The Global Service Jam is a global event for people of all backgrounds to gain experience in service design techniques. In early March, in over 120 cities 3,000 participants got together to build prototypes and investigate service design.

I helped organise and run the Aberdeen Jam. We filled two units within a shopping centre with a diverse group of people from business, academia, local and national government, even students for the whole weekend.

Grow^

The theme (Grow^) was announced at 6pm on the Friday. We started with a number of exercises to generate and evaluate ideas around this theme. Discussion were wide ranging, and a variety of diverse topics were raised. The participants formed four core ideas before break up, and headed for a few hours sleep before an early start on Saturday.

Early prototypes – Very early prototypes.

On Saturday morning each idea was pitched by a sponsor, and teams formed around the idea. Each team had to work through the weekend to flesh the idea out, and produce a prototype of the service. The first task? Create a prototype by noon and get out on the street to validate your idea.

This is the most inspiring aspect of GSJ, the focus on prototype production within the weekend. By lunchtime on Saturday all teams had a prototype produced, and were out talking to the famously resilient Aberdeen public.

 More doing, less talking

Validation

All teams returned to base with a mix of supported and disproven assumptions, ready to refine their plans. Some needed minor alteration, some required wholesale pivots. To achieve this progress within 3 hours of team formation is remarkable and demonstrated the value of a strong process applied with enthusiasm.

If there was one takeaway from the weekend it’s that prototyping to lead evaluation and validation work is an incredibly powerful technique, even on the first day of a new idea. Solidifying the idea in a prototype helps solidify it in your mind.

Global

The global aspects were particularly evident on the Sunday when we had a number of Skype and Google Hangout sessions with other locations – from Dundee to Australia. All locations worked on the same theme, but came up with very different projects. This helped lift energy on the Sunday for a final round of work before presentations at 3pm.

Tools

Throughout the weekend we pushed the teams to use various service design tools which seemed appropriate to their problem at that point – from a simple stakeholder identification to a full business model canvas. By the end of the weekend teams were seeking more tools, having seen the success of the earlier ones.

My favourite question to ask through the weekend was “so how do you sell it?”. Most teams found the production of marketing messaging, and even advertising mock ups really helped focus ideas and accelerate progress.

The enthusiasm of the participants, from the Friday evening right through to late Sunday afternoon, was commendable. The progress that can be made with an intense, immersive, well-guided effort is remarkable.

Fifth Ring were a gold sponsor of the Aberdeen Jam.

There is a host of information about the Service Jam on their website.

This time last year I was frantically writing a dissertation in my pyjamas, with a Pot Noodle by my side. Today, like several other of my co-workers at Fifth Ring in Aberdeen, I am considered ‘young professional’ (wearing stilettos, accompanied by a Pret A Manger sandwich might I add).

So what talent does it take to shift from the stereotypical, sloppy student to said ‘young professional’? I had the privilege of attending Young Professionals in Oil & Gas Seminar on Thursday 28 March 2013 to find out more.

In Deloitte and Pinset Masons first seminar of 2013 for young professionals working in the energy industry, Alfie Cheyne, CEO of ACE Winches, was our guest speaker. The entrepreneur started his career as an apprentice Marine Engineer before founding Alfred Cheyne Engineering in 1992, rebranding to ACE Winches in 2004.

The company, a client of Fifth Ring, is now a global leader in the design, manufacture and hire of hydraulic winches and marine deck machinery.

The event turnout was very healthy indeed – well, the invite did promise free booze and food after all! After consuming my glass of shiraz (yes, I choose my wine by type now, not by percentage) and several canapés, it was time to be seated for Alfie’s session.

Two minutes into the talk and it was clear to see why Alfie has won a number of prestigious awards, including the recent Institute of Directors Global Director of The Year in 2012.

It was refreshing to be presented with honesty from a man with a simple philosophy: work hard, stay focused and grasp opportunities.

A continual point was addressed: people do business. On this, LinkedIn was, he suggested, a distraction from the most valuable and traditional form of networking since communication began: face-to-face.

Alfie stressed the importance he places on investing in his people and I couldn’t help but associate this nature to that of Fifth Ring, recognising the raw talent of it’s youth and cultivating it.

Care, commitment, and passion, combined with vigilant cash management and thinking ahead were listed as key elements for sustainable growth.

Most working days, the entrepreneur is in the office at 6.45am, a time more likely to have been seen in a casino in a recent past for many of the young graduates in the audience I am sure. Most working days, the entrepreneur leaves the office at 8.30pm, again I could repeat my point here about where a student is more likely to be!

However, I believe that Alfie’s simple wisdom “stay positive and focused” is more than achievable for young professionals in industry who have achieved this much so far in.

To this, youth in industry and “professional in oil and gas” are maybe not so far apart. Learning is lifelong, stated Alfie, you should learn something new every day and most importantly share this information with others.

After the motivational talk there was more opportunity to network – shiny new business card in one hand, an alcoholic beverage in the other – although this time I did not end up in the casino!

The seminar was beneficial, inspirational and thoroughly enjoyable.

So, how can young professionals grow into successful businessmen and women? It’s simple: take the effort and drive that got you where you are today and fire it into the company you work for – and go easy on the wine!

With investment in the North Sea hitting a 30-year high it’s easy to forget the recent uncertainty surrounding the future of the region’s energy industry.

Only weeks ago I attended a business breakfast with some of my colleagues, where industry leaders fondly highlighted recent successes and confidently forecasted an imminent surge in production.

It was difficult not to be swept along on the wave of optimism that has wiped out suggestions that the province was on its last legs. After decades of production, arguments had been made, quite publically, that the end was nigh. To some, all that was left was for operators to pack up their gear and return to shore.

The future, it seemed, was uncertain. Online and in newspapers conflicting headlines would appear on an almost daily basis as industry forecasters scrambled to have their own predictions heard.

But sitting at breakfast that frosty February morning, surrounded by some of the industry’s biggest and most influential companies, it was difficult to see why there was ever any doubt that the North Sea could continue to deliver vast riches to the UK economy.

Tax incentives for operators of brown fields are being heralded as the driving force behind the industry’s resurgence. And the Government’s support has certainly produced results, providing the fuel to accelerate major investment in the region, both from UK firms and global corporations alike.

And only last week the confidence surrounding the energy sector began to swell further as the Government announced incentives for decommissioning and the emerging shale gas market.

Of course, challenges remain if the industry is to achieve its ambitious targets.

But with the whole sector engulfed in a plume of optimism there seems more determination than ever to work collaboratively to tackle the testing issues which threaten to stifle progress.

