Creative • Performance • Strategy • Comms
We are CreativeRace, the experts in strategy, performance and creativity for brands in a hyper-connected world.
We find the sweet spot where Brand and Performance meet, producing meaningful work that creates results and impact for our clients. Our 40 plus years of experience and unrivalled full service capability, means we can provide integrated solutions that deliver predictable outcomes time after time.
When you've been in the business of marketing since 1978, and supported clients of every size, and from every sector, you gain a profound understanding of what they really value. That’s why we’re able to measure many of our client partnerships in decades rather than years.
Some of our clients include ASDA, Greggs, icelolly.com and VIP SKI.
Our core services include:
- Strategy
- Paid Social
- PPC
- SEO
- PR
- Digital PR
- Social
- Influencer
- Creative
- Content
Email newbusiness@creativerace.co.uk to speak to our team.
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Focus
Portfolio
Helping VIP SKI get back on piste
The impact of Covid-19 caused huge problems for luxury travel company VIP SKI. Not only did the company have to fly back stranded customers who were stuck out in ski resorts, it also had to refund as many bookings as it possibly could, before falling into administration. After being bought out of administration by the company MD, a relaunch was needed alongside a new proposition and service offering. VIP SKI disbanded as a luxury tour operator and was reborn as a luxury accommodation provider in France.
Our goals were to support the brand relaunch, whilst attracting the right type of customer and maximising performance. However, we were faced with the challenges of ongoing travel restrictions, uncertainty of seasonality throughout the pandemic, and a hyper-competitive market. It seemed like a steep mountain to climb, but one that we navigated impressively.
The marketing mix we chose to use was:
• Initial targeted SEO to correct the usability of and content within the site
• Targeted branded PPC to support the re-launch
• Targeted generic PPC to attract the right audience
Despite the challenges faced from a business and market point of view, and the on-going pandemic, we heavily contributed to the success of the new business proposition, when VIP SKI were at an all-time low, having had to start their business from scratch. Although results and stats are incomparable due to the change in service offering, our Digital Strategy contributed to 18% of the overall business revenue, in a 6-month period.
The response from VIP SKI has been overwhelmingly positive, and we look forward to continued success with the client as we're on course for a positive 22/23 season.
Strategy, Concept & Design for ASDA
Waste reduction is an issue that’s only getting more important. So, when ASDA planned the launch of their first sustainable trial store, they asked us to help develop its strategy, concept and design. Following the trial, these ideas would be rolled out across the country. We looked at opportunities to help customers make more sustainable choices, from reducing waste and plastic to recycling facilities and self-service refill stations. Of course, we had to find ways to encourage a change in behaviour too.
Habits are hard to break. Whilst most of us want to be more sustainable, it’s usually not seen as easy enough to change our ingrained habits. So, our real challenge here was human nature and our resistance to change.
A problem as huge as environmental destruction can make us feel helpless as individuals. Yet small actions all add up, especially when made collectively. Research showed that reducing waste was an issue people felt was an achievable change, so this became our focus.
We created a campaign platform: 'LET’S CUT OUT WASTE’. This was an invitation for everyone to take easy individual actions that would make a big difference against a common enemy.
To communicate our messages effectively, we then created a look and feel that stood apart from conventional sustainability approaches, and rolled it out across every customer touchpoint.
The campaign won the 'Best Retail Campaign' award at Prolific North's Marketing Awards 2021.
Design for Greggs Christmas Range
Although one of the nation’s most popular high street retailers, Greggs is not always seen as a go-to destination at Christmas time. We needed to help raise their festive profile to ensure the brand received the attention it deserved.
People have enough to think about at Christmas without adding another retailer to their repertoire. So much festive activity is crammed in from the 1st December or even earlier, we had to give shoppers a very good reason to put Greggs on their Christmas list.
Working closely alongside our colleagues in the Greggs’ marketing team, we evolved the distinctive blue theme that our designers had initially developed the previous year, and commissioned noted illustrator Jan Bielecki to produce stylised images of ‘real world’ cityscapes. Then, with bright, festive typography we brought to life the realities of Christmas in our product messaging, showcasing Greggs as an invaluable Yuletide solution.
Our campaign was fully integrated, encompassing point of sale, packaging and digital screens.
Branding & Market Positioning for icelolly.com
As a holiday comparison site, icelolly.com was fighting to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Due to an unclear brand proposition, customers were unsure why they should be using icelolly.com to find their next holiday.
Customers don’t just want, but expect, a smooth, simple online experience when it comes to using comparison sites.
Employees from all parts of the two organisations were invited to a two-day workshop. Here, we encouraged debate, generated ideas and ultimately developed a new brand that everyone felt a sense of ownership towards.
The online film for the refreshed brand quickly received 700K+ views on YouTube - it now has well over 1 million. This was such a fantastic response that the client immediately turned the film into a TV ad.
Reinventing Majestic Wine's Promotion Strategy
The UK’s largest specialist wine retailer, Majestic Wines, was starting to feel the effect of cheap imports, which were undermining its overseas wine tourism. So we reinvented their promotion strategy to re-engage with their target audience. Our eye-catching press campaigns, money-off incentives, and the publication of a new, free quarterly magazine which highlighted the benefits of Majestic’s offer all contributed to sales increasing 30% YOY with weekend promotions breaking the £300k barrier.
