During a time of notable political and economic uncertainty, it is easy to forget the positive opportunities that can come from an economic downturn. Using the latest research, Fourninety have produced a white paper which explores how economic chaos has the capacity to lead to stronger client-agency relationships which hold the key to maximising growth within the retail sector.

With a thirty year history of working closely with our clients to understand their retail strategies, we are very proud of our culture of sharing information and insights. As such we believe we are strongly positioned to initiate this debate.

You can download the white paper here.

We would love to hear your opinions on the white paper and its relevance to your business. Please email your feedback to whitepaper@fourninety.com

Edit: The white paper has been picked up by Creative Match.  Read all about it here

It’s been a busy few weeks in Media Square land: we’ve been celebrating collaborations, acquisitions and anniversaries!

The Design Council have this week unveiled a new website, successfully showcasing the excellent redevelopment work that has been undertaken by Fourninety’s Mediasquare sister agencies Lloyd Northover and twentysix.

Euginie Biddle, head of marketing at the Design Council, worked closely with full service digital agency twentysix and branding consultancy Lloyd Northover to deliver a website with a richer user experience. She comments:  “twentysix and Lloyd Northover demonstrated the understanding and creativity needed to make our website better.”

Meanwhile in Media Square world, twentysix are also celebrating after learning that leading department store House of Fraser have appointed the agency to optimise the department store’s ecommerce channel.

Sister agency CMW are also in the mood for celebration after reaching their fifteenth anniversary this month, and are being kept busy with the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign which features none other than Miss Kylie Minogue, amongst a plethora of other famous faces.

Elsewhere, research agency Illuminas have been settling into some brand spanking new offices in Shanghai, whilst POP solutions agency Arken have been showcasing a new display solution which has the capacity to offer some great savings for their customers. You can investigate the Purelite LED light boxes here.

Finally, we’re welcoming a new sister agency to the group! CST is a top 50 Advertising Agency with a strong creative and planning heritage  reputation. Their clients include NS&I, COI, Subaru, Crusha, Douwe Egberts and Enjoy England. CST have just moved in to their new offices in St Katherines Dock, London, where they  are co-located with another sister agency, The Gate. Welcome to the family CST!

We blogged a while ago about the catwalk production facilities that we’ve recently installed at our Milton Keynes studio. We’ve just uploaded some example videos of the digital catwalk experience onto our newly-designed photography website and we’re sure you’ll agree that they look great!

The videos can be found here.

We’d love to know what you think about the digital catwalk and how it can push brands further. Drop us an email at contact@fourninety.com

Fourninety team members Iona Yarrow and Rebecca Edwards are busy this month training and raising sponsorship for the Shine Night Marathon which is taking place overnight in Manchester on Saturday the 17th of April. The walk will see Iona and Rebecca set off on a half marathon trek across the heart of the city, taking in Old Trafford football ground, Manchester University, the Beetham Tower and Granada TV studios on the way.

Rebecca is walking to raise money for bowel cancer research, the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK. Click here to sponsor Rebecca.

Iona is counting the 13 miles as part of her 365 miles in 365 days endurance challenge, raising money for Macmillan Cancer Care and Dexter’s Wish. Click here for Iona’s blog and sponsorship page.

This week saw Operations Controller Richard Jackson give David Dickinson a run for his money at Fourninety’s charity auction of surplus photography props. All Richard needed was a dash of fake tan as he took over the mantle of chief auctioneer in aid of the Haiti Earthquake Appeal!

Fourninety team members bagged some real bargains as crockery, kitchen and bathroom accessories, rugs, kids toys and electrical items went under the hammer for a brilliant cause.

The auction has so far raised an impressive £557.25 for the appeal, which will hopefully go some way in helping to provide clean water, shelter, sanitation and medical care to those affected by the devastating earthquake.

