Ad of the week - Jack Daniel's
Think whiskey, think Jack Daniel’s. The Tennessee sour mash brand has become as recognisable a sight in... Read post
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Blogs - Business stories
Stratton Craig is 25 years old… and so am I
A full 25 years ago (or should that be one score and five?), it was 1987 - the year that the first Street Fighter game was released, The Simpsons made their debut on the Tracy Ullman Show, and Queen Elizabeth II formally opened the DLR. It’s also the year that Stratton Craig was founded, and the year that I was brought into the world and given an unusual name.
Posted By: Kady Potter @ September 21 2012
British Land awarded gold for sustainability reporting
UK property development and investment company British Land has won gold in the Sustainability Awards 2012 of the European Public Real Estate Association (EPRA), it has been announced. The company, which is based in London and is listed on the London Stock Exchange, was awarded gold in ...
Posted By: Stratton Craig @ September 17 2012
DBA Design Effectiveness Awards
Last week we enjoyed an evening celebrating some of the UK’s most effective designs from the past year.
Posted By: Nina Whitaker @ February 24 2012
The Storyteller – August 2011
Rupert Murdoch’s media empire took a damaging blow last month, as the oligarch’s son and News International chairman closed The News of the World in the wake of the phone-hacking scandals. But how did competing newspapers, both with the knowledge of writing to influence, tackle the same story?
Posted By: Nick Driver @ August 5 2011
Consumer Confidence Crisis
The level of trust consumers have in multinational corporations has taken quite a bashing over recent years. Burston-Marsteller’s first European Trust & Purpose survey confirms and highlights just that.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ July 29 2011
A whole new domain
The news last month that Icann has approved a proposal to create new website domain suffixes really does put a new spin on the internet as we know it. Almost any word in any language could be used as a domain ending, but anyone wishing to create one will need to pay quite a hefty price (£114,000 to be precise). In...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ July 22 2011
Spelling mistakes could cost millions
In today’s society, the internet has become an inherent part of life for most people, and more importantly it’s become a hub for businesses. But there is evidence suggesting that poor spelling could cost the UK’s online businesses millions of pounds in lost revenue. In fact ‘a single spelling mistake can...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ July 15 2011
What we can all learn from Helen
As Tom Maddocks so rightly pointed out in one of his recent ‘Lessons from The Apprentice’ blogs, a huge part of the challenge of The Apprentice, and business in general, is good communication. Whether during a teteatete with Sir Alan Sugar, in a sales pitch or in a piece of sales or marketing literature -...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ July 1 2011
Tips for a website overhaul – part 2
Let your experience speak for itself As writers, we know the importance of keeping copy concise. You’ll get more response from a wellworded paragraph or two than a jampacked bulky page describing a project. Give your audience all they need to know, not just every detail you want...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ June 24 2011
Tips for a website overhaul – part 1
We’re currently in the process of refreshing our website. We’ll be adding more about our portfolio, much more about our team and plenty of food for thought too. For anyone else about to undertake a similar project here are just a few tips and ideas: Start from the very beginning... It’s a very good...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ June 17 2011
SmithsRatings 2011 – in the news
SmithsRatings provides a comprehensive analysis of FTSE annual reports - you can find out all about it here. It was great to see a number of our recent clients popping up in the SmithsRatings ‘Best in Class’ lists. In particular, Inchcape and African Barrick Gold received glowing praise: Inchcape: Online...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ June 10 2011
Gullible adj: Easily persuaded to believe something
Harold Camping’s recent failed prediction of Armageddon highlighted a very well known fact: the majority of people (apparently Americans in particular) will believe the majority of things they read. Humans are naturally gullible. There’s a whole load of psychological reasoning behind that statement and it...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ June 3 2011
Our pick of the top tips for community management
One quick Google search on community management and you’ll soon be bombarded with tips, dos and don’ts, rules and advice on how to manage your digital community successfully. And it’s no wonder since more and more companies are creating specific community manager roles to oversee their social media sites....
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ May 6 2011
So what is Community Management anyway?
Community management can be the key to reaching a wide range of clients successfully, but what does it actually entail? Originally, community management was the monitoring of resources of a particular community; so for example, managing the amount of fish that a community farms, or the amount of land allowed...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 15 2011
Beware the Churn
A new website aims to highlight the trend for rechurning text and press releases in articles. Enter this blog post on Churnalism.com and hopefully it won’t tell you we’ve ‘churned’ some of the content from somewhere else. But this appears to be the temperament of the media today with so many blogs, websites,...
