mcm creative group

Consistant creatvity is key to the Bfa…

robert — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:32:04 +0000

For the third year running mcm Creative Group is producing the two keynote awards events for the British Franchise Association (Bfa)

The Bfa/HSBC Franchisor and Franchisee of the Year Awards, supported by Express Newspapers, take place in June and September 2012 respectively and are seen as the leading accolades in the franchising industry in the UK.

mcm founder and creative director Neil Crespin said “We won the awards back in 2010

and as part of a long term plan we have worked with the Bfa and their sponsors to gently change the way the awards are delivered, with an aim of enhancing the experience for the attendees”

New graphic design imagery, video inserts and awards set were all designed and produced in house, and feedback from the Bfa, sponsors and delegates has been extremely positive.

The 2012 events are already well underway, and with a record number of entries the awards shows themselves promise to be bigger and better than ever.

“mcm are proud to be associated with these high profile awards events, and we are looking forward to another great year working alongside the Bfa to deliver the best shows possible” added Crespin.

Coca Cola Enterprises – The Oscas

robert — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:51:46 +0000

Snappily titled “The Oscas” to incorporate the guest’s sector and requirements (Operational Supply Chain Conference & Awards), we were awarded the task of organising this prestigious event for 180 European Managers for the second year in a row.

The challenge: to make it more engaging and impactful that 2011.

So how did we do this?

We incorporated audience engagement through a unique teambuilding ‘F1 Pitstop Challenge’ featuring the Lotus team and bespoke role play scenarios that encouraged delegate thoughts and ideas. Not to mention a stunning award ceremony and engaging external speaker, Humphrey Walters.

Needless to say there were no yawns in the room and delegates post event feedback is that it exceeded expectations on every level!

Boehringer COPD Expert Forum 2012

robert — Fri, 04 May 2012 11:06:10 +0000

One of the objectives of this event is to establish Boehringer Ingelheim at the forefront of COPD educational forums and encourage the medical strong audience to learn, recognise BI’s expertise in the audience and book for future events. This was achieved combining all the elements of content, design, production and planning.

mcm designed the creative for the collateral and set in keeping with the theme ‘seeing the wood for the trees’. We printed the invites, brochures, signage and set backdrop which had a strong impact as well as supplying all production elements. It was important for us to understand and work to the rigid sign off process within BI so everything could be produced in time as well as ensuring all artwork was printed with relevant industry required codes.

We liaised with all the external expert speakers on the lead up to and on site which resulted in an extremely efficient, slick 2 day presentation both in main plenary and break outs.

The client had to juggle several other projects on the lead up to this event and was delighted with the service mcm provided ‘they completely took the stress away from me… exactly what a client needs!’ and coupled with the highly positive feedback from the audience, this event was perceived as a resounding success by all.

John Lewis Strategy Roadshow 2012

robert — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:13:45 +0000

We were tasked to support John Lewis with cascading their new strategy to their partners. This involved delivering 33 events, all across the JL store network and distribution centres within a four week period and was pulled together within just one month!

Our solution was for a Board member and Branch manager to present within the store and we worked with John Lewis to develop a logistics plan.

We began this by working with them closely to develop the content in a format which could then be delivered consistently by the team presenting each session.

We liaised with every branch and distribution centre to understand the facilities available and ensure the three multi-skilled technical teams who spent February on the road were informed and equipped with flexible technical equipment to be used at each venue.

After completion everyone involed agreed that this had been an excellent execution enabling clear messaging to reach across all areas of the John Lewis.

We’re looking for a Telesales Executive (Part time-flexible hours)

robert — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:40:20 +0000

An excellent opportunity has arisen to join mcm creative group, a fast growing event and film agency in Hammersmith London.

In this role you will be selling our products and services, encompassing event creation and delivery, film and video production and Audio Visual solutions.