Integrated Marketing Campaign for Evans Cycles
With bikes being such a low-frequency purchase, Evans needed a campaign which brought to life their company brand promise. To do this, we reminded the cyclists of Britain about the enjoyment of choosing, buying and riding their ideal bike, using the strapline ‘a match made in Evans’. The campaign launched across in-store, online, email and specialist press, and resulted in higher than expected sales.
Bringing William Hill's Virtual Casino to Life
In the highly competitive world of online gambling, William Hill wanted to re-launch their live casino offering and make it stand out in a crowded marketplace.
As exciting and as popular as online gambling is, there is very little to differentiate individual brands.
Customers value the excitement, glamour and experience of an real casino.
By designing every element, from cards to croupier uniforms on a filmset in Latvia, we created an authenticity that customers embraced.
Reviews
the project
Digital Marketing & PR Services for Clothing Manufacturer
"I feel very supported, and I know my brand is in safe hands."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I’m Alex, MD and owner of personalised clothing manufacturer Banana Moon.
For what projects/services did your company hire CreativeRace, and what were your goals?
We initially signed up for SEO, PPC and Digital PR services, and further down the line added paid and organic social media activity. Our goals were to grow brand awareness and drive sales. We were also looking to be positioned as a sustainable choice for our customers.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
After a competitive pitch, we decided to go with CreativeRace as their integrated nature was a great fit to provide the services we required. We were also impressed with their response to our initial brief, which was considered and outlined a brilliant strategy. It was clear that the team were passionate about the potential partnership.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.
After kicking off with a discovery meeting, we began working with the SEO and PPC team, working to grow our search visibility and improve our web content. One other key action point was to understand our different audiences better. With the help of the social media and strategy teams, we dug deeper into these audiences and what matters to them. On the back of this, an organic social media strategy was implemented to help us join the conversations that matter to our audience. We later added paid social to support our social media activity.
How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
We’ve worked with a number of people – Performance Director, Head of Digital PR, Head of PPC and more. We’ve also got an assigned Account Manager.
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
Results have been very positive, and we’ve seen success across all services that we work together on. The anxiety hoodie campaign specifically was a perfect blend of something which fits our company values and harnessed our creativity and expertise. CreativeRace conceived this impactful project for our talented team of apprentices to make a truly unique industry product, and the end result is absolutely fantastic. The interest in this product line has been astounding, and it's been amazing to see how much reach the campaign has secured.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
I find the workflow very effective. CreativeRace are proactive and happy to come forward with suggestions. We have regular catch ups with the different teams, helping to keep everyone in the loop about performance.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
They’re always very friendly and enthusiastic. I feel very supported, and I know my brand is in safe hands. As mentioned, the integrated nature of the business means that we can work on different projects and services in a streamlined manner, making it quick to activate new campaigns and initiatives. The fact their performance team has an experienced creative studio behind it is a great bonus.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
Nothing springs to mind. Looking forward to further success!
the project
Brand Re-Launch for Luxury Ski Business
"The enthusiasm for the brand is clear, and we feel extremely well supported."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the Marketing Manager at VIP SKI. VIP SKI specialise in luxury ski holidays and operate over 50 luxury chalets, CLUB Chalets and luxury ski hotels in 5 ski resorts in the northern Alps.
For what projects/services did your company hire CreativeRace, and what were your goals?
We were re-launching the brand after company administration following the Covid Pandemic. We were looking for a Digital Agency to provide digital strategy, support the brand relaunch, whilst attracting the right type of customer and maximising performance. However, we were faced with the challenges of ongoing travel restrictions, uncertainty of seasonality throughout the pandemic, and a hyper-competitive market.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
After interviewing several agencies I chose CreativeRace based on their passion for the brand, industry knowledge and cost estimate.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.
We held discovery meetings online to share our brand history and to discuss short term and long-term business plans. They then conducted thorough audience research in order to form a marketing strategy to target the right customers and those with a high propensity to convert.
They introduced Digital Strategy and SEO, with the aim to reduce the site’s footprint to match the new and more focused proposition. The work carried out included setting up redirects, removing internal links, and generally ‘shrinking’ the website. Once these initial changes were implemented, they shifted focus to PPC, to start driving volume and bookings with the aim to further invest in SEO at a later date, post year one.
Together we later introduced a third-party tool, Ruler Analytics, which gave us a level of insight required to show the true value of PPC. Two months into the campaign their Digital Strategy team adapted the approach and strategy, taking a fluid approach to budget, and adding Paid Social into the mix to increase brand awareness and bolster the top of the funnel leads.
How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
We initially worked with the Sales Director, Performance Director, Strategy Director, Head of PPC, and Head of SEO. We were then assigned an Account Director, Account Manager and Social Media Manager
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
The introduction of Paid Social, alongside the other digital marketing channels and changes in the market, resulted in an uplift in users to site, bookings made, and revenue generated. Although results and stats are incomparable due to the change in service offering, the Digital Strategy contributed to 18% of the overall business revenue, in a six-month period. We're already seeing a positive impact on next season's targets, as 35% of the revenue generated since December is for the 22/23 season.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
We have weekly meetings to review campaign performance and identify opportunities. We communicate on Trello and Basecamp to ensure all team members are kept in the loop and all comms are logged. Whenever I have questions, they are responsive to my needs, and when we identified opportunities they are quick to implement.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
The enthusiasm for the brand is clear, and we feel extremely well supported. It just feels like my marketing team has grown by four members.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
I am absolutely confident that working together moving forward we will optimise the campaigns further for greater success, and explore other channels to test.