Life is never dull here at Toucan... Here are a selection of recent happenings in our world. Back to News page.

 

Toucan Hires New Creative Director

12/01/12

From 'The Drum'.

"Marketing agency Toucan has hired Andy Stanton, The Big Kick's creative

director, to head up its creative team.

Stanton has previously held creative roles at BD-NTWK, Chilli, Catalyst and Grasshopper. As creative director at The Big Kick he worked on Stella Artois, Nestle and Tesco.

At Clapham-based Toucan he will be responsible for creative director across clients including New Covent Garden, Discovery Foods and Ocean Spray.

"I'm thrilled to be joining an agency that still feels fun, young and hungry for success. I believe in great ideas and great execution and can't wait to get going," Stanton said."

Link: http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2012/01/10/toucan-hires-new-creative-director

 

 

 

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Up Town G...o karting!

by Chris Bogin

When Gary suggested we all don overalls, get covered in oil and hang around in a garage, the rest of us naturally assumed we would be making a Toucan version of Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl video.

 

It was three hours of wrench juggling and synchronised spanner work later before he found the heart to tell us he’d actually signed us up for the Marketing & PR Companies' go karting night at TeamSport in Camberley.

 

Initial disappointment soon made way for natural competitiveness, and, undeterred by the fact that only two of Team Toucan had ever even sat in a go kart before, we jumped on the train and began talking tactics.

 

A few practice laps in and it was obvious the competition were no pushovers, with some teams nearing the track’s lap-record in the first few attempts. This Le Mans style endurance race would be as much about changeovers and penalty points as it would driving ability.

 

 

Amaury stepped up first for Team Toucan and, despite being one of the newcomers to the sport, managed to get us off to a strong start amid tough competition in the pit lane. 

 

Changes every fifteen minutes saw Gerry, Chris and Mike take Toucan up the leader board to what would surely be a solid third place finish, but with each team needing to make at least five driver changes we would have to make at least one more pit stop before leaving it to Gary to bring the bronze back to Northcote Road.

 

Amaury, having already done more for Anglo-Franco relations in one evening than the Chunnel has in 18 years, stepped up to the mark once again. A few positions were lost in the change over but it wasn’t long before we were soon back up in third and looking comfortable.

 

 

Twenty minutes of race time remained as we prepared our final change over. We only had to maintain our position, and with Gary having been on holiday to Legoland on no less than three occasions, confidence was high. A podium finish was surely in the bag. Gold seemed out of the question, so would it be silver or bronze?

 

Maybe it was losing to Mike in the rifle range shooting competition just days earlier or maybe the petrol fumes were just a bit too much for the Devon-dweller but Gary ended up pushing a little too hard. A black flag for dangerous driving led to a 30 second sin-bin for the Toucanites, many would argue unfairly. There was no way we could make up the lost time with only minutes remaining.

 

As the chequered flag dropped Team Toucan were down in fifth position. It had been a good effort by an inexperienced team against tough opposition but for the second time that evening an air of disappointment reigned. On the whole, we’re proud of our team’s go karting performance, and equally proud we managed to steal a quick photo on the podium while no one was looking.

 

 

 

13th June 2010
Fun in the Sun
By Kate Springgay

To celebrate the 2nd Northcote Road Carnival, we decided to have a BBQ in our courtyard and invite everyone we knew! Great afternoon of fun with good food and drink in the sunshine. The Carnival itself was amazing with over 10,000 people turning up to enjoy the sights and sounds  of Northcote Road. We'll be doing this again next year so keep your diary free and watch this space!
 

27th May 2010
More Success at the ISP
By Sam Lepore

The agency scored a silver and a bronze at the last ever ISP Awards held at the Hilton Park Lane last night. The fantastic ‘Win a Tractor’ promotion for Tyrrells Potato Chips won the awards in the Food and Trial & Awareness categories.
 

The awards evening was the last under the auspices of the ISP as the organisation now changes its name to the Institute of Promotional Marketing.
Many thanks to all our guests who made it on the evening, especially Cath Henley from Tyrrells who made the long journey to London from the beautiful Herefordshire countryside.