You will need previous sales experience and great communication skills. In return you will be offered a competitive basic salary, over performance bonus and comprehensive training

What we offer:

- Flexible working hours
- Competitive basic salary (£8-£15 per hour) depending on experience
- Performance related bonuses
- Comprehensive training
- Creative, professional and dynamic working environment

Job Responsibilities

Locate and qualify sales opportunities from a warm and cold database against company target demographics
Contact and introduce company features and benefits
Utilise wide range of company collateral to generate interest
Match prospect requirements and initiate face to face meeting for sales team to attend
Use and update contact activity tools and systems following company sales process
Achieve sales targets;
Achieve agreed KPI’s relating to activity
Deal with all aspects of a marketing campaign where appropriate;
Assist sales team with analysis of competitors, clients and industry sector

Knowledge and Experience required:

Previous telesales experience is essential
Must be comfortable working towards defined Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)
A good understanding of what it takes to maintain and develop the most productive client relationships
Experience of managing relationships for multiple clients
Must be able to quickly understand the client, their products and their industry
A history of working within the events sector would be preferable but not essential

Skills required:

Excellent communication skills
Ability to identify and convert new business opportunities
The ability to follow proven set processes
Excellent organisational and time management skills completing administrative work.
Strong listening and questioning skills
Ability to analyse results, identify and explain any variance from targets
Ability to create and maintain accurate / accessible and organised documentation
Ability to effectively manage customer & staff relationships, promptly respond to queries, ensure promises are kept and manage expectations
To be a team player whilst focusing on individual targets

Competencies required:

Strong motivation and a positive approach to researching and analysing new business opportunities
Ability to cope with conflicting demands and to prioritise tasks
Overcoming objections
A positive attitude to dealing with people
Ability to follow quality assurance and operational processes
A hands on approach to problem solving; identifying issues and using initiative and available resources to generate recommendations
An ability to identify a clients key business objectives
Be inventive and resilient

Please send your CV and covering letter to info@mcmcreativegroup.com

We’re looking for a Head of Creative Solutions

robert — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:59:17 +0000

Reporting to: Client Services Director

Main Objective: To define, develop and manage mcm’s creative output during the acquisition of new business and to develop creative output for existing business, working with both Business Development and Account Management across the business

Role breakdown in detail:

To lead and manage the pitch process working with the Business Development and Creative Teams; for both new and existing business; demonstrating professionalism, passion and partnership at all times
To take overall ownership for the output during the pitch process including RFI’s, RFP’s, Proposals & Presentations
To work with the Creative Director, the Client Services Director and the Senior Account Managers to ensure that the solutions provided are on brief, on budget, demonstrate quality and value to the client but maintain mcm’s target margins
That pitch outputs accurately and effectively showcase mcm’s creative, technical, video and communications solutions; and are in line with mcm’s and the client’s objectives, brand, culture and standards of delivery
To fully understand the range of mcm’s products, services and USP’s and how these can be applied creatively and profitably to create effective client solutions
To identifying opportunities to define, develop or improve mcm’s proposition and/or profitability allowing mcm to move forward against specified objectives over the next 3 years
To be thoroughly familiar with mcm’s development strategy for the next 3 years and identify opportunities and solutions to enhance and support this strategy
To adhere to all mcm project management and approvals processes and procedures and to provide regular updates and reports to the Client Services Director on a timely basis