Posted By: Cyan Turan @ March 11 2011
Social Power
Protests and revolutions are nothing new, but the recent troubles in North Africa and the Middle East have swept across nations at a frightening pace that’s never been seen before. This worldwide phenomenon is helping protestors contact each other and organise...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 4 2011
The ASA is watching you!
Most people are aware of the Advertising Standards Authority’s remit of comprehensive consumer protection when it comes to factors like false advertising and misselling. Until now, this has covered TV ads, billboards, newspapers etc, but as of March 1st, their responsibility is extended to monitor companies’...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ February 25 2011
Have you ever been misunderstood?
Dear... Have you ever been misunderstood? As anyone who’s been in love knows, we don’t always say what we really mean to say, or hear what we want to hear. Instead, we cause confusion, disbelief, even hilarity, but we don't win hearts. Those crucial words are never heard and that special person...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ February 18 2011
The Story of Saint Valentine's Day
It’s the second most widely celebrated day of the year after Christmas, but the story behind Saint Valentine’s Day certainly isn’t as renowned as the Nativity. The 14th February is a mysterious celebration, first declared as such in 496 by Pope Galasius. It is believed it was marked in memory of a martyred...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ February 11 2011
KISS this Valentine's Day
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun Coral is far more red than her lips’ red, If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun, If hairs be wires, black wires grow upon her head. ...Not a conventional attempt at expressing love through words, but a renowned one nonetheless. And perhaps a tad more...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ February 4 2011
Repetitive Redundancies
Our attention was recently drawn to this article: , which, while making us laugh, also reminded us of something we see and hear all the time. Repetitive redundancies do exactly what they say on the tin; use two words that inherently imply the same thing. For example, have you received a free gift recently?...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ January 18 2011
Newsflash
Stratton Craig was recently included in this blog post by the Ministry of Insights. Based on a number of quantitative measures we were placed fourth in the top blogs by agencies from Bristol. A real honour, that has really spurred us on and proves that regular posts really are appreciated by audiences. We...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ January 14 2011
Out with the old, in with the new
Let us start by wishing you all a very Happy New Year. We hope you enjoyed the Christmas break and have started 2011 feeling refreshed. This year is sure to bring many new brands, advertising campaigns and social networking trends to the fore, which gives businesses all the more reason to ensure their...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ January 7 2011
Christmas in words – part 3
It wouldn't be Christmas without some (amusingly) awful cracker jokes... What's brown and sweet and glides around an ice rink? Bourneville and Dean What's a specimen? An Italian astronaut Why should husbands make the early morning tea for their wives? Because the Bible says He Brews What...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ December 21 2010
Christmas in words – part 2
Christmas means children elevated to such levels of excitement that you can almost touch it. Their joy spirals and dances like the ribbon flicked and spun by a somersaulting rhythmic gymnast. It’s infectious too. Which is a good thing as it softens the cruelty of a 5am start following the Midnight Mass and...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ December 15 2010
Christmas in words – part 1
In our next few posts, we will be putting the spirit of Christmas into words with a round up of our favourite things about the festive season... The frazzle of the family the sizzle of the goose, loading children up on chocolate and letting them run loose; the diplomacy of receiving and the searching...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ December 14 2010
Brands, it’s what your audience hears that matters
Bridging the gap between your communications intentions and your audience's reactions It can be frustrating when someone misinterprets what you are saying. Repeating the same thing again (and perhaps again) only for them to still not understand... but next time this happens to you, spare a thought for...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ December 10 2010
"Words are finished" – we certainly think not!
Language lovers - cast your eyes over this article from BBC magazine. Below are our thoughts as to why we feel Kellaway’s article is somewhat misguided! “Words are finished” - three words that particularly stood out... words are certainly not dead, in fact, when have they ever been more alive?! Everywhere...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ November 30 2010
Public Sector communications – every little helps
At the Mind Your Language! event last month, Michael Wolff spoke briefly about the word ‘patients’ and the tendency for hospital staff to refer to people by the name of their condition, and to their colleagues simply by their job title. What has happened to the art of using names? And where is the rationale...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ November 22 2010
Employers go back to basics with battle against poor grammar
The three Rs; a wellknown and muchloved epithet for what many recruiters regard as essential when seeking the right candidate. But it seems that reading, writing and arithmetic skills are not too far off the likes of gold dust when it comes to filtering through the masses of fresh resources bursting out of...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ November 12 2010
That is, like, so totally inappropriate
British actress Emma Thompson kicked out at slang used by school pupils last month. She suggested that use of street talk gives an impression of stupidity, and that words such as ‘innit’ and ‘like’ should be avoided at all costs. To some extent we agree, but it’s important to remember that appropriacy...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ November 5 2010
Communicators – are you still lying awake at night?
