Cognition, a leading integrated communications agency based in the West Midlands and London has added a raft of new accounts to its expanding portfolio of clients.

The agency has been appointed to provide marketing communications support for The Lightbulb Company, Redwood Telecommunication, Prolegal, Phoenix, IP Solutions and TCC Global.

The Lightbulb Company, an online light bulb retailer that provides expert lighting consultancy to many of the UK’s biggest organisations, has engaged Cognition to undertake a comprehensive brand audit and the development of a new feature-rich website as part of a detailed 12-month marketing and digital strategy.

The brief for Redwood Telecommunication is to implement an integrated marketing strategy to build on the company’s existing maintenance business, whilst both London law firm Prolegal, and IP Solutions, a provider of telecom solutions have appointed Cognition to undertake a brand positioning strategy.

Finally, closed life assurance fund consolidator, Phoenix Group and TCC Global, a retail promotion business have separately tasked Cognition with a range of creative projects in order to introduce new methods of internal communication throughout their businesses.

Commenting on the new wins, Tim Witcherley, Managing Director at Cognition says:

“The first half of 2011 has been exceptional with business continuing to grow across the agency’s four integrated divisions. The Cognition approach is geared towards one thing, helping clients make more money by de-risking their marketing decisions. This entrepreneurial attitude is certainly something that clients appreciate and benefit from.”

Cognition’s global photobook client CEWE recently received some excellent brand exposure by appearing in the SKY news global coverage of the royal wedding. The publicity came on the back of a successful PR and marketing stunt organised by Cognition for 29th April 2011.
 
Promotional staff braved the crowds to supply revelers with custom-made British flags branded with CEWE offers. Promotional codes were distributed to the public in order for them to receive a free personalised photo mug and jointly promote the social media group. A life-sized cardboard cut-out of the happy couple made it's way along the parade of royal enthusiasts in order for them to have their picture taken with the pair! CEWE had excellent feedback and no shortage of interest.

Cognition is in the process of developing an internal communications project with TCC Global; a global business based in Heathrow which specialises in the design of retail marketing programmes.

IP Solutions, an award winning independent provider of telecoms solutions such as mobile, VoIP and cloud technology, initially engaged Cognition to work with them on a lead-generating e-shot campaign. Following our success on this project, IP Solutions asked us to undertake a full brand audit.  The process will allow us to refine their proposition and build on their already strong reputation in the telecoms sector.

Smallpeice is an independent educational charity offering courses and hands-on experience in engineering to pupils of Years 6-12. We are pleased to announce that, for the fifth year running, Cognition are working with the team to create all the new course material and supporting collateral in time for 2011/2012.

This year we will be following the theme of the 2012 Olympics; producing a suite of collateral to include; course booklets, timetables and various promotional material to raise awareness of the growing number of courses Smallpeice has to offer. This will be accompanied by a digital strategy and website updates, where SPT will offer seamless and intuitive enrolment functionality; parents will be able to enrol their children online as of September this year. This upgrade, amongst many will position them at the top of their game; building greater awareness of SPT whilst continuing to improve their high levels of communication.

In the Red Nose Day spirit of doing something funny for money, the Cognition team wore red and showed off their best moves for Comic Relief on Friday 18th March.

We are delighted to announce that Cognition has started work with leading traffic management experts DMN Road Services. Since winning the account last month we’ve already completed a comprehensive brand audit and presented two new brand identities: Headway, for their traffic management division, and Headstart, for the company’s new lift, shift and install services.

We’re now developing two separate websites and accompanying collateral to propel the two brands forward for early April.

Cognition has exceeded its target to raise £1,000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care after employees swapped their work attire for fancy dress inspired by the ‘12 Days of Christmas’ on Friday 17th December.

From ‘no-one puts baby in the corner’ ladies dancing to Kentucky Fried Chicken drummers drumming, it’s fair to say there were some interesting interpretations of the song characters. As a result, we thrashed our target and raised an impressive £1,833 for Marie Curie.

