?

We’ve just dropped off your ICG pressies with Santa…so keep your eyes peeled for Rudolf and those sleigh bells!

To celebrate the festive season and a great 2010, team ICG have come up with yet another snazzy festive gift to keep everyone smiling.

If you can’t stand the excitement, then look at the pictures to see if you can guess what it is yet.

And, if you need any more handy hints, all we can say is that Rolf Harris wouldn’t need one if he was back in Oz right now!

Feel free to send us your suggestions. Whoever tweets us @icgbrandbuilder with the first correct answer gets double helpings! Follow us on Twitter.

Moustaches in November…it must be Movember!

If you’re not familiar with the prostate cancer fund-raising campaign, then check out these great pictures of ICG’s designers Dave Mallalieu and Ian Jones.

They’ve both been growing moustaches this month to raise money for the UK’s Prostate Cancer Charity.

The ICG ‘Mo Bros’ both look very dapper with their lip-tickling 70s-style trimmings.

They’ve had to negotiate the social etiquette of eating and drinking with a moustache as well as keeping them neat and tidy! Dave even has his own dinky, wallet-sized comb!

And they’re not alone – check out England cricketer Kevin Pietersen in the forthcoming Ashes Series – which is quite apt because the whole idea was started in Melbourne, Australia, over a couple of beers!

The guys have got 12 days before the end of Movember – and staff at ICG have vowed to come out in support for Ian and Dave by sporting fake moustaches on the last day of Movember!

Watch out for the photos and of course, don’t forget to make a donation. Dave's MoSpace or Ian's MoSpace

For more information about Movember visit http://uk.movember.com

Online Branding Strategy

A NEW branding strategy for a freight ferry booking specialist is driving online bookings and putting clear blue water between itself and the competition.

Freightlink, which provides competitive freight tickets on ferries and Eurotunnel routes throughout Europe, is now seeing more of its customers make online bookings as part of a growing digital communication strategy.

ICG created a new Freightlink website to help customers access routes, prices and make bookings in just a few clicks.

Freightlink took the decision to drop their existing corporate colour of blue –typically used by many ferry companies and competitors – and replaced it with a dynamic combination of lime green and black to make themselves stand out.

The website features easily identifiable signposting icons while photography and line drawings clearly demonstrate services.

The new website went live in October, and was quickly followed by the launch of Freightlink News - a newsletter also produced by ICG informing new and existing customers of the changes.


Already the strategy is delivering results! New customers are turning to Freightlink because the website is easy to use and existing customers are starting to make bookings online.

Freightlink is also driving customers to its website by becoming a focal point for industry information about shipping times, port information, traffic and weather using Twitter and Facebook as well as blogging about topical issues.

To see ICG’s work for yourself, visit http://www.freightlink.co.uk/

Newsletter Bonanza

Insight, Touchline, Freight Link News…these are just some of the newsletters hot off the presses in the last three months.

ICG has been writing, designing and project managing a staggering number of newsletters during Autumn in both print and interactive digital formats.

Publications of all shapes and sizes have been in production for clients including Biwater, Farrer, Central Training, Sodexo, Freightlink, Yorkshire Copper Tube, Enterprise and League Football Education.

In most cases we’ve handled all elements of the project. This includes design and art direction, copy writing, and full project management to organise competitions, source photography, handle multi-lingual editions as well as organise print and distribution.

Whether you are communicating with customers, sharing information with stakeholders, employees, journalists or industry analysts, clients benefit from ICG’s expertise about what formats and strategies work best to generate effective response rates.

Digital interactive newsletters are increasingly giving clients greater scope for dynamic end-user interaction with pictures, videos, links and clicks as well as mobile, smart phone access.

We’ll keep you posted about our next crop of newsletters in 2011 – and the latest advancements in newsletter functionality.

Press success for flamingos

One of ICG PR’s latest news stories for Blackpool Zoo literally flew out of the door, resulting in TV, radio, newspaper and internet coverage – all in one day!

It all started when the zoo successfully hatched and hand-reared a baby flamingo, who became all confused when she became attached to the first living thing she saw – a zoo keeper.

