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This summer, CBS Outdoor in association with Campaign gave every advertiser, agency and creative in the UK a challenge: to create great bus advertising for a national or regional advertiser. Of course Family had to get involved.

Entering into the Big Bus Challenge’s Regional category, we created a bus rear and side for Crimestoppers’ campaign against knife crime – encouraging the general public to help put an end to knife crime in Glasgow by reporting knife carriers.

We felt a knife crime campaign would be particularly appropriate for this competition. After all, what better medium than bus advertising for this knife crime message? The bus weaves its way through the very streets and towns where knife crime is prevalent. Our target audience can act there and then, be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour.

The bus stop analogy in our creative treatment also allows for a ‘personalised’ message. This is not a blanket, distant and general message. It is happening in your area, on your streets where you live, shop, go to work. And we need to do something about it. Now.

Our efforts were clearly well received: out of over 650 entries to the competition, we successfully made it to the shortlist as a Regional Finalist.

If you’d like to have a look at the other short- and long-listed Big Bus Challenge 2011 entries, please click here

Early last month, to promote the release of 43 new apartments at The Foundry, Springside, Fountainbridge literally ‘came alive’ with a special new resident – Mr Springside.

An eye-catching character sporting a distinctive grass suit, Mr Springside was created as part of the ‘Fountainbridge Comes Alive’ campaign, which celebrates the next phase of the successful transformation of Fountainbridge into a vibrant new city-centre neighbourhood.

Central to this exciting regeneration is our client: Springside. When complete, the Springside development will provide 600 new homes and 140,000 sq ft of office space and shops – all set in an 8 acre landscape of parks and open spaces.

The latest stage of the development is The Foundry, which consists of 43 newly available one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Throughout the first week of The Foundry’s launch, Mr Springside turned heads across Edinburgh’s city centre as he strolled around in his sunglasses and strikingly unique tailored grass suit. In keeping with his professional character, he spent most time in the city’s bustling financial district – just a stone’s throw away from the Springside site. He used every opportunity to hand out his intriguing ‘business cards’, which not only invited people to view the Foundry showflat, but also included a QR code leading to a competition to win an iPad 2.

He proved very popular, with multiple passers by approaching him, talking to him, touching his suit, and taking his photo. He was a particular hit with the ladies, as the photo below demonstrates…

In addition to appearing out and about, Mr Springside also began tweeting from his very own Twitter account: @MrSpringside. Via his tweets, Mr Springside keeps his followers up to date on developments in Fountainbridge and at Springside, and lets them know just how great it is to be living at the newest and most stylish address in Edinburgh.

Although the Mr Springside ambient is now over, he lives on via his appearances in Springside’s press and online advertising, and his Twitter account. And who’s to say he won’t make another live appearance in future?

To find out more about The Foundry at Springside visit www.springside.co.uk, and don’t forget to follow @MrSpringside.

Couldn’t resist the title for this article. But we’re pleased to announce our campaign for Edinburgh Rugby is up and running and making an impact – quite literally.

Edinburgh Rugby, who play at Murrayfield Stadium, have allowed fans to stand pitchside while watching the games in an effort to get fans ‘closer to the action’ and create a better match day atmosphere.

And it was this that we based our the work on. The multi-channel campaign ‘GET IN THERE’ can now be seen throughout Edinburgh on posters, press, leaflets, website, SMS, virals, even stadium announcements.

If you happen to be reading this article before Friday 18th November and you’re in Edinburgh on the Friday night then GET IN THERE and catch Edinburgh Rugby v Racing Metro at 8pm. It’s well worth it.

There’s nothing we enjoy more than getting our clients the results they want – and deserve. Which is why we’re delighted to announce that Halfords, Britain’s leading car product retailer, will be including Bitrex in their own brand of winter car care products as of this year.

Bitrex, produced by our client Macfarlan Smith, is the world’s most bitter substance. Just a tiny amount added to everyday household or car care products will make them extremely unpalatable, thus helping prevent young children from accidentally swallowing the harmful chemicals they contain.

Here in the UK, our newly severe winters mean that the market for screen-wash and antifreeze products is growing substantially. Earlier this year, Bitrex identified an opportunity to ensure these products would be safe if they fell into the wrong hands. But there was a challenge: without a big budget, how could they get the attention of the large retailers’ key decision makers?

Cue Family.

We knew the target audience consisted of extremely busy individuals who are targeted by numerous pieces of communication every day. We knew they would only take time to consider something that engaged them and demonstrated a clear tangible benefit to the sales, profit margins or brand image of their organisation. The successful strategy to target these people would be one of personalised, one-to-one communication. And it had to be something more interesting than a traditional letter and corporate brochure. Continue Reading…

We’re delighted to introduce a new client of ours, St Andrews Voices. St Andrews Voices is a new vocal festival that will take place annually in October, beginning next year.

Located in the beautiful and world famous university town of St Andrews, the festival will play host to an eclectic range of top quality performers of a wide variety of musical genres – from Baroque to 1930s-style cabaret; opera to contemporary folk. With such an array of styles, presented in a mix of formal and more relaxed venues, the festival aims to attract audiences young and old, and seeks to encourage people to explore – and enjoy – types of vocal music they may not previously have considered.

As soon as we heard about the project we knew we wanted to get involved. Family will be working closely with the festival team to develop the St Andrews Voices brand identity and all of its communications, both offline and online.

At present there are no festivals in Scotland that celebrate the voice in the way St Andrews Voices proposes to, but the variety of successful vocal festivals across the rest of the UK and abroad show there is great potential for one to blossom in St Andrews.
Indeed, the market for music concerts and festivals has burgeoned during the past 5 years as people are seeking out the experience of live music. The high calibre of performers that St Andrews Voices already has on board for 2012, paired with the beauty of the historic town, add up to a compelling experiential offering: an exclusive programme of top class vocal music, set in a unique and stunning location.

We are so pleased to be part of such an exciting new festival, which we know has the potential to be truly world class.

If you would like to find out more about St Andrews Voices and be kept up to date with all the latest developments, please email standrewsvoices@gmail.com