PSP Rare

Come and have a go if you think you’re creative enough

Emma — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:41:28 +0000

As a hunter-gatherer of all things arty, I try to visit as many art events as my schedule and budget will allow. Tent London, Pullens Yard and Ceramic Art being must-attends imho.

The creations I see, and aspire to own, are jaw-droppingly beautiful. I know exactly where they’d go, how I’d hang them, and how much pleasure they’d bring to my daily life. But some of the prices are jaw-dropping too. Out of my range, as it were.

And as I wander round, dreaming of the day I’ll own that Art Deco house, with its ample hanging space, I get thinking. The artists know what it took to create that one individual piece. They remember those long nights, crossing their fingers by the kiln. They have earned the right to put a price on their creativity.

In the world of creative agencies, things can be somewhat different. Our clients have allocated a budget, set KPI’s and objectives have been agreed. We work with fantastic brands, who value our work highly and who are impressed with the ROI we achieve. Difference is, there’s a framework. A finite budget. A fixed deadline. But what if we could take these boundaries away? What then could be achieved?

We’re looking for creative people to work on a blank canvas with us. View our work at www.psprare.co.uk. Come to us with your ideas, as outré as you like. Let’s see how a fresh eye views our products, unfettered by a schedule or diktats from Apple.

Email grahame.lake@psprare.co.uk with examples of your print and online portfolio, plus your CV. This opportunity starts on an intern basis, but could lead to a permanent role.

Come and have a go if you think you’re creative enough…we look forward to creating some beautiful work together!

Come and have a go if you’re creative enough…..

Grahame — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:50:17 +0000

As a hunter-gatherer of all things arty, I try to visit as many art events as my schedule and budget will allow. Tent London, Pullens Yard and Ceramic Art being must-attends imho.
The creations I see, and aspire to own, are jaw-droppingly beautiful. I know exactly where they’d go, how I’d hang them, and how much pleasure they’d bring to my daily life. But some of the prices are jaw-dropping too. Out of my range, as it were.
And as I wander round, dreaming of the day I’ll own that Art Deco house, with its ample hanging space, I get thinking. The artists know what it took to create that one individual piece. They remember those long nights, crossing their fingers by the kiln. They have earned the right to put a price on their creativity.
In the world of creative agencies, things can be somewhat different. Our clients have allocated a budget, set KPI’s and objectives have been agreed. We work with fantastic brands, who value our work highly and who are impressed with the ROI we achieve. Difference is, there’s a framework. A finite budget. A fixed deadline. But what if we could take these boundaries away? What then could be achieved?
We’re looking for creative people to work on a blank canvas with us. View our work at www.psprare.co.uk. Come to us with your ideas, as outré as you like. Let’s see how a fresh eye views our products, unfettered by a schedule or diktats from Apple.
Email grahame.lake@psprare.co.uk with examples of your print and online portfolio, plus your CV. This opportunity starts on an intern basis, but could lead to a permanent role.
Come and have a go if you think you’re creative enough…we look forward to creating some beautiful work together!

Great Scott! PSP Rare produces commemorative magazine

Grahame — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:27:08 +0000

PSP Rare produces commemorative programme to mark the centenary of Captain Scott’s last diary entry

Leading contract publishing agency PSP Rare has strengthened its commemorative publications portfolio with the production of the official commemorative programme to mark the 100th anniversary of Captain Scott and his team’s ill fated expedition to the South Pole.

The Programme is a 40 page, glossy magazine that charts the history, heroism and sacrifices of British polar exploration since the 18th Century and reflects on how the scientific legacy of these expeditions continues to provide knowledge and understanding today. PSP Rare worked closely with both the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) and the Scott Polar Research Institute in the University of Cambridge (SPRI) to produce the Programme.

With forewords from HRH the Princess Royal and The Prime Minister the Programme will be given to guests at the commemorative service at St Paul’s Cathedral on 29th March, the 100th anniversary of Scott’s last entry in his diary.