Staff at the award winning Lancashire attraction spent the next couple of months teaching the chick that she was, in fact, a flamingo and not a zoo keeper.

When she was ready to join the rest of the flamingos, ICG PR invited the press to see how she was getting on.

First up were BBC North West Tonight and Radio Lancashire, which covered the chick’s journey from her sleeping quarters down to the flamingo lake and interviewed keepers about her progress.

CBBC favourite Newsround jumped on the phones for more pictures, which they then used to document her life in an online gallery and the Blackpool Gazette featured the story in a full page lead article.

The chick, which has been named Anandi, is now all settled into life as a flamingo and ICG PR are working with the zoo on more exciting animal tales.

ICG helps client shine

Throughout 2010 ICG has been helping long term client Yorkshire Copper Tube shine as the company celebrates 60 years of business and continued investment in its state-of-the-art plant in Kirkby.

Yorkshire Copper Tube took to the road and appeared at plumbing and heating exhibitions across the country – and the entire team at ICG were on hand to make sure they had everything they needed to ‘stand out’.

As well as designing and project managing an eye-catching exhibition stand we sourced and supplied promotional gifts, produced corporate literature and carried out pre and post event public relations to ensure our client got the most out of each visit.

Added to that, two specially extended editions of Yorkshire’s celebrated newsletter Tube Talk were published, which, along with the usual news and product information, took readers on a journey back through time to when the first sod of turf was cut on the site that was to become one of the most sophisticated tube plants in the world.

Competitions that are designed to add to Yorkshire’s targeted database, which ICG has built from zero to a comprehensive list of more than 7000 potential customers in recent years, were also published in Tube Talk and we gave away a whole host of useful branded goodies.

In 2010 ICG spear-headed a 12-month advertising campaign which saw the company featured in all the top plumbing, heating and building publications, which was backed up by an ongoing media relations campaign aimed at specifiers and buyers.

It has been a busy twelve months and we are already looking towards 2011, with several more huge projects planned for Yorkshire Copper Tube.

NEW SEASON NEW KIT FOR LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION

ICG is no stranger to keeping its eye on the ball – especially when it comes to helping clients improve and refine their communication strategies.

Working in close partnership with our client, League Football Education (LFE), we have updated their suite of literature four years after introducing the original branding.

League Football Education is a partnership organisation between the Football League and the Professional Footballers’ Association; it manages the education programme for apprentices at football league clubs.

The newly designed look helps create a stronger brand with colour coded hierarchy so there is a clear point of difference between literature targeted at clubs and stakeholders, which is more formal and text based, compared with literature targeted at young apprentices, which is more visual and image led.

The redesign was also an opportunity to address feedback from key stakeholders who advocated replacing stock imagery with photography of real apprentices, improving layouts and greater synergy with the www.lfe.org.uk website.

A greater use of white space and cleaner, fresher design formats were combined with the existing use of quirky illustrations and large scale photography to convey important information to young footballers.

The new design has been rolled out across LFE’s Apprenticeship Induction Pack, NVQ material, Welcome Packs and the award-winning newsletter Touchline.

LFE have been really pleased with the results, with great feedback from young football apprentices, their families as well as LFE staff.

SCOTT REES BLOG SUCCESS

Scott Rees' new blog has become a focus for a wide range of topics from Government announcements to consumer advice and contributions from sponsorship partners.

The blog went live in September and hot topics of conversation include postings about legal advice, the implications of proposed reforms on the claims sector and the local community of Skelmersdale, Lancashire - including the fortunes of Skelmersdale United FC!

Scott Rees specialises in handling claims and accident management for accidents on the road, at work and in public places. It also operates legal services in wills and probate.

ICG provides an integrated PR, marketing and design services including writing and distributing press releases, posting blogs and tweets as well as writing articles for specialist industry publications, including Law Society e-newsletters, Young Lawyer magazine and Costs Lawyer magazine.

ICG also handle the firm’s design requirements including direct mail, advertisements, signage and website requirements; we are currently rolling out an autumn promotional campaign in the local community.