Last year, PR Week reported on what was keeping comms directors awake at night. They reported that 65% of directors thought ‘integrating communications across the business’ was one of their key challenges, with ‘communicating with diverse stakeholders’ a close second at 57%. A year on, we hope that things...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ October 29 2010
#TOV – Mind your language! Wednesday 20th October
On Wednesday, along with our Further friends, we managed to gather top communicators from the likes of Virgin, Barclays and Macmillan Cancer Support together in one room to discuss brand language. Led by James Beveridge (Further), Stephen Fitzmaurice (Clifford Chance), Michael Wolff (founding partner...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ October 22 2010
Stamping out Apostrophe Misuse: A guide to understanding the most abused punctuation mark in the English language.
The notorious greengrocers' apostrophe has become something of a national nuisance. An ‘easy mistake to make’ it is not but still, the apostrophe requires rescuing before it becomes lost in the graveyard of alltoocommonly misused and misspelled words, phrases and punctuation marks, lying alongside the...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ October 15 2010
Mind your language!
A discussion on the importance of tone of voice and the emergence of brand language Wednesday 20 October - 8:15am Wallacespace, 2 Dryden Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 9NA What do Innocent, Google and Apple all have in common? Apart from amazing products and standout brand, they speak a language that...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ October 14 2010
Celebrating English Language Day
On 13th October 1362 the Chancellor of England opened parliament with a speech in English for the first time, and in the same sitting members were permitted to debate in English. For these reasons, today has been marked English Language Day by The English Project. Each year The English...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ October 13 2010
What does the decrease in popularity of French at GCSE level mean for the standard of international communication in Britain?
With the recent news that GCSE French has dropped out of the top ten choices for secondary school pupils, it would appear that communications with our francophone neighbours aren’t set to improve in forthcoming generations. Taking a more longterm perspective, the number of students studying GCSE French...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ October 8 2010
Cyan Turan – Work Placement
Having just finished my first year at university, I embarked on a week of work experience with Stratton Craig. During my week here, I have learnt an enormous amount. From the everyday (using the franking machine) to the exciting (creating the front cover word cloud for PSMG magazine), each experience has...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ October 1 2010
Ad Wars
What message does competitionfocused advertising send out to consumers? If you were a passenger on the London underground in the latter months of 2009, you may have noticed a fairly immodest advertising campaign by high street electricals retailer, Dixons. One ad boldly encourages shoppers to ‘Step into...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ September 28 2010
How personable is your business?
“The world is changing and we are increasingly seeing the lines blur between personal and business communications.” Andy Elliott, Marketing Director, Mitel With Mitel’s recent study revealing that 82% of small to medium businesses use social media to connect with consumers and clients, Andy Elliott makes...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ September 17 2010
Courageous communication at Capital Law
For the past year we’ve been working with Cardiffbased solicitors, Capital Law, and we love working with these guys. Not only is the firm packed full of great people, but it also really recognises the value of fantastic communication. Far removed from the dreary, longwinded and stuffy comms that are stereotypical...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ September 10 2010
An era of communications convenience – Annual Reports
With Annual Report season approaching, many companies will be starting the process of planning content for one of the most important communications pieces of the year. And we think this year there’s a good chance that they’ll be pulling out all the stops. A good Annual Report contains information that’s...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ September 3 2010
To tweet or not to tweet? That is the question!
Everyone’s talking about social media. The likes of Facebook and Twitter have invaded our lives so completely and within such a short amount of time that they seem to have taken people by surprise. Businesses are no exception to this. For some time after the rise of social media, the emerging potential...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ August 27 2010
NHS reform – the implications for pharmaceutical communications
Since the announcement of the NHS reform plans last month there has been much talk of the consequences and implications that will be felt from the departure of the NHS we know today. One discussion that particularly caught our attention was that which approached the challenges and opportunities that the...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ August 20 2010
A new era for financial services
“The new bank is exciting and hopefully won’t be confusing and filled with rules that are designed to take your money as opposed to helping you save it.” BBC interview extract There’s been much talk in the news lately about Metro Bank - the first high street bank to launch in the UK for over 100 years. Metro...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ August 13 2010
Eight reasons why we love words...