The ongoing helicopter situation, for example, has eaten away at the efficiency of operators producing oil and gas in the region, but is now being tackled head on through the creation of two working groups – the Helicopter Safety Steering Group and the Marine Transfer Workgroup.

Industry leaders have been buoyed by the recent upturn in investment and activity, and are constantly evaluating how best to tackle the issue of skills shortages, which was recently highlighted as being the biggest threat to the energy sector in a survey conducted by Oilcareers.com.

But even in discussing these very real challenges there is an undercurrent of excitement and optimism about the future of the energy sector, and that has been clearly reflected in the recent investment in the region.

The Government’s continued support in maintaining the tax regime which helped kickstart the region’s ailing production is welcome.

Further backing from Westminster had been promised, and is being delivered, following the announcement that decommissioning is an area that will soon become subject to similar tax breaks for operators.

In recent years the North Sea energy industry has been something of a sleeping giant as production slowed and investment dried up, but the recent backing of the UK Government has awoken the beast and looks set to drive forward production for many years to come.

Fifth Ring’s Ian Ord and Rhea Hussey are in the top 1% of profiles visited on LinkedIn’s 200 million member business networking site….but what does this mean?

LinkedIn, the business focused social media network which is growing by the minute, recently marked the 200 million member landmark by sending out emails to its members letting them know where they stand in this massive network.

LinkedIn provides its members with the unique opportunity to build a worldwide network of contacts whilst sitting at your desk, or perhaps you are at a conference or exhibition, a fleeting conversation can turn in to a long term business relationship and all you need is a name.

LinkedIn is not only great for the individual but can also allow businesses to grow their network and connect with their clients all over the world in an informal setting. Through simply joining a group on LinkedIn an individual can get access to a worldwide knowledge pool and the ability to pose a question to thousands of professionals and receive an almost instant response. A business is provided the opportunity to become an opinion leader in their field of expertise by contributing professional information to a group discussion. LinkedIn is an excellent tool for connecting, which if made the most of, can provide great benefits.

But what do I know? Here are some interesting stats, 30% of B2B marketers picked LinkedIn as their choice of most important social outreach. Last year there were over 6 billion searches made. Mobile usage is up to 25% meaning more people are connecting on the move. There are over 12,000 businesses represented on LinkedIn and over 39% of members are Managers, Directors, Vice Presidents, Owners or Chief Officers. In short there are a whole lot of reasons why you should be on LinkedIn!

So how can you as an individual hope to increase your visibility on LinkedIn and attempt to generate the kind of profile views that put you in the top 1% of this vast, ever growing network. Well here are Fifth Rings top 5 tips for increasing your page views and ensuring that you are making the best use of your LinkedIn space.

1.  Fill your profile with as many relevant search terms as possible! This can be done by changing your job title to a more search friendly one or simply by adding to the skills section of your profile, but be careful, no one wants to look at a profile filled with search term spam!
2. Make connections and join groups! LinkedIn search favours connected people. Get yourself involved in as many groups relevant to your industry as possible, get active and start making the effort to get connected.
3. Make use of all the profile fields. The more of the profile fields you have filled with good, relevant information the better you will feature in searches and the more chance you will have of being found for the right reasons.
4. It’s professional but get personal! Don’t forget to include a little of your background. People don’t just want to know what you do or what you want to do but they want to know what you have done! I don’t just mean previous jobs either. Who ARE you? Let people know a little about you and who you are as that’s what sets you apart from everyone else.
5. Give people a reason to click and keep coming back! Make sure your profile picture is engaging and make the effort to post interesting and engaging content that gives people a reason to keep coming back or to seek you out just to find out what you have to say.

Ultimately it’s about making the effort and maybe with the help of these steps you can be a member of that magic top 1% too!

As the warm Southeast Asian sun began to set on the 5th of March, a mix of local and multinational people can be seen hurrying into busses and MRT trains all in a synchronised rush to beat the crowd and possibly score a seat for themselves for the ride home. Typical scenes in the Lion City where everything seems to move with such haste.

Not so typical however was the evening to come for a certain group of ladies and gentlemen who were cordially invited by Fifth Ring to an evening’s drinks and canapés at Eden Hall, home to His Excellency, Antony Phillipson, the British High Commissioner to Singapore.

(Stunning Eden Hall – house to British High commissioners since 1965)

 Eden Hall was a beautiful setting and the minute you walk through the front gates you begin to forget all the hustle and bustle you experienced just a moment ago. Seemingly transported back to the colonial era, your usual pace naturally reduces and you begin to notice and appreciate the splendor and beauty Eden Hall has to offer.

We could not have imagined a better place to announce the expansion of Fifth Ring into Asia. The setting was perfect for our guests, it somehow induced a need to converse and at the same time to listen, must haves at event like this.

 (His Excellency, Antony Phillipson, British High Commissioner to Singapore – there can’t a nicer host.) 

And listen they did as the High Commissioner gave his welcome address, he noted that he holds regular receptions at Eden Hall, but he particularly loved hosting this reception for Fifth Ring, he was obviously won over by Ian Ord.

(Himanshu Verma – explaining Fifth Ring plans for APAC)

 Himanshu, the man with the Asian plans was up next, and he immediately won over the crowd with his jest and more so, his sincerity. He spoke well of Fifth Ring’s ambitions in Asia and our commitment to delivering excellence for our clients.

Ian went up at a tough time, the crowd was hungry and thirsty, but his words were enough to satisfy their desires. He held the crowd well, explaining the origins of our Fifth Ring’s name, our philosophy and how much we value relationships.

Overall, it was an excellent event where we caught up with old friends, and definitely made new ones.

(Fifth Ring team with the High Commissioner)

 Special thanks to the British High Commission and all our guests for making the night nothing short of memorable.

To view all of the photos from the night, check out our Facebook page.

- Bryan Joseph

Don’t worry folks, Ian hasn’t decided to retrain as a zoologist, biomedical scientist or even a dietitian. Instead he was invited to Robert Gordon University to present a guest lecture to their International Marketing postgraduate students. The brief: to present students with a case study that demonstrated the complexities of marketing in the modern B2B world.

Ian’s lecture to the 20 or so postgraduate students was based around a global brand-revitalisation that Fifth Ring recently completed for a client. It was a real life example of how strategic marketing processes can be applied to produce great results. The lecture gave students a valuable glimpse of what life post-university might hold.