Responsibilities

To select and collaborate with, and utilise the skills and experience of internal experts and external suppliers that are most capable and relevant to the client’s brief in order to create appropriate, inspiring, innovative and pitch winning mcm solutions
To support and direct each pitch team in effectively interrogating the client’s brief, ensuring that all relevant information is obtained and client objectives are fully understood prior to developing a creative solution
To manage the pitch team for each project, pitch process and schedule in order to meet deadlines and ensure that the creative and quality standards of mcm proposals are of the highest possible standards
To manage an mcm master schedule of pitches to ensure that the appropriate resource is available and secured, that deadlines are met and that delivery is timely and accurate
At all times to maintain a commercial perspective on the proposition being put forward to the client; ensuring that client receives best value, quality solutions and that each project meets the mcm profitability targets as agreed with the Leadership Team
To agree pitch budgets with the Client Services, Managing Director or Operations Director prior to commencing a pitch
To facilitate excellent and timely exchanges of communication across the pitch team, throughout the pitch process
To adhere to robust project management, financial and quality processes to support the pitch processes; ensuring that they meet all mcm financial, legal and client quality requirements
To ensure that all creative solutions are approved and signed off by the Chairman and/or the Creative Director
To ensure that all budgets relating to the project; creative, technical, video and/or communications elements are verified and accurate (sign off by Client Services Director, Managing Director or Operations Director), and to monitor and protect mcm’s profitability at all stages of proposal development
To be fully conversant with Procim, mcm’s financial and project management tool; and to utilise this tool to create comprehensive and accurate budgets relating to each pitch
To organise and participate in post-pitch downloads and client feedback meetings; to identify learns and amend mcm’s activity, resource approach or processes moving forward in order to improve mcm’s proposition
To liaise, collaborate and negotiate with external suppliers in order to:
- Keep in touch with everything that is new, exciting and relevant in the event industry
- To identify like minded, creative, service focused suppliers who are committed to excellence and working in partnership with mcm
- Push boundaries to develop the most creative solutions, in order that we stand out from our competitors
- Ensure we negotiate the best possible added value and terms with commitments to delivery and quality (SLA’s etc)
To maintain the integrity and consistency of the mcm brand in every aspect of presentation including creativity, brand style and tone, to produce high quality, engaging propositions that accurately reflect mcm’s commercial proposition & solutions
To work with and support Business Development, the Client Services Director and Senior Account Managers to create sales presentations, showreels and case studies to support the business development and pitch process
To attend presentations and pitches where required
To meet weekly with the Client Services Director and provide accurate and timely reports and to discuss briefs, outline solutions, profit opportunities and feedback from pitches
To ensure that the adheres to and maintains client confidentiality and Non Disclosure agreements as directed by and agreed with the client in relation to the pitch in hand

Reporting

To provide accurate and timely reports on:

Conversion rates
Monies spent on pitches – by month/annually
Challenges and issues with pitch process
Client feedback
New ideas or technical solutions

Please send your CV to info@mcmcreativegroup.com

We’re looking for a Video Production Director

robert — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:57:54 +0000

Reporting to: Client Services Director

Main Purpose of Role: To define, develop and direct mcm’s video projects for both new and existing business, working with the Video Creative Director, Video Producers, Business Development and Account Management teams across the business

Role breakdown in detail:

To take the directive lead on allocated video briefs that come into mcm, via the New Business Team or through Senior Account Managers from existing clients.
To be responsible for the development of concepts, content and storyboards to communicate mcm’s video solutions to prospective and existing clients
To work closely with mcm’s video producers to define and develop concepts enabling them to produce accurate budgets
Where appropriate to pitch video concepts to clients to accurately and effectively showcase mcm’s creative video expertise ensuring they are in line with mcm’s and the client’s objectives, brand, culture and standards of delivery
To collaborate with the video project team in the development of the video project
Ensuring that all internal mcm approvals processes are undertaken and that full support is given to Video Producers so that client approvals and sign off’s are secured for key milestones within the project
To direct both the production and the edit of the video project
To fully understand the range of mcm’s products, services and USP’s and how these can be applied creatively and profitably to create effective client solutions
To demonstrate professionalism, passion and partnership at all times
Identifying opportunities to define, develop or improve mcm’s video proposition

Responsibilities

To work with and refer to mcm’s video Creative Director throughout the video concept development process to ensure that all solutions are appropriate and relevant to the client’s brief
To work with the Creative Director, the Client Services Director and the Senior Account Managers to ensure that the solutions provided are on brief, on budget, demonstrate quality and value to the client but maintain mcm’s target margins
Specific responsibilities will involve but would not be limited to:
- script development/editing
- scene selection
- shot composition
- developing vision
- direct rehearsals
- auditioning and selecting cast
- costumes, sets, lighting, sound, camera, design and special effects
- To collaborate with mcm’s video producers, to accurately define the project parameters allowing producers to identify necessary resource and suppliers, cost requirements and develop delivery schedules
- To adhere to all mcm project management and approvals processes and procedures and to provide regular updates and reports to the Client Services Director on a regular and timely basis
- To work as part of a wider project team on larger pitches or projects, liaising and communicating with the Creative Director to ensure that the video element of the project is both relevant, appropriate to the client’s objectives and within the detailed budget
- To select and collaborate with, and utilise the skills and experience of internal experts and external suppliers that are most capable and relevant to the client’s brief in order to create appropriate, inspiring, innovative and pitch winning mcm solutions
- At all times to maintain a commercial perspective on the proposition being put forward to the client; ensuring that client receives best value, quality solutions and that each project meets the mcm profitability targets as agreed with the Leadership Team
- To be fully conversant with Procim, mcm’s financial and project management tool; and to utilise this tool to support video Producers in the creation of comprehensive and accurate budgets
- To organise and participate in post-pitch downloads and client feedback meetings; to identify learns and amend mcm’s activity, resource approach or processes moving forward in order to improve mcm’s proposition
- To maintain the integrity and consistency of the mcm brand in every aspect of presentation including creativity, brand style and tone, to produce high quality, engaging propositions that accurately reflect mcm’s commercial proposition & solutions
- To work with and support Business Development, the Client Services Director and Senior Account Managers to create sales presentations, showreels and case studies to support the business development and pitch process
- To attend presentations and pitches where required