We are all surrounded by words and language, but at Stratton Craig, like many communications teams, we are quite literally drowning in them. They are our currency and we absolutely love them - here are eight reasons why: 1. Because of words like ‘delicious’, ‘cornucopia’ and ‘erudite’ that we simply just...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ August 6 2010
The Irrefutable Glory of Tone of Voice
Much like when we speak, in written communications it is not only the words we use that are important, how we use them also makes a big difference. More and more organisations are paying attention to the role language plays in their brand communications. For example, we recently worked with top design...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ July 30 2010
The English Project
Approximately 100,000 school leavers (16%) leave school every year unable to read, write and spell adequately for the demands of daily life 20% of adults fail to attain the literacy level expected of an 11 year old We’re sure you’ll agree that figures like these are surprising,...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ July 23 2010
The language of the oil spill
David Taylor, a member of our writing team, recently helped us put together an analysis of BP's 'oil spill language' using word clouds of two press releases surrounding the problem. It's just been published in this month's Communicate Magazine here it is again! However cackhanded...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ July 19 2010
Internal communications – the essentials
Whilst the economy is in the midst of what everyone hopes is a recovery from the recession, with this comes inevitable change for us all. Some firms have ridden the wave and now need to ensure they are safeguarded against reemerging competitors whilst others have been severely hit, with redundancies, loss...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ July 16 2010
Keeping up with language
It seems you can’t read the news anymore without realising that language is changing at an accelerated rate thanks to the ease with which people can visit other countries, chat on their mobile phones and, of course, use the internet. Certainly the rate of change seems much faster than it was, for example,...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ July 9 2010
5 Things learnt.
After finishing university, I thought my learning days were behind me. But now, after spending two weeks at Stratton Craig on a work placement, I’ve realised that nothing could be further from the truth. The following is a list of the top 5 most valuable things that I've learnt while working at Stratton...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ July 2 2010
Defining your house style
“Language is as much a part of how you present yourself - and how other people react to you - as the way you dress”. Caroline Taggart and J.A. Wines Ever since the earliest known grammar systems were established in Iron Age India, language and grammar have continued to evolve as foreign influences and...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ June 25 2010
Retail Distribution Review
Since the launch of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) in June 2006, IFAs and firms have been getting to grips with the changing legislation. The purpose of the RDR is to improve clarity with which firms describe their services to consumers and increase the professional standards of financial advisers....
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ June 14 2010
Marketing in the legal sector
Every law firm needs marketing. Gone are the days when solicitors could promote their firms by lunching with clients or personal friends in the business world, important though these channels may be. But when excellence and expertise are expected as the norm, how can a prospective client select a firm when...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ June 4 2010
Eye of the Cobra
Everyone likes a good story. Whether it’s funny, sad, gives hope or leaves you feeling seriously depressed, a story captures an audience and helps them to empathise with the teller. In the same way, the story of a business has a hugely significant role in defining its brand values and capturing an audience. A...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ May 21 2010
Are lawyers greedier than they were 20 years ago?
An interesting question, posed recently by the Editor of LegalWeek.com, and one which we felt was important to engage with, seeing as professional services are a core market for our team at Stratton Craig. You can read the full article here, (http://ow.ly/1L7dG) and it makes for interesting reading on...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ May 14 2010
Have you considered utilising a content strategist?
The first question to consider is probably what a content strategist is - and you would be asking with good reason. In essence, a content strategist provides a number of essential services for your business. Services which you may well have already had delivered in the past, but in a different name or...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ May 10 2010
The Storyteller – May 2010
We’ve been struck recently by the sheer number of companies who are now using stories or, to use the jargon, ‘brand narratives’ as part of their communications. The academic theory of ‘plot’, ‘character’, ‘point of view’ and ‘meaning-making’ has spilled over into the real world and everyone’s at it, from Bupa to...