But Fifth Ring also had an ulterior motive– to inspire these young people to put their qualifications and skills to work in the local economy. And more specifically, within the energy industry.

The North East of Scotland is in a unique position where its economy is still strong and our unemployment low in comparison with the rest of the country. It’s a positive position to be in, yet it’s not without its issues. We’re in desperate need of increasing our skilled workforce either by attracting individuals from abroad, or by ‘home-growing’ talent. A recent AGCC event quoted the shocking statistic that only 6% of school students in the North East planned to enter the Energy industry when they finish education.

At Fifth Ring we have found it more than beneficial to support local home-grown talent and in 2012 have taken on 5 graduates and young people into full-time employment (look out for some of their blogs coming soon!), and more than 10 in work experience. That’s why when we can, we support our local universities, colleges and schools.

Ian returned to RGU last week to discuss with students the practical elements of global marketing communications and the benefits of continuing their international marketing studies to Masters level. It seems his global public speaking tour is slowly taking shape. In the meantime he’s also available for weddings, christenings, bar mitzvahs and more.

You know those spooky adverts that pop up on your Facebook page with the EXACT item you’ve just been looking at on Amazon.co.uk? It’s not a coincidence; they KNOW where you’ve been browsing.

But before you freak out and disconnect your internet connection, let’s look at the other side of the argument. Is it not a good thing that you’re now seeing adverts for things you actually want, rather than that 50 CD Collectors Edition Rock Ballads boxset?

Even if you object on a personal level, hopefully you can see that this is a great development for businesses. And B2B marketing is where the technology behind it comes into its own.

For the extended buying cycles of business customers, it is crucial to send the right message to the right people at the right time. In business, timing is money.

The Business Branding Network, in which Fifth Ring is a Partner Agency, recognises the value that this technology can bring to the party and we are now global partners with marketing automation software company, Eloqua*.

Eloqua monitors the campaign-related behavior of potential or existing customers so you can capitalise on their interest. For example, if they were interested enough to open a link attached to your marketing email, this could be a good time to send them more information, to nurture the lead. Not only that, but the software will recognise and execute this automatically, so you never miss a lead. This, of course, increases your ROI.

And this doesn’t just benefit the seller. For the customer, it eliminates bombardments of irrelevant emails detailing products or services they have absolutely no interest in buying. Now they can be sent only the information that their digital body language indicates they want or need. In a world where there are never enough hours in the day, this system of pre-filtering information should be highly valued.

So don’t think of it as stalking. Think of it as tailoring. The stigma attached to this kind of technology is ill founded, and those who realise this first are going to be reaping the benefits.

Oh, and I promise we don’t know that you’ve got SkySports News/Daily Mail/Twitter open in the other tab.

Siân

 *to sound in-the-know, make sure you pronounce it EL – uh – kwa, not el – OH- kwa

Everyone knows that one of the most important cards that a PR can hold in their hands is a Little Black Book (LBB) of media contacts, but what do you do when you become an expat in a country or city that you have no ties to? New job, new colleagues, new friends and nothing in that essential LBB! Where do you even start and how do you make your mark on a sometimes ‘impenetrable’ industry?

Well, this is a challenge that I recently faced as a PR Executive. I took the big, bold step of moving my entire life to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where I knew no one, albeit a small handful that I used to work with in my flight attendant days. (Long story!)  I was ‘lucky’ enough to have joined my fantastic company, Fifth Ring, right in the midst of event season, where from almost the very first day, it was my monumental task of calling our extensive database of valuable UAE based media to convince them to come to our events.

The hard part of compiling your LBB starts when you try to form long-term relationships with them in order to create two-way communication, constructive feedback (both positive and negative) and essentially, what you want is a ‘professional friendship’ with them.

These are some tips that I would suggest, whether you are compiling your contact LBB as an expat, or even as an intern or PR assistant entering the ‘big, scary but oh-I-so-want-to-be-you’ world of PR!

• Be as helpful as possible: If a journalist contacts you asking for any piece of information or images get back to them asap!
• Acknowledge them: Even if you don’t have what they need just yet, keep them in the loop, acknowledging their request and then letting them know that you have for example, contacted your client, and will get back to them ASAP.
• Socialise: The very first time you get invited to a social gathering, event etc do your best to attend! Not only will this help you to connect with them ‘outside of work’ which will help to develop your relationship, but if you keep declining, they will stop inviting.
• Stay professional: Be very careful of berating other journalists or even your clients or colleagues to journalists as the media world is tiny and your reputation is fragile.
• Stay in touch: After events, try to stay in touch with the few that you feel you connected with, even if it is just a quick email to say hello, as it’s nice for the media to not only hear from you when you want something. This will help to develop a mutually respectful, professional relationship with them. (This doesn’t mean add them on Facebook the minute you get home from the event, or forward them 10 ‘cute animal’ emails a day!)
• Say thank you: If the journalist has done a really nice piece on one of your clients, say thank you. A quick email is all it takes but they will certainly appreciate the gratitude-even if they don’t respond immediately! They work in a ridiculously busy world consisting of deadlines (as do we) but they will remember your appreciation the next time you pitch something to them and possibly be more inclined to help you where they can.

Finally, at events, don’t try too hard with the media. Try to be genuine and honest. Media (and every single person in the whole world, for that matter!) can pick up on someone when they are trying too hard to be something they’re not, so lighten up and just be you. And if you think you’re a little odd, the media tend to like ‘quirky’ sometimes anyway.

While I have given you some tips on how to build up your own LBB, my teeny, tiny little secret tip is ‘be the amazing you that you are!’ As far as I’m concerned, we work in one of the coolest, most fun, most exciting industries in the whole world and like anything, if you feel passionate about what you do, it will shine through, and as ‘The Secret’ by Rhonda Byrne suggests, you will attract positive energy in both who you are and what you do.

So… Be Bright, Be Bold and always, always, Be Better-Than-Before.

A happy team of networkers! Image courtesy of Clipartof.com

After months of anticipation and preparation, we were finally ready to throw open the freshly painted doors of our refurbished Aberdeen office.

Wednesday January 16 2013, was a date marked in the diaries of staff, clients and friends of Fifth Ring and the first of three office opening parties.

We were all excited to show off our modern office space and with serene background music playing, and wine and canapés on display, we could have been ready for the MTV Cribs film crew to burst though the door.

Our glamorous guests were greeted with a glass of wine or homemade pink lemonade and mingled with colleagues across all departments. They were taken on individual tours around our quirky workplace and into our meeting rooms with a twist, each with a theme from one of our global offices.