Please send your CV or show reel to info@mcmcreativegroup.com

Our M&S…

robert — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:42:48 +0000

As part of of our ongoing relationship with M&S, we produced a communication programme to be used across the UK and Ireland over the course of a year (and beyond) with the following objectives;

Accessible – easily understood, friendly, approachable, not corporate

Contextual – clearly and fully demonstrates the circumstances and reasons

Engaging – informative, comprehensive and aims to improve interactivity

Innovative – fresh with more creative story telling

Credible – believable, relevant, real people, real examples

We delivered a series of engaging and innovative TV and radio programmes which would showcase operational advice, newness and best practice leaving staff focused and motivated for the upcoming quarter.

The audience consists of all store managers across the UK and Ireland with each TV or radio piece running for a maximum of 20 minutes keeping staff off the shop floor to a minimum.

We were involved from concept through to completion, providing content design/development, all video production including script writing, studio liaison, props, crew etc. We have also provided the client with a dedicated Senior Account Manager to oversee all contractual arrangements, production process as well as ensuring a smooth delivery and budget management.

Full team ahead at MCM

robert — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:06:55 +0000

We are delighted to welcome another new face to the team here at mcm Creative Group, as Debra Nightingale joins us in the newly created role of Client Services Director.

Debra is an experienced event professional, and has previously held senior roles with some of the industry’s biggest names, including most recently as a board director at Zibrant.

Debra’s expertise in the events sector is extremely well respected and she is joining us at an exciting time. We’re all looking forward to working with Debra to further enhance our services to our existing clients as well as assisting us with new business opportunities.

Over to you Debra…

“I am thrilled to be part of the mcm team. The agency has a great reputation as a very creative agency with a fabulous client portfolio. I am really excited about this new challenge and the team has made me feel very welcome. Moving forward we will continue to build strong relationships with our clients; accelerating our account management expertise, focusing on customer service and ensuring that clients receive the best creative solutions whilst maximising their budgets. “

Teambuilding (by any other name!)

robert — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:39:43 +0000

You may have seen a series of recent adverts for Vodafone that show groups of employees taking part in ludicrous ‘team building activities’. This was supported by research which implied, that more than half of the people they asked didn’t feel that the team build they had taken part in would ever help them work better with their colleagues.

We do some teambuilding activity – if that is even the right name for it – and I agree with Vodafone’s premise – there are some ridiculous activities on the market. Even the term Teambuilding has, over the years become a meaningless catch-all for any activity that more than three people do together in the aim of creating corporate harmony!

Real value is only garnered from this sort of activity when there is a very clear objective set by the clients, which should be aligned to their own internal values and needs. Here-by hangs the problem. Many clients don’t actually know what they want to achieve from this section of their event, and almost feel obliged to fill the time with anything!

This is where our role comes in, as event experts we should be able to challenge clients and work back from their objectives to design a bespoke activity that answers all of the needs of their brief, rather than take something off the shelf and paint it a different colour!

So in terms of how we approach things…Match the objective with the activity, have a clear desired outcome, facilitate it exceptionally well, make the client think its unique for them, use a different name rather than team build and have some fun as well. Achieve all those and chances are people will respond appropriately and the activity will deliver a great result.