Underscore have been chosen as the creative agency to work with The Body Shop to launch their premiere global franchise website.

This is a significant step forward for The Body Shop, as they look to develop their already successful franchise model and grow their ethical product range into new international markets.

With humble beginnings in Brighton by founder Dame Anita Roddick in 1976 and later purchased by L’Oreal for £652m; The Body Shop franchise website will form a significant role for this multi-million dollar pound business which generated a 9.1% increase in group operating profits to £66.6m in 2013.

The Underscore solution will showcase the unique ingredients that make up The Body Shop products and people in order to communicate a clear competitive difference in a competitive market.

With a brief to ensure that all potential franchise owners have a thorough understanding of the ethically sourced ingredients used within their products, Underscore have identified and developed a succinct application process for a potential applicant to express their interest, which will enable them to filter through only the most informed and invested applicants.

Neil Stanhope of Underscore stated, “We are delighted to be working with the Body Shop to create an online platform that can drive forward their global business objectives. They are a great brand to be working with at a really interesting time”.

This week a group of 15 students from the Texas Christian University’s Graphic Design Program joined Underscore on Tuesday to explore inner workings of a leading London brand agency.

Hosted by Laura, Head of Strategy and Sam, Head of Client Services addressed the different elements that made up a strategic approach to branding; analysis, discovery, synthesis, simplicity and clarity. They then got the inside scoop on two of underscore’s recent rebranding and repositioning projects: Ally Pally and BBK.

The key learning the girls took away was simple. Effective brand, digital and strategy is not about pretty pictures on a page, it’s about delivering results, thinking beneath the brand and adding some weight.

Underscore is delighted to again be the chosen agency selected by Cadogan Estate to bring their annual Chelsea in Bloom event to life.

Now in its ninth year, Chelsea in Bloom, in association with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, sees the streets of Chelsea awash with blossoms, buds and blooms from 19th – 24th May.

The annual competition heats up year-on-year as the area’s retailers compete for the coveted award with a display of breathtaking floral designs. This year’s Chelsea in Bloom theme is ‘Creation in Colour’, a journey through fashion, food and lifestyle, and the competition will showcase floral displays that reflect the participating retailers’ interpretation of the theme.

The area’s most acclaimed stores are attempting to outshine last year’s winner Rag & Bone, and this year’s floral art show promises to be the most exciting and competitive yet.

Underscore’s campaign concept of the ‘Creation in Colour Wheel’ is being used to promote the event as a powerful, dynamic and iconic symbol of ‘unity through diversity’, and marks the occasion of people coming together in celebration of all things nature and colour as the streets of Chelsea blossom.

Hello there, my name is Laura, head of brand strategy at underscore. Today I’m talking about tendering process and how to select the right creative agency for both you and your organisation.

I was sitting with a client the other day, having a chat about how we first started working together. Before they had settled on underscore, they had gone through a marathon tendering process with 8 other agencies – none of which “felt right”. He explained that the most difficult part of the entire process was knowing what to actually look for. Being an operations director in a very niche industry, he had never worked with a branding agency before. He had identified that the organisation had a brand problem, he knew exactly what to expect in terms of deliverables, he knew how to write a very clear brief, but when pitch day rolled around he did not have a criteria he could judge against.

Demand energy and enthusiasm

Tendering can be a bit like dating, particularly if you are looking for a long-term relationship with an agency. Ask yourself; do the people pitching speak the same language as you and would you enjoy working with them over an extended period of time? In addition, are they genuinely passionate about what they do? Engaged people will deliver better results.

Even more importantly, are they genuinely interested in what YOU do? Have they done the appropriate levels of due diligence and research? How much effort has gone into understanding your needs, requirements and current situation? Don’t be fooled by jazzy creative that lacks substance or relevance. First impressions do count. Trust your instinct.