       


22nd September 2009
The Big Move
By Mike Benns

Well, after 18 happy years at Merton Abbey Mills, we finally made the decision to move to pastures new. So here we are in Northcote Road sampling the 'Battersea Buzz' and what fun it is! Clapham Junction is literally 5 minutes' walk away and we are right opposite Buona Sera just 3 doors from the Bank. More bars and restaurants than you can shake a stick at... not great for our waistlines but brilliant for entertaining!

Huge thanks go to Sam for organising us all and making the move as smooth as possible ensuring nothing got lost on the way (apart from the bowl... it'll turn up somewhere!).

Please make a note of our new address and come and see us soon.


5th June 2009
Toucan Bags Another ISP Award
By Mike Benns

Schneider Electric needed an incentive scheme to encourage small and medium sized electrical contractors to buy from their range of brands. We devised an online scheme which rewarded electricians every time they spent over £100 on Schneider products.
Hey presto... the ISP obviously felt it was worth merit as we went and won a silver ISP Award in the B2B Motivation category at the ceremony held this year at the Hilton on Park Lane. Many thanks to all those who made it possible, not least of all the main clients, Connie and Louise.
 

10th February 2009
Recipe for a Fun Evening
By Kate Springgay

Ingredients:

One Agency (Toucan)
One Client (Ocean Spray)
An Underground Cookery School
Lots of Enthusiasm
A Pinch of Cooking Experience
A Little Liquid Refreshment

Within 3-4 hours you will have a delicious meal cooked to perfection using a key ingredient, that a serves a party of 10.
 

Method:

When I heard we would be cooking a 3 course meal (from scratch) for us all to dine on, that would be tasty and nutritious, I felt a little worried. Up until then my cooking experience mainly derived from reading the packaging and popping the contents in an oven.

My worries increased when I was led into a church for this cooking experience… my microwave sins started to flash before my eyes.

But 4 hours later I couldn’t believe the attractive, tasty 3 course meal that lay before me. Especially as I’d helped to create it!

This turned out to be a fantastic evening where Toucan and Ocean Spray were shown from start to finish how to make pastry, create a jus, cut a whole chicken into portions, make a white chocolate and cranberry cheesecake and all the other parts that go into forming a tasty cranberry themed menu.
 

11th November 2008
Click to Save, Win – or Both!
By Mary Anne FitzGerald

Websites relating to promotions, coupons and vouchers are the fastest-growing on the internet, according to new data from Nielsen Online.

The fastest-growing website in the UK in June was for Walkers Crisps. It received 444,000 unique visitors – up from only 17,000 in June 2007… an increase of 2,575%.

The vast majority visiting the site were responding to the on-pack ‘Brit Trip’ offer of discounts on days out and holidays. It promises half-price or free entry to attractions such as Thorpe Park and National Trust properties.

Another top site was MyVouchercodes.co.uk, a portal for using promotional codes and e-vouchers for claiming discounts at different UK e-tailers. It was placed fourth in a top ten of fastest-growing sites with year-on-year growth of 1,200%.

Here at Toucan, we regularly recommend the use of online mechanics as an integral part of a promotional campaign. We currently have two liquid offerings to tempt you!

If you are a big outdoors type, pick up one of 5.3m promotional bottles of Brecon Carreg mineral water and go to www.breconwater-wildside.co.uk to enter your unique code. You could win a European or UK wilderness break, a picnic rucksack or membership to the Ramblers’ Association amongst many other healthy prizes.
 

Or, if relaxed Italian chic is more you, our Dive into Disaronno promotion could be just the ticket. Each promotional collar on Disaronno Amaretto has a unique code. Go to www.diveintodisaronno.co.uk and you’ll have 99.9% chance of winning a prize: a luxury holiday for four to Sardinia, a stylish Alessi cocktail kit or an exclusive Disaronno ice stirrer.
 

25th September 2008
Pennies from Heaven
By Gary Rapps

I was asked recently to explain Toucan’s ‘Imagination Delivered’ positioning to a new client.