From the outside, they appear to have a very normal lettering system, a letter marked on the door, like many other meeting rooms. But this is no ordinary place (we are in the Fifth Ring world after all) and inside a hidden meaning is revealed.

The ‘B’ room has a black and yellow colour scheme with a stripy carpet, hexagon shelving, and hexagon graphic to suggest a bee hive – a ‘hive of activity’.

The ‘C’ room is homage to our work with the offshore industry featuring Japanese wave/sea illustration by Hokusai. This further relates to the Japanese origins of the Book of Five Rings, the inspiration behind the company name Fifth Ring.

And the ‘T’ room, the all round favorite, is an Alice in Wonderland tea party theme. An enormous Mad-Hatter’s tea party graphic adorns one of the walls, an appropriate Lewis Carol quote, and the bad but oh so good gigantic tea cup filled with all your favorite childhood candy.

Our ‘W’ room has a wall of mirrors, ensuring anyone who enters is greeted by a vision of themselves – a double you.

Different wines and tasty foods from around the Fifth Ring globe were on offer to sample. Mini cheeseburgers with crispy bacon pieces to represent the American office, various Asian deliquesces such as beef satay for the Singapore office, and breaded haggis balls for us in Scotland.

The newly ‘dolled-up’ office was ready to be shown off again on Thursday night and was equally successful with compliments all round.

Friday was an evening for clients and friends of the company and was a chance for all to really let their hair down. Sushi tasting, canapés, as well as an endless supply of wine and beer culminating in an eagerly awaited performance of our in-house band – Riff Thing and The Ringettes.

As a member of The Ringette trio, life has been hectic, snapped off guard by our in-house pap, Daniel Parlitu, and negotiating tours of adoring clients. But that’s the cost of fame.

In all seriousness though, Riff Thing and The Ringettes performance appeared to be tolerable, although the same thing may not be said for some of the karaoke later on that evening.

Over the three nights, our guests departed – hopefully – with a strong desire to return for future events – who wouldn’t with its London chique feel, spotless environment and copious supply of exotic refreshments?

The night gave everyone the chance to witness the creativity and imagination of our team in producing a truly unique space; ladies and gents welcome to the world of Fifth Ring!

Breaking news – Fifth Ring has opened an office in Singapore.

This is an exciting development, and not just because it raises the prospect of work jollies trips to Singapore. We’ve worked successfully in APAC before, but our new permanent residency is a BIG deal. It marks the improvement of both our local knowledge and global coverage, and puts us one step closer to achieving our goal of being number one marketing communications agency in the international oil & gas sector (a.k.a. world domination).

Of course, with this new office comes a new time zone. Singapore is eight hours ahead of the UK, meaning that by the time the Aberdeen office opens in the morning, Singapore will be wrapping things up and getting ready to go home. Luckily the Aberdeen team is expert at time-zone straddling, already accommodating overlap with Dubai (four hours ahead) and Houston (six hours behind). At this rate Fifth Ring will soon be a truly 24-hour operation.

We’re very much looking forward to working with our new colleagues. Formerly Like Minds, the Fifth Ring, Singapore team already have a great reputation in the region. Also, I hear our newly-appointed APAC Managing Director, Himanshu Verma was once Head of Marketing and PR at ESPN STAR Sports. I wonder if he can get us free tickets to the Singapore Grand Prix . . . ?

Welcome to the team, Fifth Ring, Singapore. It’s great to have you on board.

Media Relations

The Middle East is one of the few regions in the world where daily and trade publications continue to see growth in print circulation— although not quite at the frenzied pace as in the closing years of the last decade. This is especially important for B2B-focused organizations because print publications are the primary source of business news in the Middle East.

There is a slow shift beginning to take root. According to a study from the Arab Media Forum, which analysed news patterns in the region, with a specific focus on Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt and the UAE, revealed that while a majority of readers are still turning to print media, the regional political climate has led to a significant shift in news consumption to more digital sources but this is a slow evolution that is expected to pick up steam in the coming years.

The most recent study quoted the following statistics: 45.3 percent of respondents in the study read print newspapers only, 1 percent read online newspapers only, while 14.4 percent split their time between the two. When it comes to alternate means of getting news, while websites are the main source with 41 percent of readers going to websites, 21 percent are opting for mobile browsing, 17 percent opt for email, and 3 percent turn to Twitter.

Media Relations in The Middle East

According to Fawaz Al-Sirri, a quick way to understand the composition of the Arab world is to think of the Middle East as a region situated somewhere between the U.S., which has a more-or-less homogenous population and everyone speaks the same language, and Europe, where almost each country has its own culture, language, government, trends, and history. This directly impacts how the press works.

To Download and read the full Whitepaper – Learn how to successfully grow your B2B marketing communications in the Middle East:  http://marcoms.fifthring.com/middle-east/

Rich Media

For many years the TV/cinema ad was the pinnacle of engaging media. How do we introduce this level of media into B2B? The fundamental difference is the channels used. With the advent of YouTube/Vimeo and the client’s own web content there are plenty of opportunities to place them. But, this practice is still in its infancy in the region and seen by many B2B organizations as limited to consumers only. However, as global marketers, we know it works in other regions and therefore, in time, will become a driver in the Middle East.

Digital Public Relations

The use of digital PR is definitely on a sharp increase in the Middle East. There are more than 30 million social media users in the Middle East. Fifteen million of them are on Facebook. There are 5.5 million Twitter users in the region and 40 percent of them are from the UAE.

Surveys conducted in the region have revealed a considerable increase in digital PR budgets in 2011 with more than half increasing their budgets by 20-50%. The increased budget is primarily being spent on email marketing (28%), social media marketing (27%), Google adwords (20%), SMS marketing (10%), smartphone application creation (5%), and others (10%).

However, a considerable number of B2B communicators in the region are still finding it difficult to get buy-in from management to spend budget on digital PR with the primary reasons cited as: ‘can’t track ROI or impact’, ‘no budget’, ‘we feel our audience won’t respond’, a fundamental ‘lack of understanding’ or ‘no need because we are happy with traditional marketing.’ This is reflected in the three biggest challenges in digital PR for the client in the Middle East: budget, monitoring (tools and expertise) and bandwidth.

Research reveals the UAE is the market with the most digital PR potential. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain also show increased engagement. In terms of channels, the ones with the biggest opportunity for Middle East digital PR are social media, followed by email marketing, mobile marketing and lastly SEO.

Linkedin Growing in Middle East

LinkedIn announced in late 2012 that it would be following Facebook and opening an office in the Middle East region citing the rapid proliferation of social media in the region.

