Hello and welcome to the inaugural issue of our online newsletter. It’s a chance for us to tell you what we’ve been up to at MC&C, to show off a bit, and generally invite you into our world for a few moments.

In this issue there’s the usual business of making money for our clients, with a look at forthcoming campaigns as well as a look back over some rather lovely recent ones. We’ll be giving you a chance to meet some of the people here at MC&C, and even helping you get on the guest list at a West End club night. And if that’s not invitation enough to read on, I don’t know what is.

So please, put the kettle on, sit back and have a read. And if you’d like to know more about MC&C, drop us a line or give us a call soon.

Mike Colling  

On September 1st, in partnership with ReynoldsBusbyLee, we launched a longform DRTV campaign for the brand, and the results have been something well worth toasting. Longform isn’t something you would normally associate with an upmarket player such as Laithwaites, but the level of response has been, if you’ll excuse the pun, extremely full-bodied.  

ELC, a client of MC&C for the last three years, asked us to deliver the first work to celebrate this momentous marriage. A promotion was designed to support the introduction of ELC concessions within Mothercare stores. Ten stores took part in the first test wave, a radio campaign that went out across 15 different regional stations.

Tim Patten, group direct and E-commerce director at ELC described the promotion as “really significant” for the brand. “It supports our key strategy of expanding the retail catchment areas of ELC,” he said, before adding, “We’re looking forward to seeing the impact of the campaign as we draw the two brands together.”

A snapshot of the campaign’s success was found in the newly combined store in Speke. Staff there reported, in a very scientific evaluation, that “loads” of people had turned up for a nose around. Naturally we’ll be carrying out a more robust assessment very soon.  

Putting on our dancing shoes
Whilst client results are the most important measure of our work we would be lying if we said we didn’t enjoy the approbation of our peers. So we were really chuffed to be told we have no less than three finalists from MC&C at this year’s Direct Marketing Awards.

Together with our friends at Watson Phillips Norman, we’ve been nominated in the Broadcast category and the Brand Building category for our Which? ‘Uplift Autumn Campaign’. And as if that wasn’t enough, our other friends at Whitewater join us as nominees for our RSPCA work in the Fundraising category.

So it’s generous back patting all round, and copious finger crossing before dancing the night away in early December.  

November’s biggest story for MC&C comes in the form of our new client, The Children’s Society.

Working closely with the good folk at Claydon Heeley, we’ve been planning the largest campaign in the charity’s history. The idea behind it is to celebrate all the best things about Christmas, and show that spending time together doesn't have to revolve around expensive gifts.

Called ‘batteries not included’, it includes a collection of Christmas tips and advice from parents, children and celebrities to help make Christmas "magical". In another break from previous activity the work will focus on a free Christmas-themed book for donors, rather than just making a traditional ask.

We’ll be running the campaign across press, TV, direct mail and online, so look out for it in the run up to the festive season.

November also sees the launch of a new campaign from Sector Skills for Business, which is designed to raise awareness for the National Skills Academies. We’ve devised a heavy off-the-page press campaign encompassing a broad range of titles. National press will form the core of the activity, but we’ve got some interesting strategies for business-to-business titles too.

We invest heavily in our teams' development, and hopefully more employers will join us after this campaign.

Finishing our round-up for this issue, developing world aid agency, Care International, is about to embark on the first DRTV activity in its history, with an ad created by Watson Phillips Norman.

Care International helps children living on the edge of survival, and this campaign highlights the problems that make such children so vulnerable, asking viewers to give £2 a month to help towards the provision of food, medical aid and shelter.

The music was specially composed for this ad, and the Scottish brogue of actor Bill Paterson takes on the voiceover.

Look out for this moving creative execution on digital channels including ITV3, More 4, UKTV Drama and TCM in early November.  

Together we’ve carried out one of the first large-scale pieces of research into the subject, and the results have helped Channel 4 ensures its on-demand service remains ahead of the competition in this intriguing and constantly evolving area.

On October 17th the good people of Whitehaven began a long farewell to analogue TV, as a two-stage process began. BBC2 was the first to leave the analogue TV tent for a Scott-like walk into oblivion. The other analogue channels are set to follow in a month’s time.

The process should be completed nationally by 2012, all of which is good news for our clients. The prospects for DRTV look ever more rosy, as the growth in the number of homes receiving more than 5 channels accelerates again. For more on digital switchover or any TV subject ask Nicky@mcand.co.uk

Bid4Spots is a revolutionary method of buying radio airtime. It’s effectively a reverse online auction, with stations slugging it out for advertisers’ budgets. The station offering the lowest CPM wins the day, and the advertisers get cheap rates without resorting to unsavoury haggling.

Now we always negotiate great radio rates for our clients, but this will mean we can push them even lower. Up to 75% lower in fact. If you want to know more about this new source of very good value airtime ask John@mcand.co.uk

Ads and the BBC have traditionally been portrayed as like orange juice and toothpaste. But the BBC’s worldwide arm has always been a canny commercial operation, and a controversial new deal looks set to get the teeth of commercial broadcasters tingling in a strange and unsettling way.

The BBC and BBC Worldwide have thrashed out an agreement to allow advertising on the BBC International web site. In theory, UK browsers will be unable to see this advertising, but as location-blocking software is not 100% efficient, expect cries of foul play from the commercial sector before too long. More details of this and many other new online opportunities from James@mcand.co.uk  

It’s a hugely exciting role, and we’re proud of the grounding we have given her in the media world here at MC&C. So, while we know we’ll miss her, we all wish her the best of luck.

Helen emerged into the bright lights of the real world this June with a degree in psychology from Durham University. We’re delighted that she’ll be making her first forays into the world of media here at MC&C. She’ll be getting her first taste of action working in our Data team, so please say hello if your paths cross.