Clarify roles and responsibilities upfront

Enquire as to who exactly will be looking after your account on the spot. The last thing you want is to buy into the enthusiastic business development duo and driven director, only to be passed on to a Junior PM with limited experience once you have signed up. Subsequently, don’t be afraid to ask questions along the way. If you’re not quite sure of the exact deliverables being promised, just ask.

Tick the box in terms of track record

One of the best ways to identify if an agency is able to deliver on their promises is by exploring their existing work to date. It’s important to select an organisation who has gone through this process before, whether by themselves or by engaging the support of external partnerships.

BUT! Be wary not to get too specific in your demands. For example, sometimes a lack of experience in your exact industry isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Creativity is about drawing on influences from here, there and everywhere and fresh eyes may bring fresh insights and a fresh approach. The last thing you want is to end up with the same strategy as your competition.

Ask for evidence

If an agency claims to be the most commercial, creative or cutting edge kid on the block, ask them to demonstrate how. The tendering process should feel similar to the recruitment process; both parties are looking to see if they are a good fit for each other.

But before you go there, you need to take a good look at your organisational culture and seek to define what will work best for you.

Do you want to be told what to do, or do you want to be educated? Do you want a partner-in-crime or do you want a provider? Is what you want really what you need? Likewise, think about your own motivations and how they align to those of your company.

You might have a strong appetite for repositioning, although your CEO may not, but the right agency should be able to deliver against a host of requirements and satisfy a range of stakeholders, no matter where they sit in your organisation.

London Gatwick Airport is undergoing the most significant transformation in its history.

A huge £130m redevelopment investment programme is underway for the North terminal that will include a stellar combination of‘first in class retail, leisure and customer offerings to elevate the Gatwick brand above their competition both locally and globally.

After a multi agency pitch, underscore is delighted to have been chosen to deliver the communications that will sell the brand vision to prospective retailers and restaurateurs and create a sense of excitement and anticipation about the customer experience that will follow.

Neil Stanhope of underscore stated “we are really excited by this project and are looking forward to working with London Gatwick Airport to bring together the best of the world’s flavours, textures, sights and sounds that will form the first highlight of the London Gatwick customer journey.”

Hello there, my name is Chris, mid-weight designer here at underscore. I’m passionate about all things design, especially illustration, brand and typography.

Over the past week the annual design festival, devoted to contemporary graphics & illustration called, “Pick Me Up” is running at Somerset house.

Now in its’ fifth year, the festival never fails to impress with a plethora of talent throughout.

This year they featured the work from the exceptional London based artist and illustrator, Edward Carvalho-Monghan. His brightly coloured and psychedelic prints not only creates vibrant images and comics, it also renders surreal, graphic elements with simple shape. His highly original style combines bright colours with uniform black outlines creating a natural flair for narrative-rich imagery.

The work of Thibaud Herem, a French illustrator based in London, heralds a contemporary approach to crosshatching, which is typically a traditional etching style. Herem’s love for illustrating architecture using pencil and Indian inks was clearly evident, as was his meticulous attention to detail.

However, my honourable mention goes to, “Hey Studio”. I’m inspired by their flat, geometric illustration & design approach, which makes me their biggest Instagram fan. For you social media junkies, a quick look at their daily updates of minimalist style “cultural heroes” will allow you to immediately recognise these pop culture references.

Hey Studio’s exhibition inclusion was bold and full of colour as expected, but it was the simplicity in the approach and construction that is of particular relevance to me. The clean and sharp prints resonate with my current approach to designing using a minimalist methodology.

The upstairs festival area consisted of open studios and workshops, where you could participate and collaborate with the designers & illustrators. There was even the chance to get involved in everything ranging from letterpress printing, subbuteo teams and protest signs.

Pick Me Up is finishing at the end of the bank holiday until next year, so if you can, take a trip down to Somerset House and enjoy what’s on offer!

With people buzzing left, right & centre; it’s an enviable creative vibe to be a part.