More than one million Emiratis have joined the site, which places the UAE well ahead of other Arab countries with much larger populations. Saudi Arabia is second with 600,000 members, while Egypt is third with more than 500,000.

The top three LinkedIn Middle East industries

• Oil and energy
• Construction
• Information technology and services

The top three Middle East countries by LinkedIn membership:

• United Arab Emirates
• Saudi Arabia
• Egypt

The three Middle East companies with the most employees on LinkedIn:

• Saudi Aramco
• Emirates
• Etisalat

To Download and read the full Whitepaper – Learn how to successfully grow your B2B marketing communications in the Middle East:  http://marcoms.fifthring.com/middle-east/

On 14^th December, the Fifth Ring powers-that-be invited the entire Aberdeen team, plus a few special guests from around the Fifth Ring World, to join them for a festive night out.

We didn’t need asking twice.

We’re lucky enough to have a brand new office space that is brilliant for integrated working, team building, creativity. And partying  (if in doubt see previous post on Riff Thing and the Ringettes’ debut performance here). So we dusted off our dancing shoes and gathered at HQ ready for a night of food, festivities and fun.

It’s been a busy and exciting year so spirits were high from the word go. The night started with a celebration of Rachel, Andrew and Michelle’s 10-year Fifth Ring anniversaries (I’m not sure exactly what their presents were, but based on the size of the gift bags I definitely intend to stay for another nine and a half years), toasted our new home and a highly successful year, and opened our eagerly awaited Secret Santa gifts. Spirits weren’t even dampened by the ten-minute walk in torrential rain and gale-force winds as we made our way across to the Stage Door for dinner.

Now like any office – and especially those containing a certain number of ‘creative’ people – we have occasional differences of opinion (and quite right too, if we agreed all the time life would be boring). But away from the stresses and strains of deadlines and delegation, the Fifth Ring team is a close-knit unit and we ate, drank and danced the night away in fine fashion to Leppard and the Big Cats – a band who almost equal the stage presence, charisma and sheer musical talent of Riff Thing.

Unfortunately I’m not authorized to divulge any further details. But in case you’re wondering, no one used the photocopier inappropriately.

We’d like to take this opportunity to wish all our clients, friends and colleagues around the world a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We’ll see you all for continued success in 2013!

Content Generation

Our definition of content generation: ‘creating educational and/or compelling content in multiple formats to attract and/or retain customers’. More often than not in this region a company’s definition of content generation is ‘here’s our brochure’.

Content provided by clients is generally of poor quality but many don’t recognize that the only way to improve this is to outsource the creation. The main challenges with this are cited as ‘difficulty producing the kind of content that engages prospects and customers’; ‘producing enough content;’ and ‘budget challenges.’

What is even more challenging for the region is the localisation of content.

You need different content in English and Arabic – the smallest word mis-translated can change the entire meaning of a sentence. Arabic content is important but hard to find – especially video. But then SEO opportunities are easier to come by in Arabic, as the user base is smaller.

UAE-based companies are also experimenting more with languages including Hindi, Bengali, Tagalog, Chinese and Russian to cater for the diverse audiences living in, travelling to or doing business with the region. It goes without saying that the same content does not necessarily work across different languages.

‘One size fits all’ does not work in the Middle East, where content needs to be both niche and local. This means understanding the best-fit languages for clients and tailoring content to suit different cultures in different languages. It is indeed a multi-tasking region when it comes to making content work.

The main challenges to marketing in Arabic:

• language barriers between teams
• different dialects make it difficult to please everyone
• not enough Arabic content creators and providers
• non-Arabic speakers leading a marketing team
• lack of mainstream Arabic creativity
• lack of good translators and Arabic copywriters

While English is still considered the common business language in the UAE and caters for the masses, Arabic is the de facto language for Saudi Arabia, Egypt and even other GCC countries such as Bahrain, Qatar and Oman.

To Download and read the full Whitepaper – Learn how to successfully grow your B2B marketing communications in the Middle East:  http://marcoms.fifthring.com/middle-east/

With Christmas approaching it’s time to write a list for Santa (or your other half/parents). For a bookworm like me the latest fictional works of Stephen King, biographies of great sportspeople, fashion-themed coffee table books and the much-hyped business books are usually top of my list.

This year I’m spreading my net a bit wider and asking my Fifth Ring colleagues for their recommendations.

Not one to be selfish, here’s the list of top books for 2013, courtesy of Fifth Ring  - we’re an eclectic bunch!

Robyn Percy, PR account manager – Dubai

Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels – my dad has been trying to get me to read these for years and since he has impeccable taste, like his daughter, I’m going to give them a try.

Style City – How London Became a Fashion Capital

Image from Amazon.com

I saw this one recommended on the PR Daily LinkedIn group : Crytallizing Public Opinion by Edward L Bernays

For my geeky side – From Gutenberg to Zuckerberg: What You Really Need to Know About the Internet by John Naughton

and lastly…The Loyalty Leap: Turning Customer Information into Customer Intimacy by Bryan Pearson

Gary McGovern, senior designer – Dubai:

A Street Cat Named Bob – James Bowen. It’s a moving and uplifting story that will touch the heart of anyone who reads it.

UAE instagrammed. A fine piece of work by some bloke called Gary McGovern.

Image from Blurb.com

Sam Dancy, head of PR – Dubai:

 First They Killed My Father

 Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

Jon Dyke, head of design and production – Dubai:

I’ve had two children in quite quick succession, so for me it’s got to be The Gruffalo. Great kids book!

Image from Gruffalo.com

Joeana Faith Dagandara, receptionist – Dubai:

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. I saw the movie first last year then decided to read the book and it’s much better! I think these type of books make you feel happier and feel younger!

Shruthi Rameshan, PR coordinator – Dubai:

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  It’s a great self help book – there’s a mixture of theory and anecdotal evidence and there are some great tips to follow.

 Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austin

Jodie Kilminster, PR account executive – Aberdeen:

A classic – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Zara Vaughn, digital account manager – Aberdeen:

Bag of Bones by Stephen King

Andrew Bradshaw, PR account director – Aberdeen:

For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power by Daniel Yergin

What are you favourite books and must-reads for 2013? Let us know in the comments below!

It was around about 6 weeks ago that Mr William Binnie poked his head round my desk and said, “You play drums don’t you”.  Having been with Fifth Ring for just under two months at that point and trying to make the right impressions and not anticipating a follow-up, I rather stupidly said yes.