Could you be Twelve's next kitchen hero?

Hell’s Kitchen meets Ready Steady Cook this Autumn as an award-winning Lancashire restaurant searches for its very own kitchen hero!

Twelve Restaurant and Lounge Bar in Thornton Cleveleys is looking for two food lovers to compete against one another and serve more than 70 diners with a live video kitchen link-up and a judging panel of local experts.

To enter, candidates must submit two dishes – a starter and a main course – and the best entries will be chosen based on the composition of the dishes, seasonality, style and use of local produce.

Twelve have joined up with Radio Lancashire to supply each candidate’s Commis Chefs – presenter Sally Naden, and the producer of the Ted Robbins Show, Alison Brown; in addition each candidate will also be assigned two chefs from Twelve.

The candidates will compete under the banners of Twelve’s signature dessert dishes – the Tangerine Dream Vs the Banana Butty.

The deadline for submissions (starter and main course) is October 10th 2010, and candidates must be available for the event which will be held on Wednesday 27th October. Entries can be submitted by post to Twelve Restaurant and Lounge Bar or by email to info@twelve-restuarant.co.uk.

VIP COMPUTERS & MICROSOFT TRADE CAMPAIGN

ANIMATED web banners of racing cars and horse racing promoting a series of prize-draw luxury days out are putting the VIP into VIP Computers.

ICG is currently handling a five-month promotional media campaign on behalf of VIP Computers in conjunction with Microsoft, to promote Microsoft Windows 7.

The trade campaign, running from August until December, is designed to encourage VIP customers – IT support services and technicians - to order copies of Microsoft 7 from them.

In return, VIP customers are entered into a monthly prize draw to win a luxury day out, including a day at the races, a racing day and an all-expenses trip to London.

ICG used colourful, stylish illustrations to bring the campaign to life and, most importantly stand out from competitor, product focused advertising.

ZOO'S BUSIEST DAY EVER

Champagne corks were popping at Blackpool Zoo and ICG as the award-winning attraction celebrated the busiest day in its 38-year history.
More than 4,000 visitors flocked through the gates on the August Bank Holiday as everyone made the most of the last few days of the summer holidays!
ICG PR has been busy promoting everything at Blackpool Zoo, from exciting first time births to state-of-the-art new facilities including the UK’s biggest sealion pool.
Jude Rothwell, Marketing and PR Coordinator at Blackpool Zoo, said: “We were over the moon when it was confirmed that the August Bank Holiday was our busiest day ever.
“With lots of exciting announcements, arrivals, events and improvements expected in the very near future, we are looking forward to building on our success.”

Behind the scenes with Twelve

ICG PR spent a day (and night) really getting to know client Twelve Restaurant and Lounge Bar by rolling up our sleeves and getting involved.

We are always keen to get to the heart of a client’s business and one of the best ways to do this is by actually working with them to get an insider’s view of everything they do.

First stop was a wedding at the Great Hall at Mains, where we got an insight into the ins and outs of catering for 140 guests at a wedding breakfast and evening BBQ.

From delivery and preparation of food to team talks and organising the order in which tables were served, we got a real feel for how much hard work goes on in the background at such grand events.

In the evening we went behind the scenes at Twelve’s award winning restaurant to see how the kitchen and service staff work together to make sure every customer has an experience to remember.

We even tried our hand at washing up and food service, which was great fun!
It was very useful to see every detail of what the team at Twelve has to do to ensure the smooth running of both the restaurant and a pre-booked function on the same day.

Their passion and dedication to customer service was evident in everything they did and our day behind the scenes gave us a real insight into ethos of the entire team.

We are working with Caroline and Paul at Twelve on lots of exciting projects at the moment and are looking forward to achieving great results.

We’re ferry happy at ICG

Staff at ICG are ferry happy after securing a new full service contract win with Freightlink.

The freight ferry booking specialist was looking for a new corporate identity, website and strategic communications plan and ICG’s proposal sailed home to victory.

A fresh, contemporary brand is now being applied to the stationery, website and the company’s corporate clothing, whilst the ICG PR team are getting busy with putting together stories and ideas for a company newsletter.