Posted By: Harriette Hobbs @ May 5 2010
The Copywriter – April 2010
The Budget a word cloud analysis With the general election in full swing, we thought it only right to give a nod to the politicians in April's edition of The Copywriter. This year’s budget is likely to be Alistair Darling’s swan song, the final flourish in a series of three which the No. 11 speechwriters...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 30 2010
Top 10 tips for triumphant Tweeting
It’s not easy getting an accurate flavour of you, your brand, your services, your passions, your ethics and your ideal connections across in 140 characters - even seasoned copywriters can find this a challenge on Twitter. There are so many considerations to bear in mind, making Twitter both a joy and a...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 23 2010
Word of the week
FACETIOUS ...This is one of only two words in the English language that features all five vowels in alphabetical order, get in touch if you know the other one! Why not tell us your word of the week? Just click on ‘Comments’ below.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 20 2010
Legal sector acknowledging the blogosphere – good news for our clients
We noted with interest the announcement via www.legalweek.com recently that the blogosphere has changed the state of play for the legal sector regarding defamation cases in the press. It appears that the growing amount of comments being posted online are altering the interpretation and delivery of defamation...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 16 2010
Word of the week
ERUDITE ...Because that is what we're all about. Why not tell us your word of the week? Just click on ‘Comments’ below.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 15 2010
Medical sector gets savvy with social media
Really encouraging to see the dedicated medical online networking and social media site www.newmediamedicine.com increasing its membership across the UK. The social media medical platform claims to have 60,000 members and more than 700,000 messages posted on the site discussion boards. We particularly...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 9 2010
Word of the week
SERENDIPITY ...We have to agree with the rest of the UK who voted this as their favourite word (http://ow.ly/1vsbV). It's a firm favourite here in the Stratton Craig office too. Why not tell us your word of the week? Just click on ‘Comments’ below.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 7 2010
Ways social media can change how you market to your customers
The proliferation of social networks represents both an opportunity and a threat to many marketers. The problem is summed up best with the phrase: ‘We know our customers are there, but how do we engage them?’ Here are some lowcost, highimpact ways in which you can engage customers using social media: Communitybuilding Social...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 1 2010
Word of the week
FLIBBERTIGIBBET ...This is one of the most unusual words we've heard lately! It means a silly, flighty or excessively talkative person. Why not tell us your word of the week? Just click on ‘Comments’ below.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 31 2010
Presenting information is key to success in healthcare governance, states HC2D
We’re really pleased to see that the online healthcare site www.hc2d.co.uk recently held an event highlighting the importance of appropriately presenting information on matters of governance. The event, which was held on 24 March in London - (http://ow.ly/1pquQ) aimed to highlight the way the healthcare...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 26 2010
Word of the week
ANTHEM ...Stick your head out of the window during the dawn chorus and we think you'll understand why we associate this word with Spring. Why not tell us your word of the week? Just click on ‘Comments’ below.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 24 2010
Financial confidence returning, according to industry sources
We think that this report from FT.com (http://ow.ly/1obAf) will bring comfort and confidence to some in the UK financial sector as 2010 continues. Members of the Stoxx Europe 600 index of companies have recorded a 0.9 per cent rise in sales in the fourth quarter compared with the same period a year earlier,...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 19 2010
Word of the week
CRAIC ...We can't help but say this in an Irish accent! And what word could be more appropriate on St Patrick's Day? Why not tell us your word of the week? Just click on ‘Comments’ below.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 17 2010
The Copywriter – March 2010
Firm Friends A year after an uncertain time for employees, how are the Big Four firms now attracting new blood? This time last year, Ernst & Young revealed that around 1% of its workforce were on notice of redundancy following job cuts at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Deloitte. At KPMG, 85%...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 12 2010
Word of the week
ONOMATOPOEIA ...Quite simply, we like this word because it doesn't sound anything like what it means! Why not tell us your word of the week? Just click on ‘Comments’ below.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 10 2010
Word of the week
COSY ...This has got to be one of the warmest words we know. It's not particularly fancy and it's anything but unusual but we love it all the same for the smile it never fails to bring to our faces! Why not tell us your word of the week? Just click on ‘Comments’ below.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 3 2010
Your audience is migrating online – are you there yet?