Of course there was a response and no sooner had the words escaped my mouth than William had replied, “Right that’s the drummer sorted for the gig then” and walked away. Suffice to say I immediately regretted my decision as, save for a few drunken sessions on my mate’s kit, was completely without any drumming experience.

“No matter”, I thought, how hard could it be after all being a fan of Led Zeppelin and other rock bands I am no stranger to the air equivalent.

No doubt about that first practice was a bit ropey.  What with my drumming and the dodgy equipment at the rehearsal studio our first session left us no further forward in determining whether we could pull it off.  However spurred on by Dave Mac’s positive assessment of the evening we decided that between the four of us we could probably muster enough musicality to put on a gig for the rest of the office.

The next four weeks of rehearsals flew by and what started off as four guys playing some tunes for the rest of the office quickly grew and before we knew it we had backing singers, costumes, entrance music, an MC for the evening, encores, karaoke (because it wouldn’t be right if only a few embarrassed themselves!!) and a global audience in the form of Ed and the team in Houston.

The gig itself went to the general consensus of everyone, pretty well.  Sure there were a few bum notes and dodgy instrument playing but for the most, Riff Thing and the Ringettes was a complete success.  Although playing to a shall we say ‘merry’ audience now doubt helped, making our first show the best since four lads from Liverpool took the US by storm all those years ago on the Ed Sullivan Show.

So well did that debut performance got that Riff Thing and the Ringettes will be appearing at another special Fifth Ring event this coming January although based on that stellar debut the appearance fee has trebled and these dates may or may not conflict with the beginning of a sell out residence at the O2.

Cameron, the Riff Thing Drummer. 

Networking & referral marketing

The hallmark of any successful B2B communications campaign in the Middle East should revolve around building your network to generate referrals. Not only can it help forge relationships, it’s also considered a highly cost effective and trusted way to win new business. While this principle is the same anywhere in the world, it’s particularly significant here.

There are a LOT of bad service and product providers in the region and therefore to get a ‘foot in the door’ and gain trust to forge new business alliances, referrals play a big part. This is especially evident in our own industry as well as that of our clients—particularly in the oil & gas industry. If you asked most B2B businesses how they win most of their new business, they will say ‘by referral’.

A Word about ExPats

Being a predominately ExPat community in the UAE (ExPats make up more than 90 percent of the UAE population), thousands of networks of like-minded professionals have been built up over the years, with regular meetings in the form of business councils, industry councils, social networks, business groups and more focused referral networking groups like BNI (Business Networking International). All referral marketing is essentially based on one common human value, summed up by BNI’s mantra: ‘Givers Gain’ or ‘what goes around, comes around’ or if you prefer ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’. Whichever way you choose to describe it, this principle undeniably works.

Increased business development and improved infrastructure in the Middle East, particularly the United Arab Emirates (UAE), along with the region’s heightened attractiveness to investors, have fuelled B2B marketing maturity and education.

Although the B2B media industry in the Middle East remains small by international standards, trade publications and websites are a growing presence in the region. Middle East B2B media companies are beginning to emulate the best practices of mature markets and are growing their brands by integrating websites, magazines and tradeshows. This creates synergies for all products, lifting sales through cross selling and up-selling.

Business culture in the Middle East is extremely people centric. The cultural emphasis on trust, familiarity and relationship building is rooted in the history of the region. Traditional familial and tribal kinship patterns are reflected in current business structures. The importance of strong connections is thus ingrained into the social DNA of the region.

Relationship management is integral to one’s way of life. It is important to understand and appreciate the intensity of this cultural trait when forming business alliances. The core ethos of any company operating profitably in the Middle East— particularly the UAE—revolves around a strong network of relationships and cultivating strong personal relationships is considered vital for forging successful business operations in the region. Personal recommendations from trusted sources are highly valued. Thus the majority of business decisions here are swayed by testimonials from friends and family, and references from partners and business contacts play a significant role in getting new business.

Fifth Ring are winners! Best B2B Campaign and Best Scottish Marketing Business at the MiAwards!

Check out how full our trophies cabinet is getting…

Fifth Ring was out in force at the ADIPEC international oil and gas exhibition and conference, held in Abu Dhabi, from 11th-14th November.

Business Development Director Ian Ord joined some of the Fifth Ring Dubai team to travel to the show every day, meeting new and potential clients at the Middle East’s foremost oil and gas showcase, and catching up with some old friends.

Providing on the ground, client support in Abu Dhabi for the duration of the show were Fifth Ring’s Head of Design & Production, Jonathan Dyke and PR Account Director Andrew Bradshaw, who was flown in from Scotland.

ADIPEC generates a fantastic melting pot of people from around the globe with different cultures, languages and backgrounds, all joining together for four days with one common aim in mind – to talk about the most powerful industry in the world, with a spirit of friendship and co-operation.

Fifth Ring clients were well represented at the show. We provided exhibition support, including exhibition strategy, stand design, artwork, sustained media relations activity and a helping hand to sort out those last minute issues to ensure effective results.  The show itself represented the successful culmination of several months of planning and hard work from the Fifth Ring UK & Middle East teams, and from our clients. The positive feedback we received clearly showed this had been a job well done by all.

Clients experienced a high volume of visitor traffic at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, particularly on the first two days, although some managed to sustain a heavy footfall right up to the last minute on the final day of the event.

Traditionally held every two years, ADIPEC will switch to an annual event for the first time in 2013. Judging by the success that our clients experienced at this year’s event, November 2013 in Abu Dhabi can’t come soon enough.

ADIPEC – the world-class Abu Dhabi conference that attracts the creme of the Oil & Gas Industry – is now in it’s 15th year and has established itself as the leading platform for oil and gas professionals to share knowledge and expertise in the region.

As we reach the halfway point of the 15th ADIPEC exhibition, lets take a look at some of the exhibition stands that Fifth Ring have designed and created for our clients who are exhibiting…

While the global economy continues its very slow climb out of recession, one of the questions we often get, and indeed one clients often struggle with is: what is the right amount we should be budgeting for our communications activities?

This is always one of the most difficult questions to answer, but it is also one of the most critical. While it may sound self-serving, history shows organizations that increase their budgets in times of economic uncertainty position themselves for increased growth once the economy begins to pick up momentum. Of course there are many factors that play into this, but the general rule of thumb is B2C companies should be spending between 6 percent and 12 percent of revenues on communications and brand while B2B companies should be spending between 2 and 6 percent.

History shows organizations that increase their budgets and presence during difficult economic times position themselves ahead of the curve once the overall economy begins to pick up momentum.