The mix of services at ICG, as well as the flair and creativity of the entire team, were the reasons behind the win and we are looking forward to sailing off into the sunset with our new client.

Banana Butty anyone?

ICG PR is working up a real appetite whilst promoting Twelve Restaurant & Lounge Bar in Thornton Cleveleys as the multi-award winning eatery celebrates its 10th anniversary year.

We've been busily promoting a host of mouth-watering events including Kids Cookery Days, a summer barbecue and entertainment evenings while planning is underway for a dazzling 'cook off for local amateur chefs, ' later this year.

As well as events, the team at ICG are working with Twelve's talented chefs to raise awareness of quirky signature dishes such as the Banana Butty and the Tangerine Dream. Feeling hungry? Check out www.twelve-restaurant.co.uk.

Camping, climbing and canoeing at ICG

An eventful weekend was had by all on the latest camp ICG trip to the Lake District.

With our wellies and waterproofs packed we headed off up the M6 with our families to the picturesque Waterside Farm Campsite by Ullswater and pitched the tents.

Some of the team braved a hike up nearby Helvellyn whilst the rest of them donned life-jackets and ventured onto the lake in a good old fashioned kayak.

The end result was the same for both groups, with the rain pouring on the climbers and the boat capsizing on the kayakers.

Everyone dried out next to a roaring fire and a ging gang goolie goolie good time was had by all.

Yorkshire Copper Tube Hits the Big Screen

Throughout 2010 we have been helping our client Yorkshire Copper Tube mark its 60th year of manufacturing in Kirkby.

As part of our integrated marketing campaign we have put together a celebratory interactive CD ROM for the company, which is packed with information about what Yorkshire does and how it does it.

There is a timeline that pinpoints landmarks in the company’s prestigious history and an animated video journey through the state of the art production plant.

Our design, technical and copywriting team came together to organise everything from the look and feel to the script writing, filming and voice over recording.

The PR department has been busy promoting it through various national trade publications and requests for copies have been coming in thick and fast.

Business survey takes flight at Blackpool International

ICG’s entire team got involved in a project to help long standing client Blackpool International gather vital information from Lancashire’s business community.

Our PR department helped to put together a survey and work out a schedule of promotion with leading county title Lancashire Business View, which included on and offline elements to capture as much data as possible.

The creative team then got to work on designing the look and feel of the survey and an eye-catching series of adverts.

Over the course of the summer the questionnaire will be promoted through the region’s business press.

The results will be reported through media releases and feature articles and used to help the airport in its talks with leading airlines to determine future flight routes.

To ‘air’ your views please click here

We’re getting growing!

We’ve got the growing bug here at ICG at the moment and, as you can see from our picture, our free Creative Review tomato plants are coming on a treat!

So when our client Enterprise announced that its theme for May was ‘Get Gardening’ we snapped up some of their giveaway basil seeds to go with our toms.

Not long now and we will be spending many a sunny lunch time enjoying the fruits of our labour.

Oh, and in case your interested in who is leading in the plant care stakes….it‘s……Creative Director Simon and Senior Designer Ian with 10 flowers on their plant, which they have named Geoffrey!

Blackpool Zoo in the headlines……

The PR team at ICG have been busy working on the publicity for a massive celebration of new beginnings at Blackpool Zoo as the award winning attraction launched the UK’s largest sea lion pool and confirmed the births of its first ever Western Lowland Gorilla and Pileated Gibbon babies.

In a whirlwind of press calls and releases, photography coordination and media liaison we worked with the Zoo to get the good news out.

The results speak for themselves.

Radio coverage included Rock FM, Radio Lancashire and BBC Radio Two and the Blackpool Gazette ran a full page report on the day’s events.

The Guardian was the first of many national titles to snap up the breathtaking picture of first time gorilla mother Miliki relaxing with her newborn, which was also voted as one of the top 10 most striking images of the day on the BBC News website.

GMTV ran the story in the morning and Granada Reports came along to the event for a spot of filming, which went out the same evening.