Quite simply, ‘Delivered’ comes from the fact we have our feet firmly on the ground when it comes to project management. ‘Imagination’, on the other hand, is a result of being able to think blue-sky thoughts.

Now, all this talk of ideas floating around in the air must have gone to my head as last month I found myself agreeing to jump out of an aeroplane from 13,000 feet and freefall back to earth.

Don’t worry, I hadn’t gone totally mad… I was raising funds for charity. The Galactosaemia Support Group to be precise of which I am the General Secretary.

The good news is that, along with the efforts of others, we managed to raise over £5,000, which will now be used to improve the lives of children with the condition.

As for the experience, it was fantastic and I would certainly urge all those thrill seekers out there to bypass Alton Towers next time and give it a go.
 

15th July 2008
Team Spirit
By Nina Rosi

When I suggested we enter a team into the ISP's inaugural netball tournament 2 months ago, let's just say there wasn't a mad rush to sign up. Mind you, who could blame them?! As the only one of us who'd ever played the sport, I was also the only one who knew the rules...and anyway, wasn't it a sport for girls?!

To their credit, people came around to the idea, and with a squad of 5 men and 5 women we set about finding somewhere to learn the game and practice. A local school proved willing to loan us their court and with makeshift bibs we had a go. Footwork ("What do you mean I can't run with it?") and no contact proved to be the trickiest rules to master, but the team spirit and ‘have a go’ attitude made sure it was fun and we soon got the hang of it.

                            

The evening of the tournament soon came around and the weather was glorious. The games were organised with precision. Eighteen teams had entered...and the standard was high...let's just say some were clearly more au fait with the game than others. Although we didn't win, everyone had a go, we didn't embarrass ourselves and scored goals in every game.

We got into the spirit of the competition, enjoyed the preparation, competed on the night and had a good laugh.
Will we be back for more next year? Definitely!


                                


10th July 2008
Walk like an Egyptian
By Sam Lepore. alias Cleopatra

Employee motivation programmes are great for company morale by making a positive influence on the work atmosphere, attitude and company results.

This is all true, but sometimes it’s just nice to forget all the tick boxes and get out there and enjoy the company of the people you work with…

I reviewed my dressing up box (every frustrated performer has one!), dusted off my Cleopatra wig and presented myself to the team at our weekly status meeting. I informed them, in full Egyptian fancy dress, that we were off to the Tutankhamun exhibition at The O2. “Your heads will be filled with majestic tales and your bellies will be stuffed with a sumptuous feast”, I proclaimed in a true thespian voice!

I paused (like any real performer would) to allow the guys to catch their breath, before handing them scrolls, which made them laugh even more, seeing Gary’s face superimposed over a Pharaoh - we like themes and we try to keep it authentic!

We struggled to find an ancient Egyptian boat to transport us to The O2 so we hired a jetboat from Blackfriars to take us down the Thames. A great way to see London and definitely a high five moment!


                                                


After the thrill of the boat ride, we continued on our quest for knowledge about the young Pharaoh followed by cocktails in Gauchos (always a must!) and then a sumptuous Thai feast.

By the time the evening had ended and the last of the night caps were ordered, we were all walking like an Egyptian to catch the last train home! 


                                                 




4th July 2008
Young Talent
By Kate Springgay

Recently I went to the D&AD New Blood exhibition held at Earls Court.
This is where professionals and Joe Public can go and see the work that is being produced by the next generation of designers in response to briefs set by the D&AD.

I relish going to these events as you get an overload of visual stimulus and reminders of how open a brief can be. It’s also interesting to see the different techniques that seem to be popular amongst the students – major trend of whimsical computer graphics and 3D computer bitmaps.

One big frustration for me was that there was no ‘flow’ at the exhibition. I walked in and was hit straight away with a lot of designs and no obvious starting point. It’s like going to a market and getting lost as to where you have been and where you still need to rummage. It's quite annoying when you want to see everyone’s work but you only have a couple of hours free and haven't got time to be herded around trying to solve the maze.