The recession of the late 80’s/early 90’s in the US was deep and widespread, somewhat matching the current economic situation. As noted by the brand valuation and research firm, Interbrand, during the 1988-1992 economic slowdown Nike increased its marketing by more than 300 percent (Remember the Just Do It! campaign?). As a result, Nike increased its profits by a factor of nine during this time-period and stole market share by the handfuls from other shoe and sports apparel companies. Look at Nike today-the bedrock of their global dominance can be traced back to that strategic decision nearly 25 years ago.

This mindset is supported by the Profit Impact of Market Strategy (PIMS) study of 1998, which found companies that increased their marketing budgets during the recession of 1988-92 realized an ROI of 4.3 percent. While that may not sound like much, it compares favorably to the returns of companies who merely maintained their budgets or even decreased them (0.6 percent and – 0.8 percent respectively).

So where do you stand? For a comparison, we offer the most recent Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council Report, which showed 33 percent of US companies invested 3-5 percent of revenues on communications (includes tradeshows, advertising, public relations, brand management, brand licensing, direct marketing, social media and research), 16 percent spent between 5-6% of revenue and 23 percent spent more than 6 percent of company revenue on marketing communications.

Having arrived at Chateau de Guermantes, located just 30 minutes outside of Paris, already on a high from the previous week’s BMA Conference in London, I was really excited about the prospect of spending 2 whole days with 60 other B2B marketing professionals from around the world all passionate about what they do.

And boy… I was not disappointed! Having arrived late afternoon, there was just enough time to mingle with a few familiar faces over a cup of tea, before heading to dinner to meet some ‘newbies’. The gallery and dinner halls were very impressive with high ceilings and luxurious décor, complete with rickety old floors boards, chandeliers and renaissance art covering the walls, you really did feel you were in a ‘mini-Versailles’ and I had the sudden urge to dance around in a long flowing dress!

 After an early night, day one kicked off at 8.30am sharp. I was in the blue group that consisted of agency leaders, directors and board members. Our group’s task was to review the BBN business plan, presented by BBN’s executive director and group managing director of Fifth Ring, Clif Collier, and consider the question ‘What are the things that BBN can do to help you most to develop your business?’ It will be interesting to see some of the responses in due course.

Mark Rushton & Doug Leith from STC Global were invited to the Academy to present their initial ideas and proposal for helping us to package our processes and tool kits and provide support to integrate, train and engage the network agencies in Brand Asset Management (BAM), Technical Enabled Contact Strategy (TECS) and the Big Long Idea (BLI). After an introduction by Mark on Day One, Doug conducted a workshop with the group on day two, which was really interesting and highlighted some of the challenging scenarios presented by a global network attempting to embrace common processes and best practice. We all eagerly await the outcome a few months from now.

Following STC, I presented a session on ‘Networking the Network’, which highlighted 5 critical reasons to network in BBN, together with some guidance on how you go about it and the serious consequences if you don’t. The full presentation is available to view here: http://prezi.com/oimvh20pzist/bbn-constellation/

Rob Morrice Managing Director of IAS b2b and current chairman of BBN, gave a brief presentation on the future strategy for promoting the network and business development.

Later Ed Davies from Fifth Ring in Houston presented the business case for PR and how agencies should be encouraged to embrace the discipline and integrate it into their agencies either through a partnership or in-house. The agencies who already offer PR as part of their integrated offering raved about the success and growth potential of this service offering for any B2B marketing agency.

Andrew Dalglish and David Willan from the UK based, Circle Research presented their case for integrating business-to-business research insight into all B2B campaigns. Their claim is they create Eureka! moments – deep insights into a brand, customers and market -  insights, which will transform the view of a situation and provide a powerful competitive advantage. Circle provides a logical partnership opportunity for BBN and I’m positive our relationship with them will ‘live long and prosper’.

Clif summarised at the end of day one and we concluded the evening with another amazing dinner served by the Chateauform team!

Day two kicked off with all delegates gathering in the Gallery for a presentation by Timo Kruskopf, managing director of idBBN in Finland on the marketing automation software Eloqua. Since BBN are now an official partner for this highly effective system, it was interesting to see how as individual agencies we can benefit from using it and offering it to our clients. It was particularly interesting to see the huge business success rate that idBBN had already had with Eloqua over the past 3 or so years.

Next, as already mentioned, the blue group then took part in a workshop led by Doug Leith from STC Global where we focused on how we were to take agencies from ‘sleepers’ to ‘Man United’ Status!

As my itinerary finished after lunch I decided to gate crash the creative party where ten creative directors were busy musing and brainstorming over 3 potential ‘Big Long Ideas’ for promoting BBN over the next 12 months. If I’m really honest this was the best bit of the whole 2 days and I can’t wait to see Rueben Webb, creative director at IAS b2b coming hurtling out of a human cannon ball at the next Academy!

Everyone worked hard over the two days, so it was only fitting that on the last evening we partied hard too… in fact I hear a few made it to watch the sunrise…well done!!

Finally, a big thanks to Clif Collier, Rob Morrice and especially Jessica Stewart for making this one of the most successful Academies yet and I hope I’m lucky enough to be part of the next one. I really look forward to what I believe, will be the most exciting year ahead for BBN.

On the flight from Aberdeen to London, my colleagues Rhea, Gavin and I all joked that we should have taken pedometers to measure how far we would walk over the next four days at the Gastech Conference and Exhibition.

Tired feet and extremely toned calves later, we wished it hadn’t been a joke!

The Gastech Conference and Exhibition touched down in London, returning to the city for the first time in 40 years, from 8 – 11th October at the ExCeL arena.

Fifth Ring’s PR team worked with the Gastech organisers, dmg :: events, for almost a year before the first day kicked off on Monday 8th October; a close knit team considering only Rhea had actually met them in the flesh! Through the wonders of technology, we proved that two remote teams could join forces, and thanks to the virtual world, Fifth Ring and dmg :: events built a strong relationship.

Rhea, Gavin and I travelled down to London on Sunday night (we did arrive safely despite being delayed because someone forgot to charge the batteries on the plane…)

Offering 100,000m2 of space, the first stop was the ExCeL to get our bearings. The exhibition floor was still very much a construction site, with un-carpeted floors and men busy at work with hammers and drills.

However, come Monday morning and these men finally at home and in bed, the exhibition floor had been transformed, showcasing spectacular booths from companies from around the world.