A special mention goes to Jenny Ricketts, who was the deserving winner of the best costume prize with her creative Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Dove amalgamation!

Thank you to everyone who supported us – for anyone who hasn’t donated and would like to, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/12daysofchristmas

Three new companies have appointed Cognition since the beginning of December. We are delighted to confirm that Collard Trolart, Rednal and Via Michelin have all selected us as their agency.

Collard Trolart is one of France’s most successful and innovative heating companies. At the end of November, we were invited to their factory on the outskirts of Paris to see some of Europe’s leading experts in steam heating at work developing and patenting environmentally friendly technologies.

The company played an instrumental role in the development of the Paris district heating system, so their equipment is used to heat landmarks such as the Louvre. Since our visit, we have updated the Collard Trolart brand to better reflect its unique heritage and its commitment to ‘green’ heating, and we’re putting the finishing touches to a new website which will go live this month.

A wholly owned subsidiary of the Michelin group, Via Michelin designs, develops and markets digital products for road users such as travel guides, route planners, hotel booking facilities and tourism information. We’re delighted to be working with such a well-known brand and, having already completed some tactical activity, look forward to getting stuck into some meaty projects in the coming months.

Supplying both European wider world markets, Rednal is a leading manufacturer of pressure vessels and hydraulic rams. On a trip to their factory in Oswestry, Shropshire, a team from Cognition was given a guided tour of their operations at the beginning of a project to refresh the look and feel of their website.

The digital team have since had some fantastic feedback from Rednal management, who are thrilled with the results so far.
These recent wins underline our ongoing success with a variety of high-quality businesses. We welcome our new clients on-board and look forward to helping them make 2011 their best year yet.
 

Cognition’s digital department has created a series of online interactive quizzes for the Smallpeice Trust, an independent educational charity that runs hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) activities and courses for pupils in years 6-12.

Developed as part of the website’s ‘Fun Activities’ section, the quizzes test users’ knowledge of key topics against the clock. The participants must answer 20 questions as quickly as possible to be in with a chance of getting their scores on the website’s leader board.
The quizzes include a ‘Robot Build’ game, which allows the participant to create their own virtual robot as they collect robot parts for each question answered correctly.

Sophie Eadon, Digital Account Manager for Cognition comments: “Smallpeice’s new quizzes are an interactive and lively way to get children and teens more engaged with what are often the less popular school subjects. It is proving to be a fun and proactive platform to get further exposure for the Smallpeice brand.”

Why not try the quizzes out for yourself here?

Maris Interiors, the UK's leading workplace interior design specialist, has selected Cognition to manage a new direct marketing campaign. 

After a competitive four-way pitch, Maris chose Cognition based on our impressive portfolio of creative work – which struck exactly the right chord in terms of messaging and design for a company that prides itself on its sleek and modern image.

Having completed over 9,000 projects to date and with a 93% repeat business rate, Maris boasts an impressive network of industry-leading trade partners. 

The company has designed office interiors for high profile organisations such as Channel Five, Millward Brown and Comic Relief.

Cognition has announced growth across departments with seven new appointments in the last two months alone! This latest recruitment drive comes as a result of Cognition’s rapidly expanding portfolio of clients. We are excited about the wealth of experience the new recruits bring to the team, with their particular expertise in delivering return on online strategy and social media.
 
Significant hires include Adam, who joins the team as Commercial Director. With 19 years’ experience as a marketing practitioner, Adam will head up Cognition’s new business department. Prior to joining Cognition, Adam worked as Client Director at a number of known agencies, where he was responsible for major client wins including Aston Martin, Citroën, Barnardos and Greenpeace.

Jo joins Cognition as a Strategic PR Manager. With experience heading accounts at agencies across the UK, she has conducted activity for major organisations such as BP and The Royal British Legion, the UK Timber Frame Association and Willmott Dixon Construction.