PSP’s account director Shalene Varcoe commented: “It has been a real honour and pleasure to work with both UKAHT and SPRI to produce this commemorative programme. We have captured both the history and the future scientific legacy of this heroic period, ensuring that people remember Captain Scott and his companions for their extraordinary achievements and sacrifice”

“It is an honour to help to produce a publication associated with an event of such historical importance””

It’s more than a game

Grahame — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:43:56 +0000

I’m writing this on the eve of England’s latest friendly against Netherlands (not Holland, don’t you know!) the media coverage is massive, no doubt the fans are already travelling down from various parts of the country; just for twenty two men kicking a piece of leather, as the detractors would have it.

I’m a fan, but I’m still intrigued about the relationship between football clubs and their fans. There’s no doubt that marketing to fans by the major clubs has improved over the last few years. It appears that many of the CRM techniques that are used by major commercial brands are now used by the clubs. I guess the objectives are the same, improve understanding of the brand (or for some clubs create a brand!), up sell and cross sell products, reward customers, incentivise new customers and reflect the ‘communal’ nature of being a football fan. We were lucky enough a PSP Rare to produce the Tottenham Hotspur magazine for a period, and it gave us insight into how the major clubs work.
But….no names, no pack drill… how poor is club to fan marketing?

There seems to be default belief that club fans want two things;
Lots of communications and communications that deliver no genuine insight into the club.
This is the world of the bland, where the frequency of the communication is in inverse proportion to the real content interest.

So what is needed?….I’m sure I’m not the first to say this, but genuinely great editorial content, giving real insight into the club, and allied to ‘can’t buy’ offers for the fans to meet their hero’s.

Why not package a magazine with the season ticket? or allow fans to subscribe to the club magazine and buy it alongside the programme.. There are also the ‘armchair fans’, often committed to the clubs, but unable to attend matches…what a great potential market
But the real key is giving them something they can’t get from the press…
After all, if you have customers this good, wouldn’t you make sure they got the best possible deal?

2011 and all that

Grahame — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:32:02 +0000

As ever, trying to review and make sense of the previous year seems a monumental task. It’s not assisted by the sheer speed and intensity of work, and my predilection for red wine. So what were the highlights? The year seemed to be dominated by the three magazines we produced for Tesco. Setting up and launching two monthlies, ‘Food Magazine’ and ‘Home Magazine’ in the Autumn of 09’ was tough, but adding a weekly, ‘Your TV Week’, this January seemed to take the whole project onto a different sphere. I’m really proud of the work we did for Tesco; to launch three magazines in three months, and never miss a deadline or budget was some achievement. It wasn’t without pain, as the late night pizza bills highlighted! I guess the conclusion you can draw from this is a core team of publishing professionals, with a sprinkling of expert writers is capable of producing a magazine for any market.

Tesco wasn’t the only success. We’ve been fortunate enough to be able to broaden our offering to UK businessmen, through our magazine ‘Springboard’ produced for UK Trade & Investment. We have expanded the communications offering from the magazine, to include web content, iPad, Twitter and facebook; making this a real multi-medium communication project. Uncle Clint and the digital team created a wonderful website for Battens Disease Foundation, building on our expertise in the charity and medical sector.

We also seem to have carved a niche for ourselves in the event publishing sphere. After producing the Royal Society Centenary and Lord Mayor’s Show Guide, we have been commissioned to produce the Scott Centenary programme, commemorating Scott’s 1912 expedition. Maybe the call from Buck Palace for 2012 is overdue?

I could also mention how we have worked with Kia Motors (UK) Ltd. to market its range to the business buyer via ‘Fleet eureka’ magazine, or the new projects we have created for British Heart Foundation, but that would be bragging.

You cannot ignore the tough economic conditions we have to work in, but what has struck me about 2011 is the desire of our marketing partners and clients to broaden and deepen their relationships with current and future customers. There are still some great marketing ideas and initiatives going round.

What has also struck me is the constancy of customer magazines to deliver brand messages, and how magazines are still welcomed in customers’ homes and lives. Other media still struggle to deliver this level of trust and intimacy.