Fourninety are sending congratulatory vibes to two of our Media Square sister agencies this week. Cadbury have appointed communications agency CMW to develop and execute the Trebor digital strategy across its portfolio of gums and mints. This new appointment is a sign of CMW’s burgeoning relationship with Cadbury, having launched a new digital playground for Whispa at the end of Janurary. Janine Blakeway, Trebor Brand Manager, said:

“We are thrilled to be working with CMW on our Mint People digital campaign taking Trebor to the next level.”

Well done CMW!

Meanwhile, design consultancy Holmes and Marchant have launched the packaging and identity for Monster Puffs, a new cereal bar from Honey Monster Foods. John Price, Marketing Manager at Honey Monster Food said:

“Honey Monster is an iconic and well-loved character…Holmes and Marchant’s work is fun and mischievous and will really appeal to Mums, Kids and Kids at heart.”

Senior Account Manager Claire Holden spends her days at Fourninety project managing the Argos jewellery range, but in the evenings she transforms into a home-cooking domestic goddess who would make Nigella jealous with her culinary talents!

After chatting about what she cooks for tea (or dinner as they say dawwwwn sauff) on a daily basis with her team members here at 490, Claire’s started a blog which is regularly updated with her favourite family recipes and photos to match. It’s a really lovely read and full of great ideas for freshly-cooked and easy meals. One tip though: don’t read it when you’re at work and hungry- the food looks so good that you might be tempted to eat your chair leg!

Check out Claire’s blog here.

As sustainability commitments form an increasing importance in retail strategy, packaging agencies have entered the dawn of greater influence. Using the latest research, Fourninety have produced a white paper which explores the importance of creating sustainable packaging solutions for the consumer, manufacturer and retailer alike. It also discusses how meeting consumer demand depends on deeply integrated client-agency relationships.

As a retail communications agency with a proven track record of working closely with our clients to understand their retail strategies, we pride ourselves on our ability to explore new innovations and solutions. As such, we believe that we are strongly positioned to initiate this debate.

Your opinions on the white paper and its relevance to your business would be most welcome. Please email your feedback to whitepaper@fourninety.com

Click here to download the white paper.

We were proud to see our hard work paying off this month when the new Argos Spring/Summer 2010 catalogue hit the shelves.

Fourninety have worked in close partnership with Argos’ parent company, the Home Retail Group, for over 12 years. We generate over 3,800 pages for Argos through catalogue and flyer design every year, as well as being their main photography supplier.

The Spring/Summer catalogue sees Argos unveil the first phase of an exciting new re-brand which aims to develop a more consistent brand identity across various channels.  However, the catalogue continues to focus on value with over 2,000 lower prices included within its pages.

Fourninety have recently been working in close partnership with technology specialists Your Surface on the launch of Multi-Touch technology to the UK retail market. The interactive system, which can be built bespoke to a retailer’s requirements, enables customers to simultaneously touch and interact with hundreds of points on a single surface. It provides access to a range of features including the ability to share multi-media content with family and friends. The innovative technology also has the capacity to bring website, videos, images and e-commerce systems in-store, providing retailers with real-time behaviour analytics and creating a multi-channel environment.

As a retail communications agency with a thirty year history of multi-channel marketing, Fourninety believes that the system marks the next generation of innovation surrounding customer in-store interaction. John Lawrence, Business Development Director at Fourninety says:

‘the possibilities of multi-touch are endless. It provides a completely new retail channel which has the ability to push brands further whilst continuing to offer users a familiar catalogue browsing experience. Multi-touch empowers retailers to maximise the value and scope of their in-store content. It’s a truly exciting piece of innovation and has the capability to make a huge impact in the retail market.’

Fourninety and Your Surface will officially be launching Multi-touch technology at the Event Production show at London’s Olympia on the 3rd-4th February 2010.

Your Surface will also be at the Amadeus stand at the Business Travel and Meetings Show at Earls Court on the 9th-10th February and exhibiting to the European market at the ISE trade show, Netherlands on the 2nd-4th Feburary.

Click here to learn more about Multi-touch.

Creativematch have recently published this story. Click here to read more.