With national and local coverage still coming in thick and fast it is safe to say that Blackpool Zoo can expect a very busy Bank Holiday!

Hat trick of national coverage for ICG PR clients

ICG PR jumped on the tangerine band wagon and gained three spots on GMTV for its clients Blackpool Airport, Blackpool Zoo and Twelve Restaurant.

On the day that Blackpool FC set off to the Wembley final the team at ICG PR whizzed around the town with presenter Matt Arnold and the filming resulted in a hat trick of coverage, which has been posted on You Tube.

You can view the coverage here

Tangerine dreaming for ICG’s Commercial Director

ICG's Commercial Director, Peter Cobley, is hoping he will be 'glad all over' when the final whistle blows after Blackpool's premiership clinching match against Cardiff on Saturday.

You can clearly see from our picture, he is ready and raring to go.

The rest of the team are just hoping he gets a haircut before he comes back in on Monday.

Never one to coast along

ICG's very own running man took his position on a unique relay race around the entire coast of the UK, completing a 16 mile leg from Lancaster's River Lune to Carnforth.

Creative Director, Simon Couchman, joined people from across Lancashire to help Coasters GB in their mission to transport 'Barry the Baton' around our glorious coastline.

After seeing a poster about the event, Simon signed up on the Coasters GB website and training commenced.

"It was great to be part of such a huge event," said Simon.

"Despite the obligatory wind and rain it was a lot of fun and as I handed 'Barry the Baton' over to the next runner I wished them the best of luck.

"I will make sure I am at Blackpool Tower in September to welcome Barry and the last runners back with a big cheer."

Press packs for the press pack

Yorkshire Copper Tube is back from its inaugural appearance at PHEX, the Plumbing and Heating Exhibition, where its marketing materials were red hot!

As well as the stand, literature and promotional items designed and sourced by the creative team, ICG PR put together a press pack that was handed out to visiting national trade journalists.

We packed it full of press releases, pictures, interview opportunities and story ideas and, to make it easier, we also uploaded all the information and a selection of images to Yorkshire's specially produced USB sticks.

ICG PR know what journalists are looking for when they attend exhibitions and we worked out magic to ensure Yorkshire Copper Tube stood out from the crowd.

ICG DOUBLE SHOWCASE SUCCESS

ICG is enjoying some well-deserved recognition after being featured in two industry titles.

Our own marketing material has been featured in a creative design publication called Design Matters//Portfolios by American publishers, Rockport.

The six-page case study features colour pictures and in-depth editorial, focusing on ICG's marketing campaign and clever use of branded gift items including scarves, hats, and even socks! If you're visiting our offices, a copy of the book will be in the reception area.

Meanwhile ICG PR was also delighted to see it had made it onto the pages of PR Week. Our work for St Deiniol's Library was featured on the magazine's Campaigns pages which identify interesting and thought-provoking projects. To read it for yourself, check out.

VOLCANO FLIGHT CHAOS STORIES

ICG PR sprang into action during the volcano flight chaos to help three clients report on events as they happened.

Regular media updates were distribited to the North West and national press for client Blackpool International to reassure passengers about the on-going situation for flights with Jet2.com, Aer Lingus and Manx2.com.

Since flights have resumed, the airport is getting back to normal and information is being issued online and through e-marketing to update passengers.

We also reported on how client Scott Rees & Co Solicitors rallied round to help get their Marketing Partner back from Poland after being stranded at the end of his holiday.

His colleagues back in Skelmersdale pitched in to make alternative travel arrangements for the 1,000 mile journey back home and the story was picked up by the local and regional press, with front page headlines!

And, for client Servisair Executive Lounges we released media updates to inform customers that all bookings during the flight ban would be honoured, and could be transferred to alternative dates.

Not bad for a week's work!

Yorkshire Copper Tube set to shine at PHEX

Yorkshire Copper Tube will certainly ‘stand out’ when it exhibits at the Plumbing and Heating Exhibition - thanks to the creative team at ICG.

A state of the art exhibition stand featuring eye-catching photography and snazzy copywriting should certainly pull in the crowds.