In the face of increasing migration online by readerships, audiences and advertisers, it appears that only the foolhardiest of regional businesses would ignore this ongoing and irreversible trend. It stands to reason that as more and more switch to online sources for news, information, products and services,...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ February 26 2010
Word of the week
LUSH ...We love words that have multiple meanings, and it's even better when those meanings merge into one another. Both adjective and noun luxurious, rich, sexy and a drunk we like 'lush' because it's decadent in every way. Why not tell us your word of the week? Just click on ‘Comments’...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ February 24 2010
Back to basics with blogging
Blogging has become synonymous with online communication in the modern marketing mix, but for many marketing managers, setting up a blog can still seem to be a risky, unprofitable decision. The main reasons to set up and run a blog include: Thought leadership: an effective blog can, over time, give a...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ February 19 2010
Word of the week
GLUM ...There's an as yet unnamed genre of words it's moving towards onomatopoeia, but when it gets halfway, it turns left and heads off. It contains words that make you look like what they are. It's always great to find words that do unusual things, and with its human interaction we think...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ February 17 2010
The ten commandments of social media
Whether you’re a creative type, a business owner or an experienced regional marketer, the proliferation of social media recently can confuse, bemuse and excite in equal measure. It’s no longer enough to send out monthly newsletters or email campaigns to talk to potential customers - now we’re supposed...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ February 12 2010
Word of the week
JUGGLE ...We just love the comic sound of this word, and if you think about what our language sounds like to nonEnglish speakers this word must sound pretty strange! Why not tell us your word of the week? Just click on 'Comments' below.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ February 10 2010
The best secret clients
You know that the best clients are often the ones you can't talk about. That's equally true for us at Stratton Craig. But we can't help but let slip a bit of news about recent wins for two longterm projects with a pair of truly global companies a leading worldwide law firm and a top international...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ June 10 2009
HR for BP
We recently won a pitch with SAS Design to write the graduate profiles for BP's recruitment campaign. Having worked on campaigns for big organisations such as BT, KPMG and Savills, we were perfectly placed to deliver on the brief. We assigned one of our writers, a former national journalist, to interview,...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ June 10 2009
Corporate Stories: The Beetle and the American
Every business has its own story. Over the next six weeks, we'll be looking at some of the inspirational, lucky and humorous stories of the world's best known brands. First up: Volkswagen. Before 1959, Volkswagen had had a chequered history, tainted by associations with Hitler, and not exactly...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ May 20 2009
LawNet chooses Stratton Craig to manage comms
LawNet is choosing to maintain its customer communications when others are scaling it down, and continuing to use Stratton Craig for all their editorial responsibilities. Stratton Craig has worked with LawNet, the UK’s leading network of independent legal practices, for over 10 years. This longterm relationship...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ May 6 2009
Stratton Craig ranked among the South West’s best creative companies
Stratton Craig has made it into the South West's Top 100 Creative Companies league table. The league table, published in May, is the first annual roundup of all the leading TV, digital, marketing, design, PR, publishing and animation companies across the region. Companies are judged on a number of...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ May 6 2009
Watch your language
How do you turn a good brand into a worldclass asset? Language is absolutely central to how people - both customers and staff - experience a brand. Not everyone has the budget to outsource all the writing for their brand, so Stratton Craig has launched a new service to help clients harness the real value...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 20 2009
Stratton Craig and the corporate beanstalk
Once upon a time there was a very big company... When you hear the term ‘storytelling’, you may conjure up thoughts of The Wizard of Oz or Narnia. But storytelling isn’t restricted to fiction, and is an essential part of corporate communications. The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) has...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 20 2009
Choose carefully – short movie
We’ve made a movie to show how powerful wellchosen words can be, and why some are better than others - as demonstrated by some of the world’s greatest speakers. You can watch the short movie on our website now.