But if that’s not your tipple, then upstairs on to Tom’s Kitchen Terrace for whatever takes your fancy and admire the breathtaking views of the Thames Skyline.

Hello there, my name is Laura, head of brand strategy at underscore. Today I’m exploring trends in the world of supermarket retailing and how these impact on existing brands.

As the competition heats up with the introduction of left-of-field new players including savvy online retailers, aggressive international organisation and department stores with bold expansion dreams, the pressure is on for existing supermarket retailers to take a closer look at their brand strategy, brand positioning and associated offering.

But it’s not all bad news. IbisWorld (2014) are reporting that life is looking reasonably good for “supermarket land”, with 3.3% predicted growth estimated between 2014–2019. Consumer confidence is on the rise and the population is growing. This means more (but less-frugal) mouths to feed and more cash for the taking. It’s a race to see who is quick enough to capitalise on this.

Here is some food for thought to help you focus your thinking.

Online, off-line and everywhere in between

E-commerce is booming and customers are demanding more of it. It’s critical that your brand meets the expectations of your customer when it comes to your online channels. Great photography, a powerful tone of voice, a strong colour palette and a user-friendly website goes a very long way in communicating messages around quality, value and convenience.

If your operational model and supporting systems can’t stand up to the demands of a full-blown e-commerce offering, try and innovate through engaging social media and marcomms material and a cool creative app concept. Online is where smaller players can compete with big brand budgets.

Deliver the right message

In this media saturated market it’s critical to give your communications purpose. Put your customer at the center of your comms and ensure everything you say has a point; whether that be to inform, inspire, delight, reward or educate your market. It’s also important to consider existing trends when assessing your key message platform.

For example, “Going Green” continues to be hot– particularly in terms of operating models. From a brand perspective it’s essential to communicate your positioning and provide evidence to your claims i.e. a publishing a greenhouse gas report.

The obesity epidemic is also putting social and political pressure on food retailers. It’s important from a branding perspective to publicly identify with fresh food and healthy eating. Lock down a handful of strong key messages and spread them across all channels and consumer touchpoints.

Money will only get you so far

As margins on products are paper thin, competition can only be fought on price for so long. Product quality and service experience is key. Ensure you are communicating both and delivering on what you are promising.

Interestingly, if prices must rise, particularly when it comes to fresh produce, green grocers could make a come back. It’s critical to look at your local / regional brand positioning, as well as building supporting narratives around local sourcing of ingredients. Consumers value local goods and this is predicted to become increasing the case (businessinsider.com, huffingtonpost.com).

Appearance matters

Let’s face, our nature means we are drawn to good-looking things and this doesn’t stop at the supermarket deli. High quality presentation and layout is becoming increasingly important for retail companies.

More and more, we’re being drawn into brand-repositioning-meets-service-design projects here and overseas, to ensure that the brand promise we lock down in partnership with our retail clients truly matches the onsite brand experience encountered by the customer.

It’s all in the detail; how goods are packaged and displayed, where they sit and what they sit next to. Start with insight: Hire a handful of mystery shoppers and see how your goods stack up!

There is also lots of room to better engage with your customers in-store, outside of regular promotional activities. One of our recent campaign ideas for a big supermarket retailer was hosting a “meet and greet the man behind the meat” farmers market initiative in the supermarket carpark. Butcher Jo and Farmer Sam were a hit.

Your employees need creative investment too!

In a recent project with a leading UK company we identified that employees were so critical in the successful implementation of the new brand that we timed the launch perfectly to coincide with an internal training and development program on customer service. We funked things up with cool campaign imagery plastered all over the staffroom that brought the new values to life alongside creating marketing materials that ensured the team were knowledgeable and informed of product origins and ingredients.

The employees reported that this was one of the first times they had ever been treated as “important stakeholders”. Remember your front line staff are your brand advocates; the people delivering on your service promise. Happy employees = happy customers. A smile goes a long way in creating a good customer experience.