TH: Julian, what does the Newcastle brand stand for?
JL: I think lots of people tend to brand Newcastle based on the people, be it their honest and friendly nature or the rather more unflattering ‘hard-drinking-not-wearing-very-many-clothes-to-go-out’ stereotype. It’s a shame when there is so much positive stuff going on up here that the Geordie Shore image is the one so easily applied to the region’s brand.
TH: How do you think Newcastle should position itself?
JL: Over recent years the city and region as a whole has certainly positioned itself in the tech space, with the Thinking Digital conference attracting speakers and delegates from all over the world and accelerator programs like Ignite 100 and the Difference Engine helping to promote the start-up culture, which is certainly very prevalent up here.
We are an isolated and relatively small region really and I think this has encouraged a sense of camaraderie, which is very useful.
When pitching outside of the region we position Orange Bus by openly promoting the fact that all of these factors have enabled us to develop a team made up of people who are loyal and approachable but who are also incredibly comfortable working at the cutting edge of our industry. I can’t pretend that we don’t offer a good night out as well though and it’s something our far flung clients often comment on!
TH: Are the city’s brand values reflected in your own agency culture?
JL: Not entirely – the part of the city’s brand that we are involved in (within our sector) is great and we’re proud of the association, but the stereo types are a worry and we’d probably rather distance ourselves from that side of things where possible. We are extremely honest and friendly here though and naturally I see that as a positive.
TH: Does being based in NE influence your creative output? If so, how?
JL: I don’t think so, perhaps in the way your mentality is shaped and the experiences you have had and continue to have, but we spend a lot of time reading blogs, magazines and watching videos that have their origins across the globe and, on the whole, this would have a greater influence in my opinion.
TH: What makes your agency offer different?
JL: Orange Bus’ differentiator is the combination of skills it can offer. Many companies are highly creative but can’t offer the technical expertise we can – and vice versa. Equally, our user experience capability is something many companies don’t even both with even if they do manage to be both fairly creative and technical at the same time. The fact we do it all and we do it so well is what works for clients.
TH: Why should clients consider sourcing work from Newcastle agencies?
JL: We’re used to doing business far from home that’s for sure, so our location shouldn’t and isn’t a factor – this is something our clients agree with. We have to work that little bit harder sometimes to convince new clients this is the case and I think that shows. In comparison to Leeds and Manchester, there really isn’t a huge number of large companies with their headquarters based up here to sustain the agencies that exist at the higher end of the market, so we all have to make ourselves more attractive than the local competition and I think that hopefully ensures our standards are consistently high.
TH: What sort of clients do you particularly want to attract?
JL: We like a nice mixture of corporate and cool in the studio as it keeps everyone interested, but I can’t say we’ve ever really concentrated too hard on any one vertical. We find our skills can be applied successfully across a wide range of businesses so we don’t specifically set out to attract one or another.