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 3 2009
Making connections – WiredMedia
We recently met online agency Wired Media for a chat, and they immediately asked us to help write copy for their new website. After an interview with the MD, we developed a direct, assured and professional tone of voice that reflected the company’s values and personality, but without losing any of the technical...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 3 2009
Recruiting the best for Reed HR
Stratton Craig has won a project to reposition an important brochure for Reed HR. Reed is the UK’s leading specialist recruitment and HR services provider. It wanted to rewrite an existing recruitment services brochure in order to reposition it for companies seeking higherend candidates in salary brackets...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ April 3 2009
The power of copywriting
Talking is one thing. Talking with power, persuasion, confidence and consistency is another. At a time when consumers and businesses alike are confused as to who to trust, it’s imperative that your business and brand stand out from the crowd. It’s no longer enough to just put a few words down on paper...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 18 2009
Nivea for Men looks to Stratton Craig for inspiration
Stratton Craig has helped crack a creative conundrum with packaging copy for Nivea for Men gift packs. Design Activity has developed artwork for a range of Nivea for Men gift packs, with a consistent design theme across all products, using witty front of pack copy that ties in with a Nivea ad campaign. But...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 18 2009
Stratton Craig helps Welsh Assembly Government
International Business Wales (IBW) has again chosen Stratton Craig to assist with its communications to the growing Sustainable Technologies sector. IBW asked Stratton Craig to write copy for its second enewsletter, which contains news and updates on developments in industry and policy to stakeholders across...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 18 2009
Life without limits – Dorset Orthopaedic goes live
We have been working alongside Dorset Orthopaedic over the past few months in a complete overhaul of their business communications. Their new website has gone live, www.dorsetortho.com, along with a wide variety of collateral promoting the “Life without limits” message. Stratton Craig has also been working...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 10 2009
KPMG chooses Stratton Craig to help recruit the best in Brazil
Stratton Craig has been working with KPMG on the latest in a series of global recruitment campaigns, this time focusing on how a stint in Brazil could benefit their careers and personal development. To many people, Brazil may be all about the beach, Carnaval and Samba - but it’s also an economy that has...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 10 2009
KPMG chooses Stratton Craig to help recruit the best in Brazil
Stratton Craig has worked on many projects with KPMG, and the latest is a recruitment website for the Brazilian firm of the multinational accounting brand. Despite global economic turbulence, Brazil’s economy is in good shape with excellent prospects for the future, and projects such as transitioning all...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ March 6 2009
Stratton Craig gets a refreshed look and revitalised services
Stratton Craig, the original copywriting agency, has undergone a rebrand to refresh its identity - and is publishing a new website as a launchpad for its extensive writing and management services. The new website, which carries the new Stratton Craig strapline ‘It’s all in the detail’, features intuitively...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ February 4 2009
European links
Stratton Craig has been making new inroads to business in Europe recently, with a bit of help from the everlevelling exchange rate. We’ve recently won a pitch to write the annual report for a large Russian foods producer. This exciting project for a new client will require one of our lucky writers to spend...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ January 19 2009
Recession? No thanks
We’re in a recession. What are you going to do? Keep talking, that’s what. It would be easy for brand managers to persuade themselves that they need to cut investment in marketing and communications. But a better idea is to make it pay. Here’s why. 1. Why waste your investment so far? Communications campaigns...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ January 19 2009
21 Years On
A lot of things have happened since 1987. The Berlin wall came down, Hubble was launched, the Euro was introduced and Hong Kong was returned to China. But more importantly, Stratton Craig has helped its clients ride out two recessions - and we’re doing exactly the same 21 years on. Marketing and communication...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ December 15 2008
Practice what you preach
They say you should practice what you preach, which is why Stratton Craig is currently undergoing a complete rebrand. In order to communicate ourselves more effectively and reflect the changing nature of the business, Stratton Craig is undergoing a complete business overhaul from website to business cards. So...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ December 15 2008
BA Holidays checks in with Stratton Craig
Stratton Craig, the original copywriting agency, has won a pitch to write BA Holidays’ mammoth new website. Stratton Craig was invited to pitch against three other writing agencies to write web copy for 1200 hotels, and won the project after submitting sample copy by a highly experienced travel writer,...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ November 2 2008
European hotel giant books Stratton Craig to write trends newsletters
Accor is the European leader in hotels and produces three newsletters every year that explore trends in the hotel industry and the wider world. Accor asked Stratton Craig to pitch for the contract to write these newsletters, which are based on research collated by a Parisbased team. Stratton Craig submitted...
Posted By: Nina Whittaker @ October 23 2008
Our Writing Services:
Copywriting
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Digital Copy
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Tone of Voice
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Annual Reports
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Copywriter Training
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Translation
Copywriting
From ad campaigns and press releases to brochures, websites and speeches.
Digital Copy
Our written communications specialists will help you develop a long-term digital strategy.
Tone of Voice
Defining your verbal identity will take you back to basics with your brand.
Annual Reports
Management and writing of annual reports from start to finish.
Copywriter Training
We will work with you to create communications training that’s entirely appropriate for your needs.
Translation
We support international companies with award-winning translation services.