New Client Manager Jennifer joins the marketing team after five promotions in seven years at the NHS, where she oversaw marketing for a national funding scheme. She has gained vast experience in an editorial capacity for an NHS publication and singlehandedly set up her own operations group to encourage accountability in NHS schemes.

Cognition’s digital department welcomes Caroline Murphy as Strategic Digital Manager. Caroline has extensive website management experience, having overseen design for Polygrip and Lucozade. In prior roles she has managed large accounts such as Land Rover, CITV/Granda, Random House and Wesleyan.

Other hires include Rachel as Client Executive in the marketing team, Tom as Designer in the creative department, Jacques Ward as Developer in digital and Hannah as a new PR Executive.

Read more on the expansion in Midland Business News - http://tinyurl.com/2wagwqt

SELEX Communications Yacht Technologies is celebrating another successful Monaco Yacht Show following Cognition’s strategic handling of the company’s presence at the show.

This is the superyacht industry's leading European event and a crucial showcase for SELEX.

SELEX Communications Yacht Technologies, one of the world's leading providers of navigation, communication, security and entertainment solutions for superyachts, wanted to use the event to launch two new initiatives; an enhanced global security offering for superyachts and its Integrated Antenna Solutions (IAS) technology.
 


From managing and designing the SELEX Communications Yacht Technologies stand to organising a programme of on-stand journalist briefings, the Cognition team ensured that every element of the show was used to SELEX’s commercial advantage.

Cognition also generated pre-show interest across the industry through a series of Europe-wide speaking platforms and editorial features, including a key piece in the Financial Times.

Allison Bradley, Associate Client Director commented: “After launching the new SELEX brand at the show last year, the main objective for this year was to maintain momentum in raising Yacht Technologies' profile while gaining a significant sales pipeline. The show proved really successful; our new initiatives were well received and we were delighted to see evidence of how much brand awareness has grown in just 12 months."


 

 

 

Following a comprehensive brand audit, one of the leading insurance brokers for the removals and self storage industry, Reason Global, has engaged Cognition to handle its marketing, PR and digital requirements.

The thorough audit process saw members of the Cognition team meeting and interviewing key stakeholders, reviewing brand identity and appraising the company’s on and offline presence. Findings were then presented to the board, alongside a series of recommendations and strategic advice to meet the company’s market objectives.

Katie Worthing, Strategic Client Manager, comments: “We found that Reason Global was generally on the right track with its marketing activity, however the company’s USPs weren’t being communicated in the most effective way – and that’s where we come in. We have more than a decade of experience delivering campaigns for businesses like Reason Global, and we know our strategic advice and creative input will make a huge difference to the company.”

Following engagement, Cognition has created a bold new brand that is due to be rolled out across a new suite of collateral and website, handled by Cognition Digital. The digital team is also enhancing the company’s PPC and SEO strategy and Cognition PR is deploying ongoing PR support as part of the integrated campaign.

Cognition has been engaged by Solihull firm Convergence Group to launch its new superfast internet service Bullet, to West Midland’s SMEs.

Hailed as the UK’s fastest and most advanced internet connection, Bullet uses BT’s new Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) technology, which gives small businesses access to a superfast internet speeds previously only afforded by large corporates.

Cognition was tasked with the creation and launch of the new brand in the shortest time possible, as Cognition Client Manager Katie Worthing explains: “We know that many of Bullet’s competitors are launching into the same market in the next few months and that it was vital we establish the brand as quickly as possible. We usually work to longer time scales, but on this occasion we had to deliver in double-quick time, and we did. From start to finish, an integrated marketing, PR and digital campaign was devised and implemented within eight days!”

The campaign included the creation of a new brand identity; copy, design and build of new microsite bulletinternet.com; design and implementation of e-shot, direct mail and outdoor advertising campaigns and PR activity which included the creation of “Bullet Man” - who attracted a lot of attention in Birmingham!

The results are impressive. Just one week after the launch and Convergence Group have already sent out 14 quotes, which equate to a three figure revenue and a very happy client!