On the first day, delegates from around the world enjoyed inspirational speeches from Edward Davey MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, who told the UK that, “We are good at gas, and we like gas” and Professor Brian Cox, Research Fellow, author and BBC presenter, who impressed the audience with amazing photographs of the surface of Saturn, revealing enormous quantities of Liquefied Natural Gas.

Sir Frank Chapman, chief executive of BG Group, which hosted the event, officially opened the exhibition at midday to a huge crowd. Suddenly the vast open space of the ExCeL arena was filled. Gastech 2012 had arrived!

On Tuesday, it was momentarily hard to remember we were in London. Russian day had landed. Alexander Novak, Russia’s energy minister, held a press conference and other industry leaders in the Russian energy industry gave speeches and held debates.

Over the course of the four days, we fulfilled a number of different roles, such as, attending conferences and keynote speeches, running the press room, liaising with and assisting journalists, writing press releases for the Gastech News website, and assisting the film crew in interviewing companies at their stands for Gastech TV. It was my first time at an event of that scale, and although we were tremendously busy, it was a great opportunity to try my hand at something new.

Gastech is set to head to warmer and sunnier climates in 2014 when it’s held in Korea. As if taking over one huge stadium wasn’t enough, Gastech overtook the O2 arena on Wednesday for a launch party for 2014. Despite me almost arriving in tears (fear of heights mixed with a cable car ride across the River Thames, and a certain colleague pointing out just how high up we were) the party was in full swing with everyone looking forward to the next event in two years time. We enjoyed some traditional Korean food and entertainment and, of course, a few drinks. Well, it’s not work all the time!

I think I can safely speak for Rhea and Gavin here too when I say we all had a fantastic time over the whole event. Months of hard work and late nights had finally paid off when we saw what a huge success Gastech turned out to be. And of course, the team at dmg :: events were absolutely brilliant and did such an outstanding job on making everyone at the event, from visitors, to delegates, to VIP speakers, have such an amazing time.

But don’t just take my word for it; check out these videos where industry leaders will tell you for themselves!

(Videos courtesy of Silverstream)

So to end what has been an albeit exhausting, but fantastic week, I’ll leave you with this: Gastech 2014 awaits…

Aberdeen’s business glitterati had the glad rags on for the most prestigious gala awards ceremony on the Aberdeen calendar – the Northern Star Business Awards.

Around 820 people attended the gala ceremony promoted by Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce and hosted, this year, by BBC journalist and author Sally Magnusson. The Fifth Ring table was a hub of excitement, we were shortlisted for two awards in the Best Campaign category: Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal, to raise profile of the £3 million appeal to build a cancer care centre in Aberdeen; and Oil Careers Traffic Light Campaign.

To have one campaign nominated for the overall award would be an achievement for any entrant, but having two was beyond our expectations. Both Maggie’s and Oil Careers would deserve to win in any given year and it was a shame there could be only one winner. We were also up against another Aberdeen agency which made up the shortlist.

The tension mounted as other winners were announced and collected their awards, knowing it would soon be our shot. Each of the nominees had a short video presentation, pre recorded several weeks ago, which explained why their nomination should win. Oil Careers was delivered by our own Rhea Hussey who described the challenge of engaging with delegates at the world’s biggest oil and gas trade show OTC in Houston. We’d come up with the “traffic lights party” concept – adapted to meet the relationship between employee and job as opposed to a dating game. Visitors selected coloured cups to signify their intentions: red – happy in your job, yellow – could be tempted to move – make an offer, green – actively looking. The Oil Careers stand was also manned by three dancers dressed in coloured morph suits – who proved a great hit at the show.

“It was an honour to be recognised by the Chamber for a much loved idea by both client and Fifth Ring. The statistics speak for themselves with a 54% increase in site visitors compared to the same week the previous year and a significant increase in dwell time on the booth,” said Rhea.

Ian presented the Maggie’s short film and reminded everyone that Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal, has involved creative, high-profile events including The Colin Montgomerie Ryder Cup event in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and Offshore Europe 2011, where Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal was made the first official partner of the energy industry exhibition and where Monty met with delegates who also got the chance to have their photograph taken with the Ryder Cup. Other strategies included designing advertising and decking out a Maggie’s bus which operates in and around Aberdeen, providing high visibility for the campaign. A series of tailored events, imaginative signage, marketing materials, and branding and extensive media relations were all part of profile building.

As a quick reminder, the Maggie’s cancer care centre, will be based on the Foresterhill campus of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and will offer expert advice, support and care to those individuals and families dealing with the disease. As well as driving the campaign forward, Fifth Ring and the staff have joined thousands of other fundraisers to ensure the dream of creating a Monty’s Maggie’s Centre in Aberdeen can become a reality.

In best Oscars style, Sally Magnusson, opened the envelope to announce the winner as……”Fifth Ring, Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal!”

Cue delight and much rejoicing at the Fifth Ring table. A very proud Mr Ord stepped up to collect the handsome trophy: “I am immensely proud of Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal, which has undoubtedly been the most visible campaign in the north east of Scotland in the last two years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Monty’s Maggie’s committee, Aberdeen Press and Journal and all people involved for their remarkable support to such a worthy cause.”
Ian, who also sits on the Appeal committee added: “This award is particularly special as it is more than a win for Fifth Ring; it is a reflection on the corporate and public support that has surpassed expectations for the appeal. Despite launching the campaign in a very tough financial climate, the profile of Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal was raised greatly, and we have just surpassed the £2.5 million milestone. It has been the fastest and most effective campaign of any Maggie’s Centre.”

This is the latest of several awards for Fifth Ring this year including a double win at the prestigious Chip Shop Awards for creativity in London and two awards at the Business Marketing Association (BMA) B2 Awards in the United States.

The new Fifth Ring reception on Huntly Street in Aberdeen is looking really good and the Northern Star Business Award takes pride of place on the stylish new ‘trophy cabinet’ – which is pretty cool. The real triumph, of course, is the money that has been raised thanks all those who have made contributions – large and small – to Maggie’s and have turned Monty’s dream into reality.

Some comments and congratulations…

“Congratulations on winning the Best Campaign at this year’s Northern Star Business Awards for your work on Maggie’s Fundraising Campaign. I was delighted when Fifth Ring was announced as the winner. The award is well deserved for very good work. Well done to you, the Fifth Ring team and all involved in the Maggie’s Fundraising effort. Best wishes for achieving the final target.”
Councillor George Adam, Lore Provost of Aberdeen

“Ian, well done on the award last night and well-spoken when you were up on stage.  The fact you had two nominations in the same category was also great profile for the company – well done again.”