From initial concepts through to final design and overall project management, our Creative Director Simon Couchman worked with Senior Designer Ian Jones to map out and bring together all the aspects of a productive exhibition stand.

From leaflet holders to podiums and even a strategically placed table and stools – the results speak for themselves.

But that’s not all. We also sourced branded lolly pops, flasks and carrier bags to complete Yorkshire’s professional look as it makes its inaugural appearance and the industry leading trade show.

Watch this space for more information on how the ICG PR team got involved by making sure Yorkshire has plenty of information to give to visiting journalists.

ICG PR gets digital makeover

ICG PR’s shiny new website has burst into action on the net, following the huge success of the ICG’s full service site, which was launched earlier this year.

With more information than ever before, it’s a real showcase of how ICG’s PR team delivers great results for clients and the broad range of services that we offer – from copywriting and press releases to publicity stunts.

Our case study section shows the team in action as well as providing bite size examples of the diverse range of work that we have undertaken for clients over the years.

Other features include links to all our social media sites and a downloadable version of ICG’s company literature.

The ICG full service site has shot up the rankings since its launch thanks to constantly refreshed content and the digital know how of the team.

We are looking forward to the PR site mirroring that success.

Newsletters news…..

The creative team at ICG have been awash with newsletters of late and the most recent three are signed off and ready to go.

Firstly, long standing client League Football Education tasked us with refreshing the look of its term time newsletter Touchline, which goes out to 1700 apprentices, football clubs and other stakeholders.

The new look includes a fresh cover design and masthead and a page increase from 16 to 20.

Next is Horizons, Blackpool International Airport’s twice yearly newsletter. With 20,000 copies distributed around the airport, tourist information centres and hotels, our designs work hard to make sure they catch the eye of passers by.

Last, but certainly not least, was the latest edition of Insight, the employee newsletter for support service giant Enterprise.

The company has embraced the recent trend for electronic versions of newsletters and an interactive PDF is sent direct to the inbox of the company’s 14,000 staff three times per year.

There’s never a dull moment here at ICG - and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

ICG in peak form with new retained client

A new retained account win at ICG will see us all flexing our creative muscles.

Central Training, one of the UK’s largest training providers to the active leisure industry, operates Central Skills, Central Fitness and Central Sports.

ICG has been working with the company on a project basis for over three years and management at Central Training signed up to a retained contract after the successful completion of its ‘Update’ newsletter in March.

We will be working on all marketing and public relations activities and initial projects include promoting a charity fundraising scheme at St Helens based Central Fitness sports, fitness and training centre and raising awareness about upcoming open days for apprenticeship programmes run by Central Skills in Wigan.

Denise Dawson, ICG’s Managing Director, said: “We have built a very strong relationship with Central Training and its division over the years and we are delighted that they have joined our retained client list.

“Our design, marketing and PR teams will work very closely to devise a strategic plan that will allow maximum return on investment for the company.”

Blackpool Zoo's Tall Tale on GMTV

ICG PR sealed more national TV coverage for client Blackpool Zoo, when GMTV chose its idea for the show’s annual April Fools joke.

A spoof recruitment drive at the zoo, for giraffe keepers that are over 6ft 2inches tall, was devised and put to the programme, who loved it!

The wind and rain didn’t dampen spirits and an afternoon’s filming in Giraffe Heights with presenter Matt Arnold was all it took to fool the nation.

Marketing and PR Coordinator at the zoo, Jude Rothwell, took the position of official zoo spokesperson and three members of ICG’s team put their acting skills to the test.

Managing Director Denise Dawson became a lawyer for the afternoon whilst Commercial Director Peter Cobley and Marketing and PR Manager Paula Holden stepped in as applicants that didn’t quite meet the required height.

Another ICG client, Freightlink, was drafted in and Office Manager Lee Rossall joined Peter and Paula wearing an ‘I Love Giraffes’ t-shirt.

Viewers were invited to visit the GMTV website to view an extended version of the footage and either apply for the position or sign a petition against ‘heightism’. When either of the links were clicked a message flashed up to say it was an April Fool’s Joke.

The news item was aired on GMTV every half an hour as the ‘and finally’ news piece from 6.00am until 9.00am on April 1st and a specially extended version of the filming was put on the GMTV website.

Aer Lingus lands at Blackpool International

ICG PR had the luck of the Irish as the sun shone for Blackpool International Airport’s celebration of the first Aer Lingus flights from Dublin on Sunday 28th March.

Passengers were greeted in check-in by 22 little Irish dancers; tasters of Guinness and plenty of Irish stew.

As the first flight touched down the dancers moved outside to welcome travelers and crew on the runway.

ICG PR organised the dance school, the pre-event publicity, the photography and were on hand to help with the smooth running of the day.

The new flights are now daily in and out of Blackpool International and bookings for the 72-seater aircraft can be made via Aer Lingus’ website.

Don’t forget, you can also link into the airline’s transatlantic network to New York from Dublin Airport.

Irish Craic at Blackpool International

ICG PR are enjoying a real craic as client, Blackpool International celebrates the first Aer Lingus flights from Dublin this Sunday.

There will be 22 Irish dancers courtesy of the Sue Turner and Nicky Figgins Stage School in Blackpool; there will also be tasters of Guinness and plenty of Irish stew!

The new flights are jointly operated under a franchise agreement between Aer Arann and Aer Lingus.

It means that flights are now daily, and on a bigger, 72-seater aircraft; bookings are made via Aer Lingus’ website and passengers can also link into the airline’s transatlantic network to New York from Dublin Airport.

And if you're into everything Irish - remember that Riverdance The Fairwell Tour starts at the Opera House at Blackpool Winter Gardens on Monday!

Giving clients the Competitive Edge

League Football Education kicked off its new look recruitment and careers event in style in 2010 with the aim of giving visitors a helping hand into careers in the sport, leisure and tourism industries.

ICG was enlisted to come up with a brand image for Competitive Edge, which was formerly called Progression, at the end of 2009 and tasked with producing the marketing literature in early 2010.

Exhibition guides, inserts, press adverts, banners, lanyards and posters were designed by our award-winning creative team and delivered in time for the first event on the 10th and 11th March at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton.

Our goal was to give them a snazzy new look that would appeal to both exhibitors and visitors…..and we certainly hit the back of the net!

BIBA Awards Night!

ICG PR are among the guests at the BIBAs tonight - one of the most glamorous award ceremonies in Lancashire!

Organised by the North and Western Chamber of Commerce, the BIBAs celebrate the highest standards of business excellence.

ICG's client, Blackpool Zoo is among the nominees for Tourism Business of the Year, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that all their hard work will be recognised.

Watch this space to find out who won what, and for a full report on all the glitz and glamour of the evening at the Pleasure Beach's Globe Theatre.

All in a week’s work….

ICG certainly loves a challenge!

So when one of our client’s Central Training in St Helens needed a 12-page newsletter turned round in five days for an exhibition, ICG’s design and copywriting team all pulled together to deliver the goods.

With four different divisions within Central Training, each with its own identity and section within the newsletter, we needed to be ultra organised.

After two days of interviews, research, article writing and going through the approval process with senior management we had the words…..all we needed were the pictures and layout.

Another two days of design, proofing and editing and we had the final version ready for the printers.

Managing Director, Denise Dawson said: “When we hit the send button to get the newsletter to the printers it was a real sense of achievement.

“We’re used to working to tight schedules but this one really required us to pull out all the stops.

“Another job well done.”

YCT to Shine at PHEX – thanks to ICG

Our client, Yorkshire Copper Tube, will be making its inaugural appearance at leading plumbing industry exhibition PHEX at Wembley Stadium in April and has turned to ICG to help with the preparations.

ICG’s design team have been looking at options for the stand layout, promotional materials and ideas to drive footfall whilst the PR department have already got to work on publicising the event in key trade press.

A specially extended anniversary edition of award-winning newsletter Tube Talk is also underway and will feature all the latest news and views from Yorkshire Copper Tube as well as a competition to win a bumper pack of plumbing goodies.