Having said this, it’s a great place to see a lot of illustrators in one hit, so if you come across an illustrator you could use you can approach the student or college and inquire. There were some real show stoppers at this event and just those alone made it worth going and seeing which names to watch out for in the future.

12 June 2008
S'ralan.... you're fired!
by Mike Benns

So another series of the Apprentice finishes with Lee McQueen surviving the twelve week interview. Whilst I have tremendous respect for Sir Alan Sugar, I do feel there is a fatal flaw in his business acumen and that is his total reliance on sales to the detriment of the brand. Don't get me wrong, I'm the first to agree that sales are the lifeblood of any organisation but to go after them at the expense of the brand is short term folly.

You only have to look at the value of his own brand,  Amstrad... it has associations of cheap plastic 80's IT and phones that wouldn't look out of place in an episode of Blake's Seven. Money received from sales is not just a product of volume, it is also a result of the value of each sale. Just look at how many times the Ferrari had to be rented out in episode 9 to make up for one rental of the Zonda...

Why do people feel happy to pay more money for a Sony Bravia flat screen TV despite the fact that the LCD panel itself is made by Samsung? It's the power of the brand and the fact that Sony TVs have 'colour like no other'.

Come on S'ralan start to appreciate the value of brands and hire someone who is not just a 'ballsy' salesperson.




3rd June 2008
Postcards with an Edge
By Sam Lepore

When we entered a design competition sponsored by Boomerang Media to design a postcard publicising Obesity Awareness in the UK, we thought we were being a bit cheeky entering six different designs. Little did we know that all six would be regarded as award winners and have now been printed and distributed to outlets all over the UK! Well done to Kate and Gerry for some outstanding creative ideas brilliantly executed. Here are the best three for my money...

   






22nd May 2008
How to Win an ISP Award!
by Nina Rosi

It's that time of year again when the great and the good from the marketing world pat each other on the back at the ISP Awards. Mike was a panel chairman this year and judged the Automotive and Fashion & Beauty categories. He was lucky in that there were some clear winners in the shape of Vauxhall's campaign for the Zafira and P&G's work for Gillette.
However, there were far too many categories where gold awards could not be awarded as the judging panels were largely underwhelmed by the entries. This is a sad indictment of the current quality of marketing creativity and effectiveness in the UK. By just opening the 'marketing ideas cupboard' and revamping old promotions, agencies are destined to produce more mediocrity.

They seem to have forgotten what we hold dear here at Toucan, that award-winning campaigns begin and end with the brand and the bit in the middle... that's the brand too. Once the planning process has identified the brand platform, creativity can happen and award winning promotional mechanics can be devised...


14th May 2008
Conference Season
by Mary Anne FitzGerald

 
Gary presented at Marketing Week's inaugural Sales Promotion conference which took place this week in London. He spoke to a distinguished gathering of both clients and agency heads.
The focus of the day centred around the implementation of profitable campaigns with presentations from brand owners, data analysts and research professionals.
Areas covered included shopper motivation, promotional trends and a panel session on how to work with retailers, mixed together with a series of networking opportunities.
The day culminated in his take on how to overcome the barriers that can sometimes be encountered when selling in such activity to the trade.
Using a combination of recent case studies, agency insight and some rather humorous YouTube clips he was able to leave the audience with plenty to think about.

 

25th April 2008
Green Energy at Merton Abbey Mills

by Sam Lepore

Quite a crowd gathered to see inventor Trevor Baylis (pictured with Mike and Gary) turn on the new Wind Turbine at Merton Abbey Mills directly outside Toucan's offices. It is a landmark return to using natural energy for the site since Liberty used water from the river Wandle to power the fabric mills in the 1900s. Now, in 2008, the new wind turbine will generate enough electricity to power at least one building.

Trevor Baylis is famous as the inventor of the wind-up radio. He displayed his natural enthusiasm for eco friendly products as he showed the children from Merton Abbey School some of his inventions. As he turned on the wind turbine with the Mayor of Merton he said "What we are starting here today is fantastic. I hope it will be replicated all over these isles and carried on into the future by the next generation of children here today".