With stands booked at the PHEX’s Old Trafford venue in October and at Stamford Bridge in November, there’s lots for us to do and Yorkshire knows they can count on us to make sure everything goes to plan.

Look how they’ve grown

It’s just over four weeks since we planted some tiny little seeds in this wonderful ‘bag that turns into compost thingy’

And just look at them now! Brilliant.

Soon it will be time to transplant the seedlings into individual pots, which will be shared equally between team ICG.

Then, the race is on to see whose plant grows the first tomato.

A bit of friendly competition never hurt anyone did it?

Check back soon to see who the front runner is.

PSST...spread the word, March Madness is coming!

Blackpool Zoo is gearing up for a month of madness!

Residents in Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde can enjoy half price admission at the award-winning attraction during March.

Locals living in postcodes FY1 to FY8, PR3 and PR4 can take advantage of the 50 per cent March Madness discount - just remember to take some proof of address, such as a driving licence or recent utility bill.

Meet Zambar the new Amur tiger, catch up with O’Grady the giraffe, take a peek at the penguins and see the final stages of the transformation of the sealion enclosure.

With the promise of Spring in the air...a bit of March Madness is most definitely good for the soul..and your pocket!

Chocolate lovin' this Valentine's

We're all swooning at the sight of these delicious little fancies.

Whipped up by our very own cup cake expert, ICG Designer Nicola Chew, they're the perfect way to show someone you care this Valentine's.

A scrumptious blend of deepest, darkest chocolate with just a dusting of Cupid's magic, they are certain to get hearts racing!

Not that any of them will still be around by three o'clock today let alone this Sunday...

Consult Sophie Grigson's Fairtrade Everyday Cookbook if you're looking for a recipe...and, of course, inspiration for a candlelit dinner for two!

Success breeds Success…

When global defence giant BAE Systems was looking for a way to raise awareness of its Engineering Integrated Solutions amongst its 105,000 employees the company turned to ICG.

Our team of creative experts got to work on a concept that would present a large amount of technical information in an easy to navigate catalogue so that people could see exactly what the different business units could offer to customers.

We spent time gathering information from numerous departments and worked closely with brand champions to bring everything together in a format that was eye-catching and simple to use.

The inaugural Catalogue of Capabilities was a huge success and it wasn’t long before even more business units were signing up for issue two, which we completed at the end of 2009.

A room with a view

Are you looking for the perfect place to start your own business? Or perhaps you are fast outgrowing your current office and are looking for a fresh start.

You don’t need Phillip Spencer or Kirsty Allsop to show you round our glorious region, nor do you need to scour endless commercial property pages to find the perfect home for your company.

You just need to dial 01772 679 383 and book an appointment to come and see the 729 sq ft office space we have to let here at Windy Harbour Barn.

With stunning views of rolling countryside, a main office and a built in internal office, private facilities, a shared kitchen and car parking spaces all nestled here in sunny Warton you really can’t go wrong.

And last, but certainly not least, you get to see all of us everyday….what more could you possibly ask for?

IN BRUGES

Take one ferry...the beautiful medieval city of Bruges...snow and the promise of Belgium beer and chocolate and you have a memorable weekend away for Team ICG.

Starting 2010 off in style, we set sail for the 'Venice of the North' on a P&O mini cruise for our post-Christmas festive celebrations.

Greeted by blizzards, beautiful cobbled streets and horse drawn carriages, we all had a fabulous time with just a few adventures on the way.

And ICG's top recommendations for a fantastic day of Flemish fun are: climbing the Belfry Tower in the market square, a tour of the Half Moon Brewery, gigantic hot chocolate drinks in The Chocolate House and a great little Flemish bar called 't Brugs Beertje.

Amazingly, we all got there and back again in once piece...but, remember, learn how to drink from a Kwak and don't miss the last coach back to the port....

ICG website goes live

Our new website is live, so surf on over to www.icgonline.co.uk to take a look.

It is jam packed with information about who we are, what we do and how we do it.

Put faces to names on our meet the team page; see our approach to client briefs; download our brochures and see the latest projects we have completed including